Dumped by a Marriott property at the last minute

[dgf15215]

If this post isn't where it should be, please discard or re-post where it should go. Thanks.

Last July my wife and I reserved rooms at Marriott African Pride Mount Grace Country House & Spa in Magaliesburg, South Africa. This was supposed to be the end of a trip through SA and Victoria Falls (Zambia) in order to relax for a few days before the long flights home. In the intervening months, we had received follow-up confirmations and even a response to our inquiry about their treatment of Chairman Club visitors (which was that there was little or no special treatment). OK, good enough. All associated arrangements, ie. drivers and tours were made accordingly.

Two days before departing the US we got an email informing us that since they had booked a large party that would require all their rooms that our reservation was canceled but that they would include a spa treatment when we rebooked at a later date. Of course, rebooking was not really in the cards and their response to our complaint that we deserved to have our reservation honored wasn't even responded to for days, and even then there was little they were willing to do except perhaps find us a room for one or two of the days, that their sister facilities were all filled up and so that was that.

Has this ever happened to anyone else? And who at Marriott might we complain to?


P.S. Our alternate arrangments were finally worked out by ourselves and our travel advisor, we're going to Kimberly for a few days, the home of the De Beer Diamond fortune and staying in a small mansion that is now a B&B but was originally the De Beer Diamond headquarters. At least that is how I understand it to be.

 

[catharsis]

As a chairmans club member you should be a Marriott Platinum?

How long in advance of your arrival did they cancel your booking?

There is a 'procedure' for this which involves them refunding your money AND paying for alternative accommodation of similar standard (and possibly compensation also for Platinum guests IIRC)

You may have hurt your case by accepting their bad behavior and making alternative arrangements on your own.

There is something called an Elite Benefits Guarantee.

http://www.marriott.com/marriott-rewards/member-benefits/guarantee.mi

It sounds to me like you might not have your rewards account and your MVC account linked properly to make you a platinum guest in Marriott Rewards. This is something you should fix as a matter of urgency if true.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[kds4]

As a chairmans club member you should be a Marriott Platinum?

How long in advance of your arrival did they cancel your booking?

There is a 'procedure' for this which involves them refunding your money AND paying for alternative accommodation of similar standard (and possibly compensation also for Platinum guests IIRC)

You may have hurt your case by accepting their bad behavior and making alternative arrangements on your own.

There is something called an Elite Benefits Guarantee.

http://www.marriott.com/marriott-rewards/member-benefits/guarantee.mi

It sounds to me like you might not have your rewards account and your MVC account linked properly to make you a platinum guest in Marriott Rewards. This is something you should fix as a matter of urgency if true.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

If the OP made a cash reservation, then the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee would apply. The same is not true if they were redeeming an award stay using Marriott Reward points (MRPs). If this was a cash reservation, I would ensure that your Marriott Rewards number was on this reservation (which lets the hotel know that you have Elite status and would be entitled to this benefit). Then I would immediately contact Marriott Rewards Customer Service at 801-468-4000 for help to either have your original reservation honored or ensure that you receive the benefit of alternate accommodations at hotel expense plus compensation. Hopefully, the hotel cancelled your reservation in writing so you can provide that to Marriott Rewards as well. I understand your making alternate arrangements for yourself (due to the nature and scale of your trip). However, I would not tell Marriott you have done so. Keep your arrangements as a back-up plan in case Marriott doesn't address this to your satisfaction. Good luck.

 

[Quilter]

Wow! I always thought a reservation meant a guaranteed reservation.

When we have arrived to find no room available the hotel found us a room elsewhere. It’s called a “walk”.

 

[catharsis]

https://www.marriott.com/rewards/terms/elite.mi

4. If an Elite Member has a confirmed reservation, but is relocated from the hotel upon arrival, the property will pay the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee compensation in place on that date under the Program Rules. If an Elite Member receives Ultimate Reservation Guarantee compensation, then he/she is not eligible to receive additional Elite Benefits Guarantee compensation.

JW Marriott, EDITION, Autograph Collection, Renaissance Hotels, Marriott Hotels, Delta Hotels®, and Gaylord Hotels $200 USD & 90,000 points

note also the very important section 9, which to my mind suggests that this applies to award reservations unlike what kds4 suggests above.

9. The Guarantee applies to all stays, including Rewards Redemption stays.

Edited to reflect fact that the compensation is $200 AND 90000 points, not or as I had mistakenly assumed.

