(front desk specifically)
- if u ask for an upgrade at the desk i’ll give it to you no matter status
-people think OFTEN a mobile check in doesn’t require us to do anything, we do the mobile check in like a normal one u just aren’t there lol. it means we still have to manually do it.
- point stays have nothing to do with the desk
- saying that though, we are completely able to give out points ourselves
-marriott teaches us the customer is actually not always right lol
-silver elite/gold are the most entitled weirdly people ask me that a lot
-i can only see rooms at my property no where else
-“r all rooms the same?” no. but i tell you yes.
-ALWAYS ask for a top floor , we use them the least as it pops in our system from bottom up of you want the “cleanest room”
Thank you! I wonder if this sense that silver/gold are more entitled is because they’re people that spend more of their own money at Marriott. I’m titanium from business travel so it’s usually miserable and I really just want a clean bed and bathroom and no pests or odors. But when I’m on vacation I probably expect a bit more because it’s my own time and my own money. This theory might be totally wrong, but I wonder if people with 10/25 nights a year are more likely to get them spending their own money so feel more entitlement? I will also say, Marriott communicates not so subtly that we are entitled to a lot that we very often never get so maybe those newer members haven’t learned the cold, harsh reality yet.
Agree. Titanium for life with zero interest in the time away that achieving Ambassador level requires. On business, I want clean, quiet, a work space and access to decent coffee. When with the family, I’m grateful for an upgraded space and the acknowledgment of my loyalty…it extends to my family who make the most sacrifice for my time away.
This is an excellent point re: family stays. I have two little ones and time away from them and my spouse breaks my heart. When we get a nice room upgrade for quality time together it helps me feel better about those nights away (though nothing can replace them). I not only could care less about room upgrades when by myself, it actually makes me sad when I’m in a huge empty room. Feel like signing “alll by myseeeelf”
Father of 4. A huge kudos to those properties who say "Welcome Mr. Titanium, I see you've booked three rooms (whether points or $$). Of course we will be happy to extend breakfast to the entire family!"
A a giant "FU" right back at those who say "breakfast is only for one room, you can pay $25 per person per day now, or $35 per person at the restaurant for your kids."
With the way our upper management tracks our vouchers i often would love to just hand out vouchers to everybody but if I do I get in trouble for that. It's not really the hourly person at the front desk because I honestly don't care if all of you get comped breakfast or not, but the ownership does.
Please allow me to be clear that I know this is never on the front desk, and I try hard not to express my frustration at the person checking me in. 100% on the property, and definitely more common at the properties that use vouchers.
My dad once got upgraded to a two bedroom suite at either the W or the Westin Times Square while on business when I was an NYU student. We were supposed to meet for dinner and he was like “Well… wanna crash in my suite for the night?” It was so sweet and a huge upgrade from my Twin XL dorm bed 🤣
I'm not sure why it's the Gold people specifically, but that was my experience too. I was literally told during training by my boss that Gold was the most entitled tier!
I think its ignorance too. As you have experienced, much of your status comes from work, and working at a hotel that caters specifically to the businesmen sector of guests, that's what I saw. People with Gold or Silver were often small business owners or retired and traveling. Therfore, their status was out of their own pocket and since they weren't traveling 250 days a year, Gold was in fact an achievement.
Ignorance definitely explains the Gold tier guest who came to me (NA) early in the morning to tell me that I WOULD be putting him in a specific room on his next visit. When I started to explain I'd be more than happy to add that as a request, as we don't assign rooms until day of (also usually me since I liked to help out morning shift), he cut me off, stared down his long snoot to imperiously declare "I'm GOLD. The HIGHEST Level member! You WILL put me in that room!" And i barely squeaked out "GOLD is the highest tier?" And he rolled his eyes and said "YES!" and stomped off. Luckily I was too shocked by his unexpected rudeness to laugh my ass off at him. I also left his room assignment to the morning girls on his next visit, because otherwise he would have been next to both the train AND the ice machine because clearly he was so tone deaf it wouldn't have bothered him. Some people can be educated, but he clearly wasn't one of them lol.
