It Does Not Pay To Be Loyal To Marriott

I was reading an article entitled Marriott G.M. Confesses Why He Refuses To Upgrade Guests When Better Rooms Are Available() by Gary Leff. 

The whole thrust of the article was that many Marriott hotels are disregarding the upgrade rights of their elite members by holding the rooms to see if they can sell them. For those who are unaware, the Marriott Bonvoy program promotes that for Gold Level members, they are entitled to an upgrade to the best available Room, subject to availability and Platinum Elite members and above, Select Suites are also available for free upgrades. While I may not be the smartest person in the room, what this means to me is that if a room or suite is available (meaning unsold) then Marriott will make it available to its elite members.

That is a nice perk. The problem is that it is not happening. The hotels try to sell the upgraded rooms and if they are unable then they leave empty. Gary Leff laid out one General Manager’s philosophy on upgrades as follows:

• They have too many elites to upgrade

• So they don’t try to upgrade elites

• And they work to maximize revenue instead

• This is the most fair approach for everyone

I love the line about the most fair approach since I did not think we lived in a world of fair and unfair. My parents told me when I was little kid that life was unfair and I should not whine about it.

One of the purposes of joining a loyalty program is to receive some benefits like discounted rates, access to hotel lounges, upgraded rooms, free nights and check in privileges. If I get a free breakfast for being a platinum member then how is it fair that a non-member or gold member not get the same free breakfast?

It also begs the question that if you do not receive the benefits promoted by Marriott for their loyalty program then why join or focus your hotel stays at Marriott. The compression of benefits at loyalty programs have been going on for a long time. As a former SPG member, I have experienced what a valuable loyalty program is. Marriott’s Bonvoy Program has minimized the value of becoming a member, the points earned and benefit received for its members at each tier. 

I have been a Marriott member and credit card holder for over two decades. I have seen the value of my membership and credit card value diminish almost every year. I have been wondering if it makes any sense to be loyal to the Marriott Brand or just book a hotel with the best rates. I do not receive any real benefit in terms of price or perks for my loyalty. Marriott’s customer service does not care if I am a member or not.

I am moving towards a more transactional approach when it comes to staying at hotel, which means limited or no loyalty to Marriott anymore. My first step has been to cease spending my credit card dollars through a Chase Credit Card. At least now, I will receive more value for each dollar spent since the Marriott Credit Card is often valued as one of the least generous in the industry. I have concluded that why should I be loyal when Marriott is not!!

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