 

[Quilter]

https://www.marriott.com/rewards/terms/elite.mi


note also the very important section 9, which to my mind suggests that this applies to award reservations unlike what kds4 suggests above.



Edited to reflect fact that the compensation is $200 AND 90000 points, not or as I had mistakenly assumed.

The language pertains to someone who is relocated upon arrival. I’ve never heard of anyone with a reservation getting an email within days of their departure cancelling the reservation.

dgf, I suggest you go to the Marriott forum on flyertalk.com and ask if others have had this experience.

 

[DeeCee]

As a chairmans club member you should be a Marriott Platinum?

How long in advance of your arrival did they cancel your booking?

There is a 'procedure' for this which involves them refunding your money AND paying for alternative accommodation of similar standard (and possibly compensation also for Platinum guests IIRC)

You may have hurt your case by accepting their bad behavior and making alternative arrangements on your own.

There is something called an Elite Benefits Guarantee.

http://www.marriott.com/marriott-rewards/member-benefits/guarantee.mi

It sounds to me like you might not have your rewards account and your MVC account linked properly to make you a platinum guest in Marriott Rewards. This is something you should fix as a matter of urgency if true.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

How would I go about linking my MVC and rewards accounts? I find this interesting and was not aware...

Thanks, Dee

 

[Quilter]

These are on my most recent reservation through marriott.com:

Thanks for booking directly with us, Suzzanne.
You’re ready to go.

And

Confirmation Authenticity
We're sending you this confirmation notice electronically for your convenience. Marriott keeps an official record of all electronic reservations. We honor our official record only and will disregard any alterations to this confirmation that may have been made after we sent it to you.

 

[Mr. Vker]

The ultimate reservation guarantee does not apply if they notify you prior to arrival. Plenty of examples of this on Flyertalk. Ridiculous but true. I doubt they'd be so helpful if you wanted to cancel past refund date if you found a better option. If you are plat, was you MR number on the reservation? I ask because you booked through a travel agent. Sometimes they exclude them. Glad it worked out, but I would have been screaming bloody murder.

 

[Mr. Vker]

If the guarantee did apply. the would have had to find similar room nearby and pay for one night. Also:

JW Marriott®, Autograph Collections®, EDITION®, Renaissance® Hotels, Marriott® Hotel and Resorts, Gaylord Hotels, Delta Hotels®
- $200 USD
- 90,000 points

This is for ANY reservation-paid or award-in which your MR # is attached.

 

[Werner Weiss]

For an Elite member (Rewards status, not MVCI status), the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee should apply here because the hotel is open and operational. That's what's published in the Terms & Conditions. It's a different matter if a hotel's opening is delayed or if a hotel shuts down for any reason.

The African Pride brand was previously part of Protea Hotels by Marriott, but African Pride properties were recently "promoted" to Autograph Collection by Marriott. So Autograph Collection guarantees should now apply.

As Mr. Vker noted, the compensation for failure to honor a reservation at an Autograph Collection property includes comparable accommodations for free the first night and a penalty of $200 USD plus 90,000 points.

The hotel pays for this, not Marriott. It's supposed to be painful (costly) for a hotel to fail to honor a guaranteed reservation, especially for Gold and Platinum Elite guests.

Make this compensation request to the hotel first. Then, if hotel does not honor your request, escalate to Marriott Rewards Guest Services. If necessary, continue to escalate until you find someone who will see to it that the published guarantee is honored.

The following is from https://www.marriott.com/rewards/terms/elite.mi

The Ultimate Reservation Guarantee: To be eligible, Member's Rewards Program Membership Number and a valid credit card number must be included with the reservation. If hotel is unable to honor the reservation, it will pay for comparable accommodations nearby for the Elite Member that night, and compensate the Member for the inconvenience. A hotel must be open and operational for the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee benefit/ compensation to apply.​

 

[herillc]

It happend to me 3 days ago.
While i was in Toronto airport and waiting for my flight to Maryland, marriott hotel i reserved in Maryland left a message saying that my reservation was cancelled due to overbooking.
And yes, i am a marriott platinum for many years and i booked that room 6 months ago, my MR number was attached to that reservation, it was not with MR point, i booked it with my credit card.
I couldn’t believe what i have heard.
It was 3-4 hours before check in time!
What happened to marriott? It was the first time happened to me, maybe i have been lucky until then. I had to check in to another hotel and next day i went to marriott hotel and complained about it and he explained that another platinum elite guest didn’t check out and decided to stay longer. That’s why my reservation got cancelled on check in day!
Do you think that reason is acceptable?
I am done with Marriott. I will call or send a complaint email to a higher authority. Do you know whom should i call? I tried to call platinum elite line while i was in the airport in canada and being hold for 15+ min so had to hung up.

