Problem at a Marriott – Warning Rant
 

I have lurked in this forum occasionally, but this is my first post here. Sadly, it’s not about a good situation. I have stayed at Marriott on and off for years, and over the past two years have been averaging 200 nights a year with Marriott. This is the first time I have ever had to complain.

My wife and I went on Holiday and were spending 4 nights at a the JW Marriott in Phuket, Thailand on points. We booked this before the new point’s policy and they didn’t have saver nights, so it was expensive, but we thought it would be worth it.

Prior to arrival, the concierge e-mailed us and welcomed us, helped us arrange some activities, and stated that since we are Platinum, she will offer us 20% off on all dining at the hotel.

When we arrived, the bathroom in our room was dirty. We complained, and nothing was done. The public restroom was substantially worse. We booked 90 minute massages, and were given 60 minute massages. When we complained, we were told that the spa was closing, and they wanted to get out. We asked for 1/3 of our money back, and were told that they can’t do that on a service we already received.

The next day, we were gone all day, came back and our room was still dirty. The day after, we continued to have problems with rude staff, our bathroom still not being clean, and numerous other issues that I won’t go into. We finally asked if we could be re-accommodated. We were told they cannot put us in any other rooms, or any other property. So we asked to leave. We then got our things paid $300 to change our flight to our next location early, and spent 50,000 in points to stay at another Marriott for the remaining 2 nights.

When they presented us our bill, they had not given us the 20% off on our dining. We complained, and they said that we don’t get the discount since we didn’t buy a timeshare. I explained that the Concierge stated we would get 20% off. They said we won’t and told us to just sign the bill and leave. I asked for a manager. The manager said that I was mistaken and said she wanted proof that I was told we would get 20% off. I pulled out my computer and showed her the e-mail. She said it was wrong, and they won’t give us the discount since we stayed on points. I reiterated that is specifically said that as platinum guests, we would get 20% of on all food/dining and that we made the reservation on points before the concierge extended us this offer. She told me that, “Platinum means nothing.” I still refused to sign, and she said they would not let us take the airport shuttle until we signed. I signed, “Under Protest.”

I e-mailed Elite Customer Service and stated the situation, and stated that I am out the $300 on my own, and I am aware of that, but that I would like the 50,000 points back for the two unused nights, since the hotel could not provide a clean room, and since we had to spend another 50,000 points to re-accommodate ourselves. I also asked that they have the hotel enforce the 20% off as we have it in writing and forwarded the e-mail from the concierge.
I got an e-mail back, saying that my e-mail was forwarded to the Hotel for review. A few days later, someone from the hotel e-mailed me, and apologized, and stated they would give me 25,000 points for the inconvenience. I forwarded it back to the Marriott elite CS e-mail and said this was unacceptable. I got a quick reply saying that in disputes, they always side with the Hotel over the customer. I wrote again outlining the exact problems, and asking that Marriott make up the difference and credit us the remaining 25,000 points we are out. A week later, got a reply from the hotel, (it had been forwarded again). This time it said they have discussed my situation, and decided to give us the discount on 1 of our meals only, and that the next time we use their spa, they will give us extra time to make up for the short service.

I e-mailed the elite CS again and again said I was not happy with the outcome, that I would like the 25,000 points I am still out back, as well as the full discount, and as a compromise, I would let the short spa service thing go.

I got no reply for 10 days, and wrote again asking why I have not received a reply. I got an almost immediate reply saying the hotel already gave me 25,000 points and a discount on 1 meal, and that that was more than enough and that I have already been told that they side with the hotel in all disputes.

So, my questions are. Did I ask for too much? Am I out of line? What would others have done? What would have been fair? I am not asking for more that I think I am entitled to, in fact, I feel like I am asking for less than I what would make me whole again.

Thanks,
Emanon

Don't understand not posting the property's name. The major purposed of FT is sharing information so that we can take advantage of good deals and good properties, and avoid hotels that are below par. When you feel that a property has failed your expectations to the point of posting here, why are you concerned that the property "save face"?

I was trying to be polite as it may just be an isolated incident. But if you think its appropriate, I will edit it to include the name. I just don't want to be accused of slander.

FWIW I think you ahve not asked for too much. I am just amazed that you had such problems at the JW on Phuket which is often cited by me and many others as one of the best Marriott properties.

Maybe Marriott Concierge on this forum can help?

