How does Marriott treat you as an elite?

[dajop]

That's unusual although it does match the hotel information section on the Marriott website. At least the 12pm checkout is later than usual to match. (usually 10 or 11am)

IME, outside Australia 12pm checkout seems to be the standard, certainly seems to be used by the vast majority of hotels. Sometimes you get 11am, but exceedingly rare to see a 10am checkout.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

SQ flt arrived into FRA ~07:00 - I was at hotel Lobby by 8 - got into Junior Suite at 14:10 - they did give me access to EL but was still a long 6 hours - TBH I never checked on web when booking - I just assumed would be 3pm - it was what it was - tgat was just the start of a litany of comical probs - I’ll post full list when I have time

 

[Andrew Curran]

Can report coughtail hour in the lounge at the Royal Orchid Sheraton in BKK goes for three hours. Generous with the drinks too, so a winning combo. This is the man-sized G&T they serve

 

[pyusha]

Any recent reviews for Four Points by Sheraton Melbourne Docklands?

 

[wannabeinvestmentbanker]

I stayed there 2 or so months ago. Was just one night and came in late so can't comment on all the amenities or breakfast.

Got upgraded to a suite which was modern and functional. A few beers and snacks and note from GM in room.

Overall, for the price I'd stay for one or two nights buts its no full service marriott property. A little above your regular four points but still a four points.

 

[get me outta here]

Property: Sydney Harbour Marriott Circular Quay
Status: Platinum
Dates: 23 - 29 July 2022
Booked: King Suite
Rate: 6 night reward booking for 157,000 points
Received: Opera House View

Wanted to be within walking distance of the Sydney Opera House for last nights performance of Madame Butterfly which was superb.
Full buffet breakfast included and access to the executive lounge open from 5 pm to 8:30 pm for canapés.
1000 points gift (yet to be credited).
Late check agreed for 3 pm.
There’s lots of roadworks and demolition and building going on but none of it can be heard in the hotel.
Request to Duty Manager for 3 guests for the last breakfast granted.
The dynamic pricing for the booking continued to go down so I kept rebooking.

 

[drron]

Property - Arts hotel Barcelona -a Ritz Carlton.
Status - LTP
10/08/22 1 night only.
Booked basic king.
Received- 1 bedroom suite high floor sea view.
Loyalty acknowledged.

Marques Riscal -A Luxury Collection.
6/8/22 for 2 nights..
Booked basic king in Gehry wing.
Received luxury king with mountain view in Gehry wing-second best room in that wing.
Loyalty acknowledged.

Both booked through Virtuoso.

 

[ChrisGibbs]

Property - Sheraton Port Douglas
Status - LTP
11/08/22 3 nights Cash / Redemption Stay.
Booked and Received 2 * Double Studio (Room needs a refresh / renovation)
Occupancy Rate: 40%
No Loyalty acknowledgement, No upgrade provided.

 

[ChrisFlyer]

Any recent reviews for Four Points by Sheraton Melbourne Docklands?

I stayed there back in March as Gold. Was surprised with a welcome gift of wine and macarons. No upgrade but I was really just there to sleep.
Having said that, they confirmed a 2pm late check-out for me at check-in time... but then called my room around 10:30am on the day of departure to tell me "there were no late check-outs today" as they were full. Safe to say, I was unimpressed given they had already confirmed it and I'd planned my day around it. I still have the welcome card from the GM with the guy's email, I must get around to sending him a quick note about that...

 

[pangwen]

Property: The W Brisbane
Status: Gold
Dates: 2/10-3/10/2022
Booked: Wonderful Room
Rate: Amex FHR
Received: Spectacular Room

Arrived at noon to take advantage of the "noon check-in when available" benefit. Was initially offered a high floor Wonderful, but I had checked in the app and noted that they had already upgraded us to the Spectacular room. The check-in staff said that the Spectacular room wasn't ready yet, but we stated that we were happy to wait as we really wanted the view. After a few minutes and clicks, we were offered a Spectacular room on a lower floor, which we gratefully accepted.

Our "loyalty" (well, our Gold status, can't really call it loyalty as we got it through Amex - we haven't stayed at a Marriott branded hotel for years) was recognised at check in, with an A5 sheet listing the benefits.

Really loved the room - was provided with a free bottle of some sort of spirits in a W Brisbane bottle (looking at the menu, it appeared to be Pimms?). Not being drinkers, we really appreciated the gesture but we didn't make use of it.