 

[Quilter]

I just booked another reservation. When I clicked to book, before the final page, a notice came up "we will send you a confirmation" . . .

Confirmation to me means a promise.

When airlines can't fulfill their promise because of overbooking they start offering incentives and the option to wait for another flight. If they don't get enough people to take the incentive they up the ante.

 

[Quilter]

It happend to me 3 days ago.
While i was in Toronto airport and waiting for my flight to Maryland, marriott hotel i reserved in Maryland left a message saying that my reservation was cancelled due to overbooking.
And yes, i am a marriott platinum for many years and i booked that room 6 months ago, my MR number was attached to that reservation, it was not with MR point, i booked it with my credit card.
I couldn’t believe what i have heard.
It was 3-4 hours before check in time!
What happened to marriott? It was the first time happened to me, maybe i have been lucky until then. I had to check in to another hotel and next day i went to marriott hotel and complained about it and he explained that another platinum elite guest didn’t check out and decided to stay longer. That’s why my reservation got cancelled on check in day!
Do you think that reason is acceptable?
I am done with Marriott. I will call or send a complaint email to a higher authority. Do you know whom should i call? I tried to call platinum elite line while i was in the airport in canada and being hold for 15+ min so had to hung up.

The only time we had a "walk" was at the airport hotel at LHR. An air traffic controller strike in France prevented people from flying so the hotel let them extend their stays. It took months of phone calls, each time to someone higher, before I got complete satisfaction.

 

[Werner Weiss]

I had to check in to another hotel and next day i went to marriott hotel and complained about it and he explained that another platinum elite guest didn’t check out and decided to stay longer. That’s why my reservation got cancelled on check in day!
Do you think that reason is acceptable?

Did your original hotel provide everything that was due to you under the terms of Marriott's Ultimate Reservation Guarantee? Free room at a comparable hotel the first night? Also, money and points (amounts vary by brand)?

Marriott's Ultimate Reservation Guarantee doesn't mean that you can never be walked. It means that it's very rare for a Platinum member to be walked, and quite costly for the hotel.

If you did not receive what the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee promises, I would recommend starting with a phone call to the Front Desk Manager at the hotel. In the unlikely case that it's not resolved then, call the number on the back of your Platinum Elite card as the next step.

 

[LisaH]

It happend to me 3 days ago.
While i was in Toronto airport and waiting for my flight to Maryland, marriott hotel i reserved in Maryland left a message saying that my reservation was cancelled due to overbooking.
And yes, i am a marriott platinum for many years and i booked that room 6 months ago, my MR number was attached to that reservation, it was not with MR point, i booked it with my credit card.
I couldn’t believe what i have heard.
It was 3-4 hours before check in time!
What happened to marriott? It was the first time happened to me, maybe i have been lucky until then. I had to check in to another hotel and next day i went to marriott hotel and complained about it and he explained that another platinum elite guest didn’t check out and decided to stay longer. That’s why my reservation got cancelled on check in day!
Do you think that reason is acceptable?
I am done with Marriott. I will call or send a complaint email to a higher authority. Do you know whom should i call? I tried to call platinum elite line while i was in the airport in canada and being hold for 15+ min so had to hung up.

That doesn’t make sense. I can’t imagine you were the only Platinum to check in that day. Why didn’t they cancel someone else’s reservation but yours? Call Marriott Rewards.

 

[Mr. Vker]

For an Elite member (Rewards status, not MVCI status), the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee should apply here because the hotel is open and operational. That's what's published in the Terms & Conditions. It's a different matter if a hotel's opening is delayed or if a hotel shuts down for any reason.

The African Pride brand was previously part of Protea Hotels by Marriott, but African Pride properties were recently "promoted" to Autograph Collection by Marriott. So Autograph Collection guarantees should now apply.

