johnrph

Has this happened to anyone else??

I booked a room at the Residence Inn Tampa Westshore. I checked into my room via the Marriott app on my phone in the morning. Took my flight to arrive at hotel around midnight and they had no room for me and was overbooked by 2 rooms. "No room for me" (Seinfeld Soup Nazi reference). Unfortunately the closest room that was available was in Sarasota, Fl. 60 miles away. They were gracious enough to pay for my cab back/forth to Sarasota and cover that room cost. Day manager did follow up with an email apologizing and offered to buy points as a compensation for my troubles. The point is, when you check into your reservation using the Marriott app don't assume you have a room.......

FYI: Room was booked using an e-certificate for 1 free night when staying 2 in the recent Mega reward program.

Tanic

What is your MR elite level, and was the MR number in the res?

mahasamatman

Yes, it's called being "walked". It happens all the time because all hotels overbook to some level. Usually it works, but sometime it backfires.

i.e., they were gracious enough to do the absolute minimum required by Marriott (assuming you have no status).

Disconnections

Mobile Check Ins truthfully only help guarantee your room at a full service property using Marriott PMS as your reservation must physically be checked in and considered in-house to create keys or to have it processed as a mobile on an external service. At a limited service property using FOSSE, such as a Residence Inn, a Mobile Dashboard is built into the system and all of the behind the scenes work with a mobile check in is done without your reservation being in-house.

I’ve seen several walked when a mobile is pre-registered with their keys made and sitting there along with anyone who has been pre-registered as a redeye arrival. In my opinion, having the hotel physically pre-register you is the best way to prevent you from being walked as Night Audit won’t even be aware of your room being vacant until you show up with your reservation already being checked in. As you’ll be checked in, you also won’t appear on the arrivals list when the property is determining who will be walked and who won’t be walked.

Walking isn’t anything new. The hotel must pay for the new room and refund any advance deposits and pay for transportation to/from the new property. If it’s a Silver, Gold or Platinum member at some brands, you’ll be entitled to a cash compensation and 90,000 points. Other brands, that is limited to Platinum only. You do need to be aware of the compensation you’re entitled to as many try to offer a lesser amount and pretend they’re doing you the favor.

yscleo

That's awful.

But would a Gold status help you not to be walked?

pa3lsvt

It helps (property has to do more to walk a Gold, maybe even hand over cash, so they are disincentivised to do so) but is no guarantee. If there aren't rooms, there aren't rooms. Even status guests no-show sometimes, so they may take the chance and give away the (your) last room because if you no-show they don't have to walk you but if they hold your room they definitely have to walk the guest standing at the counter.

My policy is to call the front desk just before check-in starts if I plan to arrive after midnight to "confirm my late arrival." Still no guarantee, but at least they know two things: 1 - I have status (which they will see when they pull up my reservation), and 2 - I am not planning on a no-show.

johnrph

As for my status. I am Lifetime Gold.... Compensation was 40,000 points only.

mahasamatman

That's more than you were entitled to. The guarantee is $100 cash and 0 points.

Marriott Rewards® Elite Benefits Guarantee

hhoope01

Did they pay for your night in the other hotel as well? As a MR member, they are obligated to find you a comparable hotel for the night, pay for the night, provide you with to/from transportation if you need it plus give you $100 ($200 at a FS hotel). If you prefer the 40K points to the paid hotel night and the $100, then everything if good. If not, you can try to talk with the manager about it.

And if you were a Plat, you would get even more which is why hotels rarely will walk a Plat.

UpgradeMe

hhoope01

Thanks. Missed that when reading it.

pitflyer

Not at Marriott but I've been walked at a Hilton when I was a Diamond member. Their reasoning was I was late arrival and I guess they were hoping I was a no-show altogether. Similarly I was using points, and also the same the room at the other hotel (much worse location) was comped along with roundtrip transportation (which was a little bit of a pain as I was in a foreign country and had no foreign currency at the time ... had to have the hotel find a way to pay random taxi driver directly). They also refunded my points so in the end I basically stayed for free that night, which is what it sounds like you got by getting 40k points refunded (way more than a cat 5 1 night cert).

So yes, walks happen, they suck, but you seem to have been fairly compensated. As per the app, I agree it doesn't seem to really mean much.

amexman

A taxi cab back and forth from Tampa to Sarasota? That wasn't cheap.

VA1379