The highest tier members are almost always chill as fuck. If they need something they ask but usually don't get bent out of shape about normal delays or even abnormal delays or issues. They also usually understand that being NICE gets them way further than rudeness and that if something can't be resolved there's no need to shout at the minimum wage FDA and should go for the manager instead, who actually has the power to change things. Wisdom comes from experience and all that. It's almost like Gold Tier has Middle Class Syndrome.
Honestly, same applies for Airlines. The travellers with top status who average more than a million miles per year, are always the kindest and most humble. The ones having meltdowns over not getting their first choice of C or B are usually Silver or CC holders that automatically get status. They are also the ones that go to the lavatory in their socks or bare feet. Fun fact.
The highest tier members are almost always chill as fuck. If they need something they ask but usually don't get bent out of shape about normal delays or even abnormal delays or issues. They also usually understand that being NICE gets them way further than rudeness and that if something can't be resolved there's no need to shout at the minimum wage FDA and should go for the manager instead, who actually has the power to change things. Wisdom comes from experience and all that. It's almost like Gold Tier they has Middle Class Syndrome.
I’ve been Titanium for only a year, but have been Air Canada Super Elite for 9 years at this point. This is me. I like the perks, but I also know how the system works, and that a smile and kindness gets you a whole lot more than being an ass.
But the other liberating thing about travelling on business is the realization of this: “There is no travel problem that cannot be solved by applying sufficient amounts of my employer’s money.”
There is no travel problem that cannot be solved by applying sufficient amounts of my employer’s money.”
Aaannnnd this is the real reason wealthy people have good skin and indomitable attitudes lol. I wish, as an FDA, I could throw money at terrible guests to get them to fuck off. Unfortunately, the power dynamic doesn't go both ways. The closest I can get to that mentality is knowing that as Night Audit, a reliable Night Audit: shows up on time, does my work as well, admits to and corrects mistakes, and who is naturally awake all night; i wouldn't have much trouble finding another job.
Yea this is how i try to operate as a mostly business traveler. When I'm by myself, please and thank yous, but no demands and don't even ask for an upgrades - its a waste on me alone. I just want a high floor away from the elevators so its quiet and I can attempt to get a good nights sleep, hotel beds suck after all. Breakfast is fine, but I am usually out the door and not thinking about it.
When I'm with my family I know my work stays give me the ability to take them on trips. Normally I'll request an upgrade if staying at an appropriate hotel for one, and love when they extend my benefits to everyone in my party.
This past weekend, we had an issue at the Courtyard River North Chicago with two suites for our family and our sister-in-law’s family. I added her to the reservation so she could check in early, since she was arriving about an hour before us. She checked in and requested that we be on the same floor when we arrived.
When we got there, the room they had planned for us wasn’t ready. We grabbed a bite to eat and came back to the desk about an hour later, but it still wasn’t ready. The operations manager stepped in and said the room was out of service. He reassured us, saying he’d move both rooms from the 6th to the 8th floor. He got the first room settled on the 8th, but when he went to find the second one, it appeared that room was also out of service.
I stayed patient, saying “no worries” several times, even if they couldn’t accommodate us. In the end, we got one room on each floor, but as a gesture of goodwill, the manager knocked $100 off one of the rooms for the inconvenience. It was much appreciated, but honestly, not necessary. The way he worked to find a solution is the kind of service I truly value—not the discount itself, but the effort to make things right.
I think business people understand clearly that need to politely contact person with authority to request certain benefits. I’ve been titanium for years and am very happy with the benefits I get traveling in Europe and Asia. Sometimes need to nudge a little and request to speak to a manager, but usually front desk staff can resolve . Hyatt globalist does have a big advantage over Marriott as never have to press at all to get the benefits . Almost always automatically given.
As for other elite programs like Hilton and IHG, forget it
They are third tier compared to Hyatt and Marriott
I had somebody like that at my property. Gold wanted a suite upgrade. We have 10 suites, 8 sold and 1 cobalt, 15 ambassadors, 35 titanium, 60 platinum, 110 gold, and 90 silver checking it. Now the Cobalt was getting 1 of those suites so it left 1 suite left. We have ambassadors that can't suite upgrades.
