Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Hotels and Places to Stay > Marriott | Marriott Bonvoy
Reload this Page >

Marriotts rocky rollout of new combined program not covered by bloggers

Marriotts rocky rollout of new combined program not covered by bloggers

Old Aug 24, 2018, 2:15 pm
  #61  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Toronto (YYZ)
Posts: 6,279
The only blog that is being upfront and highlighting this merger debacle is Loyalty Lobby.

Another post today about cancelled reservations and the points have disappeared. Member has been calling daily to follow-up, on his last call the agent hung up on him!

https://loyaltylobby.com/2018/08/24/...d-points-gone/
imverge is offline  
Old Aug 24, 2018, 3:46 pm
  #62  
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: lounge next door
Programs: *A Gold / ST Elite+ / OWS / EK G / HH Diam. / MR Tit / Hyatt GLOB / IHG Diam. / SL Jade / GHA Tit.
Posts: 1,500
Originally Posted by imverge
The only blog that is being upfront and highlighting this merger debacle is Loyalty Lobby.

Another post today about cancelled reservations and the points have disappeared. Member has been calling daily to follow-up, on his last call the agent hung up on him!

https://loyaltylobby.com/2018/08/24/...d-points-gone/
it's a blog that I follow and he brings value. agree.
imverge likes this.
frenchft is offline  
Old Aug 24, 2018, 11:42 pm
  #63  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: check swarm
Programs: DL DM & 2MM, SPG/Bonvoid LT Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, $tarbucks Titanium
Posts: 14,393
Marriott may be fooling their less sophisticated original members, but I think they underestimated SPG members and their true passion and loyalty. This not very well executed merger will not be kind to Marriott's bottom line and desire to retain SPG fanatics. And that is looking past these IT problems. Who likes the Marriott website? Why didn't they use spg.com's functionality and very detailed property info?
itsaboutthejourney is offline  
Old Aug 25, 2018, 12:00 am
  #64  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,300
Originally Posted by itsaboutthejourney
Marriott may be fooling their less sophisticated original members, but I think they underestimated SPG members and their true passion and loyalty.
OMG enough of this "we're smarter, richer, taller, and better looking" bs. How full of yourself can you get?
Kacee is offline  
Old Aug 25, 2018, 1:29 am
  #65  
SPG Contributor Badge
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Programs: Starwood:Lifetime Platinum, Air Canada:Basic, Asiana:Lifetime Diamond Plus, ANA: Basic
Posts: 980
Originally Posted by Kacee
OMG enough of this "we're smarter, richer, taller, and better looking" bs. How full of yourself can you get?
I think all the regular participating members of flyertalk deep down thinks they are more advance in knowledge than regular users
yeunganson is offline  
Old Aug 25, 2018, 2:24 am
  #66  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,300
Originally Posted by yeunganson
I think all the regular participating members of flyertalk deep down thinks they are more advance in knowledge than regular users
More advanced in knowledge, yes, that's fine. But I would hope most of us are not narcissistically self-obsessed to the degree we believe that our choice of one loyalty program over another makes us superior to those who have selected another.
Kacee is offline  
Old Aug 25, 2018, 10:05 am
  #67  
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 96
Originally Posted by itsaboutthejourney
Marriott may be fooling their less sophisticated original members, but I think they underestimated SPG members and their true passion and loyalty. This not very well executed merger will not be kind to Marriott's bottom line and desire to retain SPG fanatics. And that is looking past these IT problems. Who likes the Marriott website? Why didn't they use spg.com's functionality and very detailed property info?
I'm so sick of hearing this crap about Marriott members being less sophisticated. I've been staying at Marriott's hotels for business trips during the last decade because those hotels are where my clients had special rates (and therefore would not reimburse stays at other hotels, even if the rates were lower). It was more sophisticated to make the most of the Marriott Rewards program than to stay at an SPG property and eat the cost. However it certainly isn't sophisticated to overspend and go into debt just to earn Starpoints. Nor is it sophisticated to think that Starpoints could possibly be of incredible value to someone who can't earn a decent amount of them.

