estnet

I am going on 90 minutes hold in order to redeem a travel package (this is after 4 failed calls b/c their reservations phone is "not working" and the plat concierge said the part of her system that normally allows her to book these is "not available"

So after being transferred to MR( and being dropped after being on hold 30 minutes before this) I called them back - said 30 minute que OK, (no option for call back) it's now 90 minutes and I'm still on hold.
And this is in addition to having to listen to never ending messages every time I call about how it is faster to book/do everything online - EXCEPT that everything I call for CAN'T be done online (7 day certs, redeeming travel package, etc.)
I'm being pushed more and more to airbnb (or equivalent) and wondering if hotels will end up being just for business travelers and meetings and individuals will go to easier (and often cheaper) venues. For myself I've already booked 180 nights over the last 2 years away from spg/marriott to private places I can book online, these are all res that would have gone to these hotels when the customer service was better. Rant over

CJKatl

Sorry for your hassles. Not that it is any solution, but you are not alone. I had to call MR this week to do something that could not be done online. During that wait the loud male voice kept dropping into the hold and asking, "Do you know that you can..." Yes. I'm plat and use the site and/or app all the time. If I am calling it's because I have something I cannot do online. I do not want to know my points balance or information about my last stay. Calling Marriott has become an annoyance.

When I first looked for the number online I missed that it was area code 801 and dialed 800 plus the seven digits instead. It was a free "relations" line. When I finally got off hold on the correct phone line I said to the operator, "Before we get to my issue, did you know this... When I first called I missed that the number was not toll free..." She cut me off and let me know she hears it all the time.

estnet

Thanks I didn't think I was alone - but I am serious about the fact that there is only so much hassle and lack of customer service I am willing to deal with as an individual traveler before I am driven away. I really do think with the plethora of other choices there are many who will choose to book away to avoid this.

The ironic conclusion of this episode (I hope) is that I hung up after 2.3 hours on hold - called 3 or 4 more times (yes, a glutton for punishment but I was working during this) and FINALLLY got a competent agent after a 4 minute hold who knew what to do and did it in a few minutes! I suggested he pass on the recording of our call (hope there was one) and that he get a promotion to train the agents that don't know their job (well I put it more diplomatically than that).

6 hours total to accomplish something that should have taken 5 minutes

DJ_Iceman

Well, that sucks. It wasn't THAT many years ago, before you could do a lot of stuff yourself online, that Marriott had the best customer service agents in the business, especially on the platinum line. Even last year, I rarely had to wait more than a few seconds to reach an agent on the platinum line. But my experience matches others posted here, that just in the past few months SOMETHING has happened, and now the wait times are unacceptably long. Thankfully I have found the online chat function to be a fantastic alternative, and have had the same good success with a rapid connection to a competent, professional agent when using chat.

I hope that Marriott soon implements a much improved online experience that lets customers do what they need to in a relatively simple yet powerful way, or that they resolve whatever issue has led to exceedingly long hold times for phone agents.

potm

I’ve found knowledge of the travel package can be limited. Try and call a Marriott location during their normal business. I usually call the USA, UK or Australian numbers depending on time.

getagb

Airbnb phone service is much worse and doesn’t offer any equivalent to either status or travel packages

MSPeconomist

I suspect that many of the "best" platinum line agents have been turned into Ambassadors, leaving the worst and least experienced agents behind to deal with Plat and PP calls.

MarkOK

Customer service issues are one thing, but the Airbnb issue is another.

If you are getting bad customer service with Marriott, the direct competitors are there -- IHG, Hyatt, Hilton, etc.

Airbnb is a different sort of set-up altogether. Its a different type of accommodation (one in which customer service goals are much different, and in most ways, more limited). The impact of Airbnb on the industry is worth watching, but ultimately, there is a different market for both. Anyways, my point is that if you are moving to Airbnb, you should be doing so because you prefer to stay in typically larger accommodations that are individually owned and maintained and varied, and without typical amenities or service (typically no front desk agents, concierges, bellmen, workout facilities, club lounges, room service, housekeeping). Not because Marriott doesn't know how to help you in a timely manner.

pinniped

This. They used to be fantastic. Even in the "online" era, if I was on the road it was just as fast to book a room via a phone agent. If I was on a train or somewhere where pulling out a laptop wasn't convenient, I wouldn't hesitate to call them - it was zero hold and a super-quick process. Didn't matter if I was dealing with a regular agent or a Marriott Rewards agent - they were always very good.

My first hold time to redeem a TP was last year during the final days of the WN CP redemptions, and that was only about five minutes. I guess they're getting a lot of panic now about the impending death of the Travel Packages, although it's not like they're going to pull the plug today on both the future and present redemptions with zero notice. TP's may get their death notice today, but you'll still have time to call and redeem your last one.

pinniped

True, but compared to Airbnb we all pay a big premium for status, phone support, awards, etc.

Airbnb will be an easy call for some people - those who want a bigger apartment and don't get much out of the other things that full-service hotels have. It will be an equally easy call for some people who love full-service hotels. But I suspect there are a TON of people in the middle who like the rewards program, generally like hotels, but are frustrated as the program devalue and their net price tag goes up for the same or diminished product. I won't hassle with Airbnb just to save $30-40/nt, but what if I was saving $75-100/nt.? (In some parts of the world, replace Airbnb with a local boutique hotel, a Booking.com-type apartment, or some other lodging choice besides the global brand.)

One "hook" that keeps me with Marriott, perhaps a bit emotionally/irrationally, is the status benefits and the ability to obtain aspirational awards that I'd *never* book with cash. If those two things get killed, I get a lot less emotional and a lot more rational. If you just use a calculator, then it becomes really hard to justify Marriott over a dozen different options.

Old Hickory

But does AirBnB offer you a bottle of water upon your arrival?

CJKatl

Actually my AirBnB stays have been in apartments with real kitchens where there was filtered water (Brita/fridge door) that could be poured into a glass that appeared to have gone through the dishwasher. It was not like a hotel where unbottled water would come directly out of the bathroom spigot into a glass that might have been wiped clean with Windex.(When necessary I use the disposable coffee cup instead of the glass.) That's not to say I'm an AirBnB fan. As stated before, I am a hotel guy.

pinniped

There are things about Airbnb - the company - that bug me. When I want this type of stay, I try to use VRBO (U.S., so far, mostly full houses) or Booking.com (Europe, mostly apartments).

But as the big chains really drive hard for business travelers - driving leisure travelers out as much as possible - it's causing me to think harder about Airbnb and similar options for a greater mix of my stays. I still think of myself as a "hotel guy" - usually - but it really feels like Marriott (and Hilton, last year) are beginning to try to push me towards Airbnb.

Ryno1234

BINGO! I am lucky enough to be able to work with an ambassador in the program. She and her counterparts are simply amazing. They have been able to do literally everything i have ever asked and VERY quickly.

last week i called the Plat line out of old habit and it was like speaking to someone who had never heard of Marriott. It was really surprising.

yurtripper

You can certainly include Europe in that 'some parts of the world' qualifier, where I usually find Booking.com to be a MUCH better proposition than AirBnB. Plenty of jokers on AirBnB in the more in-demand locations in Europe, who charge eye-watering prices that can make 5* hotels look like bargains. On Booking.com, especially in Southern Europe, you can almost pick any town on the map and find dozens of apartments at very reasonable prices. And unlike AirBnB there's no major issues about leaving critical feedback if things aren't satisfactory.

Maybe AirBnB is all unicorns and rainbows in the US, but based on my experiences in Europe I'm mystified as to why travel bloggers rave about it so much, and yet never seem to mention Booking.com as an option.