# Marriott hotel confirmation+e-certificates: how to confirm they are linked?



## winger (Jan 17, 2008)

I have three reservations coming up and something does not look right.

For reservation #1:
in *My Marriott Rewards Account - Upcoming Reservations* 
my hotel certificate no longer shows under *Unused Certificates * 
once the rep made my hotel booking.   this actually seems good.

Further more, under my reservation, I see:
*Marriott Rewards Redemption*
_You have e-certificate(s) for this reservation._

OK, this is how I think things should look.


For reservation #2 (one night stay):
in *My Marriott Rewards Account - Upcoming Reservations* 
my hotel certificate (for one night) still shows as unused under *Unused Certificates * 

Under my reservation, I see:
*Marriott Rewards Redemption*
_You do not have e-certificate(s) for this reservation. 
Order e-certificate(s)._ 

When I hit _Order e-certificates_, I do not get an option to select my hotel certificate, only option is use 15000 MRPs.


For reservation #3 (7-night stay):
in *My Marriott Rewards Account - Upcoming Reservations* 
my hotel certificate (for 7-night) no longer shows under *Unused Certificates * 

I canNOT remember if this certificate ever showed here in the first place, but I assume it did at one point prior to making my hotel reservation.

Under my reservation, I see:
*Marriott Rewards Redemption*
_You do not have e-certificate(s) for this reservation. 
Order e-certificate(s)._ 

When I hit _Order e-certificates_, I do not get an option to select my hotel certificate, only option is use 130,000 MRPs.


***With another thread on FT (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=773910) talking discussing how the Marriott reservation system messed up a person's bookings (using certificates), I am getting a little anxious, to say the least. *Any advise on how to proceed to confirm the hotel certificates are linked to my reservations?*


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## Dave M (Jan 17, 2008)

You need to call Marriott Rewards and get it straightened out for #2 and #3. At the main menu, say "Agent, Agent" to get a customer service rep. Have in front of you (or online) your recent history of account activity, as well as all of your reservations.


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## camachinist (Jan 17, 2008)

Definitely do it (call) in advance of travel. And, if the mistake persists, do pay for the room(s) with a credit card after adivising the manager with full disclosure of your intention to dispute the charges. Marriott has IT problems and the customer should not have to suffer for them.

Edited to add, as promised, my thread on a past experience with Marriott's IT, both here and in Sydney. Note, the mentioned property is Marriott corporate owned and operated.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=523026


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## Michigan Czar (Jan 17, 2008)

Winger, call Marriott rewards and tell them you need to make sure your certificates "are linked" to your reservations. This is an ongoing bug with the software changes they made recently. It has been discussed multiple times on Flyertalk.


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## KCI (Jan 17, 2008)

Lots of luck...I spent 2.5 hrs on the phone with Marriott (several different #'s and different people) trying to book a 1 week stay at a class 5 place for next Aug.  I had so many stupid answers from different people but I persisted and you should too.  Maybe  you'll luck out and find someone right up front that knows what they are talking about but I sure didn't.  Will be watching to see if you post after you call.  YOU DEFINATELY SHOULD CALL AND THE SOONER THE BETTER.


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## winger (Jan 17, 2008)

I called today - got this guy who I swore sounded like a teenager on his last day on a summer job  (meaning he sounded very uninterested in helping).

He put me on hold three times, once to look over EACH of the three scenarios I noted at the start of this thread.

Anyways, he first confirms #1 is correct (no duh...I said to myself, eyes already starting to roll. I just better keep my zipper :ignore: ) 

He then goes off an put me on hold after I describe reservation #2.  Oh boy, I was thinking on hanging up b/c it took awhile for him to get back on the line. Anyways, lucky I held on as he reported the 1 night certif was not correctly hooked up to the reservation.  When I asked what happened te first time I called, he only said he was not 100% sure but it is now fixed. 

On reservation #3 - he puts me on hold again but for a shorter prd of time than with reservation #2. He comes back and says the 7-night cat 6 ordered on Nov xxth was already linked to the reservation.  He could not tell me why it was not showing on my Upcoming Reservations as linked.  Anyways, I believed him as he clearly saw the correct certificate (based on date ordered).

10 mins later, I got back to the ofc and saw on the computer that for reservation #2, the certif disappeard from Unused Certificates area of the Upcoming Rervations, and reservation #2 now says there IS an e-certificate attached.

Unfortunately, reservation #3 still shows no e-certificate used.  I guess they really cannot make it to show the attached e-certificate for reservation #3?


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## lll1929 (Jan 17, 2008)

I am experiencing your scenerio #3.

I had 2 un-used certificates and when I called to get it attached to my reservation, the reward disappeared from the list of un-used certificates but the reservation still says I need to order an e-certificate once I earn the points.


