Never staying with Marriott again!
 

Hi all,

I am going to vent here because I have just had a terrible terrible experience with marriott. I am working in bloomington, IL a rather small area, with not very many hotel properties of any brand. I travel there weekly, and have been doing so for quite some time. Back in september of 2012 I booked every week out with this 1 marriott I stay at, booking it out until midway through 2013 at my corporate rate.... Everything is good through 2012... my next stay was supposed to start this monday 1/7/12, but I got a call from marriott customer care today saying that they can no longer honor any of my rates because the corporate contract wasn't renewed and I would have to pay 200% more. I was going to say OK I will figure it out, but then she proceeded to say that she couldn't even book my reservations again at that new rate. I spoke to 2 levels of customer care, and the GM at the hotel... nobody can help me but someone from reservations will call me on Monday (which is too late...) I couldn't get e-mail addresses or phone numbers, just a few names. So basically, they weren't even giving me the opportunity to contact them back. She offered me a measly 10,000 points

She kept saying "I am sorry there is nothing I can do for you" = I am shi*t out of luck.

Not to mention they can't put me in any of the surrounding properties because everything is sold out through march of 2012.

I would expect she could force the hotel to honor the rate I reserved, or for marriott to compensate the difference or to place me in another property or anything. Instead the closest available property is 2.5 hours away in chicago.

Thanks for adding 5 hours to my daily commute marriott.

You should ask them about the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee.

Per Marriott's website:

"If for some reason we’re unable to honor your reservation, we’ll pay for your accommodations that night at a nearby hotel and compensate you for the inconvenience. To be eligible, you must provide your Marriott Rewards membership number when making a reservation. Compensation varies by hotel brand."

And the 48 Hour Reservation Guarantee

48-Hour Guaranteed Availability:
Traveling on short notice? We guarantee you’ll always have a room for any paid stay. Just make your reservation 48 hours before arrival at any of our 3,500+ participating hotels, excluding Marriott Vacation Club. [PLATINUM ONLY]

I agree, I would think once a hotel accepted a reservation they should honor it. I would certainly continue to pursue this - but I would also talk with your company...did they not advise you that this rate was going away? maybe they can assist with Marriott, too.

However, since Monday is right around the corner.... It seems your immediate issue is finding a place to stay, and I am uncertain why you are not seeing any availability. I am finding availability at the FS. Also in closer areas than Chicago...towns as close as 30 miles or so away.

After next week, there is a good bit of availability...in several chains in all price ranges. if you truly are never going to stay at Marriott again, then you should start building a relationship with one of these.

Again, I do not think what happened is OK, and I would not let it drop - but it sounds as if this is not going to change, so you need to find a pillow for your head come Monday!

I posted several months ago that I was seeing far less corporate rate availability than at any time I could remember. I work for one of the largest corporations in the world, and our property selection has dropped by at least 50%. And in many cities- no FS at all...in some cities, no MARRIOTT properties at all - where there used to be 8 to 10 in all price ranges. We have been a Marriott corporation for years - to see this lack of relationship is astonishing to me.

Story seems a little off in a few ways...including widespread availability at relatively low rates this week at Bloomington, IL properties.

http://i45.tinypic.com/19xwk6.png]

From a legal context, the termination of a corporate contract will trump a rate reservation made on the basis of that contract.

Whether this is a good idea from a business perspective is a separate matter.

don't know what your referencing? A day's inn just became available there are a few other motel type items but I can't book their per my company's policys (we must stay at hotel brands we procure with) .. I may try to get around this.

What else seems off? It is all the truth and I am looking for help.

Thank you so much for the ultimate reservation guarantee... any more guidance? I am going to call back again..

I cannot spend over a certain limit per my company policy and none of those hotels are within limit.


What else seems off? It is all the truth and I am looking for help.

Thank you so much for the ultimate reservation guarantee... any more guidance? I am going to call back again..

