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.
I’m actually not sympathetic toward the traveler, but I do think this exposes a bigger issue about the general degradation of hotel branding, and how that leads to hotel groups doing a poor job managing expectations.
In this post:
Bonvoy member shocked to find how small his hotel room is
A social media influencer type took to Instagram to share his experience staying at a Marriott affiliated property in London. In the short video, he posed the question of whether he just got scammed by Marriott, as he walked around his absolutely tiny hotel room.
He said that “I never expected this from Marriott,” as he filmed from what he claims is the smallest hotel room he has ever been in. The room was so small that the bathroom door hit his suitcase when it opened, and for that matter, there wasn’t even really a way for him to fully open his suitcase.
He felt claustrophobic in the room, and noted how he knew the room would be small, but he didn’t expect it to be this small. He also acknowledged that he should’ve read the description more carefully when booking, but even so, he would never expect this to even be an option that Marriott has. In the comments, he also talked about how he expects better when staying at a Sheraton.
Before I share my take, let me acknowledge that I’d take the tone of this all as being pretty lighthearted, so I’m not going to slam him here as some entitled influencer who “wants to speak to the manager” and is playing the victim.
What’s the backstory of this tiny Marriott hotel room?
For some background, it appears he was staying at the Four Points Flex London Euston. Four Points is already a lower end Sheraton offshoot brand, and then Four Points Flex by Sheraton is an offshoot of the Four Points brand. The way I’d describe it, if something has a roof and has a bed, it qualifies as a Four Points Flex.
Now, it’s worth emphasizing that when booking, the hotel clearly advertises the room in question as being a “Pod 8sqm,” and the pictures of the room actually look pretty accurate. It’s hard to be too sympathetic when you specifically book an eight square meter room, and are then disappointed to find that the room is… eight square meters.
At first I thought “the real crime here is the cost of 212,000 Bonvoy points for a weekend, how is that possible?” But the highest rate I could find at this hotel was 54,000 points per night. My guess is that he actually booked five nights, with the fifth night free, and that came out to 216,000 points total, so he was just several thousand points off. I’d say five nights is a mighty long weekend, but I digress.
Even at the rate of 54,000 points per night, I assumed that was an absolute ripoff redemption compared to the cash rate, but shockingly, the rate for this room is currently £270, which comes out to $362. YOWZERS.
A few things stand out to me:
- This guy keeps saying he expects more from Marriott, but that’s on him for expecting anything from Marriott — as long as Marriott can get a commission on getting a head into a bed, it’ll take it, and gladly sell that to Bonvoy members, as the brand has very few standards
- This is an example where loyalty programs really screw us — if you’re going to spend nearly $400 per night in London, even in peak season, you can do much better than this by just staying away from a hotel affiliated with a major loyalty program
- As mentioned above, this reflects the general issue of brands doing a terrible job managing expectations; I mean, just look at the Marriott user reviews of this property, the average rating is only a little over three stars, because even if you tell guests exactly what they’re going to get, they may still be disappointed, and expect more from Marriott
- Having the word “Sheraton” in the brand’s name sort of degrades the Sheraton brand as well, since I imagine a Sheraton Grand doesn’t want to be associated with a hotel like this
Bottom line
A Marriott Bonvoy member redeemed points to stay at a Four Points Flex by Sheraton property in London, and was shocked to find out that the room was just eight square meters… despite being advertised as being exactly that size. He claims he redeemed 212,000 points for this for a weekend, though I suspect it was actually a five night stay.
Ultimately it’s hard to be angry when you get exactly what you booked, and just failed to read the room description. At the same time, there’s no denying that the cash rate for this kind of an experience is absurdly expensive, and that people incorrectly expect that because something is a Marriott, it’ll be a quality experience.
So yeah, I’d sort of feel ripped off if I redeemed this way as well, but it’s hard to be too frustrated when that’s exactly what was being promised.
What do you make of this “scam” Marriott hotel stay?
The whole thing is just engagement seeking. Looks like it worked.
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....
The lack of a full elite-qualifying night is why you shouldn't stay at them.
Just another “influencer” trying to be relevent. And, no, he is not!
The room appears to be the same size as the one I had at a Four Points Flex by Sheraton in Kanazawa, Japan.
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.
Never stay at a Four Points Flex because you don't get a Marriott elite-qualifying night.
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....
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.
That voice is so cringe.
@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.
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.
Was it really 70% less than Toyoko Inn?
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...
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.
And at Moxy and Aloft, you get an elite-qualifying night for each night stayed. At Four Points Flex, you don't.
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
The size of the room and the price were both disclosed. And, he booked it.
Yeah scam specifically means fraud. This just seems like a bad deal but not fraud
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...
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.
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.
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 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 literally thought the same thing when I watched that video. Like, in my brain, I was saying “dude, stop, stop, stop, stop, too late.”
At least he got a toilet of his own!!
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.
If Ryanair were a hotel….
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Someone has to subsidize the cost of overturning a red card ban.
Can Marriott just admit that somebof these brands /might/ be falling out of "midscale"?
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 :)
It's 2026 and people still don't know the room size of a Moxy. Reading is overrated.
This is classic “He got Bonvoyed.”
"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.
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.
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.
I'm definitely not going to be anywhere near a Marriott!
He ought to ask to be moved to another room .
Yes, I know I got the 8sqm room I asked for, but could I please have a larger room for no extra money?
The ripoff occurred when Marriott issued the points in the first place
ZING! Got'em!!
If youre dumb enough to stay at a low/mid American chain hotel in Europe, you get what you deserve.
To be fair, Hilton Garden Inn have a few half decent options in Europe.
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
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.
Good point. Worse is people that stay in ANY American chain hotel in Asia, especially a high end or luxury brand. lol.
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.
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...
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.