On 2010 I bought tow weeks of timeshare at Marriott Freshaman Cove in Saint Thomas.
This was one of the most stupid things I have ever done, if not the most. They convinced me that it was a great investment and if I didn't use the weeks I could deposit them in Interval International, Marriott Vacation Club points or Marriott Rewards with great benneffit to me and may family.
The results were:
Interval or MVCI points are very hard to use. I have a gold property and there are still many blackout dates, and even if you work around them you need to know one year ahead when you'll have time for vacations and if you are lucky you'll get the resort you want.
The transfer to Marriott Rewards points is not better. The amount of money I pay yearly for maintenance fees will buy more hotel time than the points I get for each week.
So I have been subsidizing Marriott for 4 years now, and I got tired, I spent a good part of our savings >40K on this stupid adventure and I want to cut my losses, and stop paying maintenance fees. So I contacted Marriott to sell my weeks back (no one else wants them, and I don't blame them). They are offering 2650 per week for a grand total of 5300. - 250 procesing fee per week 4800.
I am taking this money because I want to get the hell far from this property and Marriott in general, but these numbers should tell you how much Marriott charges for this timeshares and how much it really values. The cherry to the cake is that they want to charge about 2500 on maintenance fees for this year so I will really recover only 2300 from the original >40000 I paid.
Marriott will promise you the world and deliver hell, service was bad, booking was bad and their re-sale offer was laughable, but I have no choice, I don't have the money to keep paying this fees.
I would advice stay the hell out from Marriott time shares they sell them at price of gold, but they value them as price of garbage. This is an elaborate scam to get money from people that work hard to pay their vacations, offer them shinny objects and deliver nothing.
I am disappointed at Marriott by its total lack of moral backbone and sense of right and wrong and abusing me and so many other people in the same situation, and I am disappointed at myself for buying their lies.
Never, never, ever buy a time share they are a scam, specially if the parent company is Marriott
I've complained to BBB and on TripAdvisor as well, want everyone to know of their sneaky practices. Prior to this incident I was probably one of Marriott's biggest fans but after all the BS I've gotten those days are over. I recently stayed at this hotel, being on a budget decided to use my Marriott Points to cover the entire nightly cost/full stay.
When I checked in on Jan 8th I was asked for my credit card "for incidentals". I am quite aware of this practice, I've stayed at dozens of hotels over the years, I am a Travel Agent myself. Knowing my hotel stay was already paid, I didn't think very much of this, as I had no intentions of charging anything further to my room. In all of my dozens of hotel stays not a dime had been charged to my card until after I checked out-not a penny was even held unless I used a service, etc.
I woke up the following morning to head out to breakfast and found my available balance was much lower than anticipated. I checked transactions and found two holds, one for $60 and one for $50 on my credit card, dated the previous day(my check in) from Marriott. I immediately went to the front desk to question this and was told by the woman at the desk that "because we have two hotels next to us that will deliver to your room if you order anything we put a hold on your card" So the reason I at first was given was just in case I might eat something there I was already being charged for it. Again, in all my hotel stays-many, many Marriott-I have never had anything held before. And no one advised me at check in this would happen.
In complaining to the Corp. Office about this I was first emailed by the hotel manager, whose answer was about the same as telling me "sorry, that's just how we do it". With that not being the right answer for me, I later heard from a Corp. Liason who insists this is common practice at all hotels(obvoulsy all except the many I personally stayed at-or any of those every person I've asked since then has stayed at), and was also told to refer to the "attachment" in her email showing me a photo that is supposedly clearly situated at the front desk. Oddly enough, there was no attachment, though.
I will miss the many wonderful Marriott hotels I used to stay at that never did anything to me or my credit card, but due to the responses I have gotten not just from the hotel in question but the liason for the entire company, I will never stay at their hotels ever again. I advise anyone traveling not to as well-but absolutely not the Secaucus, NJ Courtyard!
I booked a hotel for $159 per night through Marriot.com and saw their representation that if I find it cheaper elsewhere they will match the price and give a 25% discount. I found a rate of $154 on three other websites and submitted a claim. When I submitted the claim it was showing at $154 and I provided the links. By the time they responded, the rate had changed on one of the links but not the other. They denied my claim. They said when they checked, the rate was $159. On looking again it was clear that the rate was flucuating through the day between $154 and $159 on Travelocity, Expedia and Hotels.com. I e-mailed them the link again where it was still showing at $154. I then called them and customer service and asked two people to please look at the website while they were talking to me, as I was looking at the page. THEY REFUSED TO DO SO. I got a further call to say they still deny my claim because when they looked the rate was $159. Why wouldn't they look when they were on the phone with me? The only reason is because then they can say that "when they checked the rate was higher", and the consumer has no way of verifying that. I had even printed the pages showing the rates of $154 and e-mailed them to Marriott. They still would not honor their committment to the public. TOTAL SCAM. I have cancelled my reservation and have booked at a different hotel. Marriott will now be my last choice when booking hotels.
This is the worst hotel to work for, especially with the Extended Stay proeprties, such as Residence Inn. The company employs the most unqualified candidates while disregarding the decent ones. There is a lot of favoritism and associates who are way under-qualified for the positions they are in, throughout most of these properties.
