I don't know about everyone else, but all the who owns, who franchises, who manages just hurts my head. All I know is the name on the hotel says Marriott. ;)

Totally agree: if the building says "Marriott" on it, then I have expectations based on my relationship with that brand. Nobody has brand relationships with any of the companies who manage hotels or any of the other people who lease space inside the building or subcontract with the owner to do work there. If somebody is interacting with me as part of normal business as a hotel guest - eating, parking, whatever - they represent "Marriott". Therefore, if I have any kind problem with any of these vendors/subcontractors/franchisees/whatever, I look to Marriott to solve it.

(In fairness, Marriott usually does a fairly decent job of this. I've had minor issues with parking vendors on occasion where I think Marriott could have done a better job of helping me resolve an issue, but I'm talking maybe 2 or 3 of these in 15 years. IMHO, the worst abusers of this kind of dodge are in the rental car industry.)

I don't keep track of what Marriott owns and what it doesn't, I think we all have better things to worry about when we check-in to our hotel. (But thank you for the heads up) :)

My point is there are times when I've encountered a problem and even after contacting Marriott Customer Service and Bill Marriott's office the hotel decided to do what they felt was right... why? Because I was told "we are a franchise hotel." :td:

Let me give you an example:

Two years ago I checked in to the Montreal Chateau Champlain, when I arrived I was greeted by hotel employee's on strike who were picketing outside the hotel. As I got out of my taxi, they hurled insults at me for staying at the hotel and in fact shouted out short-giving's regarding the hotel's cleanliness among other things. Keep in mind, I was not aware of the situation until I arrived. When I approached the front desk I was told there was no room service, no lounge, house keeping will be every other day and the restaurant was closed as was the pool and fitness area... When I asked to be moved to another hotel since they were still charging me $209 a night. They said I could make my own arrangements! I called Marriott Customer Service and in the end I had to find my own hotel... Why? because they could not force the hotel to do anything because they were a franchise.

I should mention I am a Platinum member.

Front Desk "We have no Upgrades" / Guy at the Bar "I just got upgraded to 2 br suite"
 

I don't know if I should say something about this to the front desk tonight. When I arrived yesterday at my favorite property "Renaissance Richardson, TX" I was told that the best they could do was a regular room not in the Concierge level, so pretty much no upgrade. I usually get a junior suite at this property or at least the concierge level since I stay there about once a month and on a first name basis with some of the staff.

I was told the hotel was sold out and that all guests in suites had paid for the suite so no go on the upgrade. Few hours later the guy sitting next to me starts saying how he got upgraded to the "Presidential Suite" with 2 bedroooms, 2 baths, conference table etc. I couldn't help myself and asked if he had status with Marriott, he said he had Gold status. Now, I feel a little snubbed that a lower status guest got an upgrade before me when I requested one in my reservation, wasn't given priority in spite of the fact that I stay at this hotel regularly, and was lied to that all guests in Suites were paying for one.

Should I say something? I have never been in this situation and don't know how some of you have handled it in the past.

Thanks

How do you know the guy in the bar wasn't just shooting off his mouth?

Did you consider the possibility that there was a late cancellation for the 2 br suite? You did say that it was a couple of hours later that you'd heard his announcement . . .

You also said that they guy was a gold, and your details under your moniker also indicate that you're a gold (unless they haven't been updated), so I'm wondering why he's less entitled to it than you are. Maybe he buys the front desk staff treats regularly (I did, when I was a regular at a particular property . . . it can make a big difference :))

It could also be that Presidential Suites are not part of the regular upgrade pool (of course this depends on the property, but as a general rule I’d say they usually are not). So, when the bar guy checked in it may have been the last room in the hotel… so they gave it to him.

I haven't updated the profile, I am Marriott Platinum now. Good suggestion on the buying treats, next time I am down from SF I will bring them some bay area chocolate.

I have written a couple of letters commending this property for their exceptional service in the past.

Again I'm not sure why ownership would impact if a hotel is a franchise - what's popping into my head is a hotel owned by Mass Mutual but operated by Marriott Hotel Services Inc - you wouldn't assume this hotel was actually an insurance company now would you? I'm not sure why anyone would assume this hotel was franchised either.....I've never seen a company sign a franchise agreement with itself before - would seem rather foolish and redundant....but again to stay on topic it doesn't matter if a hotel is franchised or not - the same rules apply to both either through a management agreement or a franchise agreement

This is a terrific example of terrible customer service - comments like yours are tracked by MI and discussed with the hotel and their management company, ultimately if there is enough complaints (without going into too many details) a hotel can loose their flag as a result (even managed hotels can loose their flags from enough complaints)