Since you did not receive satisfaction from the hotel or CS, I suggest you write a another letter:

Mr. J.W. Marriott, Jr.
Marriott International, Inc.
1 Marriott Drive
Washington DC, 20058

Based on what you've wrote, I definitely do not think you asked for too much.

Sticking just to the basics: getting the 50k back should be a no-brainer. In fact, getting your entire award refunded is the right client-service approach, assuming that the situation really was this bad.

I don't quite understand the spa issue: usually at spas there are two prices posted (for short and long massages). Was this some sort of prepaid deal? At some point, I'd consider contesting the charge with my credit card company.

I also don't understand the timeshare angle. If you're there on an award, you are definitely not obligated to view a timeshare. As we all know, you'll be offered sometime to view one, but the offer is usually very clear and substantially more than 20% off meals. Although I personally find the entire timeshare industry rather distasteful, I will say that Marriott's people generally run a cleaner and more professional operation than a lot of the others.

You didn't specify, but it sounds like you were at a JW "resort". This is yet another example of Platinums getting shoddy treatment at properties that Marriott has deemed a "resort". I have come to avoid these kinds of properties whenever possible...and it's causing me to move more and more business to other chains.

Sorry to hear you had a bad stay...I don't think you're over the top for asking for your points back. And yes, on FT we generally aren't bashful about naming properties. If I'm writing something negative, I do try to stick to the most pertinent objective facts though - and I'd do the same in any complaint letter to Marriott. Keep it tight, focused on the main problems, and it's more impactful and less likely to be interpreted as someone just being "high maintenance". :)

I have a hard time believing that the Spa gave you a 60 minutes massage rather than the 90 minutes! In my experience, the therapists know that an excellent massage equals good TIPS so I very much doubt that they pushed you out at 60 minutes when in fact you paid for 90 minutes!

Also why ask for a different room if the issue was slow housekeeping? So you wanted to move to a different housekeeper's section?

Sounds like you were looking for any items possible to pick a fight to get your points back because you felt that overpaid the points!

They had two prices, 1 for a 60 minute, and 1 for a 90 minute. We paid for the 90 minute. It was at 8:30pm and they closed at 10:00. At 9:25 they were done and tried to rush us out.

Yes, it was listed as a JW Resort and Spa. I am now worried about staying at Marriott Resorts in the future.


Thanks everyone, I am debating writing Mr. Marriott, or filing a complaint with the BBB. That would probably also reach some high up officials. I don't want to the the person who just right up to the president. Either way, I will post the outcome here.

Thats quite a rude post.

I never felt like I overpaid for points and were looking for any reason to get them back. I get over 700,000 points a year, so that was the least of my concerns. Also why would I pay $300 to change my tickets, just to get points back?

As for the massage, we paid for 90 minutes, and got 60. We asked to have the room cleaned, and it was never done, so we asked to be moved to a clean room since they were not cleaning it. There were stains all over the bathroom when we arrived. We even showed it to an employee who said they would deal with it, and it never happened.

Why would I make stuff up just for fun? If you have a problem with my post, PM me.

But don't you usually sign the bill after the massage? Couldn't you have refused to pay the 90-minute price at that time?

You & me both. Don't get me wrong: there are a lot of very good Marriott hotels out there and I actually quite enjoy staying in the timeshare properties themselves. (On daily rates, knowing going in that all notions of elite status really do not exist once you are at the MVCI's.) But the "resorts" can be just brutal.

They had us sign the receipt prior to going into the treatment room. When we left, there was one person left out front and our therapists. When we asked at the desk, she said they are trying to close and rushed us out. When we tried to press the issue, she just kept repeating they are closing and that we need to leave.

In a spa we went to at another hotel prior to this, we had to settle the bill beforehand as well. I just assumed this is SOP for Thailand.



We have stayed at the MVCI in Singer Island, FL, Breckenridge, CO, and Las Vegas. All three were amazing! Nothing was ever said about our status, but we still got points, the 50% bonus, and the 500 welcome points.

I am not sure why the JW Resort would be so poor with service though. The JW Non-Resorts I have been to have had amazing service.

[QUOTE=emanon256;11947940] She told me that, “Platinum means nothing.”
[/QUOTE

Can you provide an exact quote from the email that stated the quoted statements above? I'm curious to see how Marriott would phrase "we don't side with customers over hotels" in writing. If true, that is :td:

I am shocked to hear that you received this kind of treatment in Phuket. We have visited 3 times staying at both the JW Marriott and the Phuket Beach Club and have found the staff consistantly goes above and beyond the call to make your stay enjoyable. Customer service has always been outstanding. Housekeeping has always been perfect.