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## winger (Jan 17, 2008)

lll1929 said:


> I am experiencing your scenerio #3.
> 
> I had 2 un-used certificates and when I called to get it attached to my reservation, the reward disappeared from the list of un-used certificates but the reservation still says I need to order an e-certificate once I earn the points.


have you been able to successfully complete your stay yet?


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## lll1929 (Jan 17, 2008)

My stay isn't until May.

I checked my email recently and I have a new confirmation which shows the reward being used for the reservation.  

I definately plan to take that with me so I should be good with the reservation.


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## winger (Jan 18, 2008)

lll1929 said:


> My stay isn't until May.
> 
> I checked my email recently and I have a new confirmation which shows the reward being used for the reservation.
> 
> I definately plan to take that with me so I should be good with the reservation.


unfortunately I do not have an email showing use of the hotel certif...just a confirmation email to the hotel (I made that reservation to the  hotel 6 months before I called to 'assign' the hotel certif.  The rep assured me the notes are in there attaching the right certif to the hotel stay


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## Michigan Czar (Jan 18, 2008)

Winger, What we have figured out from Flyertalk on this issue to make you feel a little better is if it says you do not have a certificate linked and you go into the reservation it should not let you modify the reservation. If it lets you modify the reservation then the award is not properly linked, if it doesn't allow you to modify it then the award is properly linked.

Not the best but that appears to be working for everyone as a way to assure confidence in the award being redeemed when you check in.


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## winger (Jan 18, 2008)

Michigan Czar said:


> Winger, What we have figured out from Flyertalk on this issue to make you feel a little better is if it says you do not have a certificate linked and you go into the reservation it should not let you modify the reservation. If it lets you modify the reservation then the award is not properly linked, if it doesn't allow you to modify it then the award is properly linked.
> 
> Not the best but that appears to be working for everyone as a way to assure confidence in the award being redeemed when you check in.


Hi MC, by "modify", can you give examples? I am pretty new to the Marriott *Upcoming Reservations *screen


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## Michigan Czar (Jan 18, 2008)

Yes, sign in on Marriott.com, go to upcoming reservations, then view my reservations. Go to an award reservation, click view details, scroll to the bottom and you should only see;

Cancel entire reservation 
Reserve another room at this hotel

If you see an option "make changes to this reservation" then your award redemption is not linked to the reservation. I hope this helps.


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## Frisbeeace (Jan 18, 2008)

If your reservation reads "Please note that changes to this reservation may not be made online. To make changes, call 1-800-228-2100 toll-free in the USA and Canada, or one of our worldwide reservation telephone numbers" at the bottom, it means it has a certificate linked regardless of what it may say above. It's certainly misleading and the IT wizards at Marriott have to fix this but, so far, is the only way to be certain.


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## winger (Jan 19, 2008)

Awesome, my reservation has only both:


_Cancel entire reservation 
Reserve another room at this hotel_

_Please note that changes to this reservation may not be made online. To make changes, call 1-800-228-2100 toll-free in the USA and Canada, or one of our worldwide reservation telephone numbers_

This gives me an ease of mind


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## Michigan Czar (Jan 19, 2008)

You are all set then Winger. It's not the best and easiest way to find out but it works for now until IT at Marriott fixes it. They may be struggling to fix it and hoping for it to go away. My belief is this is happening only to us that had ordered certificates before they made this change to the website.


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## winger (Jan 19, 2008)

When WaS THE WEBSITE CHANGED?


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## camachinist (Jan 19, 2008)

My first taste was in early August 2007, when the website made the reservation and deducted points from my account when I merely clicked "reserve this room" when looking at the Richmond Marriott for a points stay. Normally, a further page had appeared in the past, showing my personal information and preferences for change/approval. I had to cancel the reservation as it wasn't what I wanted (and I surely didn't want them taking my points out just yet  )

Pat


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## kamumma1 (Jan 19, 2008)

This is a bit confusing.  I called 1-800-MARRIOTT to get a travel package for Marco Island in Oct.  The woman asked me what kind of room I wanted as there are 3 different views, each costing a variety of points.  I told her I wanted the travel package for 230,000 pts, and didn't know what kind of room that gives me.  She didn't know either.  So we booked the best room and she transferred me to Marriott's Rewards, they issued me my FF points, and 25% car certificate.  The 230,000 pts were immediately removed from my account, but here's what I'm seeing...

"Marriott Rewards Redemption Reservation You do not have e-certificate(s) for this reservation."

and

"Summary of Charges 
Reward Description  Qty  Points  
Standard Hotel Reward:  7-night(s)  category 6  1  130,000  
Standard Upgrade Reward   14  70,000  
Reward Rules
Total points for stay: 200,000"

My first question is, when you book a travel package, does that imply a standard room, and then are upgrades extra?  Or can you get any kind of room available?  I didn't know what kind of room to tell the woman at Marriott to book.  She didn't seem to know either.  Secondly, she said she wouldn't issue an e-certificate as she would let Marriott Rewards do that, as she was unsure of how the rewards points work.  But it looks like there is no e-certificate issued.  Granted, I just booked it so I don't know if it takes time for that to show up or not.  So, if I need to downgrade our room, I assume I just call Marriott, but if I need to get an e-certificate, I call the Marriott Rewards?

