I was trying to be circumspect hence my use of the words 'substantially unaddressed' in the EEO thread first posted yesterday (from which the above quote is lifted).

I feel very strongly about this, hence my bumping my initial thread (from 2005), having to do with the administration of Marriott and Renaissance B1G1 Weekend Night EEOs.

But, actually the overall issue - customer satisfaction - goes beyond EEOs.

Be it website performance, service at properties not on a par with what we (or Marriott) would expect at a Marriott-branded property, to allegations of hotels trying to manipulate the days that a Stay Anytime award is valid, those are obviously beyond Chris' purview.

Witness the myriad of issues raised here and the far-ranging opinions they engender.

It's beyond simply Marriott Rewards and queries as to its terms and conditions - it's more along the lines of what Socrates provides (unofficially) as guidance and opinion.

So, in terms EEOs let's go ahead with the 'Plan B' approach and notify Mr. M's office each and every time a hotel mishandles one and causes a guess to suffer inconvenience.

But perhaps it's time to discuss strategies to effect the appointment of (or the empowerment of Chris as) "The Marriott Lurker."

And since you do feel so strongly, did you send a letter to Marriott corporate sometime in the last 5 1/2 months? If so, please share the response you received.

Personally I am very happy with Marriott and the Marriott Reward program. I use BOGO for meals all the time with no problems, but have not used the BOGO night in a year or two, but when I did there were no problems. Service at all hotels, bar 1, have been excellent. I wrote a letter to corporate regarding the one that failed to live up to expectations. I also wrote a letter of compliment to another.

Personally I see Plan B as the first step, not the second. I think it will yield better results. If people are encountering problems with any business it is best to address their concerns directly with that business, rather than expecting a message board post to result in changes. JMO

Let's not.

I have yet to "suffer" on any stay that Marriott thanked me with a free night. Rather than complain after something you anticipate happening actually does happen, why not proactively work on prevention? Let us know if you don't have the experience necessary to figure out how to do that.

As I have posted before, I have never had a problem with EEOs. Clearly others have but I don't think we're talking about a pandemic. Maybe I'm very lucky, overly conscientious or just nice. Whatever it is, it seems to be working.

As far as BOGO (or B1G1) for one complimentary weekend night no - probably should have done so - discussed it w/Front Desk Mgr. directly (Farmington Ct F/S) and she promised to address it - will be going there again in the fall; if it happens again, letter to Bethesda. (Did send one to Mr. M. regarding excellent service under trying conditions at Chateau Champlain - also posted about it here.)

BTW, the thread addressed the free weekend night - not the free entree (with which handling is not deferred).

I don't think anyone is claiming that each and every hotel mishandles them but the number of posts suggests that there's something in excess of infrequent mishandling (though how it can be qualified I don't know.)

The message board is a means of querying other FTers as to their views regarding a Marriott equivalent of the Starwood Lurker. If the question is regarded as rhetorical, fair enough.

However, there's nothing in the OP that advocates that this forum is (or should be used) as a conduit to Marriott corporate.

It was more (and the evidence is ample in this forum) than B1G1 free weekend night offers that prompted my opening this thread.

To wit:

But, actually the overall issue - customer satisfaction - goes beyond EEOs.

Be it website performance, service at properties not on a par with what we (or Marriott) would expect at a Marriott-branded property, to allegations of hotels trying to manipulate the days that a Stay Anytime award is valid, those are obviously beyond Chris' purview.

Witness the myriad of issues raised here and the far-ranging opinions they engender. As I posted (underlining for emphasis):

It's beyond just Marriott Rewards and queries as to its terms and conditions - it's more along the lines of what Socrates provides (unofficially) as guidance and opinion.

So, in terms EEOs let's go ahead with the 'Plan B' approach and notify Mr. M's office each and every time a hotel mishandles one and causes a guess to suffer inconvenience.

But perhaps it's time to discuss strategies to effect the appointment of (or the empowerment of Chris as) "The Marriott Lurker."

But I did - in my original "...there's got tp be a better way thread"

I suggested that the same methodology used on Bonus Bucks. Imprinted on the reverse side of Bonus Bucks, addressed to the hotel is the procedure for the hotel's processing of them) be adopted for B1G1 free coupons.

B1G1's are certainly part of the "Marriot Rewards" program and I addressed that step to the official Marriott Rewards representative to this Forum.

If that isn't proactive enough for you, I am so sorry.

Chris said he'd follow-up, but as SkiAdcock noted there hasn't been any, hence her 'Plan B' suggestion.

OK, you haven't experienced the particular problem but others have and have posted to that effect. Not everyone experiences every variety of snafu - actually, I've experienced very few of what I'd deem serious ones. But I think it's also fair to say that the many have weighed in as to experiencing B1G1 free weekend night crediting ones.

And bombarding the CEO's mailbox is the most efficient means to resolve a transaction anomaly occurring intermittently at selected properties?

Deleted 5/20/06

Before we proceed any further.

There are two earlier threads dedicated to a discussion of all aspects of Marriott's EEO offerings.

The sole purpose of this one is to discuss the advisability of requesting (or not pursuing), Marriott to appoint a "lurker" for the MR Forum who would interact with contributors similar to the Starwood Lurker (who interfaces on issues not only concerned with, but also beyond their customer loyalty program) on the SPG Forum.

Those who feel it should be pursued are encouraged to discuss potential strategy(ies).

Last time in LA I was able to meet the Starwood Lurker and actually learned a few things of interest. He has held many different positions within Starwood which has allowed him to answer questions beyond SPG and the Terms and Conditions. He also pointed out that at one point BA contacted him about a Lurker and he told them (BA) that unless the Lurker had some authority, it would be completely useless. Starwood Lurker also relayed some interesting stories about his current job within Starwood and some of his personal insights into the hotel industry. (I was amazed at some of the issues that he had to deal with and the resolutions that he had to undertake).

While I applaud Marriott for taking the initiative to place a Lurker on these boards, they have made the mistake of not granting this person enough power, something that is crucial to resolve issues and openly explain initiatives and decisions within the company. The other issue (and this is pure speculation) is that Chris either does not know much about the workings of Marriott besides Marriott rewards thus, he quotes the T&Cs or
he is restricted to the purview of Marriott Rewards and the T&Cs thus, is unable to comment on other issues more fully.

In any case, Marriott made the first step by establishing a lurker, now they need to improve upon it by empowering the lurker and or replacing the lurker with a more well rounded one.

Dan