A LoyaltyLobby reader and a friend of mine, Neal R, sent us an opinion piece due to a recent interview that the new CEO of Marriott, Mr. Anthony Capuano, gave. He stated that Bonvoy is not as good as SPG but hoped that the guests have short memories.
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In December of 2017, the New York Times famously asked if “Marriott could keep Starwood’s Culture of Cool.” While the article focused on the ‘cool factor’ of wanting to be part of SPG and everything it stood for, Marriott has indeed slipped in some uncool decisions (Coke out – Pepsi in, Book of Mormon placed in nightstands, Sysco distributed/Chinese made ‘designer’ bathroom amenities, needing to call Marriott instead of business you used to be able to do online, exchange rate scams, and now using the pandemic as an excuse to reduce services and amenities permanently) the verdict on the core of the loyalty program was a little less clear as some SPG features (Suite night awards, 4 pm checkout, etc.) were indeed folded into Bonvoy with its huge global footprint.
Marriott even stressed that Starwood’s loyalty program was a big part of the acquisition, while former CEO Arne Sorenson described his surprise about how “rabid” SPG members were:
“Early on, the thing I didn’t appreciate that I should have was how rabid the SPG elites were about the program,” Sorenson said. “Maybe that shouldn’t have been that surprising.” But, for those “rabid” SPG members, that was indeed an early warning sign that Marriott’s intentions were either off or insincere.
Fast forward a few years, and we finally have a pretty clear verdict, directly from Marriott’s new CEO of all people.
In an interview with TPG, Anthony Capuano, Marriott’s new CEO, had enlightening comments on the loyalty program:
Marriott’s new CEO sat down with TPG to talk Bonvoy benefits, hot breakfast and more
“We get a bit of an incomplete,” he said. “I think we’ve made terrific progress. The integration of Marriott Rewards and SPG was a monumental task. And it’s quite interesting. You hear SPG loyalists say, ‘My goodness, what have you done to our program?’ The program was very guest-friendly. It was less owner-friendly.”
“What some of those SPG loyalists may have lost, a bit, in terms of the richness of the program, we hope that breadth of choice, whether it be brands or geography, is a bit of a mitigating factor,” Capuano said.
He also described customers’ “short memories” while also saying, “our owners and franchisees have borne a disproportionate weight, from the impact of the pandemic.”
I’m sure his PR people are doing damage control, and Mr. Capuano can now see how those two particular remarks come across as tone-deaf to the customers who pay his salary and give the owners and franchisees a reason to exist.
(This was on top of earlier comments John reported where Capuano lamented he was having trouble hiring staff since Amazon pays more.)
I’m not sure if a CEO is supposed to say those things aloud, but he did. And to many of us, it’s a relief. No more hoping Marriott will fix things, no more saying to ourselves that Marriott needs just a little more time to bring back more features from SPG. Instead, Marriott has finally admitted their contempt for customers through the CEO’s words, underscoring the lack of loyalty program transparency, the website/app that fails to disclose basics about rates, let alone the hotels current status of amenities (whats open vs. closed) on top of the less rewarding Bonvoy program.
Marriott seems to think its business model has to favor either owners and franchisees OR customers. It has clearly sided with the owners. That is too bad and ironic as Starwood seemed to thrive on the concept of making customers rabidly loyal, which in turn paved the way for success for its owners and franchisees. Perhaps the concept of having both succeed is just too “cool” for Marriott?
Neal R.
Original Member of SPG’s Ambassador Program & Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium and longtime Loyalty Lobby reader.
Conclusion (John’s Take)
At least it is crystal clear that Marriott CEO knows that its Bonvoy is not as good as SPG, but I believe that he is wrong with his belief that guests have amnesia.
Am I the only one who remembers when Marriott promised to introduce something soon when EEOs (Elite Executive Offers – free second weekend night benefit) were removed, or when they had one of the most extensive program devaluations a day after the voting for the Freddies ended?
Businesses that don’t put customers’ interests first can flourish for a while, but eventually, a competitor will emerge that will upend them. Unfortunately, there are very few businesses that last the test of time.
Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) was an aspirational program with which many of its members had an emotional relationship that I thought was borderline irrational.
Is anyone even mildly excited about Marriott Bonvoy, its member benefits, or customer service?
The term “bonvoyed” hasn’t just appeared for no reasons…
I dont go to Marriott for that reason.
I guess I’m still suffering from SPG Rabies and recovering from the massive devaluation of >500,000 SPG points in the takeover. Titanium status means very little in the Marriot world. Platinum in SPG meant a lot to guests and properties.
@disqus_uBHlW7oXqV:disqus You can only blame yourself. Why were you keeping so many points in your account? Was it for vanity??
