Marriott: After 6 Years, 600 Nights & $120,000 - I QUIT!

#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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Check-out The Coolist - My YouTube Channel -

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[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

[oSirSniffleso]

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.

[buffalobreeeze]

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.

[korymitchell]

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.

[SKS]

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.

[alyonapetrova]

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!

[yoyoon]

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.

[justsmy]

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.

[miamivicefanatic]

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.

[lawrencestafford]

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.

[FoodiesAndFundies]

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.

[mdleweight]

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.

[AnnaKrueger]

Creating wealth and financial freedom isn't as tough as many people believe.
Building wealth and remaining financially stable indefinitely is a lot easier with the appropriate information. Participating in financial programs and products is the only true approach to make a high income and remain affluent indefinitely...

[SEECNICFLY]

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.😊

[tommyldaniels]

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.

[MamaEv]

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.

[andrewlee]

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.

[alanshinosky]

Loyalty should be a two way street, unfortunately most companies make it a one way street going only in their direction.

[applelandry]

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.

[chrisinman]

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.