Marriott: After 6 Years, 600 Nights & $120,000 - I QUIT!
Вставка
- Опубліковано 27 вер 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.
----------------------
Check-out The Coolist - My UA-cam Channel -
/ coolist
Instagram - @james.coolist
----------------------
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....
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.
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😊
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
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.
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!
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...
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!
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 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.
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.😊
Loyalty should be a two way street, unfortunately most companies make it a one way street going only in their direction.
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 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.
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 💪🏼
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
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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
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.
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’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.
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.
Loving your videos James 👍
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.
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.
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!
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
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 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!
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%
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 😊
James I loved this video. Behind the scenes and super cool.
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
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.
Very well said! It’s very disappointing to see what they have done to the rewards program.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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
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 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.
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.
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.
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
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?]
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…
Back in 2014 to the pandemic, Marriott was the absolute best, now they tend to nickel and dime you to death! Hotels in Orlando, used to have exceptional rates, regardless of the season, but now, they've double the points and started changing parking fees for properties they never did.
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
Hyatt is a pretty great program. I’d consider that. Globalist status is amazing and easier to get than ambassador.
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.
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.
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
A 100 nights for 6 years in a row is insane. You really do travel a ton
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.
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
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
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
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
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
Great video and have had the exact same experience. I stay in Marriott properties probably 25% of the time now vs 100% pre-pandemic.
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!
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.
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 !
Thanks for sharing. I love the Marriott because their beds are so soft, and The Ritz is my fav..
Circus Circus and Excalibur execs has entered this chat 🗝️
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.
Unfortunately it's not just Marriott rewards program that sucks now. It seems that every reward or customer loyalty plan has been degraded to the point they just aren't worth it. The first program that I experienced decline to a joke was Starbucks. Every time they made changes it translated to less as a regular. It used to be 1 free coffee after 4 or 5, then it took 7 and no idea now. The birthday perk went from a free coffee your birthday month, then to the birthday week, now it's just on your actual birthday. The last revamp of their program I had enough points for 5 coffees, then the change was basically applied retroactively which meant I had enough points for a little more than 2 coffees, but not 3.
I guess corporate greed. They don't need our loyalty.
100% agree. I have been a lifetime titanium member for some time and regularly stay 100 nights a year at Marriott. Definitely seen a change. I used to feel special as a gold member. Now titanium/platinum just doesn't feel that special....
I am Titanium Elite for life and have nothing but rave reviews for their program. Once I moved to Asia and started to travel less, Marriott and Hertz were the only groups that did not throw me to the curb...I always get upgraded and have never had any problems with late checkout. By the way, the Marriott properties are exponentially better in Asia and the Middle East. But then again USA has third world infrastructure and I am not surprised. In China and HK, the Courtyards actually have executive lounges. I have a Bonvoy card and still spend about 20 paid nights a year at a Marriott. I bank my points for trips to F1 events and family trips.
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
Hence why I am with a company which only keeps increasing the perks! No extra costs. The importance of finding the “right” one.
Try Hyatt, less properties but the perks are valuable.
At one point in the 80s when my dad traveled for work a LOT, he had racked up so many points with Marriott he ended up with about two months worth of top tier hotel nights worldwide. Paid for a lot of nice vacations in Europe. But even then the system started changing, for the worse.
My 500k in bonvoy points went from being good for 10 free nights in Hawaii to barely 5 with dynamic pricing. Since I’m spending $1500/night anyways I just ditched Marriott and switched to four seasons (where available) and Hyatt for the rest.
Oh and cancelled their credit cards too lol. So much happier with Four Seasons and Hyatt has much better points redemption.
Hey James, have you considered switching to another loyalty program? I've heard that Hyatt offers a pretty good one.
As a Hilton Diamond, I've noticed the same thing over the past 5 years. Really no use being loyal to them anymore. I do better on Priceline now days.
Hyatt is better for small business travelers. Yes, $120k over 6 years is small business. Marriot and Hilton are completely focused on the larger corporate deals who spend millions each year on travel. The only way to make sure those accounts are taken care of is to limit the freebies the smaller travelers get.
