I know Marriott recently reduced the number of nights down to 750. But we're the lifetime points reduced from 2,000,000?
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Revised Requirements fr Lifetime Platinum?
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Suggested changes for Platinum rewards members
Good afternoon,
I would like to suggest the following changes to the Platinum and Platinum Premier status.
Platinum status
Currently, the only tangible benefit after gold is the 48 hour guaranteed reservation and award at check in. The rest are nice but nothing special. Special is the key. As a platinum guest not by use of credit card by nights in beds that is the most important thing.
To make us feel more special while at the property, I would suggest the following (looking for more)
- Points stays earn qualifying nights (help keep our status as we are butts in bed)
- Variation in the platinum gift. Food or 500 points is very stale at each hotel. VARRY IT! Marriott has great regional hotels, give us something from that region. I don't need points and I do not need a bigger gut. I would love a massage or other things that pamper me when I am away from my family.
- Cat 1-4 or 1-5 certificates can be translated into room discounts, spa treatments, or transferable to others. We are already at the hotels. I don't need incentives to stay more, rather I need things that make the stays even nicer.
- Upgrades without amenities are kind of worthless. Example: I loved being upgraded to a two bedroom suite because it had a fireplace.. but it was overkill as I am only one person. If I got the standard good view room but was given amenities like spa treatments, tickets to local events, movie tickets... I am already there. Take care of me.
- Have the managers make a point of learning your name. This would require us to upload a picture with our profile. it would be great to be recognized upon check in
I hope others add to my suggestions.
I would love to see some additions to the Platinum and higher status that does not encourage us to stay more (we are already doing that) but rather make it easier to keep our status through stays (not credit cards) and more importantly make the stay nicer. Small things matter more than possibility of upgrades.
I hope you like the theme from someone who was on the road more than 30 weeks last year.
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50% Mileage Bonus from US Airways when transferring from Hotel Programs
Hello! Many of you wanted to be alerted when this came back this Spring. ITS BACK! (April 2013)
Great deal when converting a Travel Package. I am going to convert one for 120k miles and get 60k Bonus. Not a bad deal!
Have fun....
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Anniversary Certificate - No Leniency
I just received my Visa Category 1-5 anniversary certificate, so I called the Plat line to see if I could use it on an upcoming stay at the Ren. LHR in November. The certificate expires in October, and the property is going to be moved to a category 6 next month, so I asked if I could get an extension on the certificate... flat out NO. NOT POSSIBLE. Asked if they could offer me another booking with the certificate, I explained I'd have no other qualifying stay this year... didn't seem to matter at all. Very disappointed... Has anyone had better luck that I recently? Any tips?
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May 2013 "Unexpected Bonus" (mega style)
I just checked Promotion Central link on the website. A new promo is now available. Titled Unexpected Bonus. Time frame May 15-Sept 2.
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Inconsistent posting of bonus points after check-in, how to follow-up?
So I've been staying at the Burbank Airport Marriott property pretty regularly this year - typically every other week. Every 2nd or 3rd stay the check-in clerk tells me that I've been picked as Guest of the Day and hands me a welcome envelope from the location manager and tells me that 5,000 points will be deposited in my account.
Maybe I'm just an impatient guy, but each time that I've been awarded this, I've never seen the points post within 5 days of completing my stay and each time I've had to reach out to Marriott via Twitter to figure out how to get them to post.
So should I be waiting longer? Following-up at check-in? Is there a better way to get these to reliably post? I stayed there last Wed-Fri and was given the same Guest of the Day packet - yet no bonus points have yet posted.
I feel so new to all of this, just not sure where to go - but those 5,000 points are worth something to me and I don't want to just ignore them.
Brendan
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Fin de Loyalty Programs?
This 4hotelier article recounts results from a recent Deloitte study, and it seems to tell us that loyalty, like public opinion, is a very volatile and very iffy thing: Loyalty can be earned one day and jettisoned the next for many travelers.
Travelers say they are in need of benefits as well as points, for their stays. Innovation, such as one-upping the competition, seems to work to keep a wavering loyalist loyal.
Many programs, like Marriott Rewards, are long in the tooth and seemingly losing their appeal due to perceived or actual diminution of benefits. Coupled with addition of new categories and loss of other benefits to the most loyal, these programs seem to be fading in their purpose. They need to be tweaked in the future if they are to survive in the market place.
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Marriott Rewards Certificate #'s
Does anyone know how to view a Marriott Rewards Certificate # when logged into your Rewrds Account?
