Has anyone else experienced the changeover from fresh orange juice in Club/Concierge Lounges to tacky (read: Holiday Inn style) plastic bottles of Tropicana juice from concentrate?

Am at a Category 5 Renaissance, and was very surprised to see this.

Assistant General Manager tells me this is now allowed by Marriott Corporate. Also, he tells me that complimentary bottled water is about to be eliminated as well.

Note to Marriott: This has been noticed by your top-level guests - you should be embarassed....

On my last stay, the lounge had a bucket o' various Tropicana juices (apple, cranberry), but they also had a container of freshly squeezed OJ in the morning.

No water?? That would be the worst cutback!!! grrrrrr

Give me a bleeping break! I am telling you..........it will soon be BYOTP!

(the stuff in Bridgewater may as well be sandpaper)

Its simple, close all the lounge;s and give us platinum members a coupon for the breakfast, i think the lounges are to costly and working there as a host is the most boring job in the hotel, less tips etc.

Marriott can save a lot with closing the lounges.

Ps: 2 coupons per platinum or gold guest, so that all the platinums with children's must pay for the breakfast.

Today i was in the lounge in Asheville, a couple with 3 crying children, please stop this!

Pascal, Netherlands

I actually like the plastic bottles of juice, but I would not want that in lieu of fresh juice. As for no water, I think that is a bad idea. I carry a Nalgene bottle, but sometimes I need more water and take a few plastic water bottles with me.

Oh the indignities that are heaped upon us! The bottled stuff stands up well to the machine generated Minute Maid at the Fairfields. But, hey, it can't be that bad 'cause so many folks seem to like the Fairfield offerings better than those available to most full service Marriott properties.

I, personally, am satisfied with what the lounges offer. Remember, the only "promise" is for a continental breakfast on weekdays. Rather than juice, I look for a diet cola. While I'm overjoyed when a particular property has diet coke (far and away my preferred drink) I don't get upset when its a Pepsi product.

But I am intrigued, since it came from someone other than myself, with the suggestion that the lounges be closed in favor of breakfast vouchers. Even in the best of times, the lounges couldn't come close to a cooked to order breakfast in the restaurant. At my last stay at the Stanford Court in San Francisco, I used a weekend voucher ($30 credit) to get a lemon souffle pancake and a crab omlette (for sharing, of course.)

I know, I know. Most of the posters value the lounge as a "port in the storm" where they can seek a moment of quiet reflection away from the masses. But doesn't there reach a point where - if we're really to believe the bleak picture painted by posters - that with the meager offerings and the crowds packing them, that lounges shouldn't be abandoned in favor of a breakfast voucher?

On the whole, I don't believe that the picture is all that bleak. I believe whatever cutbacks have been made have been part of general belt tightening necessitated by the poor business climate.

But, really, wouldn't more people here just rather get a breakfast voucher rather than continue to be insulted by the likes of (horrors) bottled juice? (Not to mention, off the top of my head from other complaints, no oatmeal (at least not the good stuff), no eggs, no sausages, no bacon, no salmon - well, from what we've been reading, the list could go on and on.

So - how about it? Vouchers anyone? Or is the port in the storm with meager offerings worth more to you than a cooked to order breakfast. Or, just maybe, on reflection the offerings aren't meager after all. As promised, at the least, we continue to get a pretty good continental breakfast.

Interesting thought. I'm staying at a Crowne Plaza right now that did just that. They have a lounge, but decided to close it to save money.

My understanding from posts in the SPG forum is that new Westins will no longer have a lounge and even many of those that had lounges are closing them.

So the idea of closing the lounge must have an appeal to at least some in the hotel management world. Personally though, I like having a lounge. It is more than just breakfast. It is nice to stop by in the evening and grab a diet cola (or other drink). And while I'm not normally enamored with most of their evening offerings, I do have a weakness for a nice dessert or two.

The lounge (and free breakfast) are, to me, a big differentiator between a FS Marriott and non-FS. (I know there are other differences, but in most cases, they aren't as big an issue to me as the lounge is.)

don't close the lounges please

This is the number one reason to become gold or platinum and focus stays on Marriott, without this benefit, loyalty will decrease

I would go even further to say that lounge access is the ONLY reason to become gold or platinum. All of the other perks besides lounge access are just meh.

I remain flat-out astonished. I mean really astonished.....if indeed it's true that Marriott's answer to tough economic times is to offload the the problem onto the best and most loyal customers.

As posted elsewhere, in my business we can't do much about the customers who've stopped spending. But my organization and our competitors have all been working harder....lowering prices and upping the value....to keep those clients that are still out there in the fold. It's a buyers market, and frankly, the cost-cutters are noticed (despite what the accountants may think)....and dead.

While I love the Renaisaince in Asheville, the decor, location, staff,...the CL offers the absolute worst offerings of any property I've ever been...and having children in the CL there is not uncommon

FWIW, during my last FS Marriott stay in July 09, I had a discussion with the CL attendant about the recent cut backs. He mentioned that most guests did not notice, or did not say anything to him or the hotel. But there were some who were unhappy about the changes.

He also stated that there would be some additional changes in the CL offerings. One of those mentioned was beverages. He stated that beverages make up 65% - 75% of the CL costs and most properties were looking to cut back any way they can. Accordingly, Marriott HQ approved the use of a water cooler versus bottled water and a soft drink dispenser offering Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, and Sierra Mist in lieu of the individual cans or small bottles offered now. It was felt that this would prevent the hording of water and soft drinks by guests and therefore reduce the costs. He told of one guest who came into the lounge and filled a cooler with 12 bottles of water and 12 soft drinks for her family's 150 mile drive home!

In addition, he stated that many FS Marriotts and Renaissance hotels would be authorized to switch from the 1 liter bottles of booze to the individual mini bottles. This would prevent the generous overpours that happen so frequently in the CL and also reduce costs. The CL attendant indicated this would be implemented at most FS Marriotts and Renaissance hotels by the end of the year. He also mentioned that the JW Marriotts would not have any beverage changes immediately, as there are plans to take those lounges in a different direction. Unfortunately, he did not elaborate on what was meant be that and he then got tied up on a phone call.



Regards,

RIP...

If MR does this expect at best a free Continental breakfast and a copay for wanting the full breakfast. So cereal , oatmeal, and maybe plain eggs will be free , anything else should be a paid breakfast with a discount

Basically we wouldnt get anything beyond what we were offered in the Lounge, that will mean no night goodies as well

I agree w/ both hhoope01 and cyberdad.

And for those who want the vouchers for brekkie only, speak only for yourselves. I actually use the lounge more in the evening than I do in the morning, although there are times when I do both. And no I do not want to have to go to a restaurant or bar to use a cert.

I understand needing to scale back, but closing lounges entirely does basically gut one of the benefits of the program - and a differentiation of FS hotels. Why pay extra for a FS at all?

While I'm not overly enamoured of children in the lounge, I do understand that FTers and other guests have them FWIW - I was at a property last year where the exec lounge staff I know well said they were so excited to have September roll around because the lounges could go back to normal! And I also would surmise the person taking the 12 bottles of water or soda is more the exception than the norm, although examples do periodically spring up. And yes rln, we know that the Stanford Court is the Holy Grail in your opinion, but quite frankly I haven't read lots of reports by other FTers saying they're getting $30 credits. If anything, they're getting coupons for a continental breakfast, so I would surmise your example is also outside the norm.

Cheers.