Comp authorization with different brands
 

Curious about whether different Marriott brands have different guidance or authorization on compensation. I’ve noticed a pretty significant difference in what’s offered so started wondering if it's just the specific managers or there's something else. For reference:

1. I stayed in a brand new TownePlace were someone urinated in the laundry basket and it wasn’t caught by the housekeeper when turning the room. GM never called because “he didn’t have my number”. He apologized and promised 6000 points which never actually came through. I stayed there again (shame on me) and he just thanked me for coming back. This was a situation where I would actually expect some sort of comp or adjustment.
2. At a FS Marriott, I had a shower head that didn't work so I was limited to a bath… no big deal. This was more of a mention to fix for the next guest when I checked out. The front desk manager could not be more apologetic and 10000 points were in my account within an hour.
3. At a Renaissance, I was charged for water I didn't use, room was dirty and bulbs out. The GM talked about how she would address and 10000 points were deposited within the day.

So do they have different levels of comp authorizations or is it just lowered expectations all around with the limited service brands?

I think its more a factor of engaged, caring and onsite Management. Which is likely occur more at higher end properties, one would think, due to sheer magnitude and higher risk of the larger investment. But outliers can happens at both level for both the good & bad.

Data point: I had the same issue in two different hotels, a FS near the BUF airport and a SHS north of Philly. In both instances, when I checked into the hotel there was "solid matter" in the toilet. In both instances, this was shown to management. There was also a long hair on a towel at the SHS. My head is shaven bald and I had not yet used the bathroom. The FS gave me a free meal up to $40 while the SHS gave me 35k points.

It's that easy to get 10,000 bonus points per stay? I might give it a go.

Interesting and makes sense.

Are the full service brands franchised less? Thinking that engagement could be influenced by more consistent training by corporate, some level of hiring standards, etc.

Or I could just be looking for patterns where they don't exist.

You have possibly given me a good idea. In the year 2020 or 2021 I will give about 10 to 15 Marriott legacy brands between 75 and 100 stays and hit them up for 10,000 points per stay. If I average 10,000 points over 75 stays I would end up with 750,000 bonus Marriott points. I will post my success rate on this thread if its still going when I complete my self designed promo run.

Please do ..................

1. The Company reserves the right to reject applications for Membership, to revoke, cancel or suspend any Rewards Program Membership, elite membership status (including Lifetime Silver, Lifetime Gold and Lifetime Platinum status), Reward, and/or any and all unredeemed Points or Miles, or take other action at its discretion, at any time with immediate effect and without written notice or liability to any Member, if Company believes: (a) the Member has (1) violated any of the Program Rules, (2) failed to pay any bills or accounts due to the Company or a participating hotel or any ownership related fees owed to Marriott Vacation Club, (3) acted in a manner inconsistent with applicable law, regulations or ordinances, (4) engaged in any misconduct or wrongdoing in connection with the Rewards Program, including without limitation, involving Point credit, Mile credit, Reward use, or Member benefits, or (5) engaged in abusive, fraudulent, inappropriate, or hostile conduct in connection with the Rewards Program, the participating hotels or their guests or employees, or the Company or its employees; or (b) Company's provision of the Rewards Program and/or any associated benefits (including but not limited to Points or Miles) to Member may violate any applicable laws to which Company is subject from time to time.

Rewards Terms and Conditions

If you read through various threads on this Marriott forum you'll find there are a few people that do what you propose. The majority of us, though, hate the way Marriott managers sometimes throw points at us when we bring something to their attention as though we are points "pros". Most of us want something corrected or want to make sure nobody else has the same issue. For example, as a bald man with a shaved head, finding a bobby pin in my bed is something brought to the hotel's attention so that management knows the housekeeper seems to be cutting corners, not an attempt to get a free vacation.

And yes, if you did this every stay someone at MR would notice, so you might want to limit yourself to every other stay. ;)

Over the years I've made peace with getting points for a couple reasons. First, it means the hotel had to pay a price which means the complaint will get noticed. If a front desk manager just apologizes, that might be the end of it. If the hotel has to purchase and give points, someone is more likely to notice, ask and make sure it does not happen again. Also, I only accept the points after making it clear I really don't want the points and would be fine if these are not offered.

As part of any CRM program, Marriott knows a lot about its customers and deals with them accordingly. People who spend a lot on room service may get better rooms and more attentive service. People who are serial whiners may wind up in broom closets.

While points are not truly cash, they do hit a property's bottom line. So, while some managers simply toss points around, others recognize that there is an out-of-pocket and crack down. Yet others just figure that the fraud rate as discussed above is likely quite low. So, it's worth making a good customer happy over doing something drastic to a fraudster.

Sooner or later, every time you read a threat about how points have been "devalued" or somehow Marriott has ruined your life because it hates you, think back to the frauds proposed in this thread and ask yourself why it's happening.

As a Front Office Manager at a Renaissance franchised property, my staff is empowered to compensate up to 5,000 points for any issue they seem worthy. But we always try to give out breakfast, dinner or drinks just because its easier to do/cheaper. Anything over 5,000 points needs either mine or the GMs approval, and this happens very rarely for us.Plus the staff will always have to write up a quick report on the issue, guest attitude, etc.

But for a single hair, we will apologies but rarely ever give out any compensation unless there are additional issues going on.

To be clear, I would not complain about a single hair. The hair referenced above was actually found by a hotel employee while cleaning the toilet because of what was floating when I checked into the room, which I'm sure we can all agree should never happen. The bobby pins, on the other hand, were in a CY king bed room, which obviously meant the bed linen had not been changed. The clerk asked "Are you sure they are not yours?" and from the expression on her face she immediately realized I'm bald. (Which is the third time I've mentioned that in this thread!) She immediately apologized, then obviously felt bad for pointing out my baldness, which is actually fine, but for a few seconds she was a blathering idiot trying to swim verbally back to shore.

I’m enjoying this thread more than I should (and completely taking it OT). I’ve had housekeeping ask me if I needed a hairdryer, additional shampoo and conditioners.

I haven’t had a full head of hair since college...

Thank you for this post. I am thinking if I am only going to average 5000 bonus Marriott points per stay I would need 100 stays to hit 500,000 points. Not sure if it is worth the effort?

Haha, you could just find the manager and throw a big tantrum.