I am sorry to hear that so many things went wrong. I hope this was an isolated situation and that Marriott makes things right for you.

I agree with those who say that Marriott doesn't always side with the property. Your situation should get reviewed by someone who will take a more objective view. They should do this for a guest of any status level, but for a Platinum member they should do even better.

Don't give up yet....

Here is the e-mail and removed names. I bolded what they said. I guess what I wrote in my rant was a paraphrase of what they said, but it still sounds to me like that is what they are saying.

Dear emanon256:

Thank you for contacting Marriott Customer Care regarding your upcoming reservation(s). Please accept our apology for any inconvenience you have experienced during your stay at the JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa.

We appreciate the time you have set aside to provide us with your valuable feedback. Your observations are most useful in our pursuit of total guest satisfaction and comments from guests such as yourself allow us to make improvements. We do have to stand behind the decisions of the hotel whenever there is a dispute. Please accept our apologies for any misunderstandings in regards to your questions on the availability of the discounts your referenced in your emails.

Mr. emanon, if we can be of further assistance, we invite you to reply to this email.

Thank you for choosing Marriott.

Regards,

XXXXX XXXXX
Marriott Customer Care

and the most recent:

Dear Emanon,

Thank you for contacting Marriott. We value your loyalty as a Marriott customer and appreciate the opportunity to provide you with information.

Upon receipt of your message, we reviewed the documentation of action taken regarding your concern. We determined that 25,000 Marriott Reward points and 20% off of one meal was given as a result of your reported issue.

While we appreciate you feel this is not a suitable resolution regarding this issue, we are unable to honor your request for additional compensation, based on our earlier statement that we do have to stand behind the decisions of the hotel. We hope you understand our position in this matter.

Thank you for choosing Marriott.

Regards,
XXXXX XXXXX
Marriott Guest Experience Supervisor

Send a nicely written and polite letter to Mr. Marriott at the address listed earlier explaining what all happened and how you think the outcome is unacceptable.
I had an issue last year regarding service at a hotel and wrote not even asking nor expecting anything... it took a few weeks, but I got a call from their cust service rep and talked with them for a while and they offered what I believe was ample compensation for my issues.

Thanks for the edit to include the name. That's the right call. I hope that somebody at Marriott sees the light, and resolves the problem to your satisfaction.

If you don't receive ample compensation, let them you will be taking your 200-nights per year to Hilton or Starwood.

Hey emanon256- thank you for your post- does not sound like a rant. I am very surprised you have had this experience at this particular hotel- I have also stayed there however fortunately had an excellent experience- also some friends of mine actually bought a timeshare there, and they are very demanding clients (i.e. it is difficult usually for Aman to keep them happy)- so this is not standard.
I do suggest as others have that you write to Mr. Marriott with a clear letter of what happened, what you did about it, what has transpired, and what you would like. The one thing to be sure of is not to exaggerate your complaint, and I don't suggest using phrases like (never stay at a Marriott again) as they don't really address the problem- and a major hotel executive does know already that upset guests may move to competing properties.
Please also let everyone here know how it works out- and hopefully to your complete satisfaction!

Saying "I'll never stay at Marriott again" in a huff at the front desk of a property because they didn't include an extra towel in your room is a joke.

Writing an articulate letter to headquarters with a concern, a history of high-revenue (200+ nights a year) over a period of years, a proposed solution to rectify the concern, and a gentle reminder that unresolved concerns may result in a re-appropriation of hotel stays among competing chains is a very valid way to get attention. The key is to have a reasonable solution (not a demand for 30 free nights) and a history of business with the hotel chain.

This approach is even more valid with today's economic climate - loyalty is a two way street, and a happy loyal current customer is much cheaper to keep than trying to acquire a new one.

This is beyond outrageous!
You need to send a printout of this letter to Marriott HQ pronto.
Please keep us informed as to their response.
Perhaps you need to start looking at another chain.SPG has treated me like a king on award stays.

What the OP experienced goes far beyond an extra towel not being placed in a room.

While I agree with some points made in your post above the manner in which it was written comes of as very condescending to those of us that do not spend200+ nights a year with one chain.

That's not my intention, the OP said that he spends 200+ nights a year in a Marriott hotel, which would likely qualify him as a high-revenue customer. I spend about 85 in Marriott and another 35 in Hilton, thus I probably wouldn't be near as high a priority for a customer retention as the OP if we had identical issues.