With that said, I do agree that Marriott has done many things wrong with this merger that could have easily been done much better. I just wish people like you wouldn't demean other members to try to make this point.
smgainey is offline  
Old Aug 25, 2018, 11:46 am
  #68  
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: SLC/HEL/Anywhere with a Beach
Programs: Marriott Ambassador; AA EXP 3MM; AS MVP, Hilton Gold, CH-47/UH-60/C-23/C-130 VET
Posts: 5,234
Originally Posted by smgainey
I'm so sick of hearing this crap about Marriott members being less sophisticated.
You'll notice that every thread in the new combined forum has at least one of those types of comments ...

I'm thinking maybe we can start a thread about why those who stayed in SPG are smarter, wealthier, more sophisticated, and better looking and then the mods can just move all these posts over there so they can have a place to tell each other that while the rest of us try to help each other and learn how to enjoy the program more.
smgainey and Kacee like this.
C17PSGR is offline  
Old Aug 25, 2018, 3:34 pm
  #69  
SPG Contributor Badge
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Programs: Starwood:Lifetime Platinum, Air Canada:Basic, Asiana:Lifetime Diamond Plus, ANA: Basic
Posts: 980
Originally Posted by Kacee
More advanced in knowledge, yes, that's fine. But I would hope most of us are not narcissistically self-obsessed to the degree we believe that our choice of one loyalty program over another makes us superior to those who have selected another.
Those bloggers do contribute to the trend that regular honest non-maximizing users feel of losing out and thus we are seeing more of these churning activities and loophole usage. For example, I hold these bloggers partly responsible for so many average users to a buying frenzy on the Travel packages when they don't really have in mind a particular hotel they want to stay and a date they want to stay in. The fear of missing out cause many to take riskier behaviors that they otherwise don't do. Like I don't suddenly buy a pile of USA dollars because I fear the CAD dollar is going to be worth less next year and I want those US dollars for travel in the years to come.

I am a big supporter in changing our program so the gap between the best maximizers and the average user is small - like a 10-20% making maximizing a lot of work without much pay off and people would do it just for hobby. Currently, it is too crazy on the 3 or 4x more profitable to churn or use various tricks to make it than to do the hard work.

As for data proof. We consider some facts in life true enough that we believe it to be self-evident and don't need data to support - but we will change our minds if data refutes it - ie showing it is false. For example, we believe the earth round - it's not round - it's fatter on the equator but good enough we say the earth is round. We claim it to be self evident that all men (women) are created equal - there is no data to support this conclusion- but it's true enough we take it. Hard work will eventually pay off - again no data to support this - but we believe it to be self evident.
cruisr likes this.
yeunganson is offline  
Old Aug 25, 2018, 5:34 pm
  #70  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: check swarm
Programs: DL DM & 2MM, SPG/Bonvoid LT Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, $tarbucks Titanium
Posts: 14,393
Originally Posted by smgainey
I'm so sick of hearing this crap about Marriott members being less sophisticated. I've been staying at Marriott's hotels for business trips during the last decade because those hotels are where my clients had special rates (and therefore would not reimburse stays at other hotels, even if the rates were lower). It was more sophisticated to make the most of the Marriott Rewards program than to stay at an SPG property and eat the cost. However it certainly isn't sophisticated to overspend and go into debt just to earn Starpoints. Nor is it sophisticated to think that Starpoints could possibly be of incredible value to someone who can't earn a decent amount of them.

With that said, I do agree that Marriott has done many things wrong with this merger that could have easily been done much better. I just wish people like you wouldn't demean other members to try to make this point.
I hear you and aplogize for framing my frustration in a way to demean original MR members. I now understand that not everyone has a choice to willingly select MR as their program.

I will say that most companies do keep a fair pulse of customer feedback, so I'm surprised that MR members have put up with a website that didn't display average rates, only discloses generic details of rates, doesn't allow for a search of up to 4 rate types at once and lacks property details such as public transportation options, property specific announcements and user-submitted photos. Perhaps there are other more important factors to the average MR member, but it does seem to me like MR members are less sophisticated to not demand or want those features. Clearly Starwood was smaller and more attuned to that kind of feedback, hence frustration from people like myself. Same for a very small amount of points for foregoing housekeeping, allowing pedestrian F&B options, etc.
itsaboutthejourney is offline  
Old Aug 25, 2018, 10:29 pm
  #71  
Original Member
 
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Atlanta, GA
Programs: DL 3 MM/DM, Marriott Titanium Elite, Hyatt Globalist, National Exec Elite
Posts: 4,001
Originally Posted by itsaboutthejourney
I hear you and aplogize for framing my frustration in a way to demean original MR members. I now understand that not everyone has a choice to willingly select MR as their program.

