One of my favorite Marriott hotels in the world is Al Maha, which is a desert resort just outside of Dubai. You can read my reviews of the room, dining, and activities here.
This really is a very special property. All of the suites at the hotel are large and feature pools. There’s also something really cool about the desert scenery, as it’s completely different than what you’d see in a city, at the beach, in the mountains, etc.
One of the other things about Al Maha is that it’s basically all inclusive. Stays here include breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two activities.
In the past this was considered a “specialty” Starwood property, meaning that there wasn’t a reasonable cost at which you could redeem points here. Before Marriott’s takeover of Starwood, all properties without “standard” rooms cost an outrageous number of points.
So one of the benefits of the new program is that all of these “specialty” properties are now bookable based on the standard award chart. For now this means you can make bookings at Al Maha for just 60,000 points per night (since this is a Category 7 hotel, as of this March prices will vary from 50,000 to 70,000 point per night based on peak and off-peak pricing).
In late December I wrote about an awful change that was made to award redemptions at Al Maha. While you could still redeem 60,000 points per night at this property…
…redemptions started to only include the room, and not anything else.
That’s right — Al Maha redemptions no longer included food or activities. With this change, if you actually wanted the full Al Maha experience, you could expect to pay the following amounts to get what was previously included:
- 168AED per person for breakfast
- 273AED per person for lunch
- 515AED per person for dinner
- 270AED per person per activity
So for two people doing two activities per day, you were looking at 2,992AED per night, or over $800 per night… which is very close to the paid rate here.
Obviously this was a terrible change. I did say at the time that I didn’t think it was completely unreasonable, in the sense that to my knowledge this is the only Marriott property where you can redeem points that comes with three meals per day and activities. At the same time, they essentially made redemptions here worthless.
So there’s some good news on this front, according to View from the Wing. Marriott has a policy where those redeeming points get the same features as those paying cash for a room, so they’ve reversed course here.
Award redemptions at Al Maha once again include all food and activities, just as they did before. Marriott has said that “the property is reverting back to the old inclusive award pricing.” Do note that the website continues to show “room only redemption stays,” but I’d trust Marriott on this one.
At the same time, on some level I wonder how much of this was forced by Marriott, and how much of this was due to the horrible reviews they’ve gotten on TripAdvisor due to these negative changes. They’ve gotten several one star reviews for this, and hotels really do care about their TripAdvisor scores, so…
My guess is that either Marriott agreed to reimburse the hotel more for award bookings or sooner or later the Al Maha will leave the Marriott portfolio (not sure how long they are bound by contract)
Hello All,
Is there a way I can access of a list of these specialty properties? I could not find a list on Marriott's site. Please advise. Thanks so much!
I booked this morning. Clearly states will include all meals and two activities
@farnorthtrader
I booked an award stay from 11/24-11/28 a few hours ago so that might have been some of the availability that disappeared. I had another reservation for 11/22-11/24 that I cancelled maybe 20 minutes ago which should be open right now.
But just like you I did notice that award availability was significantly reduced the week of the US Thanksgiving even though there is standard room space. My understanding was that the no...
@farnorthtrader
I booked an award stay from 11/24-11/28 a few hours ago so that might have been some of the availability that disappeared. I had another reservation for 11/22-11/24 that I cancelled maybe 20 minutes ago which should be open right now.
But just like you I did notice that award availability was significantly reduced the week of the US Thanksgiving even though there is standard room space. My understanding was that the no blackout policy prevents them from blocking award space when there is a standard room available, which there are every day that week in every room type. I wonder if perhaps Al Maha was able to negotiate an exemption to the blackout policy for holidays as part of allowing all-inclusive award redemptions.
They have now been changed back, however, now they seem to be restricting availability for at least some dates. I looked at late November and there is availability for cash, but not for points on several days. Given the Marriott flip flop on this issue, I have no idea if this is allowed or not.
