Shel Holtz just experienced slow internet access at a Marriott in New York City.
This is a big problem at some Marriott hotels. Whether you’re paying $12.95 or $9.95 a day, that’s still a lot of money for a 24 Hour period of access. So if people are paying a lot of money they should be getting superior service.
Cmon folks. Either bring the price down to a fair amount per day or make sure the speeds are up to par with what you’re charging for access.
I received a letter in the mail yesterday from Northwest Airlines offering Guest Silver Elite status from now until the end of February 2008. The letter says that I received the offer because I am, “a valued Marriott Rewards member.” It’s always good to know that I’m valued.
Some of the benefits of Northwest WorldPerks Silver Elite are:
These perks are very similar, if not the same as those in the Continental Airlines OnePass program of which I’m currently an elite member. I checked out the promotion website just the same. You need the promotion code contained in the letter in order to get the offer. They’re also offering easier access to Silver and Gold status on NWA in 2007 if you fly two or five “qualifying roundtrips” respectively.
I don’t plan on flying Northwest anytime soon. I have flown them before to cities such as Detroit, Minneapolis, Bismarck and Calgary. Since my plans are taking me to other places I will be flying frequently on Continental. If you’re a non-elite Northwest flyer then this offer would probably make traveling a bit easier. In that case, keep an eye on your mailbox for a letter containing the offer.
Following the New York Times article which included this blog a few folks have sent in some tips about recent experiences with Marriott Hotels.
Gil reports on an experience at the Marriott Residence Inn Beverly Hills: “Stayed there over Labor Day. New, nice flat screen TV’s in all room by ‘LG’ (Korean manufacturer) but … the Input Button for Tv / Line-In has been diabled. I connected my Apple Laptop (which I often do to play DVD’s, test Powerpoint presentations etc.) and although my Mac clearly recognized the TV, the TV’s line-in would not change the source. I called the front desk in the PM and got no help. I called the next AM and was told that the buttons had been disabled to keep guests from playing “unauthorized” DVD’s etc. In other words I have to buy their pay-per-view if I want to watch a movie.”
Mitchell is a ‘former Marriott Loyalist’ who reports: “was a loyal Marriot guest so I decided to sign up for their credit card last year. I received a voucher for 1 free night at a Marriott. I booked a night this summer as part of a 3 night stay at the Marriott Chicago downtown just off Michigan Ave. I had a confirmation and everything. A few weeks before I called to ask about something (check in time?) and I was told that they just realized they made a mistake and can’t accept my voucher, even though I had made the confirmed booking 6 monthsearlier and my visit was in the next 2 weeks!”
These situations involved detail items that might not seem too important but make the difference for regular travelers. I’m a big movie watcher on the road so the first issue would bother me as well. People shouldn’t have to pay to watch movies if the TV has the capability to interface with other systems. As far as the voucher and the credit card goes, it’s always a problem to have an issue with a reservation. Whenever I’m in a situation where I have a special voucher for some kind of reward I like to check and double check to make sure everything is straight. The best way to do that is to call the hotel directly and take down the name of the person that you spoke with.
Tags: Marriott
Just checked in to the Residence Inn West Energy Corridor in the Houston area. Upon arrival the very cheery Front Desk Manager informed me that I had been upgraded from my studio room to a one bedroom. I thought, “Great”. I’m not one to turn down an upgrade.
Then my attitude turned when I was told that my room would be on the first floor. Now I have in my preferences that I like to stay on a high floor. What I really mean is that I don’t want to be on the ground floor. Usually I call ahead at the Marriott brands (like Courtyard, Residence Inn and Fairfield Inn) that have ground floor rooms. But why should I have to?
When I entered the room my earlier disappointment was confirmed. I get a full parking lot view and no chance to open the shades to enjoy some sunlight or air without a steady stream of travelers looking in at me like a caged animal. Sure I could ask for a new room, but I’m only here for one night.
As I’ve said a few times before, it would be very nice to be able to be able to pick my room, or at least my floor online without having to remember to call or work through a room change when I arrive.
A few weeks back I spoke for a little while with Christopher Elliott for an article about travel blogs. That article has finally been published and can be seen on the NY Times website here.
The article focuses on the power to change business travel via blogs. Why not? People who travel a lot have many experiences, good and bad, that hospitality and travel firms can learn from.
As an aside, My friend Shel Holtz is also quoted as a result of his Road Weary travel blog.
When in Houston I do my best to try and stay at the JW Marriott near the Galleria. I think it’s one of the nicest hotels in Houston. I’ve stayed there on and off for years but the number one reason I keep going back is the gym.
The gym on the 5th floor of the hotel ranks up there with many commercial gyms I’ve been to. There are plenty of cardio machines including bikes, treadmills, stairclimbers and elliptical devices. This morning I saw that they recently added small LCD TVs to the front of each cardio machine so users can plug in headphones and watch television while they workout.
There’s a separate room that has a full set of new strength training machines and a rack of dumbells as well. You can do just about anything you want to in this well equipped area. There’s even a separate stretching area off of the main strength training room.
Other amenities of the gym include free mini bottles of water and plenty of towels. They also offer spare sets of headphones for guests who want to watch the TVs but don’t have their own.
As a frequent traveler I need a nice space to exercise to help keep myself in shape on the road. And a gym as nice as this one is reason enough for me to keep coming back to this hotel in the future.
Tags: Marriott, JW Marriott