As Mr. Vker noted, the compensation for failure to honor a reservation at an Autograph Collection property includes comparable accommodations for free the first night and a penalty of $200 USD plus 90,000 points.

The hotel pays for this, not Marriott. It's supposed to be painful (costly) for a hotel to fail to honor a guaranteed reservation, especially for Gold and Platinum Elite guests.

Make this compensation request to the hotel first. Then, if hotel does not honor your request, escalate to Marriott Rewards Guest Services. If necessary, continue to escalate until you find someone who will see to it that the published guarantee is honored.

The following is from https://www.marriott.com/rewards/terms/elite.mi

The Ultimate Reservation Guarantee: To be eligible, Member's Rewards Program Membership Number and a valid credit card number must be included with the reservation. If hotel is unable to honor the reservation, it will pay for comparable accommodations nearby for the Elite Member that night, and compensate the Member for the inconvenience. A hotel must be open and operational for the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee benefit/ compensation to apply.​

I agree-and think I was wrong when I said if canceled in advance doesn't apply. Here's what it says and seems to apply here:


If for some reason we’re unable to honor your reservation, we’ll pay for your accommodations that night at a nearby hotel and compensate you for the inconvenience. To be eligible, you must provide your Marriott Rewards membership number when making a reservation. Compensation varies by hotel brand.

 

[kds4]

https://www.marriott.com/rewards/terms/elite.mi


note also the very important section 9, which to my mind suggests that this applies to award reservations unlike what kds4 suggests above.



Edited to reflect fact that the compensation is $200 AND 90000 points, not or as I had mistakenly assumed.

You raise an interesting point. The only time I ever experienced this myself was during a paid stay. I did re-read the Elite T&Cs. The problem with Section 9 is that it is ambiguous. "The Guarantee applies to all stays, including Rewards Redemption stays." On its' face one could assume that means the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee. The problem is that there is more than one 'guarantee' being discussed in the T&Cs. "Elite Members who do not receive their Elite Benefits Guarantee or Ultimate Reservation Guarantee..." and "If an Elite Member receives Ultimate Reservation Guarantee compensation, then he/she is not eligible to receive additional Elite Benefits Guarantee compensation."

I could not find anything that specifically says the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee applies to award stays. That doesn't mean it can't. I'm only saying I've never experienced it and cannot find any language that clearly promises it.

 

[kds4]

It happend to me 3 days ago.
While i was in Toronto airport and waiting for my flight to Maryland, marriott hotel i reserved in Maryland left a message saying that my reservation was cancelled due to overbooking.
And yes, i am a marriott platinum for many years and i booked that room 6 months ago, my MR number was attached to that reservation, it was not with MR point, i booked it with my credit card.
I couldn’t believe what i have heard.
It was 3-4 hours before check in time!
What happened to marriott? It was the first time happened to me, maybe i have been lucky until then. I had to check in to another hotel and next day i went to marriott hotel and complained about it and he explained that another platinum elite guest didn’t check out and decided to stay longer. That’s why my reservation got cancelled on check in day!
Do you think that reason is acceptable?
I am done with Marriott. I will call or send a complaint email to a higher authority. Do you know whom should i call? I tried to call platinum elite line while i was in the airport in canada and being hold for 15+ min so had to hung up.

While unfair, it looks like they put the onus on you to still show up and claim the Elite benefits you would be entitled to under the T&Cs (which are unquestioned based on your paid stay reservation). The devil's counter-argument could be that since you made your own alternate arrangements and never showed up to the hotel to get 'walked', you waived what you would have been entitled to claim upon arrival. I don't agree with the approach but understand the (bad) business sense of what they did.

 

[Werner Weiss]

While unfair, it looks like they put the onus on you to still show up and claim the Elite benefits you would be entitled to under the T&Cs (which are unquestioned based on your paid stay reservation). The devil's counter-argument could be that since you made your own alternate arrangements and never showed up to the hotel to get 'walked', you waived what you would have been entitled to claim upon arrival. I don't agree with the approach but understand the (bad) business sense of what they did.

The hotel cancelled the reservation on the check-in day and notified the guest. That's actually better than having the guest show up at the hotel, only to be told then that the guaranteed reservation will not be honored.

