Marriott: After 6 Years, 600 Nights & $120,000 - I QUIT!
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- čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
- #marriott #marriottbonvoy #hotels
WHY I LEFT MARRIOTT BONVOY!
I had Marriott Ambassador Elite Status for six years in a row and I quit the program because they did THIS...
- How did they respond?
- Will I ever go back?
- Is Marriott Bonvoy worth it anymore?
In this video, I talk about why I chose Marriott Bonvoy, the best perks of being a Marriott Ambassador, when things started to deteriorate and why I ultimately left.
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If the Marriott CEO watched this video and read the comments, he would:
A) Ignore it
B) Internalize it
C) Discuss it with stakeholders
D) Swiftly implement change
A
A
Trick question, the Marriott CEO wouldn't watch this video and read the comments. You've been Bonvoyed.
@@cosmicdrift8311 😂😂😂
If this was 5 years ago they would immediately changed their system and try and recoup their reputation but most of these corpse don't care anymore because America is imploding and they know it so they're letting it.... We're heading into world war III and everybody's asleep except for the CEOs. No more freebies no more customer service they don't care about the people they just care about their own and surviving. Traveling will be a thing of the past. This is not just Marriott it's almost every industry in the hospitality arena now. They all suck and are going downhill rapidly. Marriott used to be the gold standard for the rest of them and now that they're going down we know it's tanking....
Former Marriott GM here; I've been at 5 different properties in various markets and at all of them it was tough to honor upgrades most of the time due to the combination of Ambassador and Titanium members arriving each day and how many suites on property (usually they only had between 5-25 suites). They've done a good job growing and pushing these loyalty programs; too many members fighting over certain finite property benefits. I don't think they care too much when ppl leave / are inactive. Only if they see an overall massive % drop and then they usually make yearly program changes/adjustments. Key is being a member of all of the loyalty programs and know the ins and outs to maximizing your pts when it comes to earning and spending.
That would suggest it had always been that way, but James says it changed markedly overnight. That’s not oversubscription, it’s poor business practice.
If a service becomes that prevalent and difficult to fulfil, that should come with a cost reduction or some smaller benefits or service improvements to make up the shortfall.
Same thing is happening with Airport Lounges. Recently, there are always lines and hour waits to access lounges. AMX Platinum value is dropping like a rock as it is marketed to travelers and a primary benefit is the lounge access. They oversold or under-built lounges. They still have other great benefits, but the perks are loosing value quickly.
And this person forgot to mention that a good chunk of the hotels are not corporate owned. They are actually franchisees who in a lot of cases make up their own rules that go against the Bonvoy term and conditions.
you guys forget that during Covid many hotel chains were fighting and did all sorts of sh%t to keep people coming by granting more and more people all these status benefits and now they face reality where they have a lot more “entitled” guests.
Marketing always front loads splashy benefits to woo new business and of course - loyal customers interpret inevitable deflation of these things differently. You and Jim describe a situation that's not quite bait and switch but still...
Agreed 100%. I've always been a Marriot guy and the program isn't really worth making them a priority. So now I just choose hotel based on best location or price for my needs, with zero brand loyalty.
Makes no sense to be hotel loyalist or have a hotel credit card these days.
Totally agree. I am Titanium Elite, and I virtually get no upgrades - ever. I get 2 bottles of water, and usually don’t even get free breakfast. The point downgrades are terrible. I have stayed 78 nights so far this year, and with all the points I have earned for the entire year, I can get approximately one night at a Ritz Carlton or St Regis. However, what I would say is: as a Globalist with Hyatt, they still truly honor their guests. They have incredible service, the points redemptions for top tier properties are usually 30-40k per night (compared to 120k to 200k per night for premier Marriott stays). And, they give 5 Suite certificates and they are good for the entire stay, not per night like the Marriott ones. They also give breakfast for up to 4 at the restaurants, and the food is great. Hyatts are a bit higher end, but I can say unabashed that the Globalist program is the best Hotel program bar-none.
I would concur. Before I retired, I used Hyatt properties all the time and was a top tier guest. They always treated me (and my family) well and I miss the perks the program offered.
Helpful info. Doesn’t seem like Hyatt status matches though.
@@AL-pu7ux Stayed at all chains pretty regularly. My best experience as a member was Hyatt. Just my own experience. I certainly respect yours.
Wow. Well I’m titanium elite for Marriott, but my husband and I are soon approaching retirement with the means and time to travel, and knowing this makes me want to switch immediately to the Globalist program.