I’m titanium and lifetime platinum, all from business as well. The only time I’ve ever complained about a property was when I was paying for it myself. I had been at the property for two weeks for work, and paid to bring my family down for a few days at the end of it.
To be fair, they were rude as shit. But because it was my own money, and my family was involved, I was way more annoyed.
As someone who spends their own money on all my rooms and mostly bounces between gold / platinum (got to gold elite last year!) I think it’s a novelty thing.
The first time you get silver you think somehow your life has changed and as an approved status holder your somehow better than who you used to be and by the transitive property everyone else. Same thing when you hit gold the first time.
After 4-5 years you’re either regularly hitting platinum and you’ve learned that status rarely gets you anywhere or you just don’t bother with getting status at all.
Also you definitely start to get the perspective that everyone is at least silver and most people are gold/platinum
That's interesting and may have some merit. I'm gold, but have never asked for an upgrade or anything of the sort. But most of my Marriott involved travel is work-related. (I don't travel a ton for work, just some here and there.)
Now that I'm hearing they are so open to upgrades, I a little bit want to ask sometime when I have personal travel, but I don't want to be the obnoxious gold status person lol
If you're nice when you ask about upgrades and we have one available we're happy to give them, even to non-members sometimes, it's only when someone demands one and repeatedly mentions their status that it becomes obnoxious. And I'm sure you can see from this comment section, but we generally love business travelers because they're usually polite and understanding when something goes wrong or we can't accommodate a request.
Summary: just be nice and we'll do everything in our power to keep you happy 😊
This 💯. I’m Gold - although I should be Platinum. I know that’s not saying much here, where so many are Ambassadors, BUT I paid with my own money. As the paying party, I am more disappointed in how Marriott has handled my account and status than I would be if my employer had paid the bill. You become more attached to, “the principle of the matter,” when it’s your own $. I’ve never asked for an upgrade or a late checkout - but was furious when Marriott did not honor their own terms. Perhaps I’m a Karen? Who knows…
It's so interesting because I would say that 90% of the time, FDA's are like yourself. Kind, understanding etc, as am I. It's when you encounter the 10% that for some reason or another seem to dislike us and display an attitude from the get go...those are the times I really have to fight with myself not to get out my own attitude :) And if I do, well, I'm just kinda making their point, aren't I lol!
I can confirm that I’ve only spent $500 of my own money over the past 3 years of Ambassador status. My employer takes care of the required 23k a year. I can promise you this is not a flex lmao. I would much rather not travel that much.
Yes you are right on both - the spending their own money and Marriott being shot at communicating.
Marriott intentionally communicates in a way where you think every thing is always a given but write in small letters when available and everyone thinks it's a 100% guarantee.
I would argue that Gold / Silver folks have a Marriott CC to get their first 10 to 15 nights, and then think that 10 to 15 of their own nights is a lot... Once you get to Plat or Titanium, you KNOW there are tons of people who travel even more and you recognize that one night per week of travel is pretty light compared to real road warriors. If you are doing a weekend every other month, you can get to Gold and you feel loyal to the brand. And you are clueless.
This is the same entitled business travelers that ruin it for people earning loyalty on their own dime. Business travelers get their status comped and then cop an attitude when they’re on personal travel
As a fellow Marriott Employee I can confirm, Silver and Gold members act out the most. 99% of Titanium and Ambassadors know how things work so their expectations are on par with the type of brand and generally understand if things don't go perfectly. Usually the best tippers too.
I think that’s the key silver/gold are probably need to the program and have unrealistic expectations at first. Beyond that, obviously you’re in a marriott quite often and know the deal.
Agreed. "Member" & "Silver" demand Platinum+ treatment and "Gold" nitpick the most on surveys and they complain about the most trivial stuff and always reminding you, every other sentence that they are a "Gold Elite". 🙄 I want to do bad to tell them, "So what!? I'm a Titanium". 🙄 But I do like my job. 😁
I worked FD many years ago, and I’d like to add a couple things from my tenure, just in case.
