MARRIOTT / CORONAVIRUS [MERGED]

[ljmiii]

MVC is so messed up. Finally I got through after 2 hours....the II agent said "oh no, we can't do that, we are not accepting any late deposits".

Any new news? Have you tried to call again?

 

[Dean]

Marriott told me cancels within 60 days via points still go into holding account, but, you can use up to 120 days out for what it's worth to anyone.

I assume they still expire at the normal time?

 

[Gemini Chica]

Marriott told me cancels within 60 days via points still go into holding account, but, you can use up to 120 days out for what it's worth to anyone.

So I cancelled one night yesterday and got 300 points back into a holding account that says “Hold Election 120” they were 2021 points I had advanced. So beside them it says 01/01/20-12/31/21. So I have no clue what the 120 means.... I can book maximum of 120 days from now or from the deadline?


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[Fasttr]

So I cancelled one night yesterday and got 300 points back into a holding account that says “Hold Election 120” they were 2021 points I had advanced. So beside them it says 01/01/20-12/31/21. So I have no clue what the 120 means.... I can book maximum of 120 days from now or from the deadline?

I'm guessing 120 days from check in vs the previous 60 days.

 

[Gemini Chica]

I'm guessing 120 days from check in vs the previous 60 days.

I’ve never had this before..... so they will expire end of 2021 but I can only book 120 days in advance? For example I need 1 night on August 12th so I could use those points from April 14th on to book with?


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[Fasttr]

I’ve never had this before..... so they will expire end of 2021 but I can only book 120 days in advance? For example I need 1 night on August 12th so I could use those points from April 14th on to book with?

That would be how I would interpret it.

 

[Steve Fatula]

I’ve never had this before..... so they will expire end of 2021 but I can only book 120 days in advance? For example I need 1 night on August 12th so I could use those points from April 14th on to book with?


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They are not changing the expiration date of your points, whatever points you used still expire when they expired before you used them. Any booking must be within 120 days of the date you book. Normally, holding points are within 60 days so they have doubled it. We use holding points all the time. Your example is correct, starting on April 14, you can book Aug 12. Normally when you cancel within 60 days, it would be in June, whatever 60 day mark is for Aug 12.

 

[Jim Cameron]

Has Marriott Vacation Club made any offers of compensation for members or their guests who have had to cancel reservations as a result of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) ?

 

[amy241]

Removed

 

[Steve Fatula]

Is there a resort that has closed (you said had to cancel)? Normally, the compensation would come from travel insurance, for example if you can no longer get a flight, etc. Even if you have travel insurance, unless you purchase a "for any reason" policy, fear of flying or traveling due to a virus is not a valid reason for insurance purposes typically. The only thing different from a MVCI standpoint I am aware of is for DC points cancelled 60 days from stay. Formerly, they went into a holding account where you could only reserve 60 days in advance, they are allowing 120 days in advance.

In general, if you want to protect a vacation, you need to purchase travel insurance.

 

[pedro47]

We have two weeks reserved for Hawaii the last week in June and the first week in July. Will this be a go in your opinions?

 

[amy241]

I am in the same boat. My husband and I are in our 50s and we are traveling with my mother and her husband who are in their 70s. We have a 37 day vacation to Hawaii planned for late April. We are flying JetBlue from FLL - LAX on April 24th and then Hawaiian Air from LAX -HNL on April 25th. We are overnighting at an LAX airport hotel (not happy to be at LAX with the large cluster in Los Angeles County). We fly the same route in reverse when we leave Hawaii on May 30th. Our trip takes us to 3 different islands: Oahu, the Big Island, and Kauai And involves multiple island hops on Hawaiian Air.

We are booked for Hale Koa for 7 nights, Marriott Ko Olina for 7 nights, Kilauea Military Camp for 2 nights, HGV King’s Land Resort for 7 nights, Marriott Waiohai for 7 nights, and the final 5 nights in a Kauai hotel. Then there are the 2 nights at the LAX airport hotel.

I am also trying to figure out if we should cancel or go under the current pandemic conditions. If I cancel, I don’t believe I will be able to rebook for 2020 as time in Hawaii is booked up quickly and likely not available — let alone the big hassle in trying to recreate this trip with all the airline segments and change fees involved.

