In the past few months as well as recently, two different issues have cropped up at two different hotel chains. I feel like ranting. But more importantly, I’m wondering if anyone else has had these issues and how best to handle them. One is happening with Hyatt and one at Marriott hotels.
Marriott Hotel Policy When Borrowing Tech
I usually carry enough plug adapters, cords, and computer add-ons when I travel. Occasionally though, I need an extra plug adapter. I ask the front desk if they have any spare adapters. They check and then hand me one and off I go, adapter in hand.
My custom has been to leave the adapter in the room when I depart. I always leave it where I know housekeeping will find it. As far as I can tell, I’ve never had an issue.
On a recent Marriott stay I needed to see my bill a few days before checking out. I noticed there was a $10 charge for the adapter. I assume this was a refundable deposit.
Here’s what got my attention, though.
I wasn’t told a deposit charge was being added to my bill. And had I not seen that charge, it would never have occurred to me to handle borrowing the adapter differently.
In theory, I have no issue with a refundable deposit. But in practice it means I need to hand the adapter back to the front desk and ask them to note it on my bill.
Makes me wonder how many times I didn’t get the deposit refunded. It also makes me wonder if this is a particular hotel’s policy or if this is across all Marriott hotels. I’ve asked around but no one seems to know. Do you?
Seems like if they are charging my credit card while I’m charging my devices, I shouldn’t be the last to know!
Hyatt: Stop Assigning MY Points to Stays
Now for my Hyatt rant. It involves points in my Hyatt account and Hyatt assigning them to my stays.
I’ve been a Hyatt loyalist for years. Unless I’m badly mistaken, which I very well could be, there’s a new, or relatively new Hyatt habit that’s been bugging me for a while now. I’m hoping you’ll chime in, let me know how you handle this, and offer up some creative workarounds.
I don’t usually keep many Hyatt points in my account. I use them as I acquire them, or I transfer them in to my account when I need to book a Hyatt stay. However, there are times, usually because I’ve booked a stay on points and then canceled it, that chunks of points are in my Hyatt account.
What I’ve noticed in the past year is that Hyatt, without informing me, scrubs my account and assigns points to stays I’ve booked.
Because of my Hyatt status, I can book stays on points without having the points in my account. I take advantage of this option. It’s also been my understanding that the points have to be in my account, say a week or two, before the stay. I take no issue with this policy.
But Hyatt choosing which of my stays to assign my points to………this I do take issue with.
I’m thinking there can’t be an actual person who takes points from my account and assigns them to stays. It must be an algorithm or some such program that’s doing this. And it’s assigning points to stays that are not even my next upcoming ones but rather bookings that are five or six months out. This makes no sense to me.
I’ve reached out again and again to my Hyatt concierge. I’m told they, the concierges, are not told about how this works, when it gets done, or why points are assigned to certain booked stays.
SIX months in advance. Come on, Hyatt. This seems ridiculous to me.
Are you seeing this in your Hyatt account? I need some advice for workarounds.
It’s a hassle and a waste of time to cancel stays, deposit the points back into my account, and then re-book the exact stay.
So what would you do? I’m assuming the Hyatt bots aren’t reading this post and aren’t likely to change this behavior any time soon 🙂
Thanks in advance for any ideas or light you can shed on these two issues!
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9 comments
If you borrow something and pick it up at front desk, I think most people would return it to the front desk. Geeeesh come on
Fair enough, GTTP. Do you know if all Marriott hotels charge a deposit, though? That’s my question.
Points advance bookings are a benefit… the benefit is that you can book a room before you have the full points amount in the account. There’s nothing to say that the points won’t be withdrawn until a week or two of the stay. It seems pretty reasonable that they apply points to your reservation as soon as you have a sufficient balance. It’s a benefit I use a lot – and something none of the other chains offer.
Thanks for taking the time to comment C. It’s frustrating for me because of the random nature of which reservation they apply my points to, and that I can’t seem to get any clarity from Hyatt as to how this is done. Good benefit, I agree.
Next time ask to see the lost and found because you lost an adaptor once upon a time and wondered if it’s here 🙂
Every hotel chain has issues that drive people crazy. I think Marriott and/or IHG will assign free night certs out of order of date and value. Most hotels are getting rid of bars of soap (liquid soap is NOT the same thing) or a host of other problems.
That’s creative, Dan. For sure I’ll use it. Thanks for your thoughts on hotel frustrations!
I didn’t know that I could book a Hyatt stay without having the actual points. Any idea if this works for Guest Of Honor bookings?
I have no idea, Christian. Let us know when you find out 🙂 Thanks!
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