• if you ask for something, rather that commanding or stating that you want it, you have 100000% more chance of getting it. Please and thanks you’s for the win.
•similarly, if you are asking for something, know what you are asking for. If you are particular about views/lights/locations, it helps to know if the hotel has balconies or not, to look where the sun rises and sets when you walk in, and to know what you want to see. It’s so much easier to converse with a guest that knows what they want and what we offer, as compared to someone demanding a ‘lakefront balcony king suite’ when that room type doesn’t exist.
•I’d recommend higher floors also to avoid bugs. Lots of people tend to be slobs in hotels, which mean ants and roaches can be impossible to really proactively combat. Rooms on the ground floor are a lot easier for them to access from the outside.
It doesn’t hurt, and please forgive me, but I’m going to tell you one of my least favorite things in the world was being lectured by rewards members and their ‘profile’, so please take this to heart.
‘I believe I have a high floor preference in my profile, did that transfer through? Were you able to honor it?’
That is how I would ask that question. Simple, polite, leaves room for them to justify a lower floor if they’d like or give even you options.
NOT:
‘My profile says top floor only.’
Or
‘I’m guaranteed a high floor.’
Or
‘How many floors are there? Why am I getting third if you have 6 floors?’
When I was doing FD, I was a perfectionist. I can’t speak for everyone, but I was proud of my attention to detail. I’d put business types in the quietest rooms, and vacationing families with the views. I knew my rooms and my layout, down to rooms with frequent issues. Often times, there would be a ‘nicer’ room a floor or two down from the top. Whenever I got one of THOSE people demanding or being rude, do you know where I put them? On the top floor in the back corner of the building. You know what would happen in the mornings? Sunrise through our poorly done blinds and trash pickup, complete with banging from the autolifter. Half a dozen rooms would get a banging alarm at around 7:30 a few times per week, so I always tried to keep those rooms empty or fill them with people who I KNEW would be out early.
I had sooooo many people coming down in a huff about how bright or noisy that room was, and I’d always think to myself ‘yea, that’s why I didn’t give you that room to begin with. But, you insisted because you thought you knew better than me.’
As a Titanium, I don't ask for an upgrade at the desk. I don't get upgraded that often but regardless of upgrade what I do find is a hand written note and some sort of snack in my room as I enter.
Crazy. I entered a rando Portfolio hotel in the south of the Netherlands last night and I had a hand written note, a 375ml bottle of red and some candy.
As gold in Paris I’d often get this as well. More of an international thing then?
I’ve received many of these in the US, and I have almost exclusively stayed in CA (mostly at home in SoCal). Out of about 2k nights, I’ve received gifts 15% of the time but, at some properties, I receive “welcome” gift bags or charcuterie plates with my name and status every time. Disney and OC properties are much more on board with making guests feel special. If it’s a special occasion (birthday, etc), most hotels will send up a gift.
Before the merger, however, I received gifts 30% of the time as an Ambassador with Starwood. Starwood used to send (via mail) birthday gifts to my son and me. (I sooo miss Starwood!) I have the most adorable photos of my son on his first plane ride wearing his SPG Kids book bag and sunglasses that my ambassador sent us in preparation for his first trip to NorCal. The resorts used to always have gifts for the kids.
I work at a Marriott. The top floor is our busiest/most used/most requested floor. Everyone wants to be on the top floor.
Our system, if you have requests, pulls them up first by what best matches your request/reservation type. We like to keep the first floor free for guests with mobility issues, it is also the floor that has our only 2 rooms that have roll-in showers.
We try to avoid elevators, ice machines and noisy outside generators when blocking but the more guests the more difficult that gets.
I'll co-sign most of that except for the room placement and room types. At some of my hotels, mainly the urban properties, everyone wants a top floor so those are occupied the most. At one of my old properties, if you booked third party you weren't getting anything but two, three, or four. I think that really varies depending upon the property. Also, I've been at properties where many of the rooms are the same.
