I actually like Iron City!

Does that make Renaissance IC Light?

Haven't stayed, but the location is good and SkiAdcock recommends it.

(Pass me my CL Blatz, please) :)

At almost 70, my business traveling days are effectively over, but looking back 50 years to the first of a number of stays at the grandest of "motels", the old Marriott on Stemmons in Dallas, and two decades later, the JW on Pennsylvania in Washington, then what seemed the best hotel in which I had ever stayed (although with a notable decline in that level of service in stays in the last 5 years), like others here, the principal appeals of Marriott were CONSISTENCY of product and staff in the front of the house and in catering who acted as if they understood that the customer is nearly always right, even when the customer was too stupid to know better. When it came to event menus, setup, AV, and my presence in the hotel being noted, Marriott signified "Professional" (and in my last dealings in San Antonio, still does, albeit with over-priced banquet menu).

My grandfather had known and stayed with Mr. Hilton when he was a inn keeper for drummers, oil scouts, land men and con artists in West Texas. Bop described Hilton to me (a young boy) as a hotel man interested in his guests. In my case, two of the most impressive figures I've ever been introduced to were Forrest Mars, then the biggest M in the M&M bag and the senior Mr. Marriott. Both had built companies crafted in their own image, and both seemed to expect from those who worked for them not just "loyalty", but an appreciation of the employees' roles as the public face of those companies.

I knew what to expect at a JW and at a Fairfield Inn and stayed in both. I looked forward to a Ren, but was never really comfortable with the CY profile, rates often too high for the competitive niche.

I guess I lost status last year, and am burning off a stack of points this year in Vienna and Prague, with another couple of nice future stays left in my account which had climbed to close to 200,000 a couple of times, so I'm no more than a doddering kibitzer in the grand scheme of things. But even doddering, I'd like to see some space in those glossy coated paper, brightly printed mailers devoted to Sgt. Joe Friday's old maxim, "Just the facts!" I and most other hotel guests don't like unpleasant surprises, and a lack of warning makes even modest cut backs or changes discomfiting.

TMOliver - +1. what a great post. And I agree, it is the consistency of product ALONG WITH superior customer service that has made Marriott my choice of hotels for so many years. Consistency without the "spriit to serve"? - might as well be at .....well, anywhere else.

To me, the "consistency" of a Marriott wasn't that every hotel was exactly the same, it was more along the lines of a standard "minimum" level of service and product. That has always been my biggest issue with Hiltons. When I stay at a FS Hilton, it could be fabulous, or it could be a major dump. I haven't found too many FS Marriotts that I would put in the "dump" category.

My issue with the "downgrades" is instead of letting each hotel GM figure out what works best for them, while at least providing that "minimum" level of service and product, Marriott Corp prefers to bring everyone down to that minimum level.

Just an Update...

So far this year I have moved 20 nights of stays that would have gone to Marriott to SPG. The SPG properties have had no discernable cuts, and in one case actually have added complimentary beer/wine in the lounge and 2 free cocktails (of any type) in the bar.

I have had two Marriott stays recently. Interestingly enough, both have bucked the trend. One (that does not have a lounge) gives the free full bfast buffet in the restaurant. The other had an amazing lounge with multiple hot entrees every morning that rotated. I won't say where for obvious reasons.

On the other hand I am burning some points this weekend and received a call from the FS hotel asking if I needed anything for my stay, and telling me that they no longer offer free bfast on the weekends. :(

Back to SPG for the paid stays unless I am where I know that I can get a decent bfast, I suppose. I agree with those that state that the only real way to vote is to do so with our feet. I hate that, as I had really come to like the Marriott value proposition.

Greg

Newcastle Gosforth Park
 

Oh dear, oh dear. We are off to this hotel tonight and I enquired as to the offerings in the Exec Lounge and received a copy of the new letter given to elites/guests paying extra for an Exec Lounge Access room. I cannot believe that what was once a brilliant lounge now only does food evenings Mon-Thurs, used to be all week, though breakfast was always in the restaurant Sat and Sun. They used to do bistro style dinners and Mr HP could enjoy a beer and a plate of food when we arrived on a Friday. Apparently still doing wine and beer all week, though I am wondering if they just forgot to add Mon-Thurs on that line!

It is really galling when they don't include even Sun or Fri, at least then you can arrange a weekend when one night you will get something.

Lastly, they still charge an extra £25 a night for an Exec room, which is no different (in some cases tiny) to the other rooms, if you are lucky you will get a bathrobe, but for £25 you could buy one!!! If I weren't a Plat I would be really annoyed at paying out £25 to maybe get a can of drink, a coffee and if I am lucky a biscuit, especially as they are pretty rigid about restocking, as in once a day, so if you arrive at the wrong time you can forget it, just coffee from a rubbish machine.

Sad times, indeed....

Many of you, in this forum and in personal messages, have expressed disappointment in the food offerings you have recently observed in several of our concierge lounges. Your feedback has been very helpful. In an effort to make the lounge food offerings better meet the needs and expectations you have expressed, Marriott management will be coming together to reevaluate the food offerings in concierge lounges. We plan to have an update in two weeks, and will communicate the changes on FlyerTalk. I look forward to posting more information then.



Ira

thanks Ira.........great news!!!

Thanks for the note Ira. Personally, as an elite, it makes me feel better about Marriott knowing they hear the complaints.

I hope the management folks also understand that a significant number of folks here are displeased with the concept of fs properties being coerced into discontinuing benefits (over and above the minimum requirements) that they have provided to elites for years. The list includes not only lounge offerings, but lounge weekend schedules at some properties and weekend breakfast coupons at others.

I'm glad to hear this. I spent last weekend at a Westin hotel that had its lounge open. The lounge offerings were excellent. Ordinarily I would have stayed at a FS Marriott, but the lounges have so badly deteriorated in quality during the week to say nothing of the closed lounges on the weekend that I decided to go with Westin. Marriott lost revenue because of my move to Westin. Unless there is a return to quality and lounges are open on the weekend, this platinum member will continue to go where I can find an open first-rate lounge.

With regard to the frequent postings here about the need to stay at Marriott hotels to protect employees, I can say that indeed the Westin had an employee in the lounge. Just maybe one way to protect employees is to offer what many of us want and are willing to pay for.

I'm glad to see that Marriott is finally looking at this issue and will report something here. I've been more than a little annoyed by Marriot's silence about lounge downgrades. Customers should not have to find out about all this by trial and error. I'd like a full disclosure of what Marriott's policy is with regard to hotel lounge variations and some statement about what Marriott views as the purpose or value or mission of its lounges.

+1. Other than one Hilton stay to keep my hhonors account alive, I haven't taken any business away from Marriott yet this year. However, I have been seriously considering it. The MR rates are still very high and the cutbacks at at all of the MR Brands are annoying. Either cut the rates to reflect the reduced service or maintain the old levels of service with the old high rates. You can't have it both ways. YMMV....

--Jon

+1

+2....