I checked my Marriott account this morning and my redemption stay had updated to full board and activities (reservation made in September). This happened without any action on my part so it may not be helpful to contact Marriott by phone, or the hotel by email, but rather wait to see if the reservation updates automatically.
thanks, tiffany! Wow Marriott is an absolute mess...been on the phone for 2 hours and they are so clueless.
Email hotel directly and got the following reply. Notice I made reservation before Dec 11, 2018 (their system merged date)
Dear Mr. SIO,
Greetings from Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa!
Glad to re-confirm your booking with hotel confirmation number 831xxxx
Please be informed that you will see changes as the reservation is migrated to Marriott however the booking is still on Points redemption on full board including breakfast and lunch ,...
Email hotel directly and got the following reply. Notice I made reservation before Dec 11, 2018 (their system merged date)
Dear Mr. SIO,
Greetings from Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa!
Glad to re-confirm your booking with hotel confirmation number 831xxxx
Please be informed that you will see changes as the reservation is migrated to Marriott however the booking is still on Points redemption on full board including breakfast and lunch , dinner and two desert activities per person per day .
Should you need any further assistance please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Thanks, tiffany. Do I just call back like 10 times?
Is there something I can point agents to?
They are all *really* clueless and just say, "oh well, I guess you got upgraded."
Thanks
@ dan -- I would try and get to SPG Member Services, if they still exist; or anyone who was at SPG not Marriott originally
Lucky,
Where did you get your info? When I called Marriott to book a new reservation, they told me that it is still room only and that will not change.
Also I was charged 66,000 per night instead of 60,000 and when I call them they say that it is correct and it's because I was upgraded to a "beduine suite" but my understanding is that this is the base room and it should be 60,000 per night? Anyone know? Thanks
@ Dan -- It definitely should be 60k. We had the same issue, but it was eventually resolved.
I just called Mariott and they called Al Maha. They say that there will be no food ord acitivities. Then I just called the Al Maha myself they say that when you redeem points there will be no food or acitivities. How can I manage to get the benefits?
So now I'm worried. I booked in November 2018. for three nights this January (2 weeks from now).
They charged me 66,000 points/night, saying the extra 6k were required for a 'suite upgrade charge' so I rolled with it.
The email confirmation says,
"Rate Details SPG Suite Upgrade"
Special Services for All Rooms:
January 22, 2019 - January 24, 2019
Rate Plan: SPG Suite Upgrade
DINNER Per Person/per...
So now I'm worried. I booked in November 2018. for three nights this January (2 weeks from now).
They charged me 66,000 points/night, saying the extra 6k were required for a 'suite upgrade charge' so I rolled with it.
The email confirmation says,
"Rate Details SPG Suite Upgrade"
Special Services for All Rooms:
January 22, 2019 - January 24, 2019
Rate Plan: SPG Suite Upgrade
DINNER Per Person/per Night
AWARD REQUIRED Per Room/per Night
BUFFET BREAKFAST Per Person/per Night
LUNCH Per Person/per Night
CHARITABLE DONATION Per Room/per Stay
OTHER Per Person/per Stay
Tourism Levy Excl Per Room/per Night
Which I assume means all inclusive.
HOWEVER, when I click into reservation online, it says "Head's up, we've changed your reservation number"
AND when I click on "rate details' it says "ROOM ONLY REDEMPTION STAY" and says I have to pay extra for all food, drink, activities, etc.
What the hell?
This really should be a new post, not a revised old post. The first set of comments make this sound like a bad change. For something like this, where a company changed course, write a new post and link to the old one.
OMAAT,
In the 4th or 5th paragraph of your post you state "...bookings at Al Maha for just 60,000 points per night (since this is a Category 7 hotel, as of next March prices will vary from 50,000 to 70,000 point per night based on peak and off-peak pricing)." Is that so? One can only wish.
Do you think this will now inspire them to start holding st regis Maldives to the 60,000 points per night policy until category 8 pricing takes effect?
From the dates I checked, they are not offering (available with cash) garden villas (their base room) for points but only overwater bungalows for 100,000 points per night...