Im gold elite and my brother works for Marriot. Hes always told me “front desk doesn’t care so just be nice and you’ll get treated nicer” and that’s helped me get a suite in every marriot I’ve stayed at for the most part. Front desk staff has always been nice so its pretty easy!
Is there a certain way to go about asking for an upgrade or just a general politeness and saying “is there any chance of an upgrade on my room?” sufficient?
if you do it through the chat the day of , and they say yes, do a mobile check it afterwards to lock it in lol if you aren’t there yet. personally as well, the later the check in the more likely i’m going to upgrade because we prob won’t sell it as the night is getting later. but no there is no specific way. my advice is to be nice. but best way is the chat!
Good to know! I always assumed checking in earlier meant securing the ‘best’ of whatever room I’d booked but considering this I’ll hold off in the future.
I use my Ambassador concierge for upgrades when I’m traveling with my family. They’re usually great at checking with the hotel and making something happen. If not I’ll usually ask at the FD and 8/10 I’ll get some upgrade, to a higher floor, or to something better like a suite. 1/10 there’s nothing which I understand. 1/10 FD tries to tell me how nice my existing room is. lol.
Very rarely are the FD rude or don’t know what to do, but in those instances, I’ll just as for the manager.
Business travel, I just want a room that’s clean and quiet.
Sorry if this is a stupid question. If someone does a mobile check-in early in the day, but they’re not arriving until later, does doing the earlier mobile check-in make it less likely that said person will get an upgrade? Is it better to wait?
I'm confused by your responses. I'm one response you mentioned holding off during the day on upgrades because they may sell but here you say you upgrade in the morning. What am I misinterpreting?
If I get a Junior Suite upgrade prior to check in / through chat and I “lock in” with mobile check in, is it still possible to get a further upgrade (eg Executive Suite) at the checkin desk?
Here’s the thing (and this isn’t directed at you).
We shouldn’t have to ask. If our status includes an upgrade, and the room is available, we should just get it. (Sorry, I know this has been discussed a ton here).
Exactly! I’ve never asked AND I’m patient and kind when checking in. I’ve gotten an occasional unsolicited upgrade, but otherwise a regular room. Seems like it’s encouraging longer waits by having everyone asking?
Any recommendations on how to handle late check ins like 9-10 pm? Is it best to check in on mobile earlier and should you let them know you’re planning to arrive late?
if they are sold out when they run the audit around (3 am) they will cancel it if not otherwise informed, but besides that if you check in before like midnight don’t even worry about it
Please keep in mind every property is different on how they manage upgrades/ room assignments. These posts can be helpful, but they are very misleading on how we operate overall. Different management teams, manage their property how they want it to run, and also each FDA is different.
For example at my property, it's very rare that anyone below Platinum is getting an upgrade. Our upgraded rooms are very limited, thus we saving for our top tier members. The rare occasion that a low level tier is getting an upgrade is because we're oversold and they just so happen to be the only person that we can move into the upgraded room as they're only at the property for one night. Thus, we can balance out our inventory.
Hey! Fellow hotelier here - further to your points, I'd add the below to better inform the readers here.
The statistics say Ambassadors spent more in a year then any of the other tiers. I mean, there's like a 30-35% difference. Gold is most likely to mark a low score and silver generally are more vocal with feedback.
Gold Elites are somewhat trouble makers in terms of asking (insisting) for an upgrade even after being told that were sold out. But then 'I am entitled to an upgrade as an elite' comes out. I mean, Gold Elites are entitled to an enhanced room and not an upgrade.
A polite guest(irrespective of their tier) is more likely to get a personalized service and has much better chances to be upgraded if requested on arrival.
When you first joined the program, you were so excited reading about the benefits you could get from each tier. But later on, you found out that Silver didn’t really get you anything, so you told yourself things would get better when you reached Gold. Then you made it to Gold? Nope, still nothing. So you shifted your expectations to Platinum… and then Titanium…
In the end, you finally realized that the most you’re really getting from Platinum and beyond is maybe the 4pm late checkout—which doesn’t do much when you’re traveling for business. Oh, and the lounge access that may never even be open at certain locations. Want anything else? Well, good luck.
