You may have noticed, like I, that there have been no new reviews left for Marriott-affiliated hotels on their website since February or March, while they keep getting reviewed on sites such as TripAdvisor or Google.
A reader sent us a tip that reviews would have been suspended due to properties and Marriott not wanting critical reviews published. We confirmed with Marriott that verified reviews have been paused since the pandemic began.
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Here’s one review left in March on the Marriott website:
Here are some recent reviews left on TripAdvisor for various hotels:
Conclusion
I have noticed that hotel reviews on branded websites, not just with Marriott’s, tend to be at least half star higher than on review sites or the quality level of the property.
This is understandable because most of the reviews are left with frequent quests and elite members, and hotels can also ensure that disgruntled guests don’t get those Medallia and other survey reminders after their stays.
Not allowing fair reviews on their own website; however, Marriott disincentives hotels to get their act together. Guests need to go on other websites to have an up-to-date picture (and they may end up booking another hotel in a process).
Marriott’s and guests’ best interest is to have a fair view of what is going on at the property and what services are or are not available, and how hotels handle the Covid-19 challenges. You can then have realistic expectations about your stay and what to expect.
You now must consult TripAdvisor or Google, and it not always pretty, although many hotels are handling the situation brilliantly.
When I check reviews, I tend to check out the critical ones first to see if there is a continuous problem with some aspects of the property or services.