This seems like a win all around. Those of us with upcoming award stays obviously win. Al Maha wins after a series of very critical one-star reviews on TripAdvisor. And Marriott wins some much-needed positive press about its enforcement of program terms.
It would be interesting to know if Marriott has agreed to reimburse Al Maha more for 60,000 point award stays because they are all-inclusive, or simply insisted that Al Maha honor the...
This seems like a win all around. Those of us with upcoming award stays obviously win. Al Maha wins after a series of very critical one-star reviews on TripAdvisor. And Marriott wins some much-needed positive press about its enforcement of program terms.
It would be interesting to know if Marriott has agreed to reimburse Al Maha more for 60,000 point award stays because they are all-inclusive, or simply insisted that Al Maha honor the terms of the program. But more interesting to me is the cynical thought that even if this is costing Marriott some money, it is a small amount to pay for a very special, high-profile property that gets a disproportionate amount of attention in relation to its size because it is so distinctive. Is Marriott going to be as aggressive with a generic Sheraton in the hinterlands that is not remotely aspirational when it fails to follow program terms? That's where the rubber will really hit the road.
Emailed hotel directly. Got the same response about Room Only even though I have screenshot proof that my rate details at booking that specified full board and activities. Called Marriot and they called the hotel and they claimed that I made a change to my reservation, which I did not. Marriot rep was very helpful and is opening a case “escalating” the problem. I should hear back from the hotel in 3-5 days. Looks like...
Emailed hotel directly. Got the same response about Room Only even though I have screenshot proof that my rate details at booking that specified full board and activities. Called Marriot and they called the hotel and they claimed that I made a change to my reservation, which I did not. Marriot rep was very helpful and is opening a case “escalating” the problem. I should hear back from the hotel in 3-5 days. Looks like Al Maha is responding back to the negative TripAdvisor reviews. Hopefully something comes of this because it’s completely unacceptable to change rate details after the fact.
I have just received an email response from the hotel to my email expressing my disappointment that my reservation had been changed. They advised that they have no access to award reservations, so either Marriott is making the changes or the hotel is not being honest.
I booked March 19 to 22, 2019 on December 4, 2018 with 180k Marriott points. The following day, I emailed Al Maha to confirm that the points redemption included meals and activities. They confirmed it did by email. After seeing this post, I checked my reservation, and it had been switched to a different confirmation # and an "EALS rate." (No idea what that stands for, but it looked like cash not points.) I called...
I booked March 19 to 22, 2019 on December 4, 2018 with 180k Marriott points. The following day, I emailed Al Maha to confirm that the points redemption included meals and activities. They confirmed it did by email. After seeing this post, I checked my reservation, and it had been switched to a different confirmation # and an "EALS rate." (No idea what that stands for, but it looked like cash not points.) I called Marriott, and they spoke directly to the hotel. The reservation agent confirmed that all the original terms and points redemption remained the same. I sent another email requesting confirmation in writing of the original terms. The Al Maha staff again confirmed it did. So...you should be able to get them to stand by your original agreement.
Last three tripadvisor reviews are 1 star due to this issue. I wonder how long they will be willing to withstand the mounting criticism
Above email address works. That's the exact one I asked and got this big chuck of highlighted BS:
Kindly note that the booking for the Points Redemption is entitled for 02 adults only.
Please be informed that the property already migrated to Marriott, Hence the Points Redemption booking will be on Room only basis and the meals and activities will be charged in addition.
However the meals will be charged per person as...
Above email address works. That's the exact one I asked and got this big chuck of highlighted BS:
Kindly note that the booking for the Points Redemption is entitled for 02 adults only.
Please be informed that the property already migrated to Marriott, Hence the Points Redemption booking will be on Room only basis and the meals and activities will be charged in addition.
However the meals will be charged per person as per consumption.
Breakfast (Buffet)– AED 160+5%vat
Lunch(Set Menu) – AED 260+5%vat
Dinner(Set Menu) – AED 490+5%vat
Desert activities can be reserved at the cost of AED 270 per person per activity
@David under rate details. I clicked on it and says “Room Only Redemption Stay” and below it says “Meals...paid directly at property.” Lucky you that they didn’t change it. I know the confirm number changed due to the transfer, but sucks the new terms were added to our reservation. My husband’s Ambassador is checking on it...she hadn’t even heard of the terms changing at all. She noted that SPG would have honored it...not sure about...