I’d really appreciate anyone who travels there ahead of our trip to keep us posted on conditions. I’m concerned about them availability of supplies on the island with panic buying as well as the spread of Covid-19 on an island. I wish I had a crystal ball right now.

 

[Dean]

Has Marriott Vacation Club made any offers of compensation for members or their guests who have had to cancel reservations as a result of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) ?

They didn't with the hurricane situations that I'm aware of. I'm not sure though if they canceled member reservations but they certainly did II exchanges and put those back onto II. My guess is more flexibility for cancelation rules but no compensation.

 

[Safti]

No compensation at my end. They did deposit into II with some restrictions though.

 

[Safti]

Any new news? Have you tried to call again?

Yes, I got a call back from MVCI late last night (9:30pm). I guess they were working overtime. I was supposed to check in on March 21 but canceled the trip. they did a deposit into II with some restrictions. I felt this was better than losing the entire week so I went for it.

 

[m61376]

We just had this discussion, although not for Hawaii (which would concern me more due to the recent influx of visitors from Asian hotspots). The number one thing that the CDC repeats is the importance of social distancing, which is impossible on a plane. From airport lines, security and the plane ride it is impossible not to share airspace with hundreds of people. The stewardesses/stewards are in contact with thousands of people in the past 14 days before they reach you. If someone sits adjacent to you, and in front/behind, wiping your seat down doesn’t clear that risk.
Moreover, the biggest concern right now is to slow this thing down so our medical facilities are not overwhelmed like it is in Italy. The scary reality is 10% of those affected will need hospitalization. Does Hawaii have that medical capacity? One thing we’ve seen is the hyperbolic rise in just a few days.
as tempting as Hawaii is I wouldn’t go over the next 6-8 weeks at least.

 

[samara64]

​ For more than 90 years, Marriott has lived by a core value established by our founder, JW Marriott, Sr., to "take care of our guests and associates." This enduring value guides us as we face the difficult challenge of responding to the coronavirus (COVID-19), which the World Health Organization declared a pandemic on Wednesday. Our hearts and thoughts go out to the people who have been affected by this unprecedented event and we appreciate the healthcare workers, local communities, and governments around the world who are on the front line working to contain this coronavirus. Please know that we are vigilantly monitoring the COVID-19 situation around the clock and have precautions in place to ensure a healthy stay at any of our hotels across the globe. In this climate, we know travel may not be your first thought, but I want you to know the safety of our guests and associates is our top priority. I want to thank you in advance for putting your trust in Marriott as you plan for future travels. Below is an update on what we are doing, keeping your safety top of mind.​

​ When You Book​ You should have confidence when you book a stay at any of our hotels across the globe that we are doing everything we can to have accommodations ready for you. We are closely monitoring the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and local health agencies for the latest developments related to COVID-19 and following the guidance of government and public health officials. We are reinforcing these agencies' recommendations on the appropriate health and safety measures with our own hotel management teams and the hotel operators in our portfolio.​

​ Before Your Stay​ Given the impact of COVID-19 on how we work, socialize and travel, we have been adapting our cancellation policy over the past several weeks to the evolving nature of this epidemic. Today, we are updating our policy to provide our customers the most flexibility we can offer during these challenging times. Generally speaking, for guests with existing individual reservations, including reservations with pre-paid rates that are typically more restrictive, we will allow changes or cancellation without a charge up to 24 hours prior to arrival as long as the change or cancellation is made by April 30, 2020. For guests making new individual reservations between today and April 30, 2020, we will allow those reservations to be changed or cancelled at no charge up to 24 hours before a guest's scheduled arrival date. Please visit our website for the most up-to-date information and for additional details about availability and exclusions.​

​ During Your Stay​ We recognize that the COVID-19 virus has required all of us to be more mindful as we go through our regular activities. Daily, our hotels around the world are working to ensure that they meet the latest guidance from the CDC and WHO on hygiene and cleaning. Our hotels' health and safety measures are designed to address a broad spectrum of viruses, including COVID-19, and cover everything from handwashing hygiene and cleaning product specifications to guest room and common area cleaning procedures. Specific steps we are taking as a company can be found on our website.​