The buffet breakfast was great - a slightly different spread from what you would usually get at a hotel buffet (none of your usual chicken sausages and hash browns here). Loved the broad selection of options for people who cannot consume dairy and/or gluten.

The $US100 credit - Just to close out one of my queries from prior to the stay, we were provided with a letter that specified the credit was "Redeemable at AWAY(R) spa, WET(R) Deck, Living Room Bar, In Room Dining and Valet Parking. Not applicable at Three Blue Ducks or W Store".
- The Good: We used the credit towards a spa session. FABULOUS - would definitely do again in the future.
- The Bad: I was expecting a poor AUD/USD exchange rate (maybe 3-5% similar to credit card fees, or at a stretch up to 10% based on reporting of very high DCC rates on AFF), but I wasn't expecting it to be quite this bad. We were informed that the $US100 converted to $AU135.21. Using the mid-market XE rate would have been about $AU155.22, so the conversion fees were almost 13%. Something to remember in the future!

EDIT: Just to close out - would definitely stay here again, the location was great, and the service was good.

 

[waz22]

Can report coughtail hour in the lounge at the Royal Orchid Sheraton in BKK goes for three hours. Generous with the drinks too, so a winning combo. This is the man-sized G&T they serve

Would you recommend this hotel? A lot of choice in Bangkok. I will be with wife and toddler.

 

[waz22]

Property: Westin Zagreb
Status: Gold Elite
Date: 02/10/22 - 1 night only
Booked: Deluxe King and received (but on Level 10)
Rate: Flexible Rate
Loyalty acknowledged on checkin, chocolates and fruit platter in room (am I the only one that hates a fruit platter?). Requested late checkout and got to 2pm in the end.

 

[waz22]

Property: Courtyard Sarajevo
Status: Gold Elite
Date: 01/10/22 - 1 night only
Booked: Standard King
Rate: Flexible Rate
Received: Business King, High Floor Room 608
Loyalty acknowledged on checkin, drink voucher, fruit platter in room. Requested late checkout and got to 2pm as requested.

 

[jonboixxx]

Property: Wailea Beach Resort
Status: Titanium
Dates: 2/10-7/10/2022 and 14/10-19/10/2022
Booked: Queen Garden (all that was available on booking; now that we are here, apparently there is a large Snowflake Conference Cloud data or something)
Rate: Points
Received: Queen Garden, High floor ( but with a view of the beach)

Loyalty received; Mumm Napa bottle + 4 macarons. Amenity daily is coffee+pastry+fruit cup at Whales Tail Cafe, which I quite like, because I normally don't eat much in the morning and we stroll across the property in the morning to the outdoor cafe on the beach and take in the views.

Parking is USD35/n, BS Resort fee is USD45/n

 

[Stevo.1702]

Property: London Heathrow Courtyard Marriott
Status: Titanium
Dates: 28 - 30 Oct
Booked: King Guest
Received: Premier King

Quite a good hotel for T2/T3. Traveled to the hotel via the bus transfer which I think cost about 5 pounds.
Rooftop bar has excellent runway views for arrivals. F&B credit or points were offered at check-in. The upgraded room was very nice. I'll have no hesitation to stay here again if I need a hotel close to LHR

 

[Stevo.1702]

Property: Four Points by Sheraton Singapore, Riverview
Status: Titanium
Dates: 6 - 8 Nov
Booked: 2 Twin/Single Bed(s) (why work booked this I have no idea)
Received: 2 Twin/Single Bed(s) (probably because they thought I wanted it)

Staff were very friendly and acknowledged the status with an offer of breakfast or points plus a free round of drinks each night for up to 5 people at the bar during happy hour. Very nice status perks.

I am certain that if I asked for a king room they would have accommodated me and quite possibly would have looked at upgrading. I arrived late, was very tired and had to rush to meet some people so I didn't enquire about changing room type.

Opted for breakfast but didn't end up using it either day. Also didn't take them up on the drinks offer at the bar (2hr window) becasue it didn't suit my timings. Did manage to go for a dip in the pool which was very clean and well kept.

No hesitation staying here again. Easy walk to clarke quay although it seems to be having large renovations so not worth visiting at the moment.

 

[marks]

Property: Four Points by Sheraton Singapore, Riverview

No hesitation staying here again. Easy walk to clarke quay although it seems to be having large renovations so not worth visiting at the moment.

Head the other way to Roberston Quay from the rear of the hotel. Go past the Intercon. Great bars & restaurants last week.