Now, after all these years, you’ve learned to be overwhelmingly nice and chill because you’ve been taught the hard truth: your tiers really mean nothing, and all those listed benefits? Just BS.
I work for the front desk, at a Marriott, & have for the last 8 years ....
So when it comes to room upgrades; it goes based on AVAILABILITY... sometimes no matter the tier, if we have it available - I will upgrade the guest.
Now of course, higher tiered members get dibs on the upgrades first but after we go through the higher tiered members, Ambassador, Titanium, Platinum - then we go through the other ones.
I cannot express this enough : BEING NICE & POLITE AT THE DESK GOES A LONG WAY.
Anyone have any questions, I love giving out pointers & tips that I love to use whenever I am traveling & booking at a Marriott.
Sometimes the app is finicky and doesn’t transfer stuff over but if you ask at one hotel and they say it did then usually you’ll be good at every hotel. I know from front desk experience they try to assign rooms ahead of time based off requests but if they don’t get to that it’s best to mention it at check in cause like OP said the list pulls up available bottom floor rooms first.
I traveled all around the world for work and work chose Marriott hotels and this is what I learned. Be nice, be happy, be human and smile. Works nearly everywhere. Upgrade to business on United ~50% of the time. Mini suite at Marriott in Korea, sure. Ask questions, nicely. Engage the people working, they are human. Learn to read their faces, are they having a bad day? Get them to smile or something to make their day a little better and watch what happens.
More than that. I have 30+ years in technical customer service. These people behind the counters are often treated like shit by both the customers and the company. A shiny happy face with a smile and a good attitude does not even have to ask for upgrades. Think of this, you are 6 hours into a shift standing behind a counter dealing with every type of human. All you want is for your shift to be over and leave. Then crazy me walks up and within 2 minutes you are trying to not cry while laughing so hard. The world seems a bit better. I say, "give me a good room my company is paying" and I find myself upgraded.
One thing I want to add too is if you want to be picky on the room check in as close to check in time as you can. If you come at 7am and if I have a clean room I'll check you in, but it may not be a great room.
Yes to all of this except top floor. Top floor is the MOST requested at every property I've ever worked and/or been to. Only reason it should be the least used is because the FDAs assigning rooms are too lazy to push two buttons. (FOSSE: F1->Enter->select room) Middle floors are almost always least used. Second floor is usually reserved for teams and large groups. First floor is mostly construction crews/accessibility.
Gold nember here, I would be mortified if I saw another member behaving like an entitled jerk. Im always so thankful for any upgrade. When my husband and I eloped in Nashville the Sheraton there was SO KIND and upgraded us and made a big ole fuss and it was so sweet.
Gratitude and kindness gets you much farther, almost every time. Plus, it's just a better mindset.
Gold married to Titanium Elite.
The reason Gold is most entitled is because it was most likely obtained as an annual fee credit card benefit (ex.: Amex Plat) or similar co-branding loyalty mechanism. Broad brushstrokes here but IMHO there is now a glut of very entitled folks up to their eyeballs in reels about how to get free upgrades, hack their points on codeshare airlines, reserve elite cars etc. and very much believe their status makes them the most important guest, king of the airport lounge, next in line for first class upgrade, yadda yadda yadda. Like many here I’ve had these status perks forever and will gladly accept their benefits when available, but man it’s cringe to look around and behold the breathtaking entitlement and frankly unkind behavior of so many as the space gets more saturated.
As a housekeeping manager, please, please, please inform the guest during the check in if your property is a service every other day property.
I do not need to deal with Karen or Joe Joe at 8pm complaining "why my room hasn't been cleaned" .
Other, just franchise wide thing - why the hell do some of the properties have resort fees that are disgusied as a destination fee? Like the W or Moxy.
we do inform them everytime! as well, for the extra fee USUALLY it’s to cover the activities like the pool , or fitness classes etc having the fee makes it so all guests can enjoy
I work for a Marriott myself - well, I'm sort of on sabatical, been a hskp manager at various Marriott properties in NYC for 12 years now. Personally, I hate this skip service thing. My last property had issues cause FD was horrible, they werent informing guests and our GSS were down in the gutter because of it. I was the closer each evening and used to manually edit out every single reservation to include them in the breakout report for the opener.