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Can anyone tell me how to get point savers at the Champs Elysees Marriott? I have never tried using point savers
Can anyone tell me how to get point savers at the Champs Elysees Marriott? I hear about this program on the internet but don't know how to use it. Apparently the Champs Elysees Marriott is 40,000 points a night (in September) but you can save 5000 points a night with point savers. Thats great. but how do you reserve a room w/ point savers?
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More questions about 50% mileage bonus from US Airways
Hi Everyone,
I only have a few more days to take the plunge on ordering the Marriott travel package in order to take advantage of the US Airways 50% mileage bonus promotion (120,000 miles + 60,000 miles = 180,000 miles) and am trying to decide if it's worthwhile for me or not. I'd be doing it for a flight to either LHR or CDG from LAX next year, Spring 2014.
As I am west coast, I am still trying to find my US Airways legs. I just don't fly US Airways because they don't fly where I fly. The other challenge that I have with US Airways is that I can't fly non-stop from the west coast to Europe with them. With the merger however, all of that will no doubt change. Non-stop is a biggie for me, but I would be willing to accept a connection through Charlotte or Philly, if I'm flying for free (with miles).
Between North America and Europe, it costs 125,000 miles roundtrip (250,000 miles for 2 passengers) during high season. Since low season is only from Jan. 15 to Feb. 28, I figure it's just better to figure high season miles. So that would put us short by 70,000 miles. Does anyone know if the difference in miles can be purchased? Are there airline taxes and fees for the overseas legs? If US Airways is part of Star Alliance, can I combine their miles with my Lufthansa miles? The other option would be to purchase upgradeable economy class tickets and then use the miles for upgrades, 30,000 miles + $300 each way for the transatlantic flights plus 10,000 miles +$150 each way for the west coast - east coast legs, so a total of $900 + 70,000 miles just for a first class upgrade/person on top of the coach fare, which seems like a lot, but perhaps not when one considers the out of pocket cost of a first class ticket, and the fact that we are not frequent flyers, so do not have millions of miles at our disposal (or we could just fly first class half of the way maybe?)
So I'm wondering if this is a good deal for my travel needs in particular or not. Or if I'm missing any other options that haven't occurred to me. I would hate to take the plunge only to find that the miles won't work out for my needs. I'm still feeling so dumb about all of this, but I simply do not have experience with airline miles. Any thoughts or comments or answers to the above questions are greatly appreciated.
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Why should I stay with Marriott/Chase?
I have been a long time loyal customer of Marriott. I travel around the world from Shanghai to Toronto to Brazil and back for work, and for personal as well. My family and I always enjoy our stay at Marriott's as we know what we are going to get and enjoy the accommodations. I have the international card, with the chip so you would think they would be used to global issues....not the case!
Recently on a trip to Bolivia, I received a call that my card had a $2.96 cent charge that they thought was not right in Florida where I was just on Vacation. I agreed, but described at length that I was In Bolivia (middle of no where South america) and that under no circumstances where they to shut down my card, as I needed to check out in a day at 4:00am. I then gave the individual my itinerary for the next week which included a trip to China, where again I was staying at a JW, and was booking with my Marriott.
Well....at 4:00am when trying to leave and catch a 6:30am flight, yep you guessed it, my card was shut down. Hotel could not process my card and I was caught short with no other card. On the back of the card, there are 2 numbers to call, one is from the US, other is international. BOTH lead me to a 15 minute infomercial for a 4 day cruise. Thinking this would HAVE to get me to customer service, I sat through this twice in disbelief that it would not allow me to zero out to an operater in the fraud department, but no, no such luck. Some idiot in Marketing thought this would be a great place to have a cruise service announcement, vs helping folks stranded in Bolivia....
After a short time I realized that I had no other option, and called my wife, now home alone with our 2 year old, and told here that there is a very real chance I will be stuck in Bolivia for a few days. Lets say this went over NOT so great. After digging through my bag, I came across a random card that I had thrown in there from one of the 100 offers I get on a weekly. Sad part is that this was just the beginning.
Long story short, I gave them my itinerary for the next 2 weeks, every city I was in, I got rejected. They were supposed to overnight my cards before a China Trip, never got them before I left, they came the day after...
I have spoken to over 12 Chase "customer service" folks, have asked to have multiple people call me back, none have, and if they do it is literally a week after they said they would. In the end after again not getting a call back, I received a notice that they were crediting my card with 7,500 points, which is the equivalent of around $50. Oh thanks, appreciate the effort, and considering I spend on average over $100,000 a year, this is very helpful.
The end of this drama, is that I called Marriott Customer service when I had given up on Chase, not sure what I expected but the answer I got was 2x, not our problem, call chase.....Wow, your credit partner is driving loyal customers away from your brand, and this is not your problem.