There are endless reasons why he might have received the upgrade instead of you - might have been a special occasion, he might be a VIP for a top account, might be a meeting planner etc, some hotels even try to rotate who receives the upgrades among their regulars....sorry I dont have enough specifics to give a more conclusive rational though

The problem with this is what is impacting to you will not be impacting to someone else - the hotels do their best (and yes there is a focus on this these days by all hotel companies) to provide guests with major impacting events

I can assure you hotels will not lie to you about major events which might have an impact on a guests stay however I'll refer you back to the part of my post which you quoted - opinions are subjective and I'll apologize in advance but there are often times guests which will be happy regardless of the events they encounter and on the flip side there are also those guests who you can never please, thankfully the majority of the traveling public falls in the middle - I do agree there will be events which will an impact on the availability of upgrades however the items impacting the availability of upgrades are constantly changing thus making it IMO unrealistic and impractical for hotels make public, I often try not to compare the hospitality industry to the airline industry however I'm not aware of an airline which will tell their members in advance of the expected lack of upgrades but that doesn't mean the hotel shouldn't ensure their inventory is in balance - what was mentioned before sounds like an out of balance issue, it can and does happen however it shouldn't happen often

Not always...I know of three Marriott properties currently undergoing major renovations that are not informing guests of the fact online or when you call the reservations line. The only way I knew that the properties were under major renovation was by driving by them and seeing the construction equipment/supplies (and in the case of one, a review someone posted giving everyone an FYI on the construction since the website makes no mention of it).

Might have been worth stopping at the front desk, asking for a manager, reporting the anecdotal information, and asking for an explanation.

That is what I thought about doing this evening, but the only thing holding me back is that I don't want to seem like an entitled jerk. I guess I can always just tell them it troubled me since I was told one thing and then found out that it was a misrepresentation of the situation. I guess I was just asking if anybody else has been in a similar situation and did you go to the front desk about it or just let it go...

I actually was referring to being disturbed in general (not to mention getting fewer upgrades), because of significant events not disclosed, as I mentioned in my original posting.

The most likely explanation is that you're staying for multiple nights and the Presidential Suite (or any other "special" rooms) weren't available for the length of your stay.

Again "impacting" is very subject and the variables are constantly changing - hopefully you can understand how difficult it would be to provide you with any meaningful information

....


Read between the lines :)

Just out of curiosity....Had you gotten that presidential suite...Would you have used that 2nd bedroom, 2nd bath or the conference table? Perhaps I just don't see the draw of getting these types of upgrades when I travel for business but I find the quality of the c-lounge and distance to the client site a higher priority than having a 2nd bed that I can put my backpack on.

Now...If this was a vacation or some kind of an important trip where I would definitely benefit from having a presidential suite perhaps I would call the hotel and talk to the GM about getting it. But those occasions are far and few in between.

And yes...I've turned down those types of upgrades because I didn't need it.

Gold and Platinum have the same Upgrade benefits and are "Based on room availability at check-in". If he checked in before you and it was available, they gave it to him. When you checked in, it wasn't, so they didn't. I don't see anything about "priority, pre-arrival reserved upgrades for PLT over GLD" in the program T&C.

Requesting something in your reservation doesn't mean much. I'm sure you know that suites aren't included in the program anyway, so you weren't entitled to one.

You will have to be very, very diplomatic to avoid that. You're calling them liars, and asking why you didn't get something that you aren't entitled to. Is it worth the hit at a property you frequent regularly?

Maybe he was more profitable for the hotel than you are or more likely to bring in more business.

I'll Probaly Regret This
 

Since I still have a couple of good-friend assistant managers (one Hyatt and one Marriott) from my 200-night plus in same hotel days (I was one of the ten most-frequent guests at one hotel one year and the other two years later), and there are two similar threads going, I'll relay their past thoughts, which seem relevant. Even though this is the calmer thread, I'll put on my crash helmet and kevlar underpants first, and probably still regret mentioning it.

They both would just start spitting in a hurry when I tried to make conversation about upgrades. I apologized and told them I just loved my room assignment, and when they calmed down they explained themselves. As noted above by several persons, there are many variables that go into a comp upgrade, and "availability showing online" isn't the top one.

First, especially at Marriott but also true at Hyatt, the suites are just not promised as an upgrade in the program. Your odds of getting any upgrade and especially a suite go up the shorter your stay, the higher your recent night count, and especially the higher your recent night count at their property. Getting to be friends with the front-end staff does not hurt, but their point being if you got a good room that fit your profile you got what you paid for, and any upgrade was based on availability and not entitlement.

