How Does Room Guarantee Work?
 

I have booked Tampa Airport hotel on date that it is sold out. I'm Plt but have never had to use the room availability guarantee before. In making reservation, first attempt came back giving me alternative locations. I started again, and system came back with message about hotel being sold out but because of plat level, a room would be available. I booked it.

I guess I've always thought that sold out didn't really mean sold out. In doing reseach, there seems to be football game that weekend. So, should I worry about really having a room? Do they move someone else to give me a room? Just how does this "guarantee" work?

So let me see...

You tried to book a room and they got one for you because you're a plat. OK.

Yes, if you have a confirmation, you have a room. If necessary, they will "walk" someone else (of lesser or no status) to make room for you.

I'm a little surprised (and amazed!) that they can exercise the Platinum Guarantee automatically from the website. I had thought you had to call to invoke the perk. What it is is, if you give them 48 hours notice, they will guarantee you a room. They won't guarantee the rate, though.

Yes, the rate is in fact guaranteed, just like on any other reservation you make. What happens when a reservation is made through the Plat Guarantee though is that it usually prices out at the rack rate. Either way though, the rate is still guaranteed (ie: that is how much you will be paying per night...they won't be able to charge you anything else).

In the past I booked 3 different rooms in Miami during the MTV awards (2004)via the internet and had no problems getting them. I did check before without entering my MR# and got the message that no rooms were available.
Has anyone not been able to get a room? I image that they would move someone else as it would cost $$$ for Plat members.

The web site has been setup to give automatically provide this benefit for quite some time

The rate will not be above the corporate rate

you are only allowed 1 over-ride (room) per night

What corp rate? I tried to do it once and the rate offered was, frankly, out of reason.

The "corporate" rate is below rate but the typical benchmark rate for full service hotel's weekday.....is his not a discounted rate

I've used the guarantee several times. Sometimes I get the corporate rate, other times I get the rack rate. Go figure?

The Room Guarantee is not really a "Guarantee"
 

If the Marriott Hotels in the selected city declare a "Special Event" the room guarantee benefit does not apply. See this thread for my problems in San Francisco Sept. 18 - 23:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=466670


Starwood seems to honor this benefit for that week eventhough their hotels in downtown San Francisco are fully booked also. Go figure.

I would gladly pay the rack rate if I could just get a room at any Marriott property downtown that week.

RIP...