Totally agree with the statement! Im a Marriott Titanium, I typically will get upgrades outside of North America, as there are wayyyyy too many Titanium/Ambassador in North America due to credit card buff! I'm a Hyatt Globalist as well and I definitely feel like the hospitality of Hyatt is better than Marriott and the points redemption is much better than Marriott as well
I agree with you 100%! Marriott has ruined its redemption days internationally. Upgrades are NEVER available. When I asked what my “Titanium” upgrade was, they responded that you get a room with a bathrobe!
Big take away is there’s no longer a Marriott family member in charge of the company. This would never happen under JW or Bill Marriott. The family took the company extremely seriously.
good point
That's not correct. David Marriott is the Chairman of Marriott. Met him while I was staying at the W in Punta de Mita at the request of the hotel GM at the time. I was super impressed that clearly someone had let him know a little about me and we had a really lovely conversation.
It's very impressive that James is doing this in almost a single take, and I don't think he's reading off the prompter. I don't know if he prepares the scripts and rehearses his speech, but it's very impressive that he can shoot 9 minute video without stuttering or mumbling, and express his thoughts in a very fluent manner. Very nice.
There is a reason he worked in sales :)
There are clear cuts in the video so it’s not all in one take.
It might have to do that he went to a good college. Took speech/debate courses?
@@fingersmicke8856Thank you.
@@fingersmicke8856let's see you do it😊
I'm a Marriott Rewards member, and I wholeheartedly agree about the points being diluted. If you look at how much a room costs with points vs cash, the points are almost always valued at under 1%, even factoring in room taxes and fees. It's just not a good program anymore.
Tropical cent per point for marriot is 0.7. Hilton is Lower but at least u know you’ll get breakfast!
When Marriott and Starwood merged, things became very different for (former) Starwood employees as well. You might think that the largest hotelier in the world, with all that buying power, would have highly competitive pay and benefits packages. When the new benefits packages rolled out, there were FEWER choices and they were more expensive for the employees. Employee discounts were barely any better than what I could find as a random customer online. I booked a stay recently with Bonvoy points I had saved up and when there was no record of how many points the stay would be and the vacation was coming up, I called to verify I had enough points. Customer Service confirmed I did, but apparently I didn’t. They canceled the stay when we arrived without any option to pay for whatever nights would not have been covered.
We had to scramble to find new accommodations and they could not have cared less about how much stress this caused.
Shocking how low marriot pays for high level professional. Es Shair in the site last week. Half of them don’t even list compensation, ur supposed to tell them ur min!
I'm a Marriott Rewards member and property owner. I have also noticed the service being degraded. Much of it is not the money but just the way you are (not) treated.
I just stayed at the Old Scottsdale Marriott and was disappointed that parking was $30 per night regardless of your status. They charged a $25 per day incidental fee, but also said we had a $25 credit per day in the hotel restaurant/bar only (not room service, poolside, etc). This forces you to either forfeit $25 per day if you want to eat/drink outside the hotel, or limit your dining to the hotel restaurant, which did not have much of a menu selection. And of course, the marketing guys know that going into the bar/restaurant with your party to redeem your $25 credit normally results in you spending $60-80 minimum. So, I felt like there was a $55 per day fee just to check in. Breakfast was not complementary.
At another Marriot property nearby, the parking fee was $18 per night. This was not in the city and there was plenty of parking. It seems like Marriot has conducted a study and figured out they can bring in an extra (fill in the amount here) $6 Million dollars per year hitting everyone with parking fees.
The next night I was back in Phoenix. Stayed at the Tempe Residence Inn. $15 per day to park. I walked in and without asking was informed that they upgraded my room. I was using points and they gave me a one BR corner suite. It was nothing special but it was nice to get the upgrade. Breakfast was included.
One of my biggest gripes is knowing that the hotel has rooms available, but they will not let you reserve them if you are using points.
I get the impression that Marriott often does not care. Staff at reception seems indifferent.
Marriot is not even the 4th best chain
I had the same problem with Hilton. The relationship ended when I had a flight cancellation and they charged me for the room. I wrote a letter asking them if my future business was worth the one-night charge. They sent a form response said they were reviewing my issue. Then I never heard back.
This is what travel insurance is for.
It's so hard to remain loyal to one or a certain group of companies when they are unwilling to work with us customers. A few weeks ago, I had to delay my trip down to Mexico by a day due to weather and the hotel I was staying out (not a part of a major hotel company) was willing to adjust my arrival date and didn't charge me for the day that I was not there. it's little things like that, that for me go a long way.
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Am a Titanium member and absolutely hear all of your points. I hate the current point system, where a Saturday is 65k points and a random Tuesday is still 61k, makes no sense and is a complete waste. We do frequently get decent upgrades but NEVER the level you’re speaking of. Would like to see more from the program for the amount we spend. We do 75 nights but the majority being higher end properties, should be reflected.
