Dear Marriott, how petty can you be? After extending some Suite Night Awards to the end of the year, Marriott is pulling them back and retroactively expiring them, calling the extension an error.
Marriott Rescinds Suite Night Awards Extension
Some Marriott Bonvoy members noticed that their expiring Suite Night Awards were extended from June 30, 2022 to December 31, 2022. This was hailed as a kind gesture and underscores how difficult these upgrades have been to use lately.
But what Marriott giveth, Marriott taketh away. Marriott posted the following note on Facebook in the Marriott Bonvoy Insiders group earlier today:
We have learned that a limited number of Suite Night Awards in member accounts that were scheduled to expire yesterday, June 30, 2022, were extended through December 31, 2022. We have begun the process of updating the accounts of members who may have been affected and expire these Suite Night Awards as planned. As we have previously shared, we are unable to extend Suite Night Awards any further. We apologize for the confusion and inconvenience this may have caused.
As one member wryly commented, “Would it have really mattered if you left it alone? Not like we can ever use them anywhere anyway.” Several Bonvoy members have shared with Live and Let’s Fly how suite upgrades have been virtually impossible lately.
The move shows where Marriott’s true loyalty is: not to its hotel guests, but to its franchise owners. Indeed, CEO Anthony Capuano admitted as much in 2021:
“Our owners and franchisees have borne a disproportionate weight, from the impact of the pandemic. They’ve lost billions of dollars of revenue. Suggestions about getting back to ‘normal,’ they look at you like you have three heads and they say, ‘You’ve got to be more sensitive to the steep climb we have in front of us.’”
That about sums it up, doesn’t it?
CONCLUSION
Such an irony, isn’t it, that very few have been able to use these upgrades lately; hence the reason so many are expiring? Would it have been so horrible for Marriott to just leave the extension alone? Of course not, but we dealing with Bonvoy after all, a loyalty program that has become a generalized verb to indicated a customer-unfriendly devaluation.
image: Marriott
I just convert my points into United miles
What took you so long? Did this years ago. Haven’t done business with these liars for years.
This is incredible. I mean, really, how cheap can you get? Most of us had so many in our account as we could never use them. From a PR perspective what a horrible choice for Marriott to make. This is not like a mistake fare that could cost an airline dearly. This is a simple SNA which, probably, at current ability to use, would have still gone unused in December. So why not just let it go?
Just when you think Marriott can’t go any lower they manage to find new ways.
I cannot stand when a company uses the word unable in place of the word unwilling.
Agreed. They are fully “able.” As a matter of fact, they did. They just decided they are not willing anymore.
I also loved this, “members who may have been affected and expire these Suite Night Awards as planned.” Affected, as if this was something that might be detrimental to the member to have them extended. Do these people really think we are stupid?
Spot on.
I asked for a 3 day extension for a reservation that spanned June and July so I could use the June expiring SNA and the ambassador told me flatly they were not extending – not even 3 nights.
I really should have taken advantage of the Hyatt status offers last year.
And +1 Brian.
I already attached the two I had to a reservation. I guess we will see if the Marriott IT system can delete something that is no longer in my account.
Yup, they can. Didn’t say a word to me but dropped the SNA request right off two reservations! Sneaky and cheap.
Why do people even bother to play with Marriott’s stacked deck?
I’m trying really, really, REALLY hard to not let my personal loathing of Marriott’s current and just prior CEOs show here. You can actually get decent value from many of the elite benefits as long as you’re in Asia. My wife and I stayed in the Courtyard Penang in May and my certificates actually worked like they’re supposed to. Of course, the entire country was barely reopened for tourism and the hotel was half empty but any benefit you can use as promised with Marriott these days is a massive victory. How sad is that?
Hotels have too much power if they think they can comfortably do this without repercussions. Obviously there isn’t enough competition on the supply side given the demand for hotel rooms. How is that free market capitalism working out?
I’ve never gotten on an upgrade with suite nights but have with my lifetime titanium status. Suite nights are about a useful as a two legged stool
Who “brought” this issue to Marriott’s attention? Similar to the simple “do not call” rule for fare mistakes.
People are idiots.
I’m quite certain the franchisees brought it their attention. They hold the power with Marriott and why it’s such a mess. All they saw were millions of SNA’s being extended that they would have to keep refusing just, well, because they can and will. They don’t want to give out suites because they take extra work in cleaning. Nor do they want to give out anything to anyone as they feel it opens the door for everyone expecting more. Franchisees are controlling Marriott and are the root of the problem, especially in the U.S. Marriott either needs to begin to clean house and accept a smaller footprint or just own the fact that they are complete crap as a hotel brand.
Why anyone in the loyalty space would continue to expect anything from it give any business to Marriott is beyond me.
I am done with hotel loyalty. My company allows us to use independent boutique hotels and the level of service and quality you get is well above any of the branded ones. If I need to use a hotel for leisure with family I can transfer credit card points if it makes sense. Seriously, free breakfast and water bottles mean absolutely nothing to me anymore.
Marriott did this to my account…ironic an article just came out about it. My account said I had a December 31st expiration date and Marriott switched them to June 30th leaving me with 3 days to use 7 nights. Their response was they weren’t doing any extensions even if there was a “system glitch.” They really want Titanium and Ambassador’s to take their business elsewhere.
I am not surprised by the decision to cancel the extension, the abiliry to travel is opening uo, therefore the demand is increasung and the property owners want more for their money. Habing said that, it is almost a biblecal event to get a suitr night activated, a recent request I made was turned down as unavailable, yet when I looked on the hotel website there were many suites available to book, so contavting the front desk manager for help it was explained to me that the suite nigjt uovrade is processed outside of their relm of responsability, and was very upset with mereceivkng a no available message and upon chrck-in put us in a suite, thank you Westin Phuket. I am prepared for a decrease in the value of our points, and other perks that come with status, just look at the number of points it takes now to book a room vs. Before the pandemic, and the number of properties that have no rooms available on points but plenty of rioms available for purchase, so much for Titanium status
I am very disgusted with Marriott, I tried to make a reservation on 6/30/22.