In my travels I've heard so many threats to take business elsewhere due to what I consider petty complaints (the towel situation above). Marriott knows that a Platinum won't bolt for Hilton due to one issue of a bad towel, but may for a severe or repeated issue.

Wow. I'm EXTREMELY interested in hearing the outcome of this. Just to HEAR a story like this makes me uneasy. I certainly hope Marriott does the right thing here. Please keep us posted!!!
:(

While I generally do not post on this forum, the Spa treatment demanded a comment.

If you pay for 90 minutes and they hustle you out after 55 minutes - that would have made me furious - but to do it and say they were going to keep all your money - well that is fraudulent, period! They must have known or been planning to rip you off. IMO, it is the same as if they took some extra money out of your wallet.

But the real reason I had to comment was the part where Marriott Customer Service actually told you that the next time you were at this spa, where you had this awful experience, they would extend your time. Now that is really ridiculous.

As a person who only spends a few nights a year at Marriotts (more at Hilton and SPG), I read this and conclude that if they cannot make things right for a 200+ nights a year customer, then my chances of ever getting any problems fixed by Marriott customer service are virtually nil.

Not quite a ringing endorsement to get someone like myself to stay at Marriott.

I'm not sure if I would take this case as the primary and only example of customer service at Marriott. I have run into difficulties in the past (none as bad as the OP) and have had all of my issues resolved to my satisfaction.

OTOH, I have had to dealt with Hilton's customer service for an award stay for someone else, and I was quite aggravated with the level of incompetence of some of Hilton's customer service reps. I was a silver member at that time, and I could not believe that I had to talk every step through to the customer service rep. It seemed like they had no idea what their own internal rules were.

I'm torn about this. There is no disputing that your situation REALLY sucks. And I think the right thing for Marriott to do would be to just pick up the bill for it.

That being said... 25,000 points + 20% off one of your meals - to me, that's really not the worst deal in the world.

No, it's not the worst deal, but that misses the point, IMO.

The OP has all the points he can use, and he shovels a lot of revenue Marriott's way. Any half-way decent CSR could find that information out in seconds, so they'd know what sort of customer they were dealing with.

What the OP justifiably wants is satisfaction - being made to feel that someone is listening to his problem and is making a genuine effort to make it right.

A sincere apology and an offer to shower him with points and other comps (whose maginal cost to Marrioitt would be trivial compared with the revenue at stake) would have gone a long way to 'gruntling' him, it seems to me, since he doesn't strike me at all as some sort of high maintenance drama queen.

Stating that (in effect) the customer is always wrong, as quoted in the email, would very much harden my stance were I in the OP's shoes. Man! Talk about needing a refresher course in customer relations....

hmmmmmm...... two weeks later and....
 

no update. :confused:

No Reply Yet
 

I have been wondering if I should post an interim update, so I guess I should have.

The day of my first post, the Marriott Liaison on the board asked for my MR #. I provided it. I also sent a letter to Mr. Marriott.

I have not heard back from either party yet.

I have now canceled my reservation at the Renaissance Times Square 3 weeks in a row. This lost them about $4,000 in income.

I really do like Marriott, and I do think this was an isolated incident. I also feel badly as all of the employees at the Renaissance are so nice and I have been there pretty much every week since they renovated it.

But I also do not want to give another $ to this company if this is how they handle problems. I plan to use up my points and keep booking with other hotel until I get a fair reply, or I will simply use up my points, and never stay at another Marriott afterwords.

Update: Call from Mr. Marriott's Assistant
 

I just got a call from someone who stated she is Mr. Marriott's assistant. She was very nice. However, she stated that Mr. Marriott has forwarded my letter back to the hotel to respond, and she apologizes for the delay as the hotel manger is on vacation, so they have not heard back yet.

She said that Mr. Marriott is saddened that I am upset by my stay, but that He and Marriott corporate do not get involved in disputes. She stated that it is in fact Marriott's officially policy to always leave any dispute up to the hotel to settle, and that whatever the hotel decides is final and that Marriott will not make any additional compensation, and will always side with the hotel's final decision.

She stated that they hope I continue to stay at Marriott and that this was an isolated incident with one hotel and she doesn't want it to reflect badly on he other hotels. She also stated that with over 3,000 privately owned franchises, Marriott simply can not offer any compensation when a customer has a bad experience at a franchise, that its up to the franchise manager.