I'm also an 5year Ambassador, with 18yrs 1884nights, with Lifetime Titanium Elite. I stay at Marriott for the service and product that they provide, with no complaints. But you are correct, the perks were exciting at first but unfortunately have been downgraded. But i genuinely see the CSR's do what they can.😊
As a Marriott card holder, we saw this too. Not only did they change hotel to category based but they also changed to varying points per day vs per stay. You could always count on a set number of points per night and now it’s a different number every day with weekends being higher. We don’t even use our Marriott card anymore and have fully switched to a Southwest card.
Earning Hotel pts not worthy it. They are basically worthless
I agree! We vacation with Marriott as much as possible, usually 40 days per year. We own three Marriott timeshares as well. We are titanium elite and never get worthwhile room upgrades, only a higher floor. 4 PM late checkout is almost never granted even during weekdays. I feel like employees enjoy declining our status benefit requests, even while thanking us over and over for being TE. We are considering Hilton or Hyatt.
Loyalty should be a two way street, unfortunately most companies make it a one way street going only in their direction.
This is exactly why I've stopped going to Hilton. But I don't miss it. Throughout the pandemic things got worse and the breakfast credit that doesn't cover breakfast made me angry enough to leave.
I've been sticking with Hyatt for 2 years, and I love it. Hyatt Key West and their us locations, while sparse, are absolutely worth having. I've also got the Hyatt card so the free nights aren't always great but in the DC area, there are some really nice hotels with low categories.
I read about guys getting ambassador status like you on reddit. U are my hero. Im really sad to hear they couldn't do u right. A recent ambassador came out on reddit and said they want to downgrade.
I’m also a Marriott Rewards Member. As of now I have Ambassador status all the way through 2024. I also have Lifetime Titanium Elite status. I have a 23 year association with Marriott, my lifetime stays so far are 2036 nights. I never have a problem, I have a personal concierge’s person that makes sure I’m well taken care of. It’s always the best rooms, chocolates, champagne you name it. Prior to the Ambassador Concierge I was given a contact number for a person in Bill Marriott’s office to reach out to if I had any concerns. Marriott had been loyal to me and I’m loyal to them.
Great synopsis of the Marriot points and status programs. I was in pursuit for my Ambassador status but decided to abort it due to the fact every location is different and inconsistent. Your right it’s all about the Algo ‘s! So I’ve learned to utilize the App religiously to fit my travel needs! In conclusion, I’ve learned that service and upgrades are better internationally, so I exploit that and frequent the locations that I have a rapport with the managers.
Everything you stated is correct…. I see alot of cards diluting rewards programs, perks and over all points value.
I used to be able to just check in at Hilton or other hotels in the FHR network… and they would welcome me and immedialty acknowledge my status with Hilton/ Amex and then would just upgrade me.
Now I feel like I have to ask them at check in… and they get really agitated that I am even bringing it up. Totally feel like it's unpersonal and very pedestrian…
I too question if there is even a loyalty program out there that is worth it.
Just sad.
This is called a Soft Landing and Mariott is currently, automatically doing this for all elite members. If you do not requalify for your current tier status the most you will drop is one level for next year.
🎉 beat me to it!😊
Doesn’t change that fact Marriott is still a bad brand
I have noticed this in most industries lately from retail to restaurants even a lot of car dealers having fixed non negotiable prices. Seems as though we’re being treated as cattle these days with no appreciation and an arrogance in thinking and customer service. As if they expect you to spend regardless. Giving a little back to the paying customer goes a long way. It’s ONLY about the bottom line these days so i go where the better deals are instead of complacency. The only way to complain is spend your money elsewhere. Great video by the way 💪🏼
Glad to see the marriott algorithm did the right thing for you since the people can't anymore. One that has been great for me lately has been Sixt car rental, with awesome upgrades based on status.
I've held Marriott Titanium and Hyatt Globalist simultaneously for many years. Because of a reduction in work travel, I have to choose one or the other, and I'm definitely going Hyatt. Marriott has more hotels, but like you said, the points are really weak.
Oddly, Southwest just CUT the number of flights (or points) it takes to acquire A-List status or earn a companion pass. Perhaps there's been a backlash against the reduction of travel perks.
Southwest is doing whatever they can because of their own stupidity with the 2 travel meltdowns they had in the last 2 years. That's the only reason for their desperation.
Southwest has not recovered from the disaster of last December. When your company is used as a joke that is used by comedians everywhere, it will take a long time to regain customer trust especially around Christmas.
@flashoflight8160 You are probably right. My A-list staus was set to expire at the end of 2022 but was extended through this year. I figured that it was probably damage control.
It will be interesting to see if MGM Rewards does something similar with its status tiers to assuage its customers after the hack.