Stayed there last week. Nothing much to add. Buffet Breakfast was great with all the usual fare. Coffee machines for espresso/latte as required. Take away cups if you want to take a spare after.

 

[Stevo.1702]

Property: Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park
Status: Titanium
Dates: 09 - 11 Dec
Booked: City View King Room
Received: Grand Executive Park View

First time here. First night was book via Amex with $100 cash back offer and second night was a 40,000 free night certificate which expires at the end of this year. Called amex a few days prior to add Bonvoy number which succeed and made it visible in the app. I reached out a few days before check-in via the app to link the two bookings but didn't seem to work at check in.

Room is very large with spacious bathroom with what Mrs. Stevo says are excellent amenities.

Welcome gift offered was points, plush toy, or upgrade from Sheraton lounge breakfast to full breakfast on Level 1 which we opted for.

We picked the upgraded breakfast and glad we did. Been to many a hotel buffets and the quality of the offering his was far better than most.

We missed the drinks and canapes on the first night due late check-in and were given 2 free drink vouchers to use at the bar at any time.

$60 a night for self parking which was easy and convenient.

There were suits available online on the day of check-in but seeing as we were difficult guests and had two signal night bookings I didn't ask and we are very happy with the room.

 

[Stevo.1702]

Following up on my December stay.
Although the first night was prepaid and the second night a reward stay when the folio was sent to me it revealed I was charged the nightly rate for the first night. The only thing discussed during checkout was the two nights of parking charges.

Calling the hotel a few days later I was told they can see it was a pre-paid room but that I need to provide evidence that I was charged again by the hotel. Easily done seeing as it was on their own folio.

Nothing heard for 3 weeks (busy time so I was happy to put it off until the New Year). Called again this morning and the representative was able to easily identify the issue on their end and will raise it with the manager because there is nothing anyone can do at the moment.

A bit disappointing but hopefully quickly resolved now.

 

[ChrisFlyer]

Property: Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel
Status: Gold
Dates: 29 Dec - 1 Jan
Booked: Guest Room 1 King w/ Nathan Phillips Square View
Received: "Club lounge access, Guest room, 1 King"... with no Club access (but still with the desired view on a high floor)

First impressions reasonably good - was able to check in several hours early, and advised to charge the highest speed Wi-Fi to the room and the charge would be waived (it was, without asking). Good central location. Porters too busy to assist on arrival, which would have been helpful with three suitcases, but we survived.

Wasn't told of my upgrade at check-in, and at first, I got excited when I saw the new room when I later opened the app in the room. I figured I'd probably be 'Bonvoyed' for lounge access with the upgrade (Hilton is generous in this respect, Marriott usually not), so called Guest Services to check if I actually had access. They took a moment and said that yes, we did. Hooray!

Went up to the lounge, denied entry, but told we can come in if we pay CAD $200, each, per night. Didn't care that I'd been told otherwise by their colleague, so I went down to the front desk to complain. Duty manager eventually extended us access for that day only, and only after I said point blank that ~"your staff lied to me and it's embarrassing to have been turned away at the door". It was nice to have a look at the lounge - a very impressive and recently renovated space (when I can't say the same about the room, which was fine but 'North America meh'). But, just about every drink in the lounge was chargeable to everyone - even tea and coffee, and they made a point of highlighting that to everyone who approached the bar. So yes, we could have paid CAD $400 for the privilege of being able to pay more for refreshments, LOL. Still, ordered 2 G&Ts which ended up costing just under CAD $30 including tax and tip.

Evening snacks in the lounge were trying to be premium but quite poor. They had meat-free sliders which were hard on the bottom from sitting in the serving pan for too long, and little cylinders of lobster pasta that had no noticeable pieces of lobster and just had a faint taste of it in the sauce. I'd have had a little more of the cheese and sweets after, but plates and cutlery were at a premium and hard to chase down.

Other impressions - the hotel ran out of umbrellas, because of course, it was raining. The lobby cafe also couldn't make a bagel at 11am "because the kitchen changes at 10:30", but they could still make other things like avo toast that use the same toaster. Righteo.

Overall, not impressed and would try the nearby Hilton or Shangri-La next time as I have status with those chains too. I'd booked the Nathan Phillips Square view as that's usually where the fireworks are, but they ended up being relocated to the harbour, visible only from the opposite side of the hotel. Fortunately, some of the locals weren't impressed and went and set off their own fireworks around the square, so we still got something of a show.