@David under rate details. I clicked on it and says “Room Only Redemption Stay” and below it says “Meals...paid directly at property.” Lucky you that they didn’t change it. I know the confirm number changed due to the transfer, but sucks the new terms were added to our reservation. My husband’s Ambassador is checking on it...she hadn’t even heard of the terms changing at all. She noted that SPG would have honored it...not sure about Marriott. We shall see. We asked that if they won’t honor that we be let to cancel without penalty as our stay is January 7-9; less than 30 days.
[email protected] used to work, not sure if it's still working after August merger?
What’s Al Maha’s email address? I booked in November and want to ask them.
Wife wanted a special place just to veg out for a week. We probably wouldn't have even done the activities. But removing the meals adds about $200/person/day to the cost which is a significant change. Even in expensive Dubai you can eat incredibly well for far less than that.
I saw some of you booked 5 nights probably thinking about the advantage of 5th night free - the reality is, this place is out of no where and even in "Cool Months" which are Nov to Mar, you still dont want to venture outdoor during day time - that is the primary reason why all the activities are scheduled in the morning or late afternoon into evening.
Those who plan to arrive after March,...
I saw some of you booked 5 nights probably thinking about the advantage of 5th night free - the reality is, this place is out of no where and even in "Cool Months" which are Nov to Mar, you still dont want to venture outdoor during day time - that is the primary reason why all the activities are scheduled in the morning or late afternoon into evening.
Those who plan to arrive after March, be prepared for day time temperature into the 40's or close to 100's in F (US used F).
There are literally nothing else you can entertain yourselves and the plunge pool in front of the villa not only is small, and reportedly being dirty in some cases - so you would have it cleaned out before you can use it, but it would still be a hard time to kill your day time that way 5 days in a row!
Just how much time you can spend in staring at the Oryx and Gazelle without getting bored?
Dubai is a good one hour drive away (and rather expensive if you do it everyday)
Seriously, this is NOT a resort where you can plant yourself for a week to enjoy the facilities and the surroundings which incl either beaches or mountains, AND also have sightseeing / restaurants / even malls within easy reach.
Al Maha is NOT like that.
At most 2 nights 3 days would be more than enough to "enjoy" the surrounding and the previous good services and decent meals (they are way overpriced at the level quoted because you will have far better meals in top notch places such as the Armani hotel as an example)
You will get really bored for a stay longer than that, even if you are honeymooning.
Well damn.
My reservation booked on 12/14 says ROOM ONLY
@David F. We also booked on Aug 21 - 5 night stay in April - but I'm not seeing anything that says "room redemption only" on my reservation. Where do you see that on yours? Under rate details it just says "Redemption with Points Upgrade" for me. My confirmation number has also changed, but my ambassador said that is happening with many reservations right now as they continue to merge systems and have nothing to do with altering the terms of any bookings.
Booked 2 nights for next month for our anniversary way back on August 21st, and now have a new reservation number and it says room redemption only; obviously not grandfathered in. Husband asked his Ambassador to see if they will honor old terms and if not, to let us cancel. It’s shady to switch old reservations; everybody should check their reservations. Thanks for the article Lucky otherwise we’d show up and find out nothing is covered.
@Anon Nemus: this can be expanded to reservations at regular rates too. One just needs to make sure to cancel on time.
I saw we all make award reservations then hold them until the last day of free cancellation which is 30 days before the stay. Small property, see how well they do filling $1,500+ per night rooms within a month.
I am not sure how some people here come to the conclusion that it's *Marriott* who messed things up here. In fact it's the Marriott/SPG merger which opened up the opportunity to book Al Maha with 60K points only.
It's the hotel which changed the terms of award bookings. And I personally do not find the pricing of meals and activities reasonable at all, more geared towards fleecing a captive audience. Let's not forget that...