I'm shocked they reached out. I see this all the time. Instead of continuing to take care of their best customers, businesses will cut benefits to them while chasing new customers. I have been a 70-80 night a year Hilton Honors members for a very long time. I have noticed that points per night award stays have gone up significantly in the last couple of years. I have used their Amex Hilton card on top and even with that extra points it isn't the value that it used to be. Thinking of changing over just to regular Amex and collect the Membership Rewards points. Can convert them to gift certificates or travel that way. Great video as always James. Thanks
We switched to other brands because the Marriott properties started letting us down since about mid 2022. Ive noticed more maintenance issues, cleanliness issues, and staffing issues and I have been Marriott loyal since I started my career in 2004. I think they got so big that some things just fall through the cracks.
doesn't help they're almost completely franchised. They don't have much control over day-to-day operations, thus we notice the inconsistencies across their portfolio
It's just the brand. They are all most all a fransize location with someone else owning the property and managing it.
Yes I know it’s a brand but they used to hold their owner operators to a higher standard to keep that sign out front.
I agree, and that includes places like the Ritz Carlton unfortunately
Cutting back those Marriott stays explains how you've had the time to visit all those Vegas properties. Marriott's poor customer service has been verbed as 'You've been Bonvoyed'. Apparently they consider themselves just the name and booking system over a collection of different brands and allow each property to decide how, or even if, they honor perks and benefits.
You can’t go down more than one status year over year. Meaning if you didn’t hit ambassador last year you automatically get pushed to Titanium. Next year you would go down to Platinum if you don’t hit Titanium even if you don’t have the required nights for Platinum. I’ve been a Marriott loyal member for years, I have lifetime status. I agree things have gone down significantly
Ive been ambassador for about 3 years, but I'm also Lifetime Titanium Elite. So I still stay at Marriott a lot, but I have noticed I'm not getting many upgrades... so you are right about that. ..
I have flown with Delta in my last job significantly and using the Reserve card I was entitled to go to the Sky lounge anytime I was flying Delta. Although they did restore some perks, the sky Lounge is limited now for people with the Reserve card. Paying 500 a year for a card is significant to me, and if I am going to be limited in how many times I can go, I think I will be letting the card go as well. I am not flying as much anyway, so I will probably use up that 150k miles I have and boot my Delta Loyalty. I live in SWFL now and flying to Atlanta to go to Miami for free isn't worth it.
Ever since Marriott has taken over the Royalton we have noticed perks and little comp things that made our trips special either deteriorated or disappeared.
Not to mention cutbacks in dining quality and beverage selections.
We travel a few times a year and book Presidential Suites whenever we can!
It just seems like they don't give a sh¡t anymore about loyalty as there is always someone else who will book your suite/room if you don't.
We are doing a return visit to Chic Cancun next month. Let's see if they dropped the ball like they did at the Royalton Riviera!
The staff at all the resorts are phenomenal, and they are the only thing keeping people coming back and loyal to their hotels.
Customer service is pretty much few and far between. Even Disney World known for top notch service has severely fallen off. No surprise. Thank you for another informative video.
I used to love the Mariott program and used it for most of my travel. Once it began to fall off (I noticed around 2021) I decided to look elsewhere. Hopefully they will go back to what they did best, top shelf customer service.
I’m a Marriott person as well and I have definitely noticed a difference. I never get an upgrade unless I ask for it when I’m checking in. It should have been given to me automatically. I stay with them though because I own 2 timeshares through the company. I hope they watch your video. Abe you can make them rethink things.
Lmao. Marriott don’t care about ur experience. Only stockholder dividends.
Ever since COVID, 4PM check out has been even more difficult to get. In some cities, hotel workers are even going on strike. One time I was upgraded to a suite and was told that I couldn't have 4PM check out as suites take longer to clean and the housekeepers shift ends at 5PM! I asked again on the date of check out and was ultimately given until 4PM by another staff member. I went out and came back the hotel around 3PM and the housekeepers were already cleaning the living room portion of the suite and the bathrooms while leaving the bedroom untouched. On another occasion, when I got 4PM check out, just as I was leaving my room, there were already a pair of housekeepers standing there waiting with their cleaning supplies.
Don’t blame the workers!
This is generally happening all over, not just the strip. It’s an unfortunate sign of the times. I enjoy my memberships through Grazie and Wynn, especially F&B credits.
Facts, even airline cards are diluting the points and overall program.
I'm local to Las Vegas and am only interested in player's club comps (freeplay and food), and I've noticed Wynn is far superior to MGM. I don't have any experience with Grazie, so I don't know how it compares to Wynn. I'm extremely happy with Wynn and have been loyal to them for years.
@@miamivicefanatic9736 you’ll get $20 off dinner if you lose all your money at slots.