You can't spend 104 dollars a night? No wonder your corporate rate was cancelled. What was it?

I'm only seeing $149 at the FI...

However there are 2 hotels in Champaign under $100. 50 minute drive which is kinda far when you're already traveling, but certainly less than the 2.5 hours referenced in the OP.

What is your spending limit?
Did you contact the person in charge of the MR contract at your company and ask whether a contract with a different chain/property was established or if they have any back up plans?

and what prevents you from paying the difference over that of what your company authorizes as its limit??????????

I wouldn't want to have money come out of my pocket for business travel.

What does your company's travel department say about this? If they are sending you to a place where they have no negotiated rates, it sounds like they have to pay the prevailing prices. If they do have rates but its at a property you don't particularly care for, well, you may just have to suck it up - at least in the short term.

I don't see where Marriott is at fault here, but I'm curious: was it the hotel itself that called you or was it Marriott corporate? You just said "customer care".

it was marriott, not the hotel. also I am not sure where that guy got his image from but none of those hotels are available for this week - maybe you searched today?

I spoke again with customer care, they are saying that they have no control over the rates individual properties charge and although they side with me and understand what went wrong they cannot do anything about it...

This has zippo to do with Marriott and everything to do with OP's employer. For whatever reason OP's employer couldn't come to terms with Marriott and the contract was cancelled or not renewed.

OP had no authority to use his company's code beyond the contract date and Marriott did what any vendor would do, it cancelled the reservations which, from its perspective, were fraudulently booked.

OP should be talking with his own corporate travel people about a solution because it's clear they're not talking with him. Either they've got a contract with someone else or they don't and the rates are what they are.

Maybe time to start the job hunt?

I think OP mentioned reservations were made prior to the contract not being renewed.

AAA rate is $85 at the FI there. I learned a long time ago that spending $50 of my own money on AAA membership would pay vast dividends down the road considering our company keeps a close eye on our expenses as well.

Yes they are (but as I mentioned I don't see the $104 rate). Even so, have you tried invoking your 48-hour platinum guarantee?

You also never said what your price limit was.

1) The images show availability for this weekend, not when you need a room.

2) you need to understand this - Marriott customer care cannot help you. As your company did not renegotiate the rate, the rate no longer exists, so you no longer have a room. Take the 10K in points and start figuring a new plan.

3) Many of us travel with company restrictions, and most companies have policies w/ $$ limits and preferred brands. But when there aren't any hotels available that meet the policies, it is hard to understand that there is not an exception plan in place from your company that can help you. Quite honestly, it is not Marriott's responsibility to do so, it should come from your employer.

4) We would like to help you, but you are only telling us what you can't do! If you are willing to share where you can stay and at what price....maybe someone can come up with something.

But again - the corp rate thing - dead as a dodo if your company didn't renegotiate, and although it seems unfair, it isn't all Marriott's fault.

Doesn't matter. If he used a code which became invalid because his employer and/or Marriott chose not to continue the relationship, those reservations are gone. OP's biggest personal concern ought to be that Marriott doesn't shut down his account.

the OPs stated option was a 5-hour commute...........personally I'd take money out of my pocket to avoid a daily 5-hr commute (which has its own costs too), but that's just me............

Your loss Blast. Your complaint about the corportate contract not being renewed should focus on the responsible party = your employer, not Marriott. Guess your Platinum status will go to waste the rest of 2013. :rolleyes:

I agree! ^

+1

I know in the Amex Plat Travel world that FHR Rates can expire at the end of the year-those rates can include benefits, rates etc. They won't book you WITH FHR rates and benefits past the expiration. They will book public rates.

I do find some fault with the system here-of which Marriott is part-for taking the reservations and rates past expiration. I think they should honor them if the OP had confirmed reservations. The rate should have been unavailable past expiration.

True-if that was the last resort. The approved rates for the op's company seem to be very low if $104 exceeds them.

