Should a new thread be started?
 

OK. What I take from this discussion is that all domestic (U.S.) lounges are now closed on weekends -- Correct?

However, some non-US lounges are still open, e.g. JW Grovesnor House in London, etc. -- Correct?

Might it not make more sense now to start a new thread of those those few domestic properties that still give breakfast coupons on weekends to Gold and above, e.g. -- Marriott Suites in Las Vegas -- Correct (??), as well as those foreign lounges still open on weekends?

Perhaps just updating the sticky at the top of the forum might be a bit more productive.

well...thats your experience, mine is different...and when i WORKED for marriott, the paper guy delivered them...we gave him a list of occupied rooms and off he went.....

ymmv

rln - I have traveled for 20 years, and until 3Q of '08 never stayed at any properties other than Marriott. Ever. Others on this forum have even labeled me "blindly loyal" or a "Marriott apologist". This year I have more stays at (Hyatt) than at Marriott - and unlike many, my travel is actually UP.
For some of us, the changes at Marriott are not specifically tied to one action - such as reducing breakfast offerings or closing the clubs; although they are the specifics (or symptoms) most often quoted in this thread.

The real issue is the corporate mandate that has been issued requiring that hotels not "over achieve" - and that they are "reprimanded" when caught doing so.

Several weeks ago I was at a FS Marriott that had an occupancy rate of 16%...but the service I experienced there was no different than at any other times I have stayed at the property. This manager should be rewarded for his efforts to maintain service and employee attitude - but instead, he asked me not to recognize his efforts as "they are outside the standards" that corporate is now demanding. In your concern for the Marriott employee - is it acceptable to you that those who are willing to provide a superior guest experience are now punished for doing so?

I spend 3 nights or so a week in hotel. I pay for a certain level of service and expect to receive it. I also treat the hotels and their employees with a level of respect and appreciation, and with Marriott, have always received the same in return. But whether it is shown by closed lounges, no coupons, or no bathrobes in the rooms - it is really the "spirit to serve" that is now being lost.....and it will cost them far more to regain than the cost savings generated by the specific examples quoted in this thread.

Well put SG......btw i wouldn't necessarily call you a marriott apologist....it is my opinion that you tell it like it is...good, bad, or indifferent.....in an objective manner....:cool: (and i have found some of your advice helpful! so thanks!)

**highlighted text mine....We all need to get get copies of the Spirit to serve" book OUT of the desks and send it to, as bigguy would say...the SUITS in Bethesda!!!!

Now...speaking of overachieving....i am in a CY outside of philly....(ok so they had an MEB rate...) they gave me breakfast coupons...for continental, but the server said..have whatever you want....(i'd have happily paid the extra buck!)...the breakkie was YUMMY (non-greasy eggs, basically crisp bacon...) AND they had free, local sunday papers....!

But...in the interest of getting them in trouble, i'm not saying where outside of philly....PM me if anyone really needs to know!

Has anyone seen this alleged memo from corporate? What EXACTLY did it say? Did it *mandate* or simply suggest a standardization of services?

And while I don't like the cutbacks any more than anyone else, I would like to offer this contrarian point: when discussing hotel brands, I've seen on these boards many, many times the #1 selling point for Marriott being CONSISTENCY. No matter what property you check into, wherever it is, you can rest easy knowing that a certain minimum standard is going to be upheld. Sure the occasional Hilton or Westin may be superior, but there are also dogs in those chains. Could it be that Marriott, in an overzealous attempt to refocus on that standardization, have tried to "reset" things like elite benefits back to the letter of the law? Perhaps all these complaints (here, if not in discussions with management and letters to corporate) about how one hotel gives free breakfast on the weekend while another does not and how this lounge has hot entrees and that lounge does not... well, maybe we've gotten what we asked for. They're going to rebaseline their offerings, but at the lowest common denominator. The term "unintended consequences" comes to mind...

Hmmmmm the above post smacks of a "blame the victim"mentality-which I am not sure was what DJIceman intended.
Marriott does not have the lock on consistancy trust me.A short drive from my home and I can locate a great full service property(Del Mar Marriott)and a lousy FS Marriott(Ontario Airport Marriott)a great older Fairfield Inn(Placentia)and a lousy one(Anaheim Hills)so Marriott has a long way to go till I would use consistent as a word to describe Marriott franchises across the board.These are apples to apples,real world comparissions=something the Marriott apologist on this board seem unable to grasp.

To be fair the same holds true with Starwood.

And frankly with the downturn in travel dollars I doubt this will be the year that any chain is going to be laying out a bunch of capital to accheive brand standards.Let's hope the competition does not follow Marriott lead and actually cut services at hotels.

To Those whose answer to the following question is money

"Why is Marriott asking a property not to overachieve???"

Please keep in mind that Marriott is MOSTLY in the business of property management and not ownership. If a property owner (I know one personally - owns the Gas Lamp San Diego as well as several other properties - not all marriotts) decides to direct their GM's to overachieve, then let him :)

Instead, what Marriott seems to be imposing is a maximum standard.