I am not sure how some people here come to the conclusion that it's *Marriott* who messed things up here. In fact it's the Marriott/SPG merger which opened up the opportunity to book Al Maha with 60K points only.
It's the hotel which changed the terms of award bookings. And I personally do not find the pricing of meals and activities reasonable at all, more geared towards fleecing a captive audience. Let's not forget that on top of the meals there are beverages to be paid for, and these are very expensive at Al Maha. In their shoes I would probably just restricted award availability.
Maybe they should be consequential and leave Marriott Rewards alltogether and miss out on the marketing power of the brand, and the bloggers who cover it, *because* it was part of SPG and now Marriott rewards.
@Jules I like the way you think! Heavy breakfast, hit up morning and afternoon tea in the lobby, and instant noodles in-between. Fast after the sun goes down. Save the welcome fruit for when you can't hold out any longer. It's doable.
To all who got affected by this change of inclusions on their award rates:
Give them a review on TripAdvisor and Google, that deserves this behaviour. I just did so.
@Kevin B
Check out the Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island (if you are coming during the winter months)
It is about 3 hours south of Abu Dhabi. Rental cars are cheap in the UAE and the road to there is essentially a straight,long highway..
I highly recommend the Al Sahel and Al Yamm Villas. They host wildlife and activities like the Al Maha.
No point redemptions but if you are keen, it is on Groupon UAE !
@Alex: free breakfast and instant noodles for dinner.
Seriously though, I’m trying to strategize how I can make this redemption work without giving a penny to Al-Maha. F*** them for this sneaky change!
One thought is that some private tour operators include dinner...
Better eat a lot of breakfast then because downtown Dubai is an hour drive away!
But Breakfast is sfree for Platinum members right? Or would Al-Maha have any grounds to weasel out of that as well?
Then there's also the Ras Al Khaimah, Al Hamra Beach too but in both cases (for Ritz) no meals would be included although arguably that would be less expensive than what the Al Maha is charging of $260/person/day!
This place is what I consider the working man's Amangiri
Son of a B***, I was literally just about to book one of these. Already have the flight to DXB. Argggggggg.
Should we consider the Ritz Ras Al Khaimah, Al Wadi Desert?
@Nevsky - Qasr Al Sarab is not any cheaper than Al Maha. They charge ~800 usd for a pool villa and are not all inclusive either. I’m sure after board and activities the price will be around the same. At least it’s possible to subsidize a $1500/night stay at Al Maha with Marriott points and only spend $800 out of pocket as Lucky suggests. I wonder if Al Maha will adjust their award rate to...
@Nevsky - Qasr Al Sarab is not any cheaper than Al Maha. They charge ~800 usd for a pool villa and are not all inclusive either. I’m sure after board and activities the price will be around the same. At least it’s possible to subsidize a $1500/night stay at Al Maha with Marriott points and only spend $800 out of pocket as Lucky suggests. I wonder if Al Maha will adjust their award rate to be inclusive of board and activities once Marriott finally converts to an 8 category system in March.
This is very unfortunate news. Although I have not stayed there so cannot compare properties, I suggest staying at the Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara in Abu Dhabi. It is similar and also fabulous and you can stay here for less than $800 and not need to use any points. Suggest booking through Virtuoso.
Booked a two night stay on points in Sept. 2018 for a stay in Feb. 2019 Noticed the confirm # change and is in cash now. Kinda in a panic now. Emailed them just now to see what happened. I'll see what they say.
Allan
If Hyatt was smart, it seems that now is the time to maximize their brand and capitalize on the Marriott SPG chaos happening.....
Redemptions may now be worthless in comparison to past rates but certainly not in Marriott’s mind. They will just hike prices until the sub-$1000 rate you speak of is a distant memory.
I' think that the tour company that does the activities for this resort is Platinum Heritage Luxury Tours and Safari. We took the falconry and wildlife excursion in Nov. 2017 with them, and we drove by the Al Maha entrance right before we entered the sheik's property where Platinum holds its excursions. Platinum picked us up at the Le Meridien Dubai, where I thoroughly enjoyed the massage chair in our room--(I'm not joking--see Lucky's review...
