Is this something that would qualify for the $100 bed-type guarantee? Process?
 

Marriott plat here. My adult brother and I are staying at the ORD Marriott Suites this weekend; we're using the park n fly rate, so moving the hotel is far from ideal. I reserved, and have a copy of the reservation stating, 2 double beds under the "guaranteed" section. I received an email from the hotel today asking to confirm if I made a reservation for a 2 double bed room. I replied that yes, I did make that reservation and still wanted the double beds and I asked if there was an inventory issue. I received a reply that said yes, there are no double beds available, and we upgraded you to a family suite with 1 king and 1 murphy bed.

I wanted 2 double beds. I reserved 2 regulat beds. The reservation said they were guaranteed, and the marriott Platinum guarantee website says "we’ll always honor your bed type request." And if not, it would fall under the $100 compensation guidelines.

Would the hotel be correct in saying since there are 2 "beds" in the room, they fulfilled the bed type? Can I ask for the compensation ahead of time by replying to the email, or should I wait until check-in? First time with anything like this, but my gut is saying to get the compensation sorted out now.

Thanks!

I'd wait until check in. Chances are a double bed room will mysteriously appear when you try to collect on the guarantee.

If the goal is to collect the $100; wouldn't it be better to reply and reject their upgrade offer, citing that two double beds is more important than a family suite? Otherwise they may just tell you that you 'accepted' the upgrade.

I think I remember reading in the fine print that one of the ways hotels get out of the bed type guarantee is by providing an upgrade, so you may be out of luck.

Just out of curiosity, why is the family suite not acceptable?

The combination of my going to bed early last night and my love of reading fine print shows you are correct. From the T&Cs:

The other day while making a reservation on the SPG site I noticed that you can change your settings when making a reservation to let the hotel know you want your specific room type rather than getting an UG. You can also specify that you would rather get your room early than get an UG.

Speaking strictly for myself, I wouldn't consider a Murphy bed to be an acceptable substitute for a confirmed second bed, the enticement of a suite nothwithstanding.

Probably would rather a real bed than a Murphy bed. I'd have to think there's someone else they can upgrade that would rather have the upgrade if OP insists on the double beds. Of course they may also be short on several double bed rooms.

Yes I agree. The OP unintentionally started a negotiation by asking if the there is a problem. Probably best to email back and decline the suite and insist on what he booked.

FWIW, I've slept in Marriott murphy beds several times as part of suite upgrades. I'm a pretty picky sleeper and never had an issue. If this is more than an 8 hour sleep stay & run, I'd grab it without a second thought...

A family room or suite is unlikely to be a real suite. It's probably just some larger room that can hold more beds and therefore more people. Presumably the assumption is that a kid can sleep in a Murphy bed.

BTW in most hotels, most one bedroom suites have one king bed. Many hotels don't have a real suite with two beds.

This. If the OP doesn't reply then the hotel thinks it's solved the problem/is off the hook on the guarantee.

FWIW - I've gotten 2 great upgrades at dif properties & the bed was a murphy bed. No problem sleeping, & because of housekeeping I didn't have to pull it down at night or put it back up in the morning. So if you're just worried the murphy bed isn't that great & aren't interested in the $100 then accept the upgrade.

Cheers.

Correct, possibly as part of a large hospitality suite as well. Had an amazing suite upgrade at San Antonio FS Riverwalk, complete with balcony and full king/queen size murphy bed. If I was spending a weekend with my brother or other male, I would appreciate all the extra room I could get. To each his own...

The property itself is an all-suite hotel. It offers king suites, double double suites, family suites, hospitality suites.

Cheers.

Thanks for the info Sharon, and to everyone for your responses.


My concern is primarily with sleep quality, since my brother and I are splitting the room cost it doesn't seem fair that now, one of us has to sleep on a "not-real" bed. Whether or not the murphy bed will be comfortable is of course, subjective, and while I'm glad several people have had comfortable experiences with Marriott murphy beds, it's not something that can be guaranteed, unlike bed-type apparently.


The compensation is secondary, and although it would cover a large portion of the room rate, it's more about the principle of Marriott getting out of something that is supposed to be guaranteed and advertised as such.


It is not my intent, however, the be unreasonable, and at the end of the day it's just 8hrs in a bed, and not the end of the world.


For the record, the hotel is an all-suites hotel near ORD, so the "suite upgrade" not having 2 beds isn't really an excuse IMO. I made the reservation two weeks ago, and 2 doubles was a selectable option and the availability of 2 double beds, plus the park n fly rate, was why I chose this hotel. Now, since the hotel for whatever reason has decided to not honor a "guaranteed" request, I'd like to have the program rules followed.


If there's truly no availability for double rooms, and I was allowed to reserve a double, then the hotel should have no problem following through on the $100 guarantee. Alternatively, if they can shift my reservation to another Marriott (ORD in-terminal or the Ren) that includes the reserved 9 days of parking, that would be acceptable. My intent is to propose the above to the hotel.


Thanks again for your insights, and I'll keep the thread updated.

According to Marriott.com, the configuration of a Family Suite at Chicago Marriott Suites O'Hare is a suite with "1 King or 1 Double Murphy, Sofa bed." The square footage (575 sq ft) is the same as other suites at this all-1-bedroom-suite hotel.

Based on the description at the website, a Family Suite is not substantially different than a regular 1-bedroom King Suite, except that the bed might be a Double Murphy. It seems one adult brother would sleep in "1 King or 1 Double Murphy" in the bedroom and the other adult brother would sleep on the "Sofa Bed" in the living room.

Unless the website is incorrect, calling this an "upgrade" is dishonest.

The right response would seem to be, "I have a guaranteed reservation for a 1-bedroom suite with 2 double beds in the bedroom and a sofa bed in the living room. I want to keep this reservation as it is. I expect it to be honored under Marriott's Ultimate Reservation Guarantee. Thank you."