I agree this is a problem with OP's company. Marriott provided a room under a contractual arrangement, and that arrangement was cancelled by their counterparty. It's pretty hard to expect them to be liable for continuing the terms of the contract.

I put a check-in date of Monday 1/7 into Kayak and found 29 properties in Bloomington available Monday-Friday, 22 of which are under $100.


OP. to answer your question:
"closest available property is 2.5 hours away" and "everything is sold out through march of 2012" are what "seems off". Can your provide some additional parameters within which you are operating that make the dozens of properties available in town every week not feasible?

Probably because they are not a Marriott family property! :D

I know it is circular reasoning, but what do you expect from the OP! :p

Absolutely on point. If you don't have contract rates like me for a lot of my stays, work or otherwise then you take one for the team /employer/family.

The part about the 5 hour daily commute does not compute on common sense grounds, if for no other reason, sorry. For there to be such a vast hotel room shortage within a 2 1/2 hours radius not to be able to find a hotel room would be tantamount to the Super Bowl being in town.

If my company limit was $100/night and my alternatives are to pay $29/night (just a number I chose to make this point) out of my own pocket or have a 5 hour daily commute, I would pay the $29/night out of my own pocket, at least on the short term, before making other arrangements for dates further out.

I would not be so sure that it was MI and not the hotel. It is possible that the hotel was going through their rooms control/provisioning procedures and noticed a reservation which was incorrect, and notified MI to contact the OP. This would seem to be the case if the OP actually only got this call on Saturday 1/5 for a Monday 1/7 reservation.

Customer care is correct, MI customer care certainly does not set the rates for all Marriott properties all across the country, those rates are generally made locally.

Disagree. I am sure both the employer and MI know more than a few days, or even a few weeks in advance of contracts which will not be renewed, since I am sure negotiations for contract renewal start fairly far in advance, and certainly not within the last week before expiration. No, not so far in advance as September (when OP made the reservations) for a contract expiring on December 31, but I would be surprised if negotiations did not take place 60-90 days before expiration (meaning somewhere between October 1 and November 1, and that both OP's employer and MI were well aware of the final disposition of the contract before December 1. If both the employer and MI were aware more than even 2 weeks before the rez was scheduled to begin, both the employer and MI were at fault for not notifying the OP that the reservation would not be honored (although I would say that the employer had a higher responsibility in this regard than MI, out of a desire for the employer not to disrupt the regular flow of business which requires employees to be where they are supposed to be, on time, to conduct business). Whether the contract was canceled or not renewed is almost beside the point. Both the employer and MI had a responsibility to communicate with the OP, because both have a primary relationship with the OP, the employer for obvious reasons, and MI for no other reason than the OP is a Plat, and a guest.

It is a HUGE leap to say that the OP used his company's code fraudulently back in September when the rez was made. In the wildest stretch of imagination, it would be fraud without intent, and what would be the benefit to the OP from that? It would not enrich the OP in any way. Again, communication is key here, both MI and the employer needed to communicate to the OP, and since neither did, the OP had no way to know.

This is the squirly part about the OP's post. I have a hard time believing that the employer's travel department did not know this a good deal in advance, and did not bother to tell their employees that the MI relationship was ending, and the new hotel relationship is now with _________.

I think that since Marriott waited until the last minute to contact the OP to cancel, that MI and/or the hotel should be on the hook under the Plat rules. If they do not have room for him at that hotel, then they owe the OP compensation.

Squirrly part number two from the OP, what is the price limit, and why has OP avoided answering this question at least a couple of times in this thread.

Chances are that the code was not invalid back in September, when the reservations were made, and IMO, because MI waited until just two days before the rez, ON A WEEKEND, makes MI's position on this pretty shaky.

MI is certainly not responsible for not renewing a contract if the employer would not agree to a new contract. For MI not doing anything about existing reservations a good deal in advance of when MI knew the contract would become invalid is another matter entirely.



Again, this is way too odd, and since OP has not provided the information asked for, that's squirrly on the part of the OP.