Bonvoy is definitely a bad programme, but sadly there are no competitors in the market (except for hyatt’s maybe?).
I’ll take Hyatt any day. Lifetime Marriott Platinum here- should be Lifetime Titanium, but Marriott cut the program.
I’ve had excellent stays at Marriott properties, and am appreciated as a Platinum guest..albeit all of my stays are outside USA. Even my Canadian stays have been good. Having said that, Hilton hotels in Asia and Europe are good and these properties know how to treat their customers well. Maybe the problem is that all US based hotels need an overhaul in customer service and loyalty? You don’t hear anyone complaining over at Mandarin Oriental hotels, or Shangri-La or the Four Seasons for example…
Yes, Mike Shepherd is right. Platinum status in SPG meant a lot, while titanium/platinum status in Marriott Bonvoy means very little. The new CEO’s “short memory” hypothesis is only his own wishful thinking. Hope that the Marriott brand is not deteriorating much faster than what the CEO thinks. Long live SPG.
What is SPG? This is like saying long live PanAm airlines,lol
Even having been a Marriott Rewards member a bit more than a SPG member, the Bonvoy program has made several steps back.
What took the cake for me was that the soft-landing was removed without announcing it (illegal in many western countries.) Customer service in total has become more of a “defence for Marriott properties” in the way that it’s harder and harder getting customer’s basic rights acknowledged…. If being able to contact them at all (last year the general email address suddenly got disabled?)
Still haven’t stayed at any hotel since January 2020, but with all the reductions in basic amenities going on and still not having my soft-landed status reestablish, we’re not in a hurry to stay again.
As always, I wish him and the rest of his CEO/owners/rapacious buccaneer capitalists the best of luck in their future endeavors. Unless the owners are single-handedly going to keep properties profitable, though, I imagine they’ll soon discover that paying customers are sort of essential to their business model.
It’s funny that former SPG members keep complaining about Bonvoy.
Most of these folks are:
_ based in the US
_ never pay for their stay with their own cash,
_ have access to generous credit card signups
_ like to use the term bonvoyed thinking that makes them look “cool”
and YET, they expect the Moon!
The faster they leave Bonvoy programme the better for all other members who pay with their cash for their status.
As a Titanium member, I have stayed close to 250 nights at Marriott properties over the past 2 years and have been upgraded to “at least” a junior Suite 95% of the time. My favourites are Sheraton and Le Meridien
Disclaimer: I mostly stay in Hotels located in South East Asia, Central Europe and Turkey
Sadly, have to disagree. Many Central European properties became much more stingy with upgrades in the last year. (Titanium, with no access to American credit cards)
During our times in the lounge at a Marriott property post SPG sometimes we discussed “what if that China company bought Starwood instead?”. Surely those were pretty poor times after the new merger.
We think many (not all) Marriott rewards members may have been “robotized” and just accepted whatever Marriott did.
Now the biggest company does not mean the best. Surely Hilton needs competition to stay honest, as does Hyatt.
I wonder, sometimes, if the blame for the erosion of the loyalty benefits is being driven from the bottom up by the franchises? Pardon my ignorance of the topic, but is there, as we see with McDs and other large franchise chains, is there some sort of franchisee owners groups that make public statements? My point is perhaps the franchisees were saying, ‘hey the costs for all the ‘benefits’ you guys (corporate) are dolling out are continuing to grow more costly so scale them back and give us coverage (meaning corporate takes the heat). If you look at points value erosion, this could be a clue. I’d be curious if there are franchise owners that follow these posts for their opinion. Certainly you can argue that a franchisee takes a hit theoretical hit to their bookings if the brand takes hit but maybe not…Look, all these programs are going to continue to erode in value…they always have. I remember when it cost me 50K in points plus $75 in fees/ taxes to fly round trip on BA in Biz from LAX to London. Now, it is about $900 in “fees” plus about 2.5 x in points…
But if they lose the bookings from loyalty program members, they end up paying 15% to 20% as OTA commissions.
Hi. Good point. Didn’t realize the OTA commissions were so high. I just wonder, if long term, they are betting that not providing a “free breakfast” will not reduce their bookings overall. When I stay at a Fairfield in the USA, i have an option for a breakfast credit (that just covers the cold stuff..about $15.00) or the extra points. When I stay at a Renaissance in Paris, I’m given the free breakfast that covers both hot and cold plus order direct items…and that is normally a 35 Euro charge. Would a I select another Marriot property if that Renaissance stopped with the breakfast and I had other options? Probably…because over a ten day stay, that breakfast is worth a lot…at the same time, I love the location and I am sure I can find something close by for say 8 to 10 euros… Thanks for your blog and the extra information.