P.S.  Anyone been to Marco Island Marriott Resort?  How is it?


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## lll1929 (Jan 19, 2008)

kamumma1 said:


> This is a bit confusing.  I called 1-800-MARRIOTT to get a travel package for Marco Island in Oct.  The woman asked me what kind of room I wanted as there are 3 different views, each costing a variety of points.  I told her I wanted the travel package for 230,000 pts, and didn't know what kind of room that gives me.  She didn't know either.  So we booked the best room and she transferred me to Marriott's Rewards, they issued me my FF points, and 25% car certificate.  The 230,000 pts were immediately removed from my account, but here's what I'm seeing...
> 
> "Marriott Rewards Redemption Reservation You do not have e-certificate(s) for this reservation."
> 
> ...




Check Marriott online for your date using rewards and it will show you the availability at the hotel, including any upgrade options.  Determine what type of room, etc you would like to book.

Call Marriott and tell them what you want to book and they should then book it correctly.

I used my travel package cat 6 for Rennisance in Aruba and used this method since there were soo many options for booking using point.  Several of the options were upgrade and I was not wanting to spend additional points.

In some cases, rooms with upgrade is the only thing available and in that case, you will need to pay cash for the upgrade or use points for the upgrade.


Hope this helps


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## kamumma1 (Jan 19, 2008)

lll1929 said:


> Check Marriott online for your date using rewards and it will show you the availability at the hotel, including any upgrade options.  Determine what type of room, etc you would like to book.
> 
> Call Marriott and tell them what you want to book and they should then book it correctly.
> 
> ...



Thanks - so when you get the "travel package" for 230,000 pts (including 100,000 FF points), that gives you a standard room?  I also don't want to use extra points.


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## camachinist (Jan 19, 2008)

http://www.marriott.com/rewards/terms/usetrms.mi



> A Reward Certificate is good for one consecutive stay, for one standard room only, as shown on the certificate. Standard rooms may vary by brand.  Credit may be issued if your stay is less than the number of days on the certificate, but the member must inform the hotel Front Desk in advance of early checkout in order for point credit to be issued back to the member's account.  For Rewards Redemption with more than one rate change during the stay, the member must call Marriott Guest Services for assistance in receiving credit, (801) 468-4000.



My advice is to deal with any "upgrades" directly with the hotel's room manager. I've had enough experiences now to say that I will only do it that way in the future.

Pat


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## winger (Jan 19, 2008)

camachinist said:


> http://www.marriott.com/rewards/terms/usetrms.mi
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Pat. Are you suggesting speak w/ the mgr once you check in or call say 2 or 3 months prior to checking in?  Also, do you normally just pay cash for the upgrade or use MRPs?


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## camachinist (Jan 19, 2008)

Cash in person after you see the room..


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## Whirl (Jan 20, 2009)

winger said:


> Pat. Are you suggesting speak w/ the mgr once you check in or call say 2 or 3 months prior to checking in?  Also, do you normally just pay cash for the upgrade or use MRPs?




I have also had  recent success calling the hotel directly far in advance and locking in the actual rooms and view that I want, with a cash upgrade. This may depend on each hotel's policy ( I don't know), but for my reservation, the hotel manager really took her time finding a specific set of rooms ( I neede three, adjoining, ocean front) to suit my request. Nothing left to chance or subject to availability at the time of arrival...all locked up over 9 months in advance.

Dealing with Marriott Rewards and the certificate issues...a vastly different and horrid experience, but one good apple like that hotel manager who walked me through the whole process to insure I got what I wanted in the end, made all the difference. 

Good Luck.

Good Luck,


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## camachinist (Jan 20, 2009)

I've had multiple experiences with concierge level/suite level rooms not beiing delivered as advertised or reserved, and this at corporate owned and managed properties, of which there are few, so I now save myself the stress and only book standard rooms and upgrade on site.  I've posted about some of my experiences here and on Flyertalk, most poignantly my journals regarding the mess at the Marriott in Sydney. 

Marriott's corporate culture has changed markedly in the 15 or so years I've been a customer. Not an endictment; rather just one traveler's experiences and opinion 

Pat


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## Whirl (Jan 20, 2009)

camachinist said:


> I've had multiple experiences with concierge level/suite level rooms not beiing delivered as advertised or reserved, Pat[/QUOTE
> 
> Well, I knew this would be a risk ( its seemed to good to be true), but just thought I would try since traveling with my family and small kids. If it works, I will view it as worth the hassle, and if it doesn't and I must deal with it at the time, then at least I know I tried my best to make the best plans for my family that I could....
> 
> ...


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