​ For Our Marriott Bonvoy Members​ We are focused on how the coronavirus is impacting our Marriott Bonvoy Members and have made some important updates to our loyalty program to provide greater flexibility when planning future travel. Specifically, we have paused points expiration until August 31, 2020 allowing Members ample time to redeem their points. In addition, we have extended the expiration of suite night awards (SNAs) with an expiration date of December 31, 2020 by one year to December 31, 2021. Lastly, Members who currently have an active Free Night Award (FNA) expiring in 2020 as part of their credit card benefit, annual choice benefit, promotions or travel package will be able to use it through January 31, 2021. We understand that earning status for 2021 may also be on your mind. As the current situation is still evolving, it is too early for us to make any changes. We will keep you updated on all loyalty program changes through our Marriott Bonvoy member benefits website. We recognize that these are unsettling times and whether you are traveling now or in the future, we want you to know that your safety and wellbeing are our first priority. Whenever you travel, we are waiting with open doors and open hearts to serve you.​

​ Arne Sorenson President and CEO, Marriott International​

 

[icydog]

I am so upset. If Disney Vacation Club can allow cancelations without penalty why can’t Marriott follow the same guidelines.

I’m a nervous wreck about my points and exchanged weeks’ reservations.

Why hasn’t Marriott stepped up to the plate and offered us a way out? What’s wrong with Marriott’s Code of Ethics?

 

[StevenTing]

What do you propose they do and how to you propose they implement it? Marriott is selling time. Once time passes you never get it back. I think the best they could do is give you some certificates in II but I don’t think they can do much more.

I have fixed weeks that guarantee my usage at a certain time. Once that time passes, how would you expect Marriott to provide that time back?

If they do give people “credit” you then create a bottleneck for future years and it will be even more difficult to find what you want. When your system is based on weeks, there are less options. DVC is based on points so they have more options.

 

[rgarsurf]

What do you propose they do and how to you propose they implement it? Marriott is selling time. Once time passes you never get it back. I think the best they could do is give you some certificates in II but I don’t think they can do much more.

I have fixed weeks that guarantee my usage at a certain time. Once that time passes, how would you expect Marriott to provide that time back?

If they do give people “credit” you then create a bottleneck for future years and it will be even more difficult to find what you want. When your system is based on weeks, there are less options. DVC is based on points so they have more options.

They could allow conversion of the week to points.

 

[tschwa2]

Unfortunately almost no fixed/float timeshare resorts make any accommodations for those type of members/owners when disasters strike. This includes hurricanes, fires, etc.

If they aren't allowing changes to points weeks, I am a little surprised. That they will do nothing for weeks owners/reservations I am not surprised.

 

[StevenTing]

They could allow conversion of the week to points.

you still run into the same problem. The points in Marriott are based on weeks. With DVC, they are not. They were pure points from the beginning. I don’t know how DVC came up with their number of points but they could defer them indefinitely and have them accumulate.
With MVC, the points in the trust came from weeks. I guess they could convert them to points. However you’d likely find yourself using them for airline tickets, resort credits, or other things that don’t provide you the same value. That’s the only way I can see it working. I guess you could also use the points for Third Home or something that is not resort based. Either way, I don’t think owners would be happy regardless of what MVC offered.

 

[CPNY]

You can still travel. People are still traveling so they don’t have to do anything really.

 

[sandcfort]

I just cancelled a points stay for HHI. MVC said that since its within 60 days of the reservation they will allow bookings within 120 days and not the normal 60 day window. WTBS- my points expire 6/30/2020 and cannot be used past that date. It would be nice if MVC would extend past the expiration dates if warranted.

 

[CPNY]

I just cancelled a points stay for HHI. MVC said that since its within 60 days of the reservation they will allow bookings within 120 days and not the normal 60 day window. WTBS- my points expire 6/30/2020 and cannot be used past that date. It would be nice if MVC would extend past the expiration dates if warranted.

I’m guessing the vistana side is still under vistana management in terms of operations. There is a lot of inconsistency however I was able to cancel two bookings with no cancellation fee and all restrictions removed in terms of star option usage. Others reporting given options. Pay the fee and remove restrictions on points SO or waive the fee and keep the star options restricted. I guess I was lucky and got both.