A few days ago, I wrote about a shady practice at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Toronto Airport. For months, the hotel has been accepting reservations, despite not actually being open to individual guests. Instead, the hotel seems to be housing people with a government contract.
As soon as people make reservations, the hotel emails travelers, to let them know they’ll be accommodated elsewhere (at other properties with the same owners). Simply put, this seems like a bait and switch, intended to drum up bookings at sister properties by deceiving travelers.
In this post:
A Marriott Bonvoy Ultimate Reservation Guarantee success
When I first wrote about the Fairfield Toronto Airport’s scheme, I talked briefly about the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee, whereby Marriott has published compensation amounts when your reservation can’t be honored. If you have high tier elite status, you could be looking at $100 plus 90,000 Bonvoy points in compensation, in addition to having your night covered elsewhere.
I questioned whether that would be successful at this property, given the following in the terms & conditions:
A Participating Property must be open and operational for the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee benefit/compensation to apply.
Now, logically, a hotel is in fact open and operational if it has guests, even if the hotel isn’t accepting individual travelers. It shouldn’t matter whether it’s a government buy-out, or a wedding block. But I figured that Marriott would find a way to get out of this, given that we’re talking about Marriott, which isn’t exactly known for holding its hotels accountable.
Well, reader Adam decided to put this to the test, so more power to him. He booked the Fairfield Inn & Suites Toronto Airport, and shortly after booking, received an email about how the hotel would be unable to accommodate his stay “due to unforeseen circumstances,” and he’d be rebooked at the Hampton Inn.
Note that his rate at the Fairfield was 320 CAD per night, while the rate at the Hampton was 166 CAD per night, with no offer for a refund. So he called Marriott Bonvoy customer support, and told them he was being walked from the hotel, inquiring about the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee. He was put on hold, and a representative confirmed his reservation was eligible for the compensation. He then received the following email from the hotel:
Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused regarding your reservation. We deeply value your loyalty to the Marriott brand as one of our Platinum Elite Member.
The decision to relocate reservations was due to circumstances beyond our control. A government group that has been staying with us extended their stay for a few more months, which unfortunately impacted our ability to honor all guest reservations. We were unable to close our availability online, but we are doing our best to inform our guests as soon as possible.
We sincerely apologize for the disruption to your plans. We understand the inconvenience this has caused and are committed to making this right for you.
As per Marriott’s Walk Policy, as a Platinum Elite member, you are indeed entitled to the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee. As part of your status, we will be sending you a $100 USD cheque to the address on your Marriott membership. Please allow 2-4 weeks for the cheque to arrive after your check-out. We will also be crediting your Marriott account with 90,000 points which you shall see reflect 3-5 days after your check-out.
Also as part of the policy we are to cover the cost of your room for the entire stay. However, please note that if we proceed with this option, our system will not allow us to credit you the nights toward your status as It requires for us to take the deposit for the room and taxes in order for the nights to be credited to your account.
If this is fine with you, we’re happy to move forward with covering your stay where you will not pay anything for your room and your card would only be taken for the security hold. If you would like to ensure you have your nights credited we would have to take the deposit for your room and taxes but we can compensate you with 30,000 points (equivalent to the value of the booking).
Please let me know how you would like to proceed, and we will make the necessary arrangements promptly.
Thank you for your understanding.
So this is pretty epic. Either he can receive 90,000 Bonvoy points, $100, and have his room comped, or he can pay for his stay as planned, and receive 120,000 Bonvoy points plus $100 (and receive elite nights).
Something tells me the hotel will figure this out quickly
Credit to Marriott Bonvoy and the hotel for actually honoring the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee. Marriott seems to have such little control over hotels nowadays, so that’s a pleasant surprise.
I can’t help but specifically zero in on one of the claims being made by the hotel employee, in justifying why hotel rooms are being sold, in spite of the hotel not actually accommodating individual guests — “we were unable to close our availability online.”
I’m sorry, what? So we’re supposed to believe that for over a year now, the hotel is just unable to close availability? Marriott promotes to hotel owners how it has an amazing reservations platform, but somehow it lacks the ability to, you know, stop accepting reservations when the hotel doesn’t have availability?