What the hotel should said to herillc on the phone is, "This is the Marriott Hotel where you have a reservation tonight. We're very sorry that we will be unable to honor your guaranteed reservation tonight. This is very unusual, especially because you're a Platinum Elite member. Because we've had numerous unforeseeable problems, we have no other choice. We've made alternate reservations for you at the [insert name of comparable hotel here] nearby, so just go directly there. You won't be charged anything for your room tonight. We're paying for it. Tomorrow, please move to the Marriott. Because we're causing you this inconvenience, we'll have a check for $200 waiting for you, and we're depositing 90,000 points to your Marriott Rewards account."

Based on the post from herillc, that's not how the call went in this case.

Marriott's Ultimate Reservation Guarantee is a published benefit. It's a promise from Marriott.

 

[kds4]

The hotel cancelled the reservation on the check-in day and notified the guest. That's actually better than having the guest show up at the hotel, only to be told then that the guaranteed reservation will not be honored.

What the hotel should said to herillc on the phone is, "This is the Marriott Hotel where you have a reservation tonight. We're very sorry that we will be unable to honor your guaranteed reservation tonight. This is very unusual, especially because you're a Platinum Elite member. Because we've had numerous unforeseeable problems, we have no other choice. We've made alternate reservations for you at the [insert name of comparable hotel here] nearby, so just go directly there. You won't be charged anything for your room tonight. We're paying for it. Tomorrow, please move to the Marriott. Because we're causing you this inconvenience, we'll have a check for $200 waiting for you, and we're depositing 90,000 points to your Marriott Rewards account."

Based on the post from herillc, that's not how the call went in this case.

Marriott's Ultimate Reservation Guarantee is a published benefit. It's a promise from Marriott.

No disagreement with that approach and I agree that is not what appears to have happened. If this same situation had happened to me as it did the OP, I would have still shown up at the hotel and claimed the compensation I would be entitled to for being 'walked'. However, not everyone would and I think hotels (not just Marriott) know that. Some travelers may find it more convenient to just solve the problem themselves by making their own alternate arrangements or the traveler may not like what may feel to them as 'confrontation' to claim their elite benefits in such a case, etc. Every traveler who 'lets it go' makes it that much easier for the property to do it to the next traveler.

It's not right and hopefully when 'called' on it, if the hotel doesn't make it right then Marriott should take action to remedy this type of behavior (if it was intentional) by the property in question. Of course, the only way Marriott will know is if affected travelers inform them.

 

[catharsis]

It happend to me 3 days ago.
While i was in Toronto airport and waiting for my flight to Maryland, marriott hotel i reserved in Maryland left a message saying that my reservation was cancelled due to overbooking.
And yes, i am a marriott platinum for many years and i booked that room 6 months ago, my MR number was attached to that reservation, it was not with MR point, i booked it with my credit card.
I couldn’t believe what i have heard.
It was 3-4 hours before check in time!
What happened to marriott? It was the first time happened to me, maybe i have been lucky until then. I had to check in to another hotel and next day i went to marriott hotel and complained about it and he explained that another platinum elite guest didn’t check out and decided to stay longer. That’s why my reservation got cancelled on check in day!
Do you think that reason is acceptable?
I am done with Marriott. I will call or send a complaint email to a higher authority. Do you know whom should i call? I tried to call platinum elite line while i was in the airport in canada and being hold for 15+ min so had to hung up.

Call Marriott Platinum line.

Explain what happened, ask how you get your $200 and your 90,000 points AND where you should direct your complaint about the hotel not having honoured their commitment to find you alternative accommodation.

ABSOLUTELY do not let this slide, it is important to punish this sort of behavior to enforce brand standards and make sure it does not happen to others.

AND it's worth over $1000 to you if you value MR points the same way I do....

 

[VacationForever]

Last I checked Marriott Platinum line is dead, and everything is routed to the same generic line.

 

[kds4]

Last I checked Marriott Platinum line is dead, and everything is routed to the same generic line.

True but supposedly when you enter your MR number it queues you differently based on recognizing your platinum status. I have not generally had to wait for my call to be connected to a live CSR. However, YMMV.

 

[VacationForever]

True but supposedly when you enter your MR number it queues you differently based on recognizing your platinum status. I have not generally had to wait for my call to be connected to a live CSR. However, YMMV.

I called today and routed to the automated "how may I help you" thing... I said rewards certificate... "OK, certificates"... got routed and "voicemail is full" and "beep", I got hung up by the system. I tried again... "OK, certificates"... and got routed to a live person. No wait time today other than having to call twice.