An Instagram post about a guest checking into a Marriott affiliated property is getting quite a bit of attention, as the Bonvoy member redeemed 212,000 points for a stay, only to end up in a room so small that he couldn’t even open his suitcase.
Continue reading: Marriott Guest Redeems 212K Points, Ends Up In 8 Square Meter Room: “Did I Get Scammed?”
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Remember, they were going to call this brand Four Points Express by Sheraton but then IHG sued or threatened to sue over alleged infringement by Marriott on the Holiday Inn Express trademark.
For the life of me, I don't understand this brand. It's not just Sheratons that presumably don't want anything to do with Four Points Flex by Sheraton. I imagine there are also Four Points properties too. While Four Points gets a bad rap in the USA, there are some exceptional Four Points properties elsewhere. The Four Points in Bolzano, Italy, is probably the nicest Four Points anywhere in the system and is, actually, nicer than pretty much any Marriott or Sheraton in the USA.
Marriott should have just called this hotel and others City Express. Marriott does this to themselves.
This is why I'm moving away from most of the American hotel chains. There's no longer any minimal standard you can expect /rely on from their properties. Anything goes, as long as it increases footprint. In the absence of brand standards, there's no reason to pay for the brand.
If youre dumb enough to stay at a low/mid American chain hotel in Europe, you get what you deserve.
"If something has a roof and has a bed, it qualifies as a Four Points Flex". I wouldn't say so. I frequently stay at the Four Points Flex in Shoerditch, and by experience:
- it's very clean and modern (unlike many London "Hiltons")
- it does the job, as it's conveniently located
In other words, if you only need the hotel to shower, sleep and have breakfast, then you're all right. And yes hotels in London are expensive in summer.
It's 2026 and people still don't know the room size of a Moxy. Reading is overrated.
Can Marriott just admit that somebof these brands /might/ be falling out of "midscale"?
I just spent 160,000 for a single night redemption for New York City St Regis because NYC was hosting the World Cup that week and everything was inflated. Not happy but also better than paying cash world cup hotel prices.
Reminds me of the Moment Hotel in Malmö.
If you fell in the room you would immediately hit a wall and still remain partially upright.
Why would you frequently stay there? You don't get an elite qualifying night for every night stayed.
I'm paying £51 to stay in a hotel which has 'London' in its name next week- and getting a useful status night thrown in.
To be fair, it's definitely not central but that's part of the reason I chose it in the first place as I'm going there by car and I need somewhere that comes with access to both the motorway network and the local trains and won't charge me a fortune for parking.
If I recall correctly, as this particular hotel, which I believe was the first-ever Four Points Flex, tried getting away with not having en suite toilets in every guest room. The previous hotel that occupied this building was effectively a boarding house. Early renderings and marketing materials depicted some rooms as not having a toilet.
I never thought about it until I watched the video, but if you want to maximize the chances of bringing bedbugs home, leaving your suitcase open under the bed would absolutely be the way to do it.
I've never stayed at a "FLEX" but I've stayed at some Four Points by Sheraton by Marriot or whatever overseas, and some by airports are 'fine.' There's one at NBO that's decent.
I literally thought the same thing when I watched that video. Like, in my brain, I was saying “dude, stop, stop, stop, stop, too late.”
I have been “hotel loyalty free” for over 5 years now and it feels absolutely amazing. Have targeted all my stays at locally owned properties where many times you can even meet the owner. You get treated like you deserve by someone that needs to provide good service to survive. No nickel and dime, no hidden fees, no BS. Yes, I still stay at some branded hotels when it makes sense but have zero loyalty to any and barely any points to redeem. There are amazing places to stay out there instead of looking for a big chain hotel.
Meh I like those pod rooms. Cosy. Have stayed at a few in soho and in London. Is what it is. Clean. Nice bed. Hot shower. Good location. I’m happy.
Just don’t spend the points for it
If you are fortunate enough to have repeat stays at an independent property, they express their appreciation for your loyalty in other ways. It's great.
