Marriott Concierge

We are currently looking for ways to improve two of our platinum benefits and would like your feedback before making any changes.

First, for our properties that do not have the occupancy (volume) from Gold and Platinum members to open the lounge on Sunday evening:
Would you consider a voucher for a free drink and appetizer in the hotel lounge or bar an acceptable alternative to lounge hours on Sunday Evening?

Second, we are looking at ways to improve the platinum arrival gift. We have noticed that a disproportionate number of platinum guests choose point offerings for their arrival gift. This has led us to ask the following questions:

• Rather than having to select points at check in every time, would you rather have them automatically posted to your account each visit?
  
• Are there food or beverage items we could add that would be more enticing than the points selection?
  
• Are there non-food or beverage items or amenities you would like to see added to the platinum arrival selection?

If you have suggestions you would like to share, please feel free to post them here or send me a personal message. Your feedback and suggestions are extremely valuable and welcome.

Ira

allset2travel

Appreciate your asking.
Here are my 2c.
First - I think your offer will be fine for me.
Second - I prefer to maintain current system of choice. Since not all hotels have a uniform kind(s) of welcome gift, I don't want to default to either. Besides, my experience told me that most international properties offer "better" welcome gifts. Hence I would opt for the gift. Domestically, most times, I choose points. Experience from a recent stay ina FS in San Francisco., I ended up with half of a banana and few slices of apple, that's was my plat welcome gift.
Anyway, thanks for doing the survey b4 implementing. Hope more FT will provide feedback on this.

USirritated

In answer to question number two for Platinum members, NO CHARGE INTERNET at full service Marriott and Renaissance hotels would be a welcome gift option that I would gladly "welcome!"

TrojanHorse

for Sunday > if thats the only choice, I guess it would be better than nothing.. is there another option.. I only ask b/c often its too late by the time I arrive to either go to the bar or want to go to the bar on Sunday nights. Now I'm not talking midnight arrivals but if I check in at 8:30 p.m. i'm and just did a transcon or something, I don't want to go to the bar. If I get in early.. that works

for part II

auto post works for me

good question.. again back to late arrivals., I don't want anything at that point.. I just like the points..

I'm not even sure what the choices are anymore since I always just say give me the points.. but if I was thinking about it.. i'd like a couple beers (if there are two of us) and a filling snack (not fruit) I guess though I may still take the points LOL

I would have said free internet in the past but since I have my verizon wireless card, I don't need free internet. Free movies wouldn't cut it either but thats only b/c I don't watch movies.

how bout a flat bar credit (like those b/f vouchers up to $X rather than a voucher for ABC.

MNAudiS4

Lounge, As long as you can access for a water i am fine with it being closed. "Sometimes they are closed and you can not access, others you can access 24/7 by room key"

Auto points are fine, i tried food items, but they take to long for my taste. I have now received points for 4 yrs in a row.

aaupgrade

WADR, closing lounges on Sunday evening would not be an improvement to Plat/Gold benefits no matter how you spin it. Did Mr. French write your copy?

The problem with the idea you presented is that some of the hotels that close their lounges on Sundays, just wouldn't offer anything as an alternative. Also, you aren't even considering the people that pay for a room on the Exec/Concierge floor that includes lounge access. Third, hotels are going to have to schedule the closing of the lounge in advance for HR considerations, so this would not be a last minute decision. It actually sounds more like a heads up by marketing for them to semi-CYA with respect to the reaction you will get from the Plat and Gold elites on this and other message boards when lounges are unilaterally closed on Sunday evenings.

As mentioned numerous times here on FT, offer HSIA as a Platinum arrival gift. Now I won't hold my breathe that this wil happen, but you asked.

jan_az

Funny you bring this up.

DH is a PP. If there is a lounge that is open, there is no reason to take a food option. The only time he takes the food option is if, the lounge is closed.

Someone else mentioned in a post having the lounge accesible by key for water and soda and maybe some snacks. Hilton did this for years and it was a great option for me.

Free HSIA would only apply when he was traveling with me as he also has a Verizon aircard.

I would hate to see the lounges closed more than they currently are. I would rather you add the requirement that they provide free breakfast coupons on weekends ( still smarting from the $56 bill for breakfast this weekend on a $96 room rate.)

davidash

Closing the lounge would be okay if the drink and appetizer coupons were good for the entire stay and not just that night.

Breakfast in the dining room would be an added Plat gift I would use. Sometmes I prefer breakfast vs the lounge food. Also, free internet and or free parking would be welcomed as well..

Jon Maiman

I am generally looking for coffee, water, and perhaps dessert when I check in on a Sunday evening. If the CL must be closed, then I would like a complimentary large carafe of coffee, a complimentary dessert, and at least two complimentary, normal (read 16+ oz) bottled waters from room service. This would be in addition to the arrival gift not as the arrival gift. Without the CL, for business trips there really is no significant differentiation over the CY and SHS properties for me. With CY I am getting free Internet instead of free breakfast. Points wise, I lose out a little bit on the deal (300 points less for the arrival gift) and no points for incidentals.