I don’t want to accuse someone of lying without evidence, but if that’s true, that’s beyond embarrassing for Marriott. Let me just put it that way. In the meantime, with this hotel seemingly being forced to honor the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee, let’s see how quickly the hotel and/or Marriott figure out a way to turn off availability. 😉
Bottom line
The Fairfield Inn & Suites Toronto Airport has been playing games, whereby it has been accepting reservations, despite having a buy-out contract. Marriott has an Ultimate Reservation Guarantee, and an OMAAT reader successfully used it at this property. So not only will he get a comped stay, but he’ll get $100 compensation, plus 90,000 Bonvoy points.
What I find most incredulous is the hotel’s claim that it has been unable to stop accepting reservations. I think it’s safe to say that will be changing shortly…
What do you make of this Ultimate Reservation Guarantee play?
I will never again stay at a Bonvoy property. At a Marriott in Chicago last year I was unable to use the hotel's wifi because I didn't book my room through the Bonvoy membership that I didn't have. It's not that I didn't get free wifi, I couldn't even PAY for it. How utterly stupid.
OMAAT readers, unite!
It is our duty to book nights at this property and then immediately file for the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee. As we are the ones with this knowledge, it is our duty to pressure the hotel into changing its online availability (so that others who do not possess this knowledge no longer get scammed by this hotel, of course - why else would we do it?). We need to go do some charity work people. Let's get on it!
I've seen an inability to close reservations on a given night before (either because of a computer glitch - over at Hyatt - or because the computer was insisting on booking space on the basis of expected no-shows - at a Westin), but not on an extended basis like this.
I figure there's got to be a way to either block out inventory on an extended basis or make the rates "unappetizing" (e.g. I recall...
I've seen an inability to close reservations on a given night before (either because of a computer glitch - over at Hyatt - or because the computer was insisting on booking space on the basis of expected no-shows - at a Westin), but not on an extended basis like this.
I figure there's got to be a way to either block out inventory on an extended basis or make the rates "unappetizing" (e.g. I recall some hotel in DC parking rates at like $9k/night), though I suspect there are cases where an absurd rate might get a few bookings anyway in a real crisis (I /can/ see someone shelling out over $1k in a meltdown if they expect to get $500 from TI and $200 from the airline).
More to the point, others have raised the NYC Marriott suit - look, I'd be stunned if Marriott wouldn't agree to a temporary de-flagging deal or letting the hotel be shut down in exchange for some sort of breakage fee. It might require the hotel to push back on requests from the government booking (e.g. "No, we need you to agree to six months of this or no-can-do"), but that's the nature of a negotiating process.
@grayanderson
‘ e.g. I recall some hotel in DC parking rates at like $9k/night’
Seriously? $9,000 dollars a night to park your car??? That is absurd.
The suggestion is that one puts an indeed ridiculous price which means that no-one will book it.
Somewhat separately I see some absurb prices on eBay.
They could be user (seller) mistakes, but I do wonder whether some of them are steganography.
Yeah. There was one seller who had a shipping price of like $250 for something. I contacted them and they facepalmed and lowered it. Sometimes it's a mistake, sometimes it's just deceptive.
New BV churning strategy dropped.
Suddenly no inventory rest of the month.
For context, here is a story from last year about how Marriott sued a New York City franchisee for operating as a homeless shelter rather than a hotel:
https://cbs4local.com/news/nation-world/marriott-sues-franchisee-for-allegedly-using-nyc-location-as-migrant-shelter-new-york-city-pride-hotel-immigration-asylum-seekers-southern-border-eric-adams
I am guessing some of the language about how the hotel is "unable" to stop taking reservations is due to the franchisee trying to not run afoul of the franchise agreement.
For context, here is a story from last year about how Marriott sued a New York City franchisee for operating as a homeless shelter rather than a hotel:
https://cbs4local.com/news/nation-world/marriott-sues-franchisee-for-allegedly-using-nyc-location-as-migrant-shelter-new-york-city-pride-hotel-immigration-asylum-seekers-southern-border-eric-adams
I am guessing some of the language about how the hotel is "unable" to stop taking reservations is due to the franchisee trying to not run afoul of the franchise agreement.