LV hotels are interesting. They are better equipped to downgrade services when they want. They seem to be able to all get together and agree to downgrade together as a group(the largest casinos anyway) in the same time frame.
@@TransConBrilliancetrue. But this happening in other sectors as well. Especially banks/credit cards
Hi James, I concur with the cost cutting side of travel businesses everywhere! Ironically, I have been a Hilton Diamond member for 10 years and all of us with my company that travel recently changed to the Mariott Bonvoy properties. Tiem and experience will tell but we are steadfast to give them a shot.
I hope cruise Lines don't start doing it as well as I am Platinum on Carnival and Diamond on MSC!
I traveled for a living and was a staunch Hilton Honors member. Achieved their highest level of loyalty and held it for 3 years. I only recently used up the last of my points. I’m not sure if Hilton rewards has changed, but I surely hope not. “Loyalty” goes both ways. I hope Hilton remembers that.
I have status with Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt. No program is perfect…but you can find value in each one. I remember your video about all the different Marriott levels of status…and you saying that Platinum was the best one because it has most of the perks without having to stay 100 nights or spending 23k. And now you can have Platinum status just by having the Amex Brilliant card. Personally I am Platinum and I am upgraded more often than now. I think that where Marriott shine is internationally. Last stay was a couple weeks ago at the amazing W Muscat, upgraded to a $800 1 bedroom suite for just 35k points. Keep the great work…you are the best…even when I am tired of the endless all inclusive reviews 😊
Interesting! We've just started choosing a hotel brand and we chose Marriott. But if we don't get the advertised upgrades on a regular basis then we're definitely open to making a switch.
I've been an Ambassador with Marriott since the inception of the program after the SPG acquisition (and lifetime Plat with SPG before that). I stay at hotels all over the world. My experience is completely opposite of yours - Marriott has been simply phenomenal. Was never a fan of the personal ambassador program as I felt I knew more about the properties than they did. But I always - always - get upgraded. Always get late checkout. Personal arrival gifts etc. Of course, I don't book the very cheapest room and then expect a multi-level upgrade. Nor do I go on and publicly complain about businesses with whom I have a relationship. Take that for what it's worth.
I get upgraded all the time too and I was an employee
I think these spoiled brats just want Presidential suites everywhere they stay.
I am a Marriott person because of Westin and their beds, believe me I wish I didn't have to be, just can't sleep on a lot of other beds. Hyatt was great until they replaced all of their beds with a firmer model. I do like the Platinum benefits that I get with the Amex Brilliant card.
Totally agree!
I've found that whilst Marriott has the best properties, with so many people in the Bonvoy program it's hard to get value/perks. Lets be honest, Marriott know they have the strongest selection of properties. In recent years, Hilton have done a better job for me. However, lets see what the MGM partnership brings, maybe my head can be turned again. I agree though, rewards programs aren't what they used to be. The goal posts keep getting moved. AMEX FHR can be a better option now, rather than being loyal to one brand/hotel group.
They have the most properties, not the strongest selection.
I'm a lifetime Marriott guy with over 2,000 nights (Lifetime Titanium and T50 last time I checked into a hotel as well as Delta Million Miler/former 360; etc.)
In my experience, all loyalty programs have had a bit of a reset since the pandemic, and it makes sense as it's basic math. Before the pandemic, we frequent travelers were X% of the mix consuming much greater than X% of the loyalty amenities. Essentially, the masses of casual travelers were subsidizing our premium experience. Now, the ratio has changed. There are fewer business travelers, so travel orgs dont have the margin for all the gratuities. Hence, rejiggering of programs to move the bar higher so fewer high loyalty patrons get some benefit.
American economy in decline
Upgrades are easier to get if you are staying for only 1 night. On a couple occasions, I was staying 3 nights and purposely made 3 separate 1 night reservations to increase my chances.
Bingo
James, I totally agree and have been a Diamond member with Hilton and don’t really see any benefit other than more points per night based on Diamond status. It’s not what it used to be. I agree 100%
Currently Ambassador. Have spent as many as 8-9 months at a time in a room. Not five years ago, the perks were fantastic. Now they are non-existent and I haven't bothered even booking anything with my points. A basic hotel costs 100,000 points for a couple of nights and forget about an upgrade. Also had a personal concierge until basically two years ago. There was never any mention of any downgraded service. I had thoughts of putting in the ten years to lifetime platinum (maybe one year to go), but decided that it will provide no benefit to me, so I am no longer staying loyal to Marriott.