I' think that the tour company that does the activities for this resort is Platinum Heritage Luxury Tours and Safari. We took the falconry and wildlife excursion in Nov. 2017 with them, and we drove by the Al Maha entrance right before we entered the sheik's property where Platinum holds its excursions. Platinum picked us up at the Le Meridien Dubai, where I thoroughly enjoyed the massage chair in our room--(I'm not joking--see Lucky's review of the Le Meridien!)--a room which cost around $105 USD per night, with taxes.
While I understand that the staying at Al Maha is a special and unique experience, I just want to point out that you can participate in the same activities offered to Al Maha guests and stay elsewhere. The massage chair in our room at the Le Meridien (complete with head and neck massage) was pretty special too!! The Le Meridien also offered very nice complimentary breakfasts, afternoon tea, and evening cocktails for platinum members.
I know I'm comparing apples to oranges, but both apples and oranges taste good, and which you choose depends on your expectations, budget, needs, and desires.
WTF, I just booked this property last week. That's a major change to not expressly spell out considering this is an all inclusive property in all their advertising and reviews.
@miafll - Isn't this some bs...just checked and it says the below. More frustrated that I missed Dec. 11th booking deadline...aren't they supposed to notify you of changes?
In any case, thanks for the heads up! I owe you (a virtual) one...
ROOM ONLY REDEMPTION STAY
Rate eligible for 02 adults only. 3rd adult and children 10
years and above will be charged at AED1600 per night subject to
applicable taxes
...
@miafll - Isn't this some bs...just checked and it says the below. More frustrated that I missed Dec. 11th booking deadline...aren't they supposed to notify you of changes?
In any case, thanks for the heads up! I owe you (a virtual) one...
ROOM ONLY REDEMPTION STAY
Rate eligible for 02 adults only. 3rd adult and children 10
years and above will be charged at AED1600 per night subject to
applicable taxes
Meals, activities and other incidentals are to be paid directly
at property.
For detailed information regarding property category level
and other Marriott Reward information please visit the
property online at www.marriott.com and click on Marriott
Rewards.
Marriott is becoming quite skilled at locating and destroying value in the loyalty program.
Lucky, are you surprised, really?
Marriott promised so much and underdelivers. Nothing new, for them it’s business as usual.
IT mess, waiting for stays to post for ages, months of no reply to e-mails, SNAs limited, breakfast and suite upgrade benefit desastrously weak in definition and implementation - and of course now they will start to take away what they had never been able to promise, too.
RIP SPG.
Those who plan to cancel might as well hold the reservations till 31 days before arrival to cancel it - sort of sending a message to the sleazy action the property chose to take in order to wiggle out the point redemption. Hold the inventory and let them try to fill it with 30 days left.
I cannot imagine what a nasty surprise to those who booked but did not follow FT and the blogs then found out they would have to pay $800+ a night for their foods and activities.
@Alex
You need to click open the Rate Details bubble and there comes a pop up window for what are included what are not, as well as the cancellation deadline.
I would advise anyone ALWAYS ALWAYS check the Rate Details before you finalize your booking and not assume anything - learned this from previous mistake when the usual cancellation did not apply due to there was a festival held near the hotel for the period...
@Alex
You need to click open the Rate Details bubble and there comes a pop up window for what are included what are not, as well as the cancellation deadline.
I would advise anyone ALWAYS ALWAYS check the Rate Details before you finalize your booking and not assume anything - learned this from previous mistake when the usual cancellation did not apply due to there was a festival held near the hotel for the period I booked - I only discovered that when a cancellation 3 months before arrival did not refund any points...
Luckily the hotel (in this case Radisson Blu Aqua in Chicago) graciously worked with me and refunded our 2 nights of pts by manually posting the points to our Club Carlson accounts.
I would not count on Marriott or any of its property would provide this kind of customer service these days.
ALWAYS check the Rate Details. Chances are, you would see your Room Only language there.