By the way closing the CL would definitely be a downgrade in my opinion regardless of what is offered instead. Nothing beats the convenience of being able to walk into the CL for a quick drink or snack. Even with free room service, you still have to wait for your order.

I almost always take points for my arrival gift and would appreciate just having them automatically added to my MR account. That said, I would like the option to initiate an exception for the occasional leisure trip where I want wine or beer instead.

--Jon

OU812

I don't think of the lounges being closed on Sunday nights as a benefit. If the lounge must be unattended that is fine, as long as I can grab a couple of waters or a soda (provided they are still being offered.). What I hate is finding out the CL is closed, not being upgraded to the concierge floor, and being told by the FD clerk checking me in that the only way I can get a couple bottles of water is via a vending machine or room service. The appetizers from the bar don't appeal to me as I am usually tired from my flight and don't want to head down to the bar and sit there. If I could get an appetizer and a beverage up to $XX through room service (without the 21% service charge), I would be happy with that.

I like the option of points when I am traveling alone, when I am with my family they usually want the cheese and crackers or some other snack. Free HSIA would be a great benefit.

As I mentioned in a prior post, offering free breakfast in the hotel restaurant or via room service to all plats and golds when the CL is closed would be a definite value added benefit, that would make me stay there on weekends again.

Hopefully, the Marriott suits in Bethesda will actually consider what we have to say and not make more "enhancements" that take benefits away.

Regards,

RIP...

USirritated

Where are my manners! Yes, Ira, THANK YOU FOR ASKING!! Cool of you to ask before just implementing something we dislike or no one wants at all.

Like AllSet, I agree on the First item, but I have a suggestion, since it is Sunday night, and since restaurants are often closed early in many cities on Sunday nights, extend the times for when the voucher will be given out to midnight, and just make the voucher either for a drink and an appetizer, or a $10 to $15 (depending on the city and the menu values) credit towards the room service menu. One of the reasons why lounge attendance is so thin on Sunday nights is that lots of business people take the last flight of the day to wherever they are going, since they only have to be there in time to get something to eat and go to sleep, because they are really there for Monday morning, and not Sunday night, so they are likely to arrive at 10, 11, or even midnight, and this is much more the case than on any other night of the week.

To expand on my previous comment on the Second item, like AllSet, I agree that there is a big variation in Platinum welcome gifts between hotels, some hotels almost go overboard with a nice tray of fruit, cheese, nuts, crackers, enough for two or three people, while other hotels give you six grapes and two slices of swiss cheese (and the swiss cheese is dried and shriveled!) I think that there should still be a choice, but I think there should be three choices: One, the traditional food choices (I have always thought that these should be expanded to include one or two basic sandwiches or a hamburger. Considering that if someone placed an order for a Marriott Burger and fries, it would usually come to less than $20, with taxes and service charges, plus tip, and would qualify for 10 points per dollar spent, or about 200 points, yet the points alternative is 500 points at check in.); Two, the 500 points choice; and Three, free Internet.

NOTE: I have always thought it was a bit odd that the welcome gift was the same, no matter whether I was staying one night, or one week, or two weeks. However, if I check out after two days, and then come back and check back in that night for two more days (which I have done before), I will get a new welcome gift as a new gift. Shouldn't the welcome gift be somewhat graded to the length of the stay, meaning a welcome gift for a one night stay should not be the same as a welcome gift for a one week stay?

BruceWG

Thank you for asking for feedback.

1 Given the option of "nothing" vs. a coupon, obviously the coupon would be appreciated. When traveling, it's not uncommon for me to arrive at a hotel Sunday evening, and having an open lounge to grab a quick bite, chat for a few minutes, and unwind is something I value, and I personally would not get that from the hotel bar (I don't drink).

2 Just about all the food/beverage options can be obtained at the CL so I typically just take the points. Offering something that isn't already available would generate some interest, but I'm happy with the points. Making it automatic or not isn't a big deal.

Regards,
Bruce

newbiztraveler

1. I think free internet should be provided, at a minimum, to all platinum guests.
2. If providing free internet for all plats is not an option, it should be offered as an arrival gift
3. A certificate for something at the bar/lounge is a nice gesture, but I would prefer it if the CL was open. I've been to absolutely massive Marriotts (Atlanta Marquis for example) where the CL is closed on weekends, seemingly without regard to the number of elites on site. I wasn't aware that the weekend closure was based on the number of elites in the hotel and it seems doubtful that criteria is being followed

defiance96

If you are travelling on business, and could expense your food or beverages, wouldn't that just lead to this disproportionate number of guests choosing points? The way its written, it sounds like Marriott is surprised at this...and its not clear to me why they should be....

So the answer is....no. There are not likely items that would be more enticing than points.

USirritated

As someone who owns (is) the company, I don't exactly expense my food and beverage, I pay for it myself! So, I never thought of that defiance96, a very interesting point! For that reason, no matter what the choices are, there are certain Marriott elite members who will always choose the points, unless maybe they want the convenience of just having a quick snack brought to their room before crashing for the night after a long trip, right?