What determined whether a Marriott hotel can call itself and qualify as a convention hotel? Specifically, I am trying to find out whether a hotel will honor the elite guaranteed 4pm checkout, which resorts and convention hotels are not bound by.

Start here for all Marriott hotels: https://www.marriott.com/hotel-search.mi

In terms of hotels that are identified as "Convention center" hotel types, the website shows only 6: https://www.marriott.com/hotel-searc...center.hotels/

Similarly, 219 hotels are identified as "Resort": https://www.marriott.com/hotel-search/resort.hotels/

If you find others, please let the rest of us on FT know.

David

Good question.

Marriott's Guaranteed Late Checkout FAQ uses the term without defining it. For example:
I suppose a "convention hotel" could be any hotel with its own convention facilities, as well any hotel near a convention center, or even a hotel with many guests attending a convention at a nearby hotel. Most full-service properties include meeting rooms and a "ballroom" (convention hall). Even Courtyard properties often have small "convention" facilities.

I hope that properties that value the patronage of Gold and Platinum guests will honor the late checkout benefit, except in rare cases when there's genuinely an unusual room turnover due to a convention.

Unfortunately, the lack of a clear definition of "convention hotel" seems to leave the door open for hotels to ignore this benefit if they choose to.

That is really my worry. There is no definition of what a convention hotel is.

This issue has already been discussed at great length in the late checkout thread.

If you have a specific hotel in mind, I would call and ask and/or search the late checkout thread. Even at non-convention, side of the Interstate limited service Marriotts, late checkouts are often thwarted by local desk clerks. IME, the bigger & more rooms available, the better your odds.

It seems clear from discussion of this ad infinitum that a "convention hotel" is one booked by a convention organizer or event planner in connection with a convention, not simply a hotel which happens to have a location with the name "convention center' included.

That also makes sense. At a massive event, the organizers may well book out 8-10 or more properties, not all Marriotts and then bus attendees to the "convention center".

As others note, rather than trying to find a broad principle, what is your exact concern?

So a place becomes a convention hotel if it's ever in its history been booked by an event planner or it becomes a convention hotel during the period that it's booked by some organizer/planner in connection with a convention? If one uses the second definition, does this affect the individual traveler who might have the misfortune to stay at one of these places during an event in which the person is not participating? In other words, one would need to contact every hotel to ask them about their event schedule in order to verify that the late checkout "guarantee" applies?

Not totally, but this link shows that Marriott has 100 properties that crop up on the Convention-Resort Network:

"Marriott’s Convention & Resort Network is a collection of 100 of the largest convention and resort hotels across the Americas that have united to deliver excellent, seamless meetings year after year. Our world-class convention hotels are dedicated to providing the ultimate meeting experience for attendees"

Marriott properties:

http://www.marriott.com/convention-r...-all-hotels.mi

and this link brings up SPG properties:

http://meetings.spg.com/promo/crn/

I think properties would have a harder time saying they're a convention hotel if they're not listed on the convention network.

Cheers.

This is a good reference point. The hotel I am hoping for a 4pm late checkout is not on this list...so let's hope that means something!

Which hotel? If you mention the name, someone might have experience w/ it & can post.

Cheers.

Interesting link to the Marriott "Convention & Resort Network" hotels. It muddies the waters compared to the link to Marriott's Resort and Convention properties found by using their website search:

https://www.marriott.com/hotel-searc...center.resort/

As an example, the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront appears as part of the "Convention & Resort Network" listing, but does not appear when searching for resort or "Convention Center" properties.

https://www.marriott.com/hotels/even...tt-waterfront/

The Baltimore Marriott Waterfront clearly has a focus on convention type events, but the word "convention" isn't in the name, and the website simply states "Our Hotel" when describing the property.

There are also 11 European MR properties in the "Convention Network", plus another 10 SPG properties.

https://www.marriott.com/meeting-eve...ion-network.mi

Agree that the convention-resorts network should match what's on Marriott site re: convention hotels. However, since the convention link has 100 properties listed vs. Marriott's 6, my recommendation would be for FTers to look at the 100 as being more accurate.

Cheers.

Ironically, I think this the opposite of the way it should be provided and perhaps in practice, does.

Convention hotels are huge, likely to have extended or 24 hour cleaning crews and have multiple conferences with staggered arrival and departure times. When I hit a conference, I'm usually arriving late evening and itching to bolt in the early afternoon.

The opposite of the limited service properties where we see pushback.

Just my 2 cents, curious what other's convention hotel experience has been.

In practice, a "convention" hotel or "resort" is one which refuses to give Gold/Plat late checkout and justifies the refusal on that basis. As demonstrated by the "late checkout" thread, the property does not have to actually be a convention hotel or resort in order to deny late check-out.

By contrast, certain properties (including Camelback Inn and Marquis San Diego), will offer Plats a 4 pm check-out, despite being resort/convention properties.