dunwu

I checked in a friend's family who came to visit me last weekend at Ypsilanti Marriott. When checked out this morning, I required to use 2 Preminum Pounds Coupon as part of payment. The guy at front desk seemed hesitant to take them. He told me to wait for a few minutes when he walked into the office. A while later, he came back and said the accoutant told him these coupon can only be accepted for $100 each. Although I kindly reminded him theses are British Sterlings, he insisted what he said and empasized this is marriott's policy. Ok, I didn't want to keep arguing with him, coz I have a meeting later. So I asked him to make a copy of those 2 coupons for me and left.

This is the first time I used Pounds Coupons, I am not quite sure about their policy. But I remember many posts here stated these coupons can be used as $160-$180. Anything I did wrong? Is it possible to get the difference back? which phone number & email address I could contact Marriott about this issue? Thanks for the help.

UpgradeMe

Yes. You left without resolving the issue to your satisfaction.

jessej

the staff is lazy and/or ignorant
i print out the value using marriotts currency exchange and hand it to them when i hand them the premium pound

you may have only got $100
but when they convertit, they will get the full value, currently at 176.00

you should have given them at check in so they had time to make phone calls and figure it out

JayBrian

I had exactly the same issue at the Marriott Northwest in Hoffman Estates IL. When I gave the desk clerk my Premium Pounds Cert she said she knew what they were and not to worry about it.
Later I checked my account via the TV in the room and saw that my account was credited with only $100 not the approximately $170 that I expected.

I went to the front desk immediately and spoke to the hotel manager. He said he thinks they were worth more but the "accountant" said they were worth only $100. When I asked him to get the cert he couldn't find it at first until he saw I was not going to go away, I either wanted to switch it with a Bonus Buck Coupon or at least make a copy of it (I always make a copy now). He finally found it and it had already been voided so I just had him make a copy for me. I was very surprised that the hotel manager couldn't over ride the "accountant".


The issue was resolved with a letter to Marriott Customer Service and my credit card was refunded the difference about two months later.

ondeadlin

I've used premium pounds more than once at the Ypsi Marriott and received full value. The first time they had to figure out how to value them, but no problem after that. If you take it a manager, my money says you get proper value.

I once got shorted at the Breckenridge MVCI property and dropped them a note via mail. Within a few weeks, my visa was credited the amount they shorted me.

dunwu

Thanks for all the replies. I ganna drop a mail to Marriott Customer Service tomorrow. By the way, if any "accountant" make the same decision in the future, as JayBrian pointed out the hotel manager can't override the "accountant", what should I do? Any suggestion?

sonofzeus

I presented a Marriott 100GBP certificate and a copy of the spot value from xe.com on Labor Day in St.Louis and got credit for 183USD for the two nights. Apparently the value has dropped about 8USD in 30 days!!

pinniped

Several things can happen when you try and use a Premium Pounds:

- The don't know what "pounds" are, so they attempt to credit $100. (Ren Pere Marquette)
- They think that all of Europe is now using Euros, so they attempt to credit $120-ish. (Marriott Wardman Park, DC)
- They attempt to process an actual retail currency purchase, so they attempt to credit $160-ish. (Ren Pere Marquette, Take Two)
- They attempt to post the certificate as an adjustment. Read the back - clearly states "credit", not adjustment. (Ren Seattle)
- They get it right the first time, because the front desk agent is trained pull up a forex site and get a fresh market quote, and then apply the credit. (Marriott Royal Palms in Orlando, probably because they get lots of British folks there and are familiar with the certificates.)

I have campaigned successfully - at the front desk, with the manager if needed, to get the first three scenarios resolved.

I mildly argued the adj/credit issue the first time it happened in Seattle, but didn't take it too far: I've gotten to know the front desk pretty well from repeated stays there, and they treat me extremely well other than misprocessing the occasional PP cert. (For those who don't know: an adjustment reduces the points-qualifying revenue whereas a credit does not.)

