How is it Marriott's fault that you went to the wrong property? Why should that change the perception of the brand?

Not that he had the wrong property-that they would not waive the parking fee for a 15 minute conversation at the desk-that is wrong of the hotel and just further demonstration of the direspect that is becoming the norm in this chain.

He did not say it was Marriott's fault.

Absolutely can be one of things that start to change one's perception (obviously not yours). Things like the right Marriott offering, without any prompting whatsoever, to pay for a taxi for me from the wrong Marriott I went to have gone a long way towards making me a loyal Marriott customer.

IMHO, I can optimize revenue for my property long-term by waiving the parking fee in such situations.

But that's your choice Mr. Marriott.

:rolleyes: <- Do they make a bigger one of these?

Chris,

It has been one week since we have heard from you concerning this issue. I would think that this alloted time would be sufficient to get a repsonse. Any info??

The General Manager at the hotel agreed that they should have accepted the gift card, and a colleague of mine is working with all those involved for a resolution to this issue.

Kind regards,

Quick update, Marriott has contacted me and I haven't been able to discuss with the person Chris got me in touch with since I was traveling back from the west coast the end of last week when they called. I will keep you posted but Chris did all he could to expedite a resolution.

Kudos to Chris! ^

I am sitting at the Residence Inn Columbia. I tried to pay for $100 of my tab with a gift card -- a card I paid face value for as an intended gift to someone (we got him something else). The manager on duty tried to redeem the card six times and each time it was denied. She called the number on the back and the guy said he could see that there was a $100 balance but that there was no way he could do anything from his end.

Their suggestion? I pay for my night (of course) and when I get home, I should mail this card worth $100 back to Marriott, who would then send me another card. And hopefully that one would work.

You. have. got. to. be. kidding. me.

I am livid. And what if the card got lost in the mail? I'm sure that Marriott would take me on my word that I sent it. Besides the fact that I am at a Marriott hotel, with a gift card I bought via the Marriott site, and I cannot redeem their own product. What a freaking scam they are running. Pay face value for something and then make it impossible to redeem it. They are probably hoping that I'll just go away. They are wrong.

minor problem with gift card balance $.59
 

I just ran into a minor problem with the gift cards. I used 1 a week ago and after the room/folio balance there was $.59 remaining on the card. Today, the front desk called the 800 number to check the balance before using it with a few other cards, the 800# says the balance is 0 , if you use the web page it shows as $.59 . I assume this is a glitch in the phone system - I noticed some front desk people always check the balance 1st using the phone and some run it thru the system and see the correct balance.

Update: I called Customer Service and the rep was able to resolve the problem. She had to call 2 different supervisors for instructions and then called the front desk twice to give them instructions for running the card through. It finally worked. If I were on a time constraint, I wouldn't have bothered. The CSR ackowledged that Marriott has had 'a lot of problem' with these gift cards. Perhaps if they know they have a lot of problems they should take steps to correct it, by notifying all of their hotels of a work around. The fact that the consumer has to jump through hoops to get these gift cards accepted reflects poorly on the brand and Marriott image.

Hey, since I'm low on work right now, maybe Marriott can pay me to teach their "associates" how to do something a monkey at Home Depot can do. It's not rocket science. Even at a corporate property (SYD Harbour) they were clueless and such ended up costing Marriott money. How much I will not say :)

Since then, I've only stayed at IHG properties, and plenty of them. Can't say enough good things about the way I've been treated, even if the properties themselves have been variable. We bought Marriott timeshares because of their hotel system and will sell them for the same reason :td:

I would think, after over a month, Marriott can give us an official way to resolve this situation if faced with it. Step by step. Again, not rocket science. I'm a high school graduate and can follow instructions well :D

Pat

Less than acceptable training of front line personel is a Marriott specialty.It is one of my biggest gripes with the chain.
If you have ever had to walk a FDR thru a bonusbuck/EEO cert you'll understand.

What is the website address to check balances on this card, please?