Your comments resonated with me as a Delta Diamond Medallion member. I have seen the same degradation of Delta’s Skymiles loyalty program over the past 4 years. Like Marriott, if Delta makes the miles your earn worth less and less, eventually one wonders if one’s loyalty to one brand is any longer worth it. Yes, in Delta’s case they have made some changes to their program but…what they have not yet proved or displayed any improvement on is the ACTUAL value for each mile flown. If they keep raising the minimum miles needed for a free flight, then everything they are doing is really just smoke and mirrors. Like Marriott, I have seen Delta’s service level drop during the past Fee years. Write a letter, submit a comment, I don’t usually ever see a reply, even though I am Diamond, as well as a million miler. I have written to Ed Bastian, and never even gotten a form letter back. Like you, I am really starting to question if loyalty programs still hold enough value worthy of my loyalty.
they arent called sky pesos for nothing. my mom was a million miler on delta and without her amex card they wont even let her walk into the lounge and if they do if im with her they will still nickel and dime her and extra few bucks just so i her osn can come in with her.
If you have a branded card, you start the year with 15 elite nights, plus you get a birthday gift elite night. If you have the older card you get an additional elite night credit for every $3000 spend. So, you can bring your yearly stay requirement down from 100 actual nights quite quickly.
Great video. Experienced something very similar with Delta. Hence I dont fly Delta anymore. Alaska Airlines earned my buisness and I haven't looked back since.
I agree with everything you are saying. I am Lifetime Titanium with 1,700 lifetime nights. I have seen the perks go down. I am Gold Hilton, and they treat me better than Marriott. I have been loyal to Marriott, and am disappointed that do not value the loyalty. They have Suite Awards that I try to use when I have my Wife with me. They are of available most of the time. I hope it improves, and I hope the MGM Partnership is good for Marriott Members.
I remember in the 90’s my father used to travel 100+ nights out of the year. He built up enough points to take the whole family to Disneyland. Before we could book it the airline went out of business. I remember they sent us a little fake leather wallet to make up for it. I’m still salty about it and I’m 36
I’ve been Marriott Titanium for 3 years and received suite upgrade only once. And I often need to ask to be upgraded to a nicer room. The only 2 benefits I appreciate is the 4 pm check out, (and a lot of hotels at full capacity will only give you until 2pm and argue the 4pm check out is based on availability), and free breakfast/lounge access. Marriott is substantially more expensive than local hotels, and even Hilton/Hyatt.
I’ve been a diamond member with Hilton for the last 6-7 years. Very very similar experience.
My last stay a couple weeks ago I even had to ask for my snack and drink at check in as they didn’t even realize I was a diamond member. The level of care simply is not there industry wise and it’s showing. Rewards are higher than ever. Use to be you could get a Hampton on a slow night for 10-15k/pts per night now even in the slow season 28k or higher seems to be the norm every time I look anywhere. Room upgrades are non existent.
I was considering moving to Marriott but maybe not. Not sure what’s next but I’m done with Hilton
One of the main factor why upgrade and perks are getting worse is because of status from credit cards. More and more people have them and therefore less likely to get upgrade. Also marriott is getting always trying to get on the investor good side and neglect their users side.
Also the late check out is guaranteed. Unless resort type properties
Loving your videos James 👍
I miss being a Starwood gold member. Between 2009 and 2017, I obtained a free week at the westin aruba, 2 nights at the St-Regis in NY, upgraded 50% of the time... it was awesome until Marriott took over.
I don't stay a whole lot at Marriot, but I got the Brilliant Card and enjoyed the free lounge (no upgrades so far) access. Either me or my partner are going to get the Business Marriot which means we'll start out with 40 elite night credits next year and I was considering making a run for Titanium status. Watching this I'm not sure there is that much differences. When I make it to 50 nights I might just get the 5 suite nights and risk not quite getting the Titanium
Ambassador here. I still get substantial upgrades, additional points, chocolates and hand written notes upon check in, personal ambassador. Points have value not only for hotel stays but for their reward redemptions where you can get gift cards, golf equipment and other cool stuff. I will stay with Marriott for a long time.
You did right by leaving the program. I don't mind spending money on vacation if I'm getting what I perceive is a fair value. One of my pet peeves is getting fleeced by a greedy corporation.
Fellow Marriott Ambassador. Everything you spoke about is very accurate, they even screwed me out of some points when we had to adjust a stay 6 months ago. Except the late checkout, we have always been given those when needed. However, I have been trying to get into a massive property (1600+ rooms) for MONTHS, that has been sold out, with no explanation. They have been useless with getting us into this property. I'm about to give up! I miss Starwood.
Been a Platinum member for six years. Not worth the cost for the few degraded perks in recent years. Noticed a big difference the last two years. I mostly vacation in SE Asia, three months a year for the last 10 years. Better bang for your buck if you go with the local hotels. Especially this year. It appears Marriott Bonvoy raised prices would wide in unison. SE Asia Marriott hotels charging US prices. Equivalent 5 star hotel substantially cheaper out of the Bonvoy brand. Bonvoy considers 4 floor room, above 3rd floor room an upgrade.