Called Marriott they said my certificate had expired. I thought I had till 6/30/22 to use it.
No one from Marriott ever explained I had to use it on 6/29/22.
I wrote them an email & have not gotten a reply yet
Extremely unfair & disgusted
I used mine 6/30. So did 2 friends. I called in to make the reservation. The person you talked to have you incorrect information.
Stay away from Marriott as much as I can
Dear Bonvoy
Take them, expire them and stick’em up your CEO’s tush..
Very petty move, not impressed.
They should study the IHG, who still has this amazing customer focus that Marriott has written off.
IHG was also willing to match my Bonvoy Platinum status.
Strangely, mine still show extended until 12/31/2022. Well, I had seven originally and now for some reason it shows just six. Not that it matters, lol.
Marriott is the largest hotel operator in the world having 30 different brands, 7,642 hotels & 1,423,044 rooms as of January 2022. As a former Hotel GM, I can comfortably say that the executive branches of this Goliath
have no connection to the people needed to run a hotel’s operation & the GM is busy trying to please both the owner of hotel & Corporate. This has been the demise of many businesses. Too many branches to do any one well plays large in the in this as well.
I have been trying to use my rewards for 2yrs & can’t use them Everytime I try to go on vacation. I stayed @ 3 different Marriott’s last summer & couldn’t get a discount on them or use my points for this year? I tried to stay another night & they told me they didn’t have any vacancy, but a lady came in & they told her they was upgrading her room? Why didn’t they have an extra room . I have been using Marriott for years but I think I’m going to change.
I just traveled to a Marriott that I’ve been to very many times. They are now charging two times the rate I’ve ever paid there. And they wouldn’t let me use my “free” night or points. I miss the Starwood program, but the Marriott “rewards” program is getting much worse over time. I’m not going to be loyal to this cheap company anymore.
Having finally achieved lifetime Platinum last year, I’m leaving Marriott for Hilton and will only go back when traveling in Europe, where the service is still good (based on experience at 3 properties last month). The level of service domestically is pathetic, and Marriott has made it abundantly clear that the guest experience is far less important than operating expenses and profit. In contrast, my recent stays with Hilton have been pleasant with many of the COVID policies being removed (no housekeeping, for instance). Looks like I’ll be getting a Hilton credit card and dumping my Marriott one as well.
I’m not seeing this post on their FB page anymore:
https://www.facebook.com/marriottbonvoy
Did they reconsider this boneheaded move?
I would hope so – but it was posted to an insider’s group. Someone sent me the screenshot – I am not part of the group.
all the extended Sna are gone now.. 🙁
In my account a free night certificate and suite night awards were extended till end of December 22 since the extension in December 21. Now all cancelled early July. I could have used them at many opportunities early in 2022, but wanted to keep them for my summer break. Well no communication on change of date or that the expiry date was refelcted wrongly for more than 6 monts. Just cancelled when I had no chance to act anymore.
I was told it would be unfair and not integer to extend till December 22. However it is fair if Bonvoy makes a mistake, you don’t tell your loyal customer and subsequently take away benefits. Even when I investigated my benefit to check whether I am really eligible based on the status in the system, the hotline told me I would be eligible till December 22. Bonvoyed!
Just talked to Marriott Bonvoy about my Suite night awards. There system is a mess. They refuse to compensate for the expiration of awards. “It’s not a guarantee”, according to the associate I spoke with when I asked for some sort of compensation. I’ve tried to redeem, but the properties would rather their suites be empty than upgrade a loyal member. Please bring back Sheraton. I’m sick of corporate greed and not understanding without their loyal customers they wouldn’t be in business.
Honestly, The SNA have not been useful in past 2 years. We used them in San Francisco (March) for both two paid rooms as well as a room we booked with points. The cash rooms were granted an upgrade (but only to a low floor with no views), but the points reservation was not, when I mentioned that I could see other suites available in the inventory they didn’t respond. They did upgrade the points room to a high floor with a view and that was better, but they charged me a SNA to get that room! We have Titanium status. Also to note, I was given a choice of a type of suite to request and when they didn’t give me that type, they offered it to me for a surcharge instead. They flat out told me that they like to offer the suites on the weekend to cash customers so they keep those rooms open for them? This just happened in Venice at the JW Resort. We had 5 suite nights this week, we we’re given a small upgrade…but to a larger room, but did not have a view. When I asked about the actual ‘suites” we were told that the upgrade would be offered at check in if available but instead the front desk offered it as a surcharge. When I questioned why rooms control would say differently, they just didn’t respond. I then questioned why when selecting SNAs they give options to choose, yet those are not available at check in….even if I can see them on the website. They denied that the type of suite I mentioned was SNA option….but I swear I remember it being an option when I selected my choices (6 months ago). After a lot of complaining and questioning the system they did move us to a Maisonette suite our last 2 nights. But I really shouldn’t have had to get that by complaining and questioning. I think suite upgrades are a thing of the past and the only hope is to be a Titanium with chances of a complimentary better view upgrade. We are trying out an IHG in Verona tomorrow. Going to check out what they do for Platinum elite status (we get that with our chase United Club card).
Pathetic! I will go out of my way to make sure any higher spend hotels that I stay at is not a Marriott brand. Love how big companies these days focus on screwing their most loyal customers. They were crumbs that might make you more money anyways Morans!