Red Room Chronicles

I’m one of those people who stays in all different brands of Marriott hotels. My travel tends to be all over the place. I stay at high rise and low rise hotels depending on the location, cost and availability. I have a particular problem with the low rise brands (like Courtyard or Residence Inn) because there tends to be a lot of residual noise from people walking in rooms above.

I have had more than a couple of sleepless nights due to someone stomping above me causing me to wake up or to not be able to go to sleep. I solve this problem most of the time by calling a day ahead to ensure that my room is blocked on the top floor. I also have the “high floor” option checked off in my room preferences. Sometimes I’m not able to call ahead to ensure that the hotel staff knows that I really want a top floor room. Today was one of those days.

I was pretty sure that when I arrived that the room I was assigned would not be on the top floor. I was right. I was assigned a ground floor room. Most times when I don’t call I get assigned a room that’s not on the top floor. I always ask the staff at the hotel to change the room and about 50% of the time they are able to move me to the top floor room.

In this instance I was told that I could move to the second floor. I asked why I wasn’t blocked a top floor room and was told that my preference was noted. I was also told that the preference is not an official request and therefore cannot be guaranteed. I was told to call Marriott Rewards in order to make an official request. I was confused.

I accepted a second floor room. Then I called the Marriott Rewards hotline and Marriott customer service. Neither representative knew the difference between a preference and request. In fact, both reps were consistent in telling me that the ‘high floor’ request should have resulted in my room being blocked for the top floor.

So it has been my experience that even though floor location preference exists, it is rarely consulted when actually assigning rooms. So why even have the preference there at all? Strangely enough, after the two phone calls to try and figure out if I need to have something noted to my account I was moved to an available top floor studio room. Why the clerk at the desk wouldn’t move me there in the first place is beyond me.

This week is a busy one for me and Marriott. I’ve been at the Renaissance Chicago O’ Hare hotel for the past two nights. Starting Monday I’ll be staying at a Residence Inn down in Houston, TX.

I’m hanging with a small group here and we got ourselves a meeting suite on the 12th floor with a nice wraparound view. Why not check it out for yourself?

It’s hard to believe it but I think I’m about to go over 500,000 Marriott Rewards points for the first time. I guess that means a couple of things.

1. I stay at Marriott Hotels quite a bit.
2. I don’t spend points too often.

I have cashed in a couple of nights here and there so my net point earnings have eclipsed 500K but this is the first time the balance has gotten that high. I think it’s time to visit the Dream Rewards Tracker and start shopping.

I’m just settling in to a nice room with a king sized bed at the Renaissance Houston Hotel. I’m very tired and really looking forward to it!

There’s a story in USA Today stating that Marriott will remove trans fats from foods served in their hotels.

According to the article, “Marriott’s change is effective companywide, including the Renaissance, Courtyard and Residence Inn brands. It applies to food served at restaurants, banquets and in rooms.”

I think this is good news. I don’t eat in the hotel that much but when I do I like to have more healthy choices. This would be a home run in my view if Marriott not only removed the trans fats from exisiting foods but also adjusted the menu to include items that have less overall fat, more whole grains and higher nutrient value.