I agree with you. I’m not saying I’ll never use a Bonvoy hotel, but it no longer pays to be loyal. A better experience can be had by carefully shopping.
James, you’re more than halfway there. With 10 years, you get lifetime status. Mind as well get there first then figure it out after.
i am only platinum ATM but have been Titanium before. Didnt think Ambassador was worth the spend. I will probably get platinum for life in 18 months. Things have got worse across the board imo.
I’ve definitely seen an increase in the amount of points needed to book rooms. Heading to New Symerna Beach next weekend. 182,000 AND $135 for 3 nights at a springhill suites.
Pretty ridiculous. I would expect that from a Ritz Carlton property
That’s outrageous!!!
Shocking really
Very well said! It’s very disappointing to see what they have done to the rewards program.
Unfortunately a lot of franchised hotels don’t necessarily follow the brand standards to a tee. You should have been getting the 4 pm check out no matter what.
My mother n law is 90. She was loyal to Marriott for years & finally gave up. Her trip to boston last week, she stayed at another property. Big hotels are gobbling up other hotels. It’s crazy!
Hey man, thanks for the video. I'm a Marriott elite and have been for over 10-15 years, due to my extensive personal/business travel. I'm currently Titanium, but, I'm also a Lifetime Platinum Elite. Like you, I was a Marriott loyalist year after year, due to the great program and widespread locations, particularly after they acquired Starwood Hotels. Also, like you, I did notice I wasn't receiving the benefits, such as upgrades, as often and using points for stays became worthless, as they were so expensive. I notice this particularly in North America, not so much outside North America. Nowadays, like you, I check rates at all major hotel chains and now base my lodging decisions on cost, location, program benefits, and most often, the condition of the hotels. As a side note, I stopped flying Delta many years ago because their miles redemption became worthless [ie., 800,000 miles to fly business roundtrip to Europe...really?]
Thanks for another video James..I totally agree loyalty programs across the board have changed and not so much for the better…The only exception I can see to that is the MGM loyalty program..(a little, lol) 😅
I’ve been a Marriott member for over 12 years, solid gold member based truly on stays not CC status. I have enjoyed Marriott, unless two nights ago… booked a reservation more than one month out at an airport, return trip late at night. Did online check in. Arrived at mid night local time after traveling through 3 time zones, to be told, sorry were over booked and you have no room. Marriott finally did me wrong, really second guessing my status now…
James I loved this video. Behind the scenes and super cool.
All these big companies trying to cut costs after covid but the wrong way, loyalty programs were always about having customer data therefore bringing you back and seeing the market trends but some marketing people clearly forgot.
it seems like all the programs, across the board, have been downgraded. Delta now sucks. Celebrity Cruises had downgraded the value of status. the list goes on and on. Interestingly on the Delta CEO. He didn't actually say they went to far on the cuts. Listening closely, what he says is they went too fast (they wanted to 'rip the band-aid off all at once'), not that they went to far. So I expect rollback of the cuts for a year or two, but then having them be reinstated.
Platinum member here. Booked a suite and the Fairfied hotel did not honor. They said we only have a standard king. This was insufficient for my family of 4. I was not offered an alternative accomodation, heck i was not even offered a compensation. After 4 hours with customer care, I give up! #Bonvoyed
This program is totally devalued
James love your videos !!
What is nice for me ,I retired and don’t travel much any more .
They gave me Lifetime Titanium status which for me is a nice perk after all the years traveling going back to the beginning of the program .
Life time Titanium elite !! how is that possible ? The maximum program allow is life time Platinum elite status
I go back and forth with these programs. I have came to the conclusion that, at the end of the day, wherever I can get the most value for my money is where I am going to be. I enjoyed the thought process here as well.
Been a Marriott loyal customer for years, reward program has declined so much I don't really look at Marriott's in the city I am going now, the reward program no longer makes me seek them out!
Very interested to see what happens with the mgm Marriot partnership next year. A little afraid to see how many Bonvoy pours it takes for the Aria !
Lifetime Titanium Elite here and I could not agree more with every point you’ve made. Upgrades have been nonexistent since late 2019, and my points devalued significantly. I’ve made the move to Hyatt.
You should have concentrated all this spend with Hyatt. Lifetime Globalist is $200,000 (1 Million base points). Marriott's personal Ambassadors have been back since April so that's a lot better. Late check out at 4pm is still guaranteed for Platinum/Titanium/Ambassador except at conference centers and resorts. Never ran into problems with that.