As I long-time Marriott International shareholder, the stock is up around 30% year to date. Plus earnings were up 26% last quarter. So changing the program has been a net positive for the company so far.
What ur saying sacrificing the customer for net profit. That’s a short term solution. They will see their sales drop. There are always alternatives. For example take the Bud Light disaster.
@@SKS8080 Maybe, maybe not. Time will tell.
Marriott will see it as we're making lots of money so nothing for this current group of execs to worry about so let's carry on until it's bad then we'll go to another company. Companies goals are to make money, not make customers happy. They just need customers to spend regardless of their happiness level. If they can figure that out (like check bag fees and priority seats on planes even though that annoys everyone) then the execs have done their job.
Thank you for the good content. I'm currently an Ambassador elite member. Certainly, I feel that the preferential treatment has disappeared more than before.
I don't know if it's because of the budget or we're reducing the authority because we think we've got enough customers.
I was with Starwood now have 927 nights, 18 years. Starwood was so much better with upgrades now with Bonvoy Titanium Elite upgrades suck, they have raised the amount of points need to stay at premium hotels. I wished they never merged.
Aww, I just started to get into marriott after they partnered w mgm (former employee of nyny). So have you considered ambassadorship w wyndham/ caesars? Or will do you do any ambassador comparison videos when considering another chain to join? Thanks, great seeing you @ resorts world
The program is over saturated with high level members including ambassador and titanium. There are regularly 4-5 ambassador and dozens of titanium members at hotels at any time. This makes personalization and upgrades almost impossible since most hotels have only a handful of suites or truly premium rooms. Finally, when hotels grant 4pm check outs to these premium rooms they create a negative arrival experience for incoming elite members waiting on that room to be cleaned (due to an elite member late check out).
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…
For Delta it’s about the Credit Cards , they are receiving a significant amount of the Revenue via their Credit Card partnership
Govt contractor here. I travel 8-9 months a year. Marriott is hit or miss with giving me points on gsa rate. Hyatt and Hilton are 100% on still giving me points. Marriott has gone downhill last 2 years.
Agree on some points…. In the US I rarely get significant upgrades or recognition. Outside the US I’m almost always upgraded and always receive late checkout, fruit baskets, welcome letters, etc.
All the smaller perks like gifts and personal agents were nice, but the kicker was the switch to dynamic pricing. We went from booking downtown luxury places in Venice, Paris, Taipei.......to hoping we can grab a courtyard or residence inn. We're lucky, as Marriott timeshare owners they extend titanium as a perk. But I would never pay the extra money to achieve the status.
I worked for the highest end Marriott brand in Vancouver. The newest JW Marriott on the planet and it was sad how little the premier guests received. A higher floor is not a real upgrade imho!
@davidmalloy619 the only way to actually get an upgrade would be to use a SNA.
I worked so hard to get to platinum, and to be honest, it is not worth the time or the money. Red carpet treatment simply isn’t there, I’ve been treated badly by customer services when trying to get reservations fixed, and overall I just think loyalty programmes are rubbish, and now just look for cheaper alternatives.
I was a Starwood member and they had the best program for years. Then Marriott purchased them and points are worth nothing now. The points requirements have been inflated for years
Hyatt for me. Easy to hit top tier with business spending. No nights required.
I love that you touched on the Delta CEO, however, he didn’t say that this program wasn’t going to be implemented. What he actually said was the rollout was too quick, so this might be just scrapped and the funnel might be extended for the next three years, but in three years, this is the actual plan. And we’ve all seen how incredibly horrible the rollout and acceptance by the business community has been. So long-term puts against Delta? 😂
I remember when it used to be Starwood before Marriott bought them. That was a great program, I always got upgraded to something special, the points were valuable, and the hotels were unique and eclectic. I was ambassador and barely got recognized, it was no different really than titanium and all the perks of the past were pretty much gone. Now it just feels so corporate it has definitely lost its spark, and I usually prefer to stay boutique.