Marriott Cuts Personalized Ambassador Elite Service

I have been an Ambassador for 3 out of the last four years. I am also titanium lifetime elite. Ambassador status has got me nothing in the last two years. I tried three times for my 24 and the hotels denied it all three times. The personalized service is gone. It used to be The Ambassador looked out for his members. Now there is no Ambassador assigned and you get a regular call center representative. Now status is a hotel by hotel gamble. I stayed in the SF Marquis recently and the lounge was closed. The offer, 500 points for breakfast and the lounge being closed when they were selling coffee for $5 a cup downstairs. By comparison the Hyatt Regency offered me a $25 per person (2) in party to be used at their market that served a full breakfast. Marriott Bonvoy is going down hill every year. Go Hyatt Globalist and they recognize your status and reward it.

I started staying with Marriott because they way they treated me when I had no status like refunding my deposit when I would forget to cancel my reservation. I like having an Ambassador Elite status, not because of the personal assistant, but mine was really helpful, I like it because it puts me that much higher on the list. I will call hotels myself and ask for upgrades and have been pleasantly pleased. I am staying the Marriott on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale in a 2000 SF VP Suite with excellent views of the ocean. We stayed there in Oct with the same room and it was amazing. I have never been treated poorly by anyone at Marriott. If I have an issue, I call the 800 or hotel directly and the issue gets resolved. My sister who has not status got reimbursed $900 for a room she forgot to cancel for her boss, three months after the fact.

Just got off the line with the Bonvoy Elite line to fix a reservation that the online system would not let me fix. I spoke with Donna, a self-proclaimed supervisor in the call center. She said "my system won't allow me to make the change". Me: OK, I say, call the hotel. Her: Oh, my system won't let me do that. Me: Can you use your phone - call the hotel manager and figure it out? Her: I can open a case number will that do? Me: Is that all you can do? Because this Titanium for life can't believe you're not able to do what the last Bonvoy elite rep was able to do - call the hotel. Her: Here is your case number sir Me: Thank you? If you need proof that hotels, hotel service and "special elite status dedicated support" have gone downhill, I present you exhibit A.

Wow as a titanium member here in the states my last 8 month stay at a Marriott hotel was nothing short of horrible. They did not care about my status and treated me as if I was an imposition. I just got an email saying I've earned Ambassador status . For what? How does this serve me in any regard? I felt utterly helpless in my last stay and mortified at the lack of follow through of any kind and the consistently bad service. Trust me, I am being POLITE.

"I suppose some hotels may have better soft treatment" You got that one right. Soft treatment is what I value this status the most. It depends on the property but for most properties this status works really well to score best upgrade and special treatment. I don't care about losing my personal contact, I barely contact her anyway, I usually just use the shared phone number. If I start seeing that soft treatment diminishing, then I will reconsider this status. With all the shortcuts to score platinum and titanium status, good luck getting upgrade when travel demands are back.