It's really a return to how things used to be. When I started traveling internationally in the 1990s, it wasn't uncommon for budget independent hotels in Europe to NOT have en suite toilets. Rick Steeves as late as the early 2000s was telling Americans in his guide to confirm en suite toilets before booking. The explosion of 2.5-star and 3-star chain hotels in Europe in the late 1990s and early 2000s really elevated the hotel industry in the same way that chain hotels in 1970s America elevated hotels from roadside motels that had room doors opening to parking lots.
Make sure you're getting a night because Marriott doesn't award an elite-qualifying night for a single night's stay at Four Points Flex.
Yeah, to me the real issue is that all of the major hotel groups have seemingly infinite sub-brands, and unless you’re a professional in the field it’s really hard to keep track of which are the high-end brands and which are the low-end ones. Plus even when the brands disclose their tiers, the differences within a tier are huge. Just look at Mariott’s tier list: https://www.hotel-development.marriott.com/brands —- the Four Points Flex (which I had never heard of until this post and I follow the travel blogs and such regularly) is in the same “select service” tier as the Moxy, which IME is much much nicer.
You get what you pay for with Four Points Flex, it’s a bit of a surprise to some the first time, but I’m a huge fan of these especially for 1 night stays if I’m arriving or departing close to bed or wake up time. I stayed at a few in Japan in the past year and it’s absolutely worth it when it’s 25-35% of the price compared to other options.
Yeah scam specifically means fraud. This just seems like a bad deal but not fraud
Hotel points programs have been diluted so much in the past decade they're useless as drivers of business. Picking a hotel because of points is moronic.
There are quite a few of these chains that are way better outside the US than inside - Ive stayed at multiple Fairfield Inns in Japan that were both really nice, modern.
But in the end - in this case it was advertised as it is, hard to feel sympathy
Good point. Worse is people that stay in ANY American chain hotel in Asia, especially a high end or luxury brand. lol.
One of the first things I look at is the size of the room. If he didn't know it until he got there...well, that's just dumb. Even if you can't get it from the chain site you booked from, there's sites like Expedia, Booking, etc...some website is gonna have the size and and I'm sure somewhere on the internet there's some decent info on the room and hotel review. Doesn't seem so bright....
Well technically Baymont and Quality Inn are both considered midscale, so Four Points Flex still has a while to go. Maybe when they introduce Four Points Flex Express. There’s a whole continent full of Formule 1s to convert 🙂
Formule 1 was an Accor chain in France that only had shared bathrooms. It's now "F1" and I think they still have rooms with shared baths, although not exclusively.
@Julie, your comment is so cringe. What do you want him to do at his young age, never speak again or shrivel up and die? I'm glad he spoke up cause I was unaware of the Flex brand.
Totally. Compare a Best Western or a Choice hotel in US vs elsewhere.
Outside of US, some superb properties, but Americans based on home views don't stay there.
I have stayed at Four Points Flex by Sheraton in Hakodate, Kyoto, and Osaka. The room rates were very cheap and rooms suited my needs; a solo traveller just needing somewhere to sleep. The room rates being advertised for this property in London are not commensurate with that, however.
The room appears to be the same size as the one I had at a Four Points Flex by Sheraton in Kanazawa, Japan.
Yes, I know I got the 8sqm room I asked for, but could I please have a larger room for no extra money?
I've stayed at several of these Four Points Flex in London. They're fine for a business stay: remarkably well sound proofed and pretty well designed ( a couple are former Yotels). The real problem is you only get half an elite qualifying night for staying there, even if you pay £270....
Never stay at a Four Points Flex because you don't get a Marriott elite-qualifying night.
And at Moxy and Aloft, you get an elite-qualifying night for each night stayed. At Four Points Flex, you don't.
Looks like F1 is still an Accor brand. I just looked at a couple random properties. You're right. Some rooms still don't have their own toilet or bathroom (whatever you call it). Rooms with their own facilities, cost about 8 euros more per night.