I will say that most companies do keep a fair pulse of customer feedback, so I'm surprised that MR members have put up with a website that didn't display average rates, only discloses generic details of rates, doesn't allow for a search of up to 4 rate types at once and lacks property details such as public transportation options, property specific announcements and user-submitted photos. Perhaps there are other more important factors to the average MR member, but it does seem to me like MR members are less sophisticated to not demand or want those features. Clearly Starwood was smaller and more attuned to that kind of feedback, hence frustration from people like myself. Same for a very small amount of points for foregoing housekeeping, allowing pedestrian F&B options, etc.
Well, to be honest, I was always a bit frustrated by the Starwood site when it came to hotel searches. The thing of only looking at 4 rate types and not being able to set defaults for which rate types (e.g., AAA) displayed always irked me. While not horrible, I always thought it could be better.

But then I got to deal with the Marriott site. What a pain. Far inferior to SPG.

What a failure to seize the opportunity to improve things whilst building a new combined program site.
Robert Leach is offline  
Old Aug 25, 2018, 10:44 pm
  #72  
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,359
Originally Posted by izzik
So the takeaway is that these bloggers are in cahoots with hotels (and credit cards, airlines, etc).. shocker!
Excuse me but I think these so called "bloggers" that you refer to require more dignity and respect than that! For one thing they'd like to be referred to as "media influencers". They're also independent enough not to have their opinions swayed by mere promises of interviews with the execs at hotel/airline chains. No, no, no, they require comp'ed stays and cash-mollah in their piggy banks for them to be influenced!

In all honesty, I suspect we're starting to enter peak payola territory with some influencers

-James
jrm68 likes this.
FlyerTalker70 is offline  
Old Aug 25, 2018, 11:31 pm
  #73  
SPG 5+ Badge
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: La Jolla, CA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador, Lifetime Titanium, Delta Plat, Hilton Diamond , Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,615
Originally Posted by UA-NYC


Compared to the other bloggers - yes. It is not his full time job to drive traffic to his site.
ITA with you. I have found him to be very honest. And FWIW he responded promptly to the few emails I sent him.

damon88 is offline  
Old Aug 25, 2018, 11:38 pm
  #74  
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Singapore
Programs: BAEC GGL, Bonvoy Ambassador + LtG, Hyatt Globalist, United Silver
Posts: 45
Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
I wonder whether Starriott told its hotels to paint a rosy face and talk to guests about how smooth and successful the merger has been. I'm definitely getting this from legacy Marriott assistant managers, but Starwood hotels frankly say that they've had difficulties with the merger/transition. Warning: small data set, really anecdotal information.
I checked into a legacy SPG hotel in Tokyo the morning of the merger and staff looked ready to pull their hair out. Anecdotal evidence as well but they were clearly unhappy. At least they apologized for only being able to credit 1k points as a welcome bonus
tr2286 is offline  
Old Aug 26, 2018, 3:14 am
  #75  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Four Seasons Contributor Badge
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA, VS, HH, IHG, MB, MR
Posts: 26,865
Originally Posted by j2simpso
Excuse me but I think these so called "bloggers" that you refer to require more dignity and respect than that! For one thing they'd like to be referred to as "media influencers". They're also independent enough not to have their opinions swayed by mere promises of interviews with the execs at hotel/airline chains. No, no, no, they require comp'ed stays and cash-mollah in their piggy banks for them to be influenced!

In all honesty, I suspect we're starting to enter peak payola territory with some influencers

-James
Since I doubt you count the hotel stays you do as part of your job as some sort of ‘luxurious perk’ I’m confused why you think I should think differently.

I also don’t understand why you think bloggers, who have kids and other responsibilities like anyone else, are so desperate for a free stay somewhere. I hired someone young and childless at a very chunky full-time salary partly to take the free J flights and 5-star hotel reviews I am offered, because I have better things to do.


Raffles is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.