Gretchen Kenney thought the $232 a night rate at Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club was pretty darned good, considering that Marriott’s own website showed the same two-bedroom unit at $589 a night.
MARRIOTT
Karen Johnson gets some bad news from her hotel just before she checks in: There’s no room for her. Instead, she’s sent packing to an inferior motel, and when she complains, she’s mailed a form response. Now what?
Surprise! Marriott demands an extra 200 Euros when Hari Doraisamy and his family check into the Brussels Marriott. The reason? He’s traveling with two kids. Does he have to pay?
Esther Mikula thought she booked an all-inclusive hotel in Aruba. But when she checks in, she discovers that the rate doesn’t include food, beverages and activities, as promised. Now she has to pay extra. Is she owed a refund?
When JJ Mortensen tries to redeem her seven-night hotel award at Marriott, she’s given some bad news: The certificate has been downgraded to a 25,000-mile credit or a five-day certificate. That doesn’t seem fair to her, but Marriott won’t respond to her appeals. What now?
When he checked out of the Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port Hotel last month, Joe Gagnon left a favorite sweater draped over a chair in his room.
This column is usually called, “Is this enough compensation?” because frankly, the travel industry often doesn’t have a clue about customer service.
When Mike Ray checks into a timeshare hotel in Kissimmee, Fla., he’s told he has no reservation. He goes to another property, but then finds out that he’s been charged for the room anyway. Now the reservation service refuses to refund the room. Is it allowed to do that?
Matthew Gast’s hotel room in Rome is saturated with cigarette smells, even though he’s “guaranteed” a nonsmoking room. When he moves to a new room, he loses his socks and underwear. But the hotel doesn’t seem to care. Should it?
When Kelly Strong’s son falls ill, the family cancels a vacation to Scottsdale, Ariz., booked through Marriott Vacations. They’re promised a refund, but after weeks of waiting — and calling — the money hasn’t shown up on Strong’s credit card. Is this refund a lost cause?
Mark Gross was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Specifically, it was a room at the Renaissance Tampa International Plaza Hotel in Tampa that no man should ever enter. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself.
All Leslie McCormick wanted was to convert her Marriott points to American Airlines miles. But what should have been a simple transaction was complicated by a little red tape and a severed corporate relationship, and now McCormick’s points are going nowhere.
Tom Backus and his wife were enjoying dinner at Quinn’s on the Beach at the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort Golf Club and Spa when they say they were were sprayed by pesticide. They were troubled that the resort was applying chemicals to guests who were eating dinner, and asked a staff member for an explanation.
Swanky place you’ve got here, Mr. Marriott.
And the volcano stories just keep on coming. Earlier this week, we heard from a couple stranded in Portugal. Today let’s turn to a hotel guest.
Elliott is consumer advocate 
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