This post will be the first of many warning folks of the reality with dealing with Chase, and by connection Marriott. Guilt by association. I would encourage others to look around and see that this experience is not an out layer, but seems to be more of the norm...
Anyone else have fun stories to share...fire away!!
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The Marriotts of Lincolnshire (hotels, not BBC show)
In what turned out to be a nostalgic walk down Marriott memory lane for me, I visited the Marriott Lincolnshire Illinois resort and caught an excellent performance of South Pacific at their Marriott Theatre which has been cranking out excellent plays since 1980 (I saw Kiss Me Kate in '80, wunderbar) years before the first bucket of concrete was poured for the NYC Marriott Marquis Theatre.
Lincolnshire was built essentially out in no man's land back in the mid-seventies (Buffalo Grove was aptly named) and has now been developed with three properties (FS, CY, SH) on Marriott Drive, once again demonstrating Marriott knew what they were doing. The resort provided golf, tennis, pools, horseback riding, canoeing, and for a while even a ski slope, known affectionately back in HQ as Durbin's Mountain (along with other, non-affectionate names) after the early driving force executive who headed up hotels, Jim Durbin.
On my way to Milwaukee (why? having a good time there at my Chicago daughter's age, I wanted her to see her nearby cities. I have to say, I remember it as more lively, could it have been the seventies, my age, or all of the operating breweries ? who knows) we stopped and enjoyed the Marriott Theatre Thursday night special. Dinner in the King's Wharf restaurant (salad, entree - steak, cornish hen, tilapia, etc, with vegetables and soda/lemonade/tea/coffee) along with a top notch performance of South Pacific in the comfortable seats of the theatre in the round with every seat being within nine rows of the stage. You get the show and the dinner for $55, not only a deal, but a steal (w/equity actors). If the stars ever align (say you're going to Six Flags in Gurnee, which used to be Marriott's Great America Theme Park back when they were in the theme park business) and you find yourself in the area, a Marriott show is a must see, check it out, especially on Thursdays with the dinner deal (at the adjoining restaurant - not dinner/theatre).
Unwilling to cough up the $200 plus weeknight rate at the Marriott, I opted for the always reliable SpringHill down the street (still with 24 hour coffee and their breakfast included, but alas, absent the 'Bistro' mystique of the CY) which was an excellent value as a Cat. 2 costing only 10k points. Nestled among the corporate park, they have a Walker Brothers restaurant and a Sullivan's Steak House (like the one near the Chicago SpringHill/Res Inn property) adjoining their parking lot and plenty of casual restaurants up and down the road.
The other legs of my trip included the ResidenceInn in Milwaukee on the Riverwalk - not to be confused with San Antonio's, Baltimore's Inner Harbor or even Chicago's, the Milwaukee River was more similar to Reno's little water section. Built in a renovated Gimbels (somewhat similar to the Cleveland Res Inn, but not as interesting). Grab a great price to avoid overpaying (like I did with the Heat/Bucks crowd) for essentially a routine room. A new Marriott opens this summer (a renovation also) a couple of blocks closer to the lake with limited, if any, lake views.
And then wrapping up nostalgia week, I stayed at the RenaissanceSuitesO'Hare during its last few days of being a terrific Cat.4 property. The hotel (recommended to me by skiadcock) is the suites concept with a club/concierge lounge and is right on the blue line for easy car-free access to downtown Chicago. Restaurant buffets (excellent) are provided, along with a free appetizer in lobby bar for elites on weekends and club lounge services during the week. Very competent service by each associate I met. They got things right the first time, refreshingly effective. With the impending category changes, I'm limited to using their excellent weekend rates (they are 'business priced' weeknights) and will fall back on the consistent SpringHill (a Cat. 3 going to a 4) on Higgins Rd.
The Fonz - coming before his time, tef, I could only find Laverne. Laverne and Shirley are a forgotten memory,
Kharada is wondering why there's a statue although the 30 something front desk associate (after an initial blank stare) did
of a guy who sells reverse mortgages say there was a clip of the show at a brewery tour showing Shotz Brewery.
Then adding to my experience, she said "I think I remember my grandfather
talking about them". Ouch, nostalgia sometimes comes with a price.
King's Wharf Restaurant at the Marriott Lincolnshire, Illinois South Pacific - stage before the show
Renaissance O'Hare skyline view, -even numbered rooms face the city.
16 floor building. On a clear day this is an inspiring view.