Then why not remove only 50% of the French Toast? (the drop between 65% and 35%, roughly). Why remove it all?

Same logic with the lounge food, mouthwash, newspapers, etc. Wouldn't the savings be consistent with the drop off in occupancy?

Joshua362-how DARE you tag logic unto rln's post! Don't you know it is just this kind of radical thinking that will force Marriott into bankruptcy :rolleyes:
It is all our fault.All of it.

Sad to read the posts in this thread.

The company I'm retired from was once known worldwide as the "Cadillac" of its field. Now its "just another company" (at best) less than half its former size, and truly a shadow of its former self in every sense of the term.

What happened? Well, simply stated, the bean-counters and suits got away from doing the things that had taken this former giant of its industry to the top. All in the name of cost-cutting during tough times. Before you knew it, they were still growing the bottom line, but not the top line.

Customers noticed, competitors noticed, and the implosion that followed is a matter of public record.

Reminds me of the history of several MKE beer companies - Schlitz, Pabst, etc.

All those attempts to cut costs to save the company - and where are they now? Crap brands that no one with $2 will drink (except hipsters). Sad.

I would equate Marriott to Iron City Beer :D

How was the lounge? I stayed at Sheraton last time for a weekend stay but I still like Renaissance better (unless the service has been downgraded since last summer). I have a weekday stay coming up and I like to have updated info.

Thanks,

P.S. Anyone has any info regarding Manhattan Beach?

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....

Thank you, IRA. I am glad Marriott Management will be meeting to evaluate the food in the concierge lounges.

I also hope at the meeting Marriott management will consider offering breakfast to Plats and Golds on weekends when the lounge is closed. The incremental cost of providing the breakfast is marginal, at hotels offering breakfast buffets it is even smaller, because a lot of food is wasted! The good will extended to Marriott's most loyal customers would have a significant return on a small investment as it would result in us continuing to book not only our business travel stays there, but our personal stays there on weekends as well. When Marriott announces what truly would be an enhancement to the Gold and Plat benefits, it would truly look as if Marriott is trying to help their most loyal guests in these tough economic times. As a result, Marriott may actually get more loyalty and win over some travelers from other programs.

Regards,

RIP...

speaking of rates, is it me or are rates going UP????

It seems that, in the last few months, the best rates are advance purchase....now sometimes i am not sure i am going someplace.....

places we used to go to run away from home are getting 20-30 bucks MORE per night to have flexibility to cancel! Frankly thats nuts...especially in West Conshohocken, on a weekend with nothing going on!?!?!?!:rolleyes::confused:

ah well...........

maybe the marriott concierge can bring one of the suits over here for a q&a session?? or a suggestion session???? we'd all have to be NICE!:D

Exactly.

No more $300+ weekend rates at empty hotels with closed lounges and no b'fast coupons.

Ira, many thanks and it is a step in the right direction;however it doesn't do any good for those of us who also would like the weekend lounges opened again. It doesn't address the "over and beyond" concept that Marriott is trying to (and successfuly so) squash.

addressing this issue to the customers satisfaction will be what brings me back to FS Marriott properties

Until then, I've abandoned the FS marriott completely.

Regarding the poster of rates; I agree Marriott is rising yet I'm finding that Starwood is going down; and Hyatt seems to be staying even

Agree with the above. Cheers.

Ira-thanks for your willingness to be the bearer of the news that this has proven to be an incredibly unpopular decision.

Many of us stay at Marriotts on weekends for business as well as pleasure-as I witnessed this past weekend in Las Vegas.

The lack of a staffed and stocked lounge really made a bad impression on several of those at the hotel I was staying at.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. If necessary to cut costs, reassign the full time lounge attendant and take of the restocking and cleanup via other means and methods. Perhaps if admittance was truly restricted to elites, there would be the need to feel that it has to be babysitted for fear of being cleaned out. Someone paying up-wards of $30 per night extra as a one time treat is going to extract their monies worth...

No lounge on weekends is bad enough.
Now no breakfast.
I could have booked a different rate on my last stay for an extra $10 - buffet breakfast included.
I opted out because I'm Gold and didn't even think of it.
I mentioned it at check-in and got the run around.

Yes... I'm Gold and yes I have been away from Marriott for most of the year.
My last 3 stays... not many... I know... have been very sub-par.

as they well should.. I know I would if I shelled out the dough

Since the Marriott Concierge is watching and listening to this thread, I would just like to say something to you and the people who make decisions at Marriott.

My husband travels for business and they pay his expenses. He has complete choice over where he stays. He had 80+ nights at Marriott last year and the vast majority were at FS properties in the US.

The absolute only reason we choose Marriott for business is to accumulate points to take nice vacations together.

What makes a Marriott vacation stay nice? A decent room, of course, and the extras that up until now have been provided to Platinum Rewards members on a leisure stay.

If, the next time we check into a Marriott on points, there is no lounge on the weekend, no breakfast, and only a few chips and limp veggies during the weeknights we will have no reason to continue to choose Marriott for business stays. It is that simple for us. Our leisure stay experience drives the business purchase.

Please return the lounge experience to a reason to come through Marriott's door.