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Reader Question: Hotel Wants To Cancel Future Reservation & Marriott Ultimate Reservation Guarantee?
A LoyaltyLobby reader sent us a question about a Marriott hotel that would like to cancel their upcoming stay & Ultimate Reservation Guarantee. Readers are encouraged to send us questions, comments, or opinions by email, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. We’ll cover them here several times a week. You can […]
A LoyaltyLobby reader sent us a question about a Marriott hotel that would like to cancel their upcoming stay & Ultimate Reservation Guarantee.
Readers are encouraged to send us questions, comments, or opinions by email, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. We’ll cover them here several times a week.
You can access Marriott’s page for Elite Member Guarantees here.
READ MORE: Marriott Bonvoy Rate & Bonus Points Offers
Reader’s Question:
Question @LoyaltyLobby do you know Marriott ultimate guarantee they want to cancel a booking 3 nights (which is in 10 days from now). Does the guarantee apply then? Or is that only when you are at the hotel to checkin?
Marriott Bonvoy has various elite benefits guarantees, and one of the most significant ones is the Ultimate Reservation one:
The page states:
If for some reason we’re unable to honor your reservation, we’ll pay for your accommodations that night at a nearby hotel and compensate you for the inconvenience. To be eligible, you must provide your member number when making a reservation.
The reader should be eligible for the guarantee per this, right? It is crystal clear!
Wrong! With Marriott, you need to read the small print on the 100+ page long Bonvoy T&Cs that no one ever reads than Marriott’s property compliance department:
iii. Ultimate Reservation Guarantee. To be eligible, Member’s Loyalty Program Member Number and a valid credit card number must be included with the reservation. If a Participating Property is unable to honor the reservation, it will pay for comparable accommodation nearby for the Elite Member that night and compensate the Member for the inconvenience. A Participating Property must be open and operational for the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee benefit/compensation to apply. At The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, and St. Regis Hotels, the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee only applies to Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite Members. The Ultimate Reservation Guarantee is offered at the following brands: The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, St. Regis, EDITION, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels, Sheraton, Delta Hotels, Le Méridien, Westin, Autograph Collection Hotels, Renaissance Hotels, Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy, Sonder by Marriott Bonvoy (except Limited Sonder Properties), Tribute Portfolio, Gaylord Hotels, Trailborn Properties, Courtyard, Four Points, SpringHill Suites, Protea Hotels, Fairfield by Marriott, AC Hotels, Aloft Hotels, Moxy Hotels, City Express, Four Points Flex, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, Element, and StudioRes. The Ultimate Reservation Guarantee is not offered at the following brands: Design Hotels, Marriott Vacation Club, Marriott Grand Residence Club, Sheraton Vacation Club, Westin Vacation Club, or The Phoenician Residences, a Luxury Collection Residence Club, Scottsdale. Pursuant to section 4.1.c. if an Elite Member has a confirmed reservation, but is relocated from the property upon arrival, the Participating Property will pay the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee compensation in place on that date under the Program Rules. If an Elite Member receives Ultimate Reservation Guarantee compensation, then they are not eligible to receive additional Elite Benefits Guarantee compensation.
The problem is if the property tells a Bonvoy elite member guest that they are oversold and cancels the reservation, the benefit guarantee does not apply.
It only applies if you turn up at the property and they walk you somewhere else. Even then, they might pretend that they have no idea what the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee is and you need to get corporate involved to get what you are owed.
What should the reader do?
They have a confirmed reservation. I would only allow a hotel to cancel it IF it offers significant advance compensation in the form of Bonvoy points that exceeds the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee, which is status-dependent.
Conclusion
These Marriott Bonvoy Elite Benefits Guarantees are GREAT, but you really need to know and read the fine print associated with them, and now allow hotels to play fast and loose.
I hope that the reader can either consume their stay as booked OR get significant compensation for canceling it.
What have been your experiences with the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee? Please comment below.
