Robert sent a message to Arne M. Sorenson – President and Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International, Inc. – Email Address that said:
Good afternoon Mr Sorenson.
I have just watched your video announcing the merger of Marriott and SPG. What great news and what exciting opportunities for Rewards Members this brings.
As a Lifetime Platinum member of the Marriot Rewards programme you will appreciate the commitment to your brand I have shown over many years to achieve this. In fact prior to my Lifetime membership I was privileged to achieve Platinum Elite for a number of years (the back members card certainly turns heads!). This was not only achieved through a loyalty to the brand but at significant cost to myself (being a self employed contractor I bore all expenses during my career in IT).
It is with great disappointment then that I see more and more a total lack of acknowledgement of this status - certainly in the UK (which I understand are franchised rather than owned - I might be wrong here).
This coupled with what appears to be a growing policy of significant increases in the nightly rate (sometimes over 400%) where there is an event at a particular location.
The Marriott Rewards scheme is acknowledged to be world class. However in the UK I am concerned that short term profit rather than brand loyalty is the driver at many locations.
Maybe you should start a blog with Platinum Lifetime Members and see first hand what they say - after all they have done the time, have been the life blood of your organisations and know the score!
I hope this reaches you and you take this onboard.