Second, both made the point they stopped upgrading at some critical level of remaining inventory. They had an expected level of walk-in sales of suites and club floor, and would not free-upgrade past that point. (The key word being "availability", which they did not interpret as "we have three left and they show online". Rather, they defined it as "still being above minimum reserve").

Related to this, you may be an elite, but then again they may be expecting a dozen more guests eliter than you, and the room you want is soft-blocked for them. It still shows available online and they will still sell it at full price, but not give it as a free upgrade. If it does sell to a full-revenue guest, a late-arriving elite, even a super-elite, and sometimes that was me, got stuck in an odd little room because that was all that was left. The flip side is a very late guest, even a non-elite guest, might get lucky if they never sold the last one and that was what there was left.

For the most part (and I realize its not everybody), elites as a group had a bad general reputation as complainers among the staff. They were not too keen on a first-time guest at that hotel demanding an upgrade at all even if an elite (as opposed to an advance request for a special occasion from a regular). For awhile, my Hyatt friend gave away her suites to the first however many Diamonds walked up just to get rid of the problem, but that got her in trouble when mega-Diamonds could not get one.

My best advice is if you stay there frequently figure out who is your front-end friend and speak to them every time, and who is tight and to be avoided. (All hotels have both). Don't complain unless you have a real issue (like no club access, or a room with a real problem). You may not get something this week, but in the long run calm repeat guests get repeat upgrades. (Taking a double when kings are tight wins friends and influences future happiness).

In the event a specific property is a continuing frustration, try another. Its not likely to change, so you should.

Putting myself in the shoes of the manager that you spoke to, I think you would be guaranteeing yourself worse treatment in the future.

If I were getting junior suites every week other than this one, I would consider myself pretty fortunate.

Also, if this property frequently upgrades you to junior suites, I'd let this one drop lest you look unappreciative. I suspect they must have a good reason, as opposed to the situation in the other thread.

Yep.

Then don't be.

entitlement is a very interesting subject. Those who feel entitled can justify it in about 1000 ways.

Okay so get this
 

When this all happened on Monday night, the MOD offered me a 1,000 points because of the trouble. Tonight when my team returned to the hotel at around 7pm, a co-worker's room had not been serviced by housekeeping. He called the front desk to inform them of such and they offered him 20,000 MR points and a free meal via room service or in the hotel restaurant, which he of course accepted! They sent housing right up as well. He later received a $25 gift card from Barnes and Noble with a note of apology from the Front Desk Manager. BTW, it was not the same manager on duty as Monday night and my co-worker has no status.

RIP...

My own quote from post 29 in this thread
The best part of my Marriott experience was with the brand and guest assurance.I had fair trust if something went wrong with my stay the company would step in if the hotel didn’t.

And that is why I still look up to Marriott despite the other concerns.
You still buy in reasonable trust ^
I just booked a Marriott Fairfield Airport Hotel after reading your post.
I am out of touch but how many points does that brand earn these days?

it does sound like a different manager was working - but it does sound as though that hotel does understand the meaning of empowerment

I agree with everything you've said except for this paragraph - after working in the service industry for decades you begin to know what to look for to spot the more needy guests - I dont believe there is a higher percentage of them in the elite ranks than in the general population

Actually, I have the opposite view (from jayer). Elite guests (and frequent flyers) tend to have realistic expectations based on their long experience. Infrequent travelers are much more likely to make unreasonable demands -- and I've witnessed that over and over again.

Just as one example, I was on a flight to Newark recently that was delayed by bad weather. Newark was my final destination, so it didn't matter much to me. But the guy sitting right behind me was trying to make a connection and simply drove the flight attendants wild with numerous, urgent and loud demands that they radio ahead to have the airline hold his connecting flight. No matter how nicely the flight attendants explained that they simply couldn't do that, this guy just became more and more irate. Finally, the head FA promised to make an announcement that upon arrival at the gate, all passengers should remain seated except for those trying to make connections. That didn't work, of course, as most people just charged for the exit like always. I just watched all this happen and didn't say a word.

Bruce

IMO I do believe you are correct Bruce but I think the extremes are wider for elites - I have met enough needy ones who believe they know the program or their point of view is correct etc - I've witnessed them activing very much like the PAX on the EWR flight you described however I do believe the Median is much higher (in a good way) for elites than non-elites

I'm sorry for taking this thread off topic, but I thought it would be good to answer a question.

Fairfield Inn & Suites earn 10 points for every dollar on room rate. Incidentals do not earn points.

I thought you said you were pulling out of that Hotel since you werent Upgraded on Night 1????