I am too excited to do searches - hopefully someone has mentioned this already...I just made a booking over the phone for a weekend stay using the Platinum EEO Free Weekend Night offer.

The rep booked me under the "Global Rate Break" rate. I asked her if she was sure and I thought it had to be booked under the full regular weekend rate. She said she was sure and this rate "is popping up everywhere".

This is great!

Come to think of it, if you do a search without any rate code, this rate comes up.

I suppose if you have any similar stays booked up, you might want to see if you can get switched to the lower rate!

Yup, BOGO's can be used with any publicly available rate.

I'm glad you posted this, although I assumed this was correct. However, I have as still unanwered PM to Kate about this very question.

Of course this is the way it should be and really what makes sense and is fair. However, see this thread about a similar promotion and BOGO:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marri...omotion-2.html

and specifically post 28, but read through the whole thing.

Hello,


The Global Rate Break is a publicly listed rate, so yes, you will be able to redeem your EEO's with rooms booked with the rate.

Regards,

Kate

Is this rate available for international locations? Is it for weekend only? Thx

I have a weekend trip in July, can I book it now and then use my EEO BOGO when time comes? The current EEO promotion ends in early June but there is another one coming from late June to October. Thanks.

yes

WOO HOO!!!!^ Thanks.....

I got s SUPER great rate at the PHL Ren next weekend! Wasn't going to go back, but it's almost too cheap to stay home.....

So.....I can use my EEO and go see the Phillies!

Well well well, you'll never guess what happened to me today.
Short version: Hotel refused to honor EEO BOGO on Global Rate rate.
Long version: check-in and get my keys but the fd lady has no idea what the BOGO is- literally not the slightest clue. She would've understood it just as well if it had been written in gobbledegook. So she passes me to the fd manager. He has no idea what it is either. Starts typing in a bunch of stuff and then prints out a paper showing me that BOGO can't be combined with any offer and the Global Rate is a special offer. I say I booked it through the plat. line and there should be a note about using the EEO on the res. and the lady told me I won't have any trouble using it. He says there's no note. I ask if he can contact someone to find out that I told him is correct. He says hold on and goes to the back. He comes back with term 2 on the EEO cert. highlighted- that EEO BOGO is not valid at U.S. Marriott and J.W. Marriott Resorts. He says this means that the BOGO cert. cannot be used at any Marriott in the U.S. (I've had other hotels tell me this too). I say but this is not a resort. He says no it's not valid at any Marriotts or J.W. Resorts in the U.S. (nevermind that Marriott isn't plural, so very hard to read that way). I. tell him that I know that that isn't correct and can he please call Marriott to straighten this all out. He asks for the number. I give him the plat. line # and the # for customer care. He calls the plat. line and puts in my MR #. He then introduces himself and tells the lady the two issues. After much back and forth she sets him straight on the fact that it is valid for U.S. Marriotts and also valid at his hotel. As far as the Global Rate being a special offer and not combinable with BOGO she concurs. FD manager gets off the phone and says that csr said need to add 20 percent to rate to make it work with BOGO (a rate which could not be booked before- all rates were either Global Rate rates or special packages). He asks if that's okay. And I think for 3 seconds (figuring where else I can stay) and say you know what that's fine just cancel it. He asks cancel the 2nd night? (can't imagine why he thinks I'd do that except that that's what he'd like) and I say no cancel both. He says check you out of the system? I say yes. He asks are you sure and I say yes and give him back the keys. He types some things and says all done and I go. If I had more time I may have escalated all this to talk to higher ups but a two minute check-in had already turned into half an hour and I had other things to do (namely a doctors appt.). What I'd like for my compensation (at the very least) is to get 1 night credited towards my status and counted towards my Megabonus. Which I think is not a lot to ask for for my trouble.
What failed: plat. line csr forgetting to put a note in res. (even though she told me she did), fd lady and fd manager having no clue about EEOs and specifically the validity at U.S. Marriotts and combinability with Global Rate, and the plat. csr also not knowing the combinability. Seems like much much training is needed. Also, maybe someone can rephrase term 2 on EEO cert. so we don't have anymore problems understanding the validity of EEOs at U.S. Marriotts.

And what about this promotion- http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marri...romotion.html- with an EEO? Anyone want to make a bet? I'm betting that they'll say no.

I had no problem using the EEO cert with the Global Rate Break room I had booked at A FS Marriott in NJ last weekend. Of course the hotel did not take it off of my bill at first and a charge for both nights showed up on the folio they slipped under the door Saturday night. This in spite of the fact the FD Supervisor who checked me in Friday night took the certificate and entered a bunch of stuff into the system. I went to the front desk Sunday morning with a copy of the EEO cert and got it straightened out without any problem. The Front Desk Manager said they show the charge for both nights and then credit the one night at check out, so that I got stay credit for the two nights, instead of one.^

YMMV...

RIP...

Yep, no problems here, used EEO BOGOF's twice for global rate breaks.

I have read numerous postings about problems with the BOGOF but have had no problems whatsoever in the UK with these, all FD staff seem to be aware and second night is always correctly uncharged!

I dont know about USA but in the UK, not all hotels honour these BOGOF's and by the end of each award period the choices can be very limited, but the Plat line is very informative, so no problem. Apart from that, no complaints, a Marriott stay for less than the cost of a Travel Inn... Bargain!!

It does seem strange that these can only be booked by phone, I do all my Marriott stays online so using the Plat line is, for me, a bit of a bind!

Definite a fail. I'd write the big guy (not the one in Pasadena ).

Cheers.

I wrote Marriott Concierge. Here's the first response:

"Dear Travelismylife,

I appreciate the opportunity to assist you with your Marriott Rewards
account, and I apologize for the delay in responding.

I sincerely apologize for the misinformation and inconvenience you
experienced at the ************* Marriott. I have confirmed that the
Global Rate Break Promotion cannot be combined with any other offers,
including the Buy One, Get One Free Elite Exclusive Offers (EEOs). "

Response two from yesterday:

"Dear Travelismylife,

Thank you for your reply.

I have researched this issue further, and the Buy One, Get One Free Elite Exclusive Offers can, in fact, be combined with the Global Rate Break Rate. I apologize for the incorrect information I provided in my original response and the confusion."

I am waiting to hear about using the Hertz promo and EEO.