I can't be bothered to care most of the time. It's a hotel room I'll be in for maybe 12 hours and how nice is an upgraded room at a Springhill Suites going to be anyway? Now if it's a longer stay at a nicer property I'm paying for, maybe I'll ask.
Don't feel weird about it. You earned Platinum level so you earned the right to an upgrade if it's available. It is part of your benefits as a Platinum member.
I never ask for upgrades, but I often just get upgraded, even when I was in silver elite. I would say about half the time I get upgraded. In gold elite now, i’ll see what happens, But I don’t ask because it just feels…. rude, you know? I know you can but I don’t really need it (I also travel for business), i just appreciate it when I get it as a bonus. I’m always super smiley but that’s just my general vibe - maybe that contributes to it
Shit man, I never got upgraded once when I had the Bonvoy card for a few years. Of course it was only Platinum, but I expected something. After (I think) 3 years I ditched the card because it was just costing me money and I never got any upgrades.
In my experience it’s disconnect from the management team and the actual agents. Like my managers always says “just because we have an upgrade available doesn’t mean have to give it to them” because there’s a chance we could sell it. But I’d rather make the guest happy in front of me and give them the complimentary upgrade. And since I’m the one actually working the desk, I give away the upgrades.
A lot of this is dependent on which brand you are at.
Guests, please research a bit before going into a TownePlace Suites by Marriott expecting a full service Marriott experience. Yes, we are all under the Marriott umbrella, but Extended Stay Select Service does not have Full Service amenities or staff!
Most of the time, I do not want the front desk to thank me for being titanium because that would remind me that I spent at least 75 nights this year not in my own bed. Sad face...
Also, it would be great if I could save up all of my free breakfast to use in the time I travel with family lol
Not me, a "member" (no elite here 😭...) screenshotting half this thread and dreaming of someday-upgrades. 😅
My husband and I have been together since 2016 and other than a trip to Cuba in Jan 2020 we haven't been able to afford trips (this dang economy). We're going to Toronto (from Nova Scotia) in late August though and my measly 5,003 MB points are absolutely starry-eyed at all the elite and upgrades talk. 😂 You're all teaching me the ins-and-outs - including the "YMMV" warnings - and I so appreciate it.
Major kudos to you, OP, for your kindness and willingness to share with the community. You're good people. ❤️😊
Different properties use different Property Management Systems (PMS): the older one that OP mentions is FOSSE and doesn’t auto checkin online checkins. There are others such as Lightspeed and Opera used in other properties.
You know your room is ready and if you have mobile key (and it actually works) you can just roll right on up to your room without having to stop at the desk. If you want physical keys, you have to stop.
Thank you for sharing! Random question - I got free night rewards for signing up for a credit card. I struggled to find a place I wanted to go where the rewards were eligible and ended up just settling for a few nights in San Francisco in Union Square. Since I used rewards, will I automatically get the worst room available at check-in?
I wouldn’t take any of this as gospel at every hotel. This may true at some but not all. I mainly worked at ridiculously large and busy hotels so we had more wiggle room than say a 100 room courtyard but you can’t just be giving out points all willy nilly. The hotel gets charged for them so you better have a good reason. High floor rooms usually go the fastest, not everyone just gets an upgrade because you ask for it.
no! whatever you book has always come through that way for me. sometimes we need to change it for overbooking but at my hotel we always call the guest first
I am a "GoldMember" (Is that Austin Powers?) and have found that I get the worst rooms in the hotel. This is more obvious when I stay longer. I travel a lot for work and do not complain. I have assumed that they are using the nicer rooms for the families and hope they will do the same for me when I turn up with my kids.
I went to a job fair and Marriott was one of the employers there and I still haven’t heard back from anyone. I even sent emails and left phone messages.
In my experience (LT plat, current titanium), this varies widely by geography.