Is there a chance that the client has a relationship with the hotel and a discount code the op can use? Even if it isn't compliant with his company policy, it should be compliant with the client, who's going to pay the bill in the end...

But as far as the OP's situation, I can see both sides as far as the contract no longer being valid and the opinion that the reservation should be honored since it was made while the contract was in place.

I'm just still curious to find out what the OP's price limit is and why he/she is saying that no hotels are available for that period of time within 2.5 hours.

Looking again, there actually does appear to be less availability today than there was yesterday, so hopefully OP was able to check again last night.

For this week, checking in Monday leaving Friday with no discounts:
Bloomington Marriott $199
Courtyard Bloomington $179
Fairfield Peoria East (45 minutes) $159
Springhill Suites Peoria Westlake $119

checking in Monday and leaving Thursday:
Same prices for all of the above except the Courtyard, and also available are the
Fairfield Champaign (50 miles) $89
Courtyard Champaign $99

The Fairfield in Bloomington is available for Tuesday and Wednesday nights at $149 and Thursday night at $104, but does not appear to be available on Monday.

Edit: And although those two hotels in Champaign don't come up when selecting Monday-Friday, they are also available Thursday night, $119 for the FI and $129 for the CY

Edit #2: If $100 is the magic number, as was alluded to earlier, using AAA lowers the rates in Champain Mon-Thurs by a couple bucks and gets the FI Bloomington to $99 for Thursday night.

There's something still missing here. OP's point isn't just that his reservations have been cancelled, it's that the property and corporate won't reinstate them at any rate. While it's possible that there is no room whatsoever available, even at the rack rate, for any given night, I find it hard to believe that this is the case over a period of months.

This suggests that there's a more deep-seated problem between OP's employer and Marriott and/or between OP and his employer and Marriott. While I realize that OP isn't looking for a $300/night room, the fact that the property and corporate won't even offer it, suggests there's more out there. Maybe OP doesn't know what's going on between his employer & Marriott, but I'd sure find out before posting here or raising the roof with Marriott.

rooms are still available for booking at both the Courtyard and the Marriott.

I bet you do. I quit saying I would never stay with a brand or airline. I could never stick to it!

The issue is with Corp travel, not the property or Marriott. Once the rate/relationship was cancelled, there is no corporate rate to honor. Like using a rate you are not allowed to (giving the code to a friend that does not have the ID to prove it). OP, call your travel center and see what they can do or cancel the trip - no prices within corporate policy! You may also want to call the property and see if they can help. If they have room, and you are platinum, they very much might be willing to. This is not like finding a mispriced item in a store and they have to honor what is on the jar of peanut butter.

exactly

I did not get the impression from the OP that he/she needed to book the rooms through the corporate travel agent, as the OP mentions speaking with Marriott customer care. All of the rates I mentioned above are available directly from the Marriott website, most of which with no discount code.

Thanks to FTers, the OP has been given some other options w/ rates listed that will allow him to stay w/in a shorter distance/timeframe than Chicago.

Since the OP's employer did not renew the contract with Marriott, obviously the previously negotiated rate doesn't apply for future stays. The employer certainly dropped the ball by not doing a company announcement letting its employees know Marriott is not a preferred vendor for '13 & letting them know which chain (if there is one) that the new contract will be with for '13. The OP should, on Monday, contact the company travel dept & have some strong words re: the dropping the ball.

Marriott does have some responsibility in that it/hotel too should have notified the OP sooner than the weekend before his stay was starting that the rate was no longer valid. If nothing else (given the short notice) they might have allowed him to stay at the reserved rate for this week while telling him it will not be honored past that.

To suggest that the OP is trying to defraud Marriott & his account could be locked is simply absurd. When the OP made his ressies the rate was valid. He had no knowledge his company's contract would not be renewed.

Cheers.

I have given up saying NEVER long time ago. You always see people again, that's also why I try to understand the other side as well.