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Reader Question: Saga Of Marriott Welcome Gift Compensation JW Marriott Riyadh – Options?
A LoyaltyLobby reader sent us a Marriott welcome gift guarantee case where the property appears to have great difficulty at following the rules and paying out the $100 compensation. Readers are encouraged to send us questions, comments, or opinions by email, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. We’ll cover them here […]
A LoyaltyLobby reader sent us a Marriott welcome gift guarantee case where the property appears to have great difficulty at following the rules and paying out the $100 compensation.
Readers are encouraged to send us questions, comments, or opinions by email, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. We’ll cover them here several times a week.
You can access Mariott here.
READ MORE: Marriott Bonvoy Rate & Bonus Points Offers
Reader’s Message:
Prob. a familiar saga… I didn’t do a mobile check-in, no mention at all regarding a welcome gift at the time of check-in, I raised the issue and claimed $100 compensation during exec. lounge dinner by talking to duty manner (F&B director, no manager-level person from front office as it was a weekend), at first a receptionist came over and said they chose points (on behalf of me) and can offer the other F&B amenities too, which I refused, he promised to follow up next day, but no contact next day, I inquired about this again at the time of check-out (still no managerial level person available at front desk during weekend), I was told front office manager will email me next day, and… here we go…
I called Marriott and created a case, but to be honest, little confidence & trust with Marriott in to resolve the matter.
What can I do further while he’s arguing as below… (btw, I have not received both(?) gifts automatically as he argued… which is not the essence of the matter anyway …)
any tips or advice?
I have certainly been there a few times, albeit not recently, as in general, my stays with Marriott have dwindled down.
Marriott has several elite benefit guarantees from a room type to a walking guests, and this Elite Welcome Gift is one of them.
The front desk must offer you the option to choose between 1,000 points or a F&B amenity. Alternatively, the guest can exercise this guarantee and receive $100 during their stay (the amount varies by brand).
The reader also sent an email to the property’s management team members after their stay:
Throughout my 19-year journey with Marriott, I have been in Platinum or higher for 14 years, which means I am well-aware of the Marriott rules, and have come across some Marriott properties that are trying to avoid direct violation of the rule while finding ways to work around it or ignore it, like this case. Disappointing to know that your hotel’s front management is trying to mess around with the rules by finding ways to circumvent them.
The Rule is that “The choice of Elite welcome gift must be offered at the time of check-in. Otherwise, guest compensation applies.”) (see below)
What happened is:
(1) I did NOT make a mobile check-in (in this case, Welcome Gift will default to Marriott Points, see below).
(2) I was NOT offered the CHOICE of a welcome gift (not to mention, actually, no remark at all regarding the welcome gift at the time of check-in process).
(3) As per protocol, I raised the issue DURING THE STAY and claimed the appropriate guest compensation DURING THE STAY.
As a side note regarding your comment/argument:
(1) “As we reviewed your reservation we found out that both of the elite welcome gift has been offered to you” :
While the above issue is nothing to do with this, true is that I have not received both of gits automatically either.
(2) “Giving you the option will be reasonable if we are offers multiple welcome gifts and we are letting you decide” :
Giving an option is not about being reasonable; the specific choice, depending on brands, must be offered according to the rule.
(3) “In our case all of them has been offered without you asking for it and this is the normal procedure for our elite.”
As you stated, the property violated the rule without asking the guest his/her choice of welcome gift.
iii. Elite Welcome Gift. Platinum Elite Members and above receive one Elite Welcome Gift (of their choice where multiple options are offered) on a Stay of one or more consecutive nights as described in 2.1.d, even if they check in and check out of the same Participating Property within 24 hours. The Elite Welcome Gift for Platinum Elite Members and above does not include the Elite Welcome Gift of Points which is for Gold Elite only (see 4.3.b). Members who select or receive Points as their Elite Welcome Gift and have designated their earning preference as Miles will need to initiate the transfer of Elite Welcome Gift of Points to Miles as described in section 2.3. If the Elite Welcome Gift is not offered at time of arrival, compensation applies (see below). City Express does not offer Elite Welcome Gift for Platinum Elite Members and above except at City Centro locations and properties in the United States and Canada. The Elite Welcome Gift is not offered at the following brands: StudioRes. Choices vary by Participating Brand:
How do I choose my Welcome Gift? When checking-in on the Marriott Bonvoy® Mobile App or through our website, the choice for the Arrival Gift (otherwise known as Welcome Gift) will default to Marriott Bonvoy® Points. Should you wish to change to another option, please speak with the Front Desk upon arrival.
How to resolve this?
I have found that it is usually much easier for hotels to award you compensation or bonus points than to hand out cash, which likely requires more sign-offs and approvals.
I would choose a nice amount of Bonvoy points that would represent a value of $100. Previously, this might have been 20K, but today is 25K to 30K, considering how devalued these Bonvoy points have become.
At this point, I would escalate this issue through corporate and ensure that the property doesn’t simply close the ticket.
The reader raised this issue during their stay, per the rules. It is not their fault that the management team members appeared to be either hiding or MIA.
Conclusion
I always remember a stay at the JW Marriott Bogota, where I told the front desk that if they didn’t offer me a Welcome Gift Choice on my future visits, I would exercise the guarantee. Can you guess what happened? I walked out with a $100 note next time.
The properties may also offer to reduce your stay or comp F&B for the compensation amount, but I would decline this option.
Either compensation points or a fresh note of appropriate value.
Marriott properties used to be well-run and professionally managed, but unfortunately, that is no longer the case, as oversight in customer service and brand standards has become non-existent.
What have been your recent experiences with these welcome amenity gift choices, and have you ever exercised the guarantee? Please comment below.