This is interesting. In my past experience, Marriott customer service has always sided with the hotel that cancelled the reservation ahead of time due to overbooking. Granted, the difference is the hotel is cancelling the reservation and not providing alternate accommodation, as opposed to this FI sending customers to an alternate hotel (actual walk).
Also my experience that the benefit only kicks in if you actually get to the hotel and THEN they walk you.
Hmm. Outside of trying to generate some extra points (which are valuable), I am not sure what the point of this is in terms of trying to "teach Marriott a lesson" or anything.
1) Government contracts, particularly for things like homeless services, are tricky because they are easy money for hotels but can cause issues with the franchise agreement. Generally, hotels need to operate properties as the brand and service transient guests in order not...
Hmm. Outside of trying to generate some extra points (which are valuable), I am not sure what the point of this is in terms of trying to "teach Marriott a lesson" or anything.
1) Government contracts, particularly for things like homeless services, are tricky because they are easy money for hotels but can cause issues with the franchise agreement. Generally, hotels need to operate properties as the brand and service transient guests in order not to violate terms of the franchise agreement. If you "shut down" while taking such a contract, you could end up violating the terms of the agreement. So this hotel is probably continuing to "operate" as a Fairfield by taking reservations, then serving those reservations at sister (non Marriott) properties. Another option for the hotel would be to take the government contract, but also continue to accept guests for a small portion of the rooms - something tells me guests would be more upset if they found out they were staying in homeless housing...
2) The hotel is apparently immediately letting guests know about the issue at booking. At that point, guests can presumably cancel and rebook with another hotel if they choose. I am guessing things like prepaid, nonrefundable bookings and also would be taken care of by the hotel or Marriott if those were an issue.
Overall, I get the idea about trying to get points out of this situation, but I ultimately don't view the franchisee here as "sneaky" or somehow unethical. The franchisee here ultimately is providing lodging to guests, and guests have the optionality to book elsewhere.
No. It is sneaky. Full stop.
(1) I mean, 120k points is a heck of a reason in and of itself.
(2) So, what they /should/ do is negotiate with Marriott (maybe paying a penalty?) to e.g. temporarily de-flag or de-list the hotel as part of negotiating for a contract like this. Plenty of properties closed for a spell during the pandemic and others have closed for renovations, so there's got to be a clause in there allowing for that. If...
(1) I mean, 120k points is a heck of a reason in and of itself.
(2) So, what they /should/ do is negotiate with Marriott (maybe paying a penalty?) to e.g. temporarily de-flag or de-list the hotel as part of negotiating for a contract like this. Plenty of properties closed for a spell during the pandemic and others have closed for renovations, so there's got to be a clause in there allowing for that. If they can't manage it with Marriott, they probably could with Hilton or IHG (since they seem to have hotels with all three). And if they flat-out can't do a deal? Then maybe don't do this.
(3) If they can't do (2) for some reason, I think the "right" answer would be to disclose the issue at booking, give folks the option (heck, maybe let them choose among the other hotels in their "family") and, more importantly, when moving the guests adjust their rate to the other hotel's rate if that rate is lower (or amend the rate on the Marriott website to match the intended rebooking hotel's rate). I think what was sticking in quite a few folks' guts was them booking folks in at (say) CAD300 at the FI and then relocating them to another property whose "going rate" was CAD200.
But you only get the points after check out, so quite a lift for someone to go through the hassle of getting there, even if living in GTA.
And what about compensation for all the other guests who never received what they were entitled to receive?
@ FNT Delta Diamond -- In fairness, the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee is never proactive, and is only provided to those who request it...
At 120k points per person, I think that it wouldn't take many of us to break this little racket.
How has Marriott not sued this hotel? It did so in New York when a similar lower-level hotel became a homeless shelter. https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/marriott-sues-franchisee-turning-new-york-hotel-migrant-shelter
Think you mean Fairfield Inn?
"Fairmont Toronto Airport’s scheme"
@ BC -- Fixed, thank you!
Way to go Adam! I wonder if I should try that tomorrow.
@Jerry, Why? Are you normally a grifter?
Would one be eligible for compensation if they booked a refundable rate and then cancelled the reservation? This hotel needs to be taught a lesson.