Hello FT community,

I will be going to Cancun staying at Marriott for 12 days.
I do not have status with Marriott. Cannot do a challenge since trip is booked via Expedia.
Any tips how to get cheaper internet? It is $20/day no matter whether I use their business center or I use it in room on my laptop?

TIA

There are many companies that provide free silver status. You can do an internet search and you should be able to find some links that will allow you to automatically become silver. Silver status with Marriott will give you free internet.

Appreciated. Just to confirm, even though the stay was NOT booked via marriott web site, but expedia, the status benefits apply? TIA again.

Complimentary Internet access is a benefit of the Gold and Platinum levels. Silver Elite members receive free Internet access in Australia, China (and Hong Kong), Guam, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

http://www.marriott.com/rewards/member-benefits.mi

Best Regards,

Drew

When is this trip? Unless your trip is coming up really shortly, you should be able to go for the Gold challenge. I'm not sure if Marriott just grants these but you can tell them that you plan to stay with Marriott more often if you have business trips coming up.

The benefits apply to you even if booked from Expedia. The points and elite stay credit might not be earned though, but all the other benefits should be there according to your status (Silver, Gold, Platinum).

The trip starts this Friday.
I did call them and asked to be matched to Hilton (diamond status) and they said if it was booked via expedia that won't work. They looked into the reservation and said I do not qualify.
What should I do, call again? Even if I do the challenge though, that won't grant me the benefits before completing the trip, correct?

TIA

Sorry if your not interested in paying the price to get Marriott Gold or Platinum (by staying the required # of stays) its just freeloading and it hurts all the travelers that earn their status

I don't see how this has anything to do with booking through Expedia unless the "taste of Gold" (or whatever level) challenge has those restrictions in place. You should receive most of the benefits (if not all) regardless of where you booked. I know sites like Expedia probably won't earn those extra bonus points, but if you were say a Platinum member, you should get the other platinum perks like possible room upgrades.

Do you have any plans on going with Marriott for your travels or is this just like a one-time deal? I'm with Hokies82 on this but I'm sure other members here take advantage of these offers by other hotels. In the case of Marriott, I think they automatically push you to that challenge level for 3 months and downgrade you if you can't meet the requirements. I personally think this devalues Marriott and members who reached their status fairly (actual stays) and hope you will stay with Marriott instead. I usually find more Marriott hotels than Hilton and they have lifetime status compared to Hilton (unless they have plans on changing that).

No worry. The elite challenge program was designed to catch the "freeloader",
they will end up stay with the MR program forever.
Beside the OP has Hilton (diamond status).

didn't realize this is a gold benefit. Just stayed at Marriot Waterfront Seattle over the past weekend, and was never offered the free internet. Is there a exclusion list?

We are 2 of them

Without the Taste of Gold challenge, I never get to taste the Gold perks, and I would never be interested in the status.

We completed the challenge and now we have most of the stays with Marriott.

You should have received it. Call & get your credit card credited if you were charged for internet.

Cheers. Sharon

At every FS Marriott property I've been, if they don't have a "free" option you simply sign up for the Internet at whatever cost when you log in and when you get your bill, it will be zeroed out.

This assumes that your Gold or Platinum MR number was on your reservation when you checked in.

+1

It took me a year to realize that it was free for Gold and above. When I logged in and saw that it would charge me $12/day, I was using my corporate air-card. Until I asked the front desk why it was not free and they told me to access the $12/day and that it will not be charged to my room bill!

wow.. it's really good to know that, although it's a bit too late for me since I'd decided not to use Internet when I saw the $14 price tag.

know better now.. thanks for the great tip