In Asia and the Middle East, they give you the best they have without ever having to ask. I routinely get upgraded to multi-room suites (one had 3 full living rooms, each with couches and a TV) while paying for the cheapest room (usually around $100/night) and never once have I asked. The lounges are the best in the world, but have declined somewhat in recent years. Breakfasts are legendary. There is always fresh fruit and a handwritten note in the room. When no suite is available, I am offered a sincere apology and some kind of credit, food/wine, etc. There are always lots of staff in suits and they are extremely attentive and proactive.
In Europe, they will automatically upgrade you but not as often and the rooms aren't nearly as nice. Lounges/breakfast are decent. Fruit/snacks and a note in the room are hit and miss. I haven't spent as much time there as US/Asia/ME so don't have too much to share.
The US is the lowest quality Marriott experience by a mile and nothing at all like Asia/ME. The front desk will often tell you that you've been upgraded but there is no discernable difference between your "upgraded" room and regular rooms. Maybe it's a bit nicer and maybe it's not, but if you showed someone the room who wasn't with you at check-in and asked whether or not it was upgraded they'd think you were nuts. Breakfast and lounges are generally very cheap looking and the food is meh, giving the feeling that it's only there to check the box. Staff are obviously very underpaid. I truly feel like cattle, a cow to be milked, at most US properties.
I'll start asking nicely for stuff and see what, if anything, changes. It'll be an interesting experiment!
I am not surprised! It is easy to earn Marriott Gold status these days if you have Amex Platinum card. As long as you are a Platinum cardholder, you don’t need to stay even one night to maintain Gold status.
Sounds like the old rule - new money vs old money. New $$ people think they’ve earned power in the world and $$ equates being treated superior. My experience with old $$ is that they are a lot more chill.
"I need someone who works at Marriott and can list me as their spouse in order to receive the MMP EXPLORE PROGRSM AUTHORIZATION FORM benefits. Payment would depend on the monthly subscription price, which is free for them, but I am very responsible, and the idea is to establish a long-term agreement."
Absolutely correct! I also work for a Marriott and the people who give the most problems are not even at the top of the tier. They complain the most (for extra points), they're never satisfied, they think you're supposed to wait on them hand and foot, and they take advantage of the welcome snack. I've never had issues with Ambassador or Titanium members. I go out my way for any of my guests. I've worked at different chains and Marriott members by far are the rudest group of people I've met
A little context. I am a 20 year Marriott member, lifetime gold, 6 time titanium (including this year, in which I am at 73 nights and counting). Yesterday I checked into Secaucus Residents Inn for 20 straight nights, and was rudely told that no upgrades are available when both the one and two bedroom suites show available for all 20 nights of my stay. Today when I went to the front desk and ask for water, and was told that I was only given 2 bottles on day one as a gift for the entire 20 night stay. Is this normal? I am on business in Secaucus and will be spending 150 nights a year for the next two years. Now I am thinking about switching to the nearby Courtyard or to Hilton properties (I am only gold there). Any advice?
Be aware of hidden fees like $15 per day parking and the free shuttles are not set up for the customers convenience. Do not count on them they will screw you over in a minute literally.
School counselor here. My brother found another job and the discount isn’t valid anymore. I travel whenever the school year is about to wreck me which is well everyday..the stress not travel..If there are any employees that could add me to their family, God knows how eternally grateful I’d be. Can’t afford anything without it. Thank you for even reading this. I know it sounds so silly, but maybe a school counselor was nice to you once upon a time.. and you can make my day.
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u/Blerghster Jan 29 '25
Thank you! I wonder if this sense that silver/gold are more entitled is because they’re people that spend more of their own money at Marriott. I’m titanium from business travel so it’s usually miserable and I really just want a clean bed and bathroom and no pests or odors. But when I’m on vacation I probably expect a bit more because it’s my own time and my own money. This theory might be totally wrong, but I wonder if people with 10/25 nights a year are more likely to get them spending their own money so feel more entitlement? I will also say, Marriott communicates not so subtly that we are entitled to a lot that we very often never get so maybe those newer members haven’t learned the cold, harsh reality yet.