Brendan

They're actually within their rights with Pinniped's #3 above: T&C #11 (2005) or #12 (2006) says, "...at the hotel's current exchange rate."

On Sep. 7--9 I just used a PP at the Ren. Stanford Court in San Fran. for which I got $168.26. On Sep. 9 I drove to the Marriott Rancho Cordova near Sacramento, where the noob receptionist called the more experienced one over. They don't have forex service there, so I taught her to please call Marriott HQ &or go to oanda.com for the rate. I got $184 ^ !

However, not to know that a Pound, a Dollar, & a Euro are 3 different things is inexcusable. I wonder if any hotel would mistake 100 Mex. Pesos or 100 Yen for 100 USD ?!

BTW, Sonofzeus, yes, the value of the dollar did dive/pound did spike after Katrina & her impact on oil, but has since recovered to Aug. levels.

wldtrvlr

When ever I have had a problem with a hotel that the staff could not and/or would not resolve to my satisfaction I simply went to a telephone and called the Customer Service 800# on the back of my Rewards card. There is a CS manager for each brand on duty 24/7 and they tend to be very knowledgable and also have a very strong power of persuasion over the hotel staff. They generally hang up with me, call the MOD at the hotel and the issue is resolved very quickly and in the manner that the CS manager stated it would be. I usually get a manager sheepishly calling me and apologizing for whatever the staff failed to handle.

I have only had to do this twice, and I believe they were both while staying at a FI. However, it is good to know that option exists.

I don't know why it would not work with the BP BB issue as well.

jessej

Background - stayed 2 days in July at the toronto renaissance
at checkin i gave a premium pound, and that days printout of the pound to canadian dollar conversion from the marriott website.
at check out i was only credited about 80% of that

so i wroyte to customer service via the website.

here is the response

========

Hello Dr. Jessej,

I have received and read your comments sent through our Renaissance Customer Care department and wanted to let you know that I am having our accounting team credit your credit card account (on file) the discrepancy amount of exchange discussed.

I apologize for the online currency calculator as although it states:

“…is for comparison purposes only. All charges are subject to the hotel's exchange rate at check out” I can see how its use and availability on our site can be miss-representing.

Sorry for the inconvenience and I do hope you will visit again in the future.

Brendan

Speaking of Toronto , I have stayed twice at the Marriott Toronto Eaton Centre. Each time the rate was 6% below mid-market: C$2.20 vs. 2.33 in May 2005, then 2.07 vs. 2.19 in July. OT, when the porters were occupied, a front-desk clerk carried my bags & refused a tip, saying that it was part of the hotel service ^ !


The worst was a hotel that was 14% bad , but I can't complain to CS & probably shouldn't name it publicly because it let me use 3 PPs on a 3-night stay ^ !

pinniped

True. I guess they are technically within their rights to say a pound equals whatever they want it to. It's loose language on the certificate. They could say "Our current rate is 1 USD = 1 GBP = 1 Euro. Have a nice day."

Luckily, I've been able to agree with the front desk on exchange rate in each case where I've used a PP. The fact is that most places either have no idea what the rate is or only know what it would be if I was presenting an actual British banknote that they would need to take to their local bank for conversion into USD credit. So, we've used a copy of the Wall Street Journal, a Marriott.com printout, or a financial website to settle on the rate. That has worked so far.

zakami

I tell them to punch the following into Marsha and voila, out comes the daily exchange rate.
OP/CCC/GB/100.00/US
The above can be used for conversion to from any currency. Replace GB with the origin and US with destination. 100.00 is of course the amount of the origin currency.

So far I have had success at all hotel with the above except the Renaissance Seattle. The person there just refused to take my word that the above would produce an exchange rate. To quote "how can that be? how do you know this? i do not work in accountng...." So pointed out earlier, he had an adjustment and not a credit and it took me 6 weeks to get the points adjusted.

pinniped

Thank you for that piece of potentially very helpful information.