I explained that I am still out money and points and not made whole. She stated that she is sorry I feel this way, but that my dispute is with this privately owned franchise, not Marriott itself and that there is simply nothing she can do per Mr. Marriott's corporate policies.

She was very nice, friendly, and diplomatic. However, I am simply shocked that a hotel can carry the Marriott name and Marriott will not get involved. I guess I am torn now as I do like the other Marriott's I have stayed at. I have stayed at the Renaissance in Times Square 4 days a week since it was renovated, it feels like home. But do I want to keep staying at a hotel chain that has a policy that the customer is always wrong? I know thats not what they state, but that is how it feels. If they had simply refunded 25,000 more points and 1/3 of the spa cost as well as the discount I was supposed to receive, I would have walked away grumpy , but not have a problem continuing to stay at Marriott.

Wow, that's a shocker. Technically, the hotels are individually owned, but Marriott also has its name on them and manages the majority of them (I'm not sure if Phuket is a managed property.). To wash their hands of the situation is beyond silly.

Look, I have to be perfectly honest: When I've had good experiences at a particular chain and encounter one problem child, I usually just accept it and move on. But in this case, the company wasn't even willing to stand behind its product. If it were me, I'd be giving Starwood a call.

Mike

My exact feelings! Im shocked!!!

I am now thinking if I should proceed and do the other 25 nights to get Plat again, now knowing Marriott wont stick up for me and will let their Hotels do as they please. Or probbaly will simply become a PL person where I wont expect anything beyond the basics and will save alot of $$$ at the same time

However beware *W did nothing in the infamous Maurtius case where they basically said the samething Marriott did, when the owner took over 2 Hotels for his own use leaving a number of people having to pay more for an equivalent Hotel or downgrading

This is an absolutely outrageous response, and doesn't sound like the Marriott culture at all. I don't want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I wonder if this person is not really an "assistant to Mr. Marriott," but rather someone who works with the customer service representative you originally contacted who is trying to cover his you-know-what.

That's not likely, either, I guess, but something about her response -- many of the statements that you are citing -- sure don't seem right. For example, "with over 3,000 privately owned franchises, Marriott simply can not offer any compensation when a customer has a bad experience at a franchise, that its up to the franchise manager" seems like the opposite stance that a company that so prides itself on consistent, predictable experiences would take.

In any event, the notion that "He and Marriott corporate do not get involved in disputes" and "will always side with the hotel's final decision" is a red herring. There is nothing preventing Marriott from compensating you for the poor service that their franchise property provided. It needn't cost the owner of the hotel in Thailand one penny.

The logical conclusion of their argument is that the Marriott brand is a meaningless concept (except, perhaps at the handful of hotels that they operate themselves). You could make a reasonable argument that, in this case, you don't feel like the brand standards you come to expect at Marriott will be honored, so you could take your 200+ nights somewhere else.

Of course we are only hearing one side of the story by the OP!

Ok lets say the OP was at fault as well. That doesnt detrack from Marriott saying they will side with their Franchises no matter what. I could understand if MR said before saying anything or giving anything we need to hear the Hotels side

What MR did say was no matter what the Hotel says even if the OP was 100% correct, that MR wont be offering any further compensation or asking/making the Hotel to that STINKS!

I thought that the JW's were either Marriott owned or managed and not franchised.
Even if not, the JW is supposed to be the flagship of the Marriott brand. corporate should stand behind their product and address issues, particulary with the JW brand. Hiding behind the franchise and saying it is up to the individual hotel to decide is not an acceptable response. That basically removes Marriott of any involvement and means we the customer could get screwed whenever hotel management doesn't want to compensate for inferior service.

Let me see if I can possibly explain it a little differently

If you contact Mr. Marriott's office (regardless of communication method) the issue is always sent directly to the hotel GM's office for response within 48 hours and all responses from the GM's office must be cc'd back to Mr. Marriott's office. In rare situations Mr. Marriott's Office will resolve the issue directly however only after the hotel has attempted to resolve it but it should be noted the hotels are able to satisfactory resolve nearly all of the situations brought to the GM's attention (regardless of who is managing the hotel)

The rational for this method is the GM will be able to handle the situation in a much quicker manner.

With all of this said if you dont feel you were treated fairly by the GM once they do respond I would recommend you contacting Consumer Affairs again (aka Mr. Marriott's Office) however I feel there is a better than 50% chance the issue will be resolved in a manner that you will feel good about

I can assure you MI doesn't stand behind their franchises 100%...they do the right thing more often than not