Closing out on an upbeat note. I took my mom to the Million Dollar Quartet at the Chicago Apollo Theater. I had seen the show with my wife in DC and both times had a blast, so if you haven't seen it and enjoy the concept, check it out. I was fascinated by the different reactions between the two generations. My wife and I were entertained, my mom and her contemporaries seemed to be charged up with a renewed pep in their step; so, Beatlemania, here I come.
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2013 Freddie Awards
Congratulations are in order for a near sweep of the Freddie Awards. Marriott won Americas Hotel awards for Program of the Year, Best Promotion, Best Redemption Ability, and (of course) Best Customer Service. A very strong showing! The 2013 Freddie Award
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Using Points
I am planning to go to Spain this summer. Should I use my points for both the airfare and the hotel?
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Account history?
Hi, perhaps I am missing an obvious feature..but I can't seem to find a history page in MR so that I can track points going in and out. My concern is on DH's account. His Visa Cat 1-4 cert was used, then the reservation was cancelled. The Cat cert is not back - but it may have been converted to points. I only see transactions with 0 points. It shows the Visa Free night with 0 points twice for the same date. Since I cancelled the reservation using this certificate twice - I would expect to either see the certificate available for use again or the equivalent amount of points in his account. Not sure how to ask about this if I call rewards customer service.
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Black Card
I have been staying in Marriott hotels more than 150 nights this year, do you have any rewards or Black card for people that spend more than 75 nights in one year? A friend told me Marriott rewards has a Black Card level. if so, what can I do to get that Black card.
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What to do with points ahead of their drop in value?
I regret that I have not joined this forum until today and have only done so as I only just heard by word of mouth that he point system is changing. I have historically used points here and there but have collected more than I could use for vacations but now want to cash them in on something extravagant ahead of what I am told will be a discount in their value.
To my amazement I now have over 1,000,000 points to burn and I would like to take my family on the trip of a lifetime over the Christmas Holidays anywhere from a week to two weeks. Does anyone have a suggestion as to where we can get the most out of our points? - we would prefer to go to a warmer climate and explore areas outside of the US. Thank you all in advance for your consideration!
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M11
Ok, maybe it is me (and I have no idea why I am taking the time to do this, except I am irked, again) but I keep seeming to have issues with "specials" where you can earn extra points. Often they are listed as a code M11. Althought I try to use this code, eventually it seems that Marriott tells me that isn't how I booked so I didn't earn points. FRUSTRATING.
Suggestions anyone?
If they want to drive traffic to certain properties, why make it difficult. Or is it all about getting more money on the reservation when you book, to make up for awarding some ponts?
Bottom line, I like the brand but this is pushing me to go elsewhere... I don't want to have to keep checking to see if I got the points as I thought. Dear Marriott if you are listening, can you make something on the final reservation page that indicates if a promotion is going to apply? Maybe a "Points to be earned" this reservation or akin. Or is there some web page showing future booking points and I have missed it? (not the what I have earned, as by then it appears to be to late)
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Insiders - Category Change Deadline May 15th - Book 'em danno
With the number of Insiders surprised by the E-195 gift cheque termination behind us, let's make certain no one overlooks the upcoming deadline for booking rooms (especially Category 4 certificates) at the soon to be old categories.
1) Due date May 15 (don't let the international date line throw you off)
2) The full blown explanation
3) The Cliff Notes version (are they even used anymore?) - list of changes
4) Andy's Words of Wisdom - Learn it, know it, live it.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
2013 Rewards Hotel Category File.pdf
Book now for the best value
- All redemption reservations booked on or before May 15th for stays after May 16th will be honored at the point price booked. If you have not ordered your certificate prior to May 15th, call Guest Services to request the lower priced certificate before your stay
- As always, you may book redemption reservations up to 50 weeks in advance of your stay, even before having the required points in your account. For example, on May 1, 2013 you may book your redemption stay as far out as April 16, 2014
- You can also use Cash + Points, our newest booking tool, to book your redemption stay
Ok Insiders, like Mills Lane, Hall of Fame Boxing ref, always said, "Protect yourselves at all times; Let's get it on!"
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New member question -- possible to use points earned but not yet posted?
I'm staying in a Marriott Execustay property and paid the bill about a week ago for the first month of my stay. I'm traveling this weekend and was hoping to use the points I earned from this bill on a hotel room (I should have enough points for a free night), but the points earned from it have not posted yet. I called customer service to see if they could get the points posted ASAP so that I can use them, and the woman I spoke with said the earliest she could get them posted would be Monday. So, my question is can I stay at a Marriott property this weekend, pay for it, and have the points applied to the stay retroactively once they post on Monday? Just curious... Thanks!
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