I booked on Dec. 13th and neither the confirmation email nor the online reservation state anything about it being room only. :/
I booked the 13th of december and the hotel has confirmed food and activities are included for next november
Strange all the differences in people’s experiences. I wanted to stay here and looked into it at least several weeks ago, and at that time, it included only breakfast for the meals. I think it still included the activities. Maybe they’ve been changing back and forth on what is included. When I saw the difference, I decided against it. Would leap for it if it still included everything Ben had!
Reservation made on 11/11 with all points redemption for 5 nights on April 2019. Recently realized that the rate detail become all cash instead of points. Sent them an email to inquiry about the rate and foods. Here is what they reply:
Please be informed that you will see changes as the reservation is migrated to Marriott however the booking is still on Points redemption on full board including breakfast and lunch , dinner and...
Reservation made on 11/11 with all points redemption for 5 nights on April 2019. Recently realized that the rate detail become all cash instead of points. Sent them an email to inquiry about the rate and foods. Here is what they reply:
Please be informed that you will see changes as the reservation is migrated to Marriott however the booking is still on Points redemption on full board including breakfast and lunch , dinner and two desert activities per person per day.
Looks like I am the lucky one.
@Alex, I booked on Dec 15 and the all-inclusive terms were confirmed by a subsequent email from Al Maha.
Booked 5 night stay for next November about a week or ten days ago (never received a confirmation email, but checked it online and it was there). Heard rumblings about this on Christmas Eve, so checked my reservation online and now it said that it only included breakfast, so I wrote to the hotel to confirm what was included. They wrote back to tell me that nothing was included. I look at my reservation and...
Booked 5 night stay for next November about a week or ten days ago (never received a confirmation email, but checked it online and it was there). Heard rumblings about this on Christmas Eve, so checked my reservation online and now it said that it only included breakfast, so I wrote to the hotel to confirm what was included. They wrote back to tell me that nothing was included. I look at my reservation and they have amended it to room only, so for those who used to have all included, I wouldn't count on it staying that way.
Marriott has become, by far, the sleaziest loyalty program I know of. In the past year, in addition to this BS, they tried to rip me off on the conversion of a level 8 travel package and only relented when the protests became too loud to ignore and cancelled my stay in Cusco Peru, then tried to tell me that I had amended it to arrive three days earlier and no showed and that I had booked a part points and part cash booking through hotels.com, like that is a possibility. They also told me that there were no rooms available for my family of 6, but I went on the app and booked rooms while standing in front of them that the front desk said were not available. Didn't receive so much as an apology.
I might just hold onto my Al Maha reservation until the cancellation deadline and let them try to fill the dates with a month left until check in. I most certainly won't be staying in a hotel that unilaterally changes reservations without notice and will have to seriously consider whether to use a program that allows their hotels to do so without repercussions.
@Lucky
The change to award rates no longer being all inclusive happened on December 11 when Luxury Collection Hotels we’re finally merged into the Marriott system. Anyone who booked before then should still have an all inclusive award. Everyone who booked after the 11th has a room only award rate.
Welcome to the new World of Bonvoy/Marriott where horrible customer service matches their awful value proposition
Look at what we all have to look forward too!
RIP SPG
This is sad. Based on your article from several years ago, Lucky, I stayed at Al Maha - best use of SPG points ever, and that is when they had the special reduction to 39k points per night. Regardless of how Marriott messed this up, I still recommend going - it is an amazing experience, and I highly recommend the camel ride at sunset as well as falconry!
So I booked in September however in December reservation was somehow changed to cash, Marriott corrected with new confirmation number (old one still shows though), emailed hotel to confirm still full board with new confirmation number which they did. All this has me slightly worried though, based on past experiences will my email from the hotel be sufficient if problems occur at check in ?
Booked 2 days in NOV2019 on 12/14/2018 using points advance and when pulled up the reservation page and clicked the Rate Details. It says "ROOM ONLY RATE". well. I am not sure if that's cuz point advance or I have passed the deadline somehow. Didn't see the wording when booking and no reservation emails, too.