However the loophole for the hotels is to add the word convention and resort to their name. When they aren’t actually one. So they can get out of that late check out
Been a Marriott member for the past 25 years. I had attained Platinum, then Titanium status. When I stopped traveling for work, they downgraded me to Gold status, but I am n to Gold status for life. Wish I had gotten Titanium status for life, but I'll take what I can get.
They don’t do titanium for life
Only platinum for life
I’ve noticed a significant regression in upkeep of Marriott properties. I’ve stayed in some real dumps lately, and not just in the lower tier brands.
agreed... even the likes of Ritz Carlton
Looks like they are trying to take care of you. I was a big Starwood customer and then got dumped into the Marriott mud. I immediately saw the points devalue. I just hit Platinum for life but I'm not sure it has any value. At least, I have no minimums to keep up with as lifetime. I really miss SPG.
Totally different experience for me. Ambassador for the past two years and it’s been great service
A decade ago, I was every other week on a hotel of my choice (and paid by me), for 3 years. 75 weeks or so in a hotel, 300 nights, and also 150 domestic flights.
And I appreciated the hotel I chose, the employees, and the way I was treated, but it took me some weeks to find the right one, with the right people and the right state-of-mind.
People like us needs to have friendly employees and a grateful company, because we are the baseline business, not a random traveler that might have chosen any other similar hotel.
Many people won't understand the ability to order a great meal at 9PM or 10PM with a glass of wine while working on a project, document or report, for example.
They just sleep in the hotel, often taking their breakfast here, but we were working here. Hotel for us is a working place too.
Facing same thing with Caesar reward program. Diamond used to be amazing with Free Spa/Gym access, free diamond lounge, show tickets, buffets now all of those gone. Like someone else said maybe just sign of the times. Getting to a point my Vegas friend and I seriously considering doing something else besides annual Vegas trip.
Titanium elite and lifetime platinum. Two biggest gripes are awful devaluations on point redemptions like you mentioned. Some of my favorite properties are double or triple the points for the same stay. Second biggest gripe is customer service. I don’t feel valued ever, and they no longer go out of their way to make you happy; they usually require a nudge to get what you want. I think Marriott has gone downhill over last 10 years tbh, but as long as their stock is sky high like currently, I don’t think they care even for their elite members
I also saw that info from Delta and I immediately thought of you bcuz i know you’re top tier traveler. And wow! Didn’t realize you really spend most of your life on the road! All the best, James
A 100 nights for 6 years in a row is insane. You really do travel a ton
Over the past 22 years, I stayed 2,235 night and held all sorts of status levels - 5 years as Ambassador and now I am Lifetime Titanium. This year I have 122 nights and spent $18,928 and I have no intention or goal to make it to Ambassador. What he says is true, upgrades don't exist, welcome gifts are now a bottle of water, and most requests are met with an immediate "NO!" I do not feel welcome anymore at any Marriott hotel and started to stay at Hilton properties to build up my status there and use both as needed, with Hilton being my first choice. Customer service at all Marriott hotels I've stayed this year was disappointing.
I’m a three year ambassador and don’t see many benefits. I get one or two water bottles each stay. I think it’s a joke.
Also, you got titanium due to Marriotts soft landing policy. Meaning you’ll never go down more than one tier in a year.
I find it annoying that I have the suite night awards and can’t use them at a lot of properties that I would like to use them at.
I’m losing interest in chasing Marriott status. Especially since people can get platinum just by owning an Amex credit card…
I’d like for them to bring back titanium for life…
Corporations: Record profits
Also corporations: Let's screw over our best customers. 🤦♂
Hyatt is a pretty great program. I’d consider that. Globalist status is amazing and easier to get than ambassador.
La Quinta is the only one that’s cool about dogs. No bs fees, no problems…so that’s my go to even when I don’t have my dog. Nothing fancy to the place, but it’s clean, customer service great, breakfast pretty good..always consistent..and I don’t have to deal with any bs over my dog
When Marriott first came out with their rewards program you could cash in 180,000 points for two 1st class airfare tickets with a one week stay and rental car. My wife and I went and stayed at the Maui Marriott 15 years in a row for free. We were given a corner ocean front room. We also vacationed to Australia, Costa Rica and took a cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line courtesy of Marriott. Shortly after I retired I was sent a package upgrading my status to Platinum Elite for life that was then upgraded to Titanium for life for having spent over 1000 paid nights in Marriot Hotels. Yes, the program has since been watered down. But, all I can say is, Thank you Marriott for sending me on so many amazing vacations that I never would have spent the money on at that point in my life.
I got Unobtainium Extremum Elite Exclusive Interplanetary Ambassador (U Triple-E IA), which gives me a free orange juice every morning, room service delivery charge and tip not included. I stayed 1000 nights over 3 years for this. There are only four of us who have ever achieved this. I feel so special.