I’ve cut back my Marriott stays as much as I can. Dramatically deteriorated loyalty program is the reason. And the Service and benefits at Marriott pale in comparison to the service and benefits of SPG.
I guess I fail to be a member with “short term memory”. I prefer better service and amenities, and better overall loyalty program, so I go to better hotels.
If only there was a way to buy spg portfolio back from marriott.
When I stay at a Marriott property I do everything I can to waste their money. Leave the shower running for 12 or more hours. If there is an unattended housekeeping cart I will take everything valuable off it and donate it to a local homeless shelter. I’ll leave the room in a state that is bad enough to take a housekeeper a long time to clean, but not so bad that there is a charge or they contact me. If nobody is around their garbage breakfast, I’ll take as much food as possible and give it away to homeless people. F them.
You’re punishing the innocent, a fairly common “leadership” tactic these days.
God has eyes and one day you’ll be punished. If not you, it will go to your children/grandchildren.lol
Which God? The one you believe in or one of the other couple thousand that have been invented by humans? God… 😂😂😂
There is only one true God. His name is “I AM”, the triune God, three persons in one.
Childish. As if someone if forcing you to stay there.
Why hurt the staff that does not set the policies? Do you honestly think the housekeeper thinks, “Right on…this customer really knows how to stick it to the Man?” when he or she sees the disaster you left? As for taking away excess food and giving it to the homeless people, how often do you really do it? Have you have asked the hotel what they do with the excess food? I have at many of the properties I’ve stayed at and they say they have pick up / drop off programs with local shelters. Don’t assume that all that extra food is going to waste. With droughts hitting so many parts of the USA and parts of the rest of the world, does running a shower for 12 hours (hopefully this was hyperbole.. 🙂 ). Agree 1000% with you that the benefits are being stripped away, one cut at a time, and I too feel like the boiled loyal frog, but I’m hoping folks with either vote with their feet when they can and not take it out on the front line people/ operators for policy changes set by corporate..now if the local person/ management is dreaming up their own version of policies…then have at it! Happy travels!
TLDR
Please do not waste water. It is the most precious resource on this planet which we will ALL soon be buying at exorbitant prices.
You just motivated me to do it more often and longer. Thanks!
Whats that clown talking about short memories? I havent had a paid marriott stay since they screwed over status benefits mid-year meaning any stays that were booked with the expectation of benefits held at the time suddenly had less benefits. 3? years ago now? Ill still be remembering that for decades, bonvoy that.
@@suckimeoff:disqus WHo cares that you are not staying at Marriott anymore?
Get lost
Interesting that you mention the terrible bath products. I was so disappointed when they switched to this cheap crappy stuff even at Ritz Carlton Hotels (use to have L’Occitane products). I do love the Autograph Collection Hotels because they purchase their own products. They are different depending upon the hotel, but they are always good. So sad that Marriott is cutting costs at every turn and putting guests last. I guess status does not mean as much as it use to.
Conrad Hilton in Macau still have L’Occitane plus you can also order other products by Shanghai Tang.Very generous gesture.
If SPG is as good as everyone says it was, then how can it has a “not so good” chain called Marriott take it over? Perhaps a little too many perks were given to all their SPG elites? I sure hope Marriott wouldn’t follow in the now defunct chains footsteps…..
What this guy is too dense to understand is that the entire premise of a loyalty program is to get your engaged customers to make irrational decisions that favor your company. SPG understood this, Bonvoy does not.
I am a Titanium Elite. Marriott benefirs
Chas123456789’s observation is valid. In SPG days, Lifetime platinum was the highest status. For Marriott Bonvoy, titanium has been introduced, but there is no lifetime titanium status except for a very very few very very “old” members and no more new lifetime titanium is to be given. Now we can never know which status is higher – lifetime platinum or titanium, since lifetime titanium has been cut away. Marriott never dares clarifying it.
I am Lifetime Titanium and not very very old……57. 57 is the new 45 !
To me, 57 is very very old. Sorry!
Marriott amenities differ greatly in hotels abroad, Our business is appreciated and welcomed overseas. Most lounges are open and upgrades plentiful. Hot free breakfasts are usually the norm.
However, the cheeseparing here in the states continues with no end in sight! Abroad I stay at upper tier properties but here in the USA CY/SHS/RI . If all I am getting is a bed and a shower with a cold carbo loaded grab and go breakfast I refuse to pay out a larger sum of $$$.
How can any CEO of any business state outright customers are not priority number one??? As a Lifetime Titanium member I find this statement appalling and somewhat breathtaking. Perhaps PR will never repair the whole damage. Such hubris will hurt his business in the future.