@Lucky, do you know the date which you last saw the rate including meals and activities?
@Ricky - Id take nothing for granted unless they email that to me and confirm that regarding my exact request as well as having a persons name - preferably the Front Office person or GM - confirming that as well. Its a beyond bad spot to be in if you are literally in the middle of no where with no other food options or 3rd party tourign options and having to pay up essentially.
I booked with 240,000 points for 5 nights on the SPG app, but on my Marriott Rewards account page on the website, the stay is showing as a cash stay? And on the website, it says 'Heads up, your old confirmation number has been changed to a new number listed below'. I booked around December 10, never got a confirmation email from the hotel. Another Marriott mess to deal with?
@Ben - Exact same situation as you. I reached out to Al Maha, who said to reach out to SPG for assistance. However they assured me that even if I shorten the stay I’ll still have full board and two activities.
Nothing from my old reservation actually lists or shows free meals/activities but it also doesnt say ROOM ONLY or list anything of the sort.
My only issue is that I had booked 4+1 bc I wasnt certain on the dates yet knowing that in all likelihood Id need to trim it to 3 nights. Now I essentially have a stay starting on a Saturday going through Wednesday knowing that I wont get there until...
Nothing from my old reservation actually lists or shows free meals/activities but it also doesnt say ROOM ONLY or list anything of the sort.
My only issue is that I had booked 4+1 bc I wasnt certain on the dates yet knowing that in all likelihood Id need to trim it to 3 nights. Now I essentially have a stay starting on a Saturday going through Wednesday knowing that I wont get there until Monday night.
Anyone else think if I touch the old reservation to amend dates that itll get flipped to the new language with the upcharge? Furthermore, is there any chance theyd be Ok if I kept the reservation and essentially paid the one dead night but only showed up a day and a half later to begin my stay?
I’ve booked two points reservations for 2019 before this kicked in. I’ve reached out to Marriott to see what they say about previously-booked reservations and whether this applies retroactively. I’ll circle back with their response.
Data point: I booked on 12/16 for next November and I'm seeing the "room only" language. I did use the pay later option. Will likely cancel in light of this information, thanks for pointing it out!
@Michael: Unfortunately my reservation has the exact wording as in the article. I must have booked it shortly after they implemented this negative change.
I was so excited to find availability and now that's turned into a huge disappointment.
For those that booked under the old terms, I wouldn't be surprised if Al Maha tries to charge the additional fees on check-in. Something similar happened to me at the JW Marriott Phu Quoc in...
@Michael: Unfortunately my reservation has the exact wording as in the article. I must have booked it shortly after they implemented this negative change.
I was so excited to find availability and now that's turned into a huge disappointment.
For those that booked under the old terms, I wouldn't be surprised if Al Maha tries to charge the additional fees on check-in. Something similar happened to me at the JW Marriott Phu Quoc in April where they forced me to pay 50% of the cost of breakfast despite being a Platinum Premier member. Tried to argue but they wouldn't relent which pissed me off because I had confirmed by email months earlier that Platinum members would get free breakfast.
Hi Lucky - do you know whether this is retroactive, or just for new bookings going forward?
@Jules, I also booked just over a week ago but my confirmation doesn't say "ROOM ONLY...". Does yours?
Lucky: thanks for catching this negative change. I booked a 5-night stay on points just over a week ago and didn't notice this. Cancelling immediately. Would have been a nasty surprise at check-in had I not read your blog!
@ Jules -- If you booked before this change was made they should still be honoring the old terms, so make sure you check your confirmation first.
I booked early December for my stay in May 2019 at 60k a night and it did specify full board and two activities in the rate details. What are the chances they charge me for the activities and meals when I arrive there?
The news just keeps getting worse since the merger. Marriott is going to gut what was good about SPG and continue to devalue.
It sounds totally unreasonable. Hyatt manages to allow redemptions at their all inclusive properties and at Miraval. This isn’t that hard. They just don’t want to do it. Marriott is making their brand useless.