I book an Advanced Purchase Rate at the Marriott Middleton in July. Prior to my trip i had to undergo a surgery and was not able to travel for six weeks. I called the Marriott Middleton on Monday 7/20 to inform that i would not be coming. The phone rang and rang and nobody answered. So i then called the 800 marriott number, the representative on the phone tried herself to call the Middleton Marriott and also was not able to get through. The representative told me that i could cancel the reservation but the hotel would need to do it, she indicated that she would contact the manager and he would get back to me that day with a resolution. I didn't here back on Monday, nor Tuesday, but on Wednesday i finally got an email from someone at the hotel that i could not cancel and that if i needed the room was still available. Unfortunately by that time it was too late, being the same day, and i couldn't get there even if i wanted.
They still charged my credit card for two nights, taxes and lodging tax (Which is illegal if a guest doesnt arrive) and had the nerve to call my work and complain about the fact i made a complaint in person.
I feel that this manager Samie Bazuzzi conspired to charge me even though he knew i wasn't coming. He told me had to protect his average daily rate at the hotel.
When i returned to the hotel the following month, the manager Samie Bazuzzi threatened to throw me out of the hotel and call the police because i wanted his managers number. He then proceeded to contact the investors of my company and tell them that our employees are no longer welcome at HIS hotel.
Then they lied to american express when the chargeback was issued and submitted three pages of forged documents to support their claim. They left out all of the pertinent information regarding my claim.
If you are a personal attorney in WI please contact me, i would like to file a lawsuit against MR Samie Bazuzzi for slander he is liable for.
Marriott Hotels Reviews
On 2010 I bought tow weeks of timeshare at Marriott Freshaman Cove in Saint Thomas.
This was one of the most stupid things I have ever done, if not the most. They convinced me that it was a great investment and if I didn't use the weeks I could deposit them in Interval International, Marriott Vacation Club points or Marriott Rewards with great benneffit to me and may family.
The results were:
Interval or MVCI points are very hard to use. I have a gold property and there are still many blackout dates, and even if you work around them you need to know one year ahead when you'll have time for vacations and if you are lucky you'll get the resort you want.
The transfer to Marriott Rewards points is not better. The amount of money I pay yearly for maintenance fees will buy more hotel time than the points I get for each week.
So I have been subsidizing Marriott for 4 years now, and I got tired, I spent a good part of our savings >40K on this stupid adventure and I want to cut my losses, and stop paying maintenance fees. So I contacted Marriott to sell my weeks back (no one else wants them, and I don't blame them). They are offering 2650 per week for a grand total of 5300. - 250 procesing fee per week 4800.
I am taking this money because I want to get the hell far from this property and Marriott in general, but these numbers should tell you how much Marriott charges for this timeshares and how much it really values. The cherry to the cake is that they want to charge about 2500 on maintenance fees for this year so I will really recover only 2300 from the original >40000 I paid.
Marriott will promise you the world and deliver hell, service was bad, booking was bad and their re-sale offer was laughable, but I have no choice, I don't have the money to keep paying this fees.
I would advice stay the hell out from Marriott time shares they sell them at price of gold, but they value them as price of garbage. This is an elaborate scam to get money from people that work hard to pay their vacations, offer them shinny objects and deliver nothing.
I am disappointed at Marriott by its total lack of moral backbone and sense of right and wrong and abusing me and so many other people in the same situation, and I am disappointed at myself for buying their lies.
Never, never, ever buy a time share they are a scam, specially if the parent company is Marriott
I've complained to BBB and on TripAdvisor as well, want everyone to know of their sneaky practices. Prior to this incident I was probably one of Marriott's biggest fans but after all the BS I've gotten those days are over. I recently stayed at this hotel, being on a budget decided to use my Marriott Points to cover the entire nightly cost/full stay.
When I checked in on Jan 8th I was asked for my credit card "for incidentals". I am quite aware of this practice, I've stayed at dozens of hotels over the years, I am a Travel Agent myself. Knowing my hotel stay was already paid, I didn't think very much of this, as I had no intentions of charging anything further to my room. In all of my dozens of hotel stays not a dime had been charged to my card until after I checked out-not a penny was even held unless I used a service, etc.
I woke up the following morning to head out to breakfast and found my available balance was much lower than anticipated. I checked transactions and found two holds, one for $60 and one for $50 on my credit card, dated the previous day(my check in) from Marriott. I immediately went to the front desk to question this and was told by the woman at the desk that "because we have two hotels next to us that will deliver to your room if you order anything we put a hold on your card" So the reason I at first was given was just in case I might eat something there I was already being charged for it. Again, in all my hotel stays-many, many Marriott-I have never had anything held before. And no one advised me at check in this would happen.
In complaining to the Corp. Office about this I was first emailed by the hotel manager, whose answer was about the same as telling me "sorry, that's just how we do it". With that not being the right answer for me, I later heard from a Corp. Liason who insists this is common practice at all hotels(obvoulsy all except the many I personally stayed at-or any of those every person I've asked since then has stayed at), and was also told to refer to the "attachment" in her email showing me a photo that is supposedly clearly situated at the front desk. Oddly enough, there was no attachment, though.
I will miss the many wonderful Marriott hotels I used to stay at that never did anything to me or my credit card, but due to the responses I have gotten not just from the hotel in question but the liason for the entire company, I will never stay at their hotels ever again. I advise anyone traveling not to as well-but absolutely not the Secaucus, NJ Courtyard!
I booked a hotel for $159 per night through Marriot.com and saw their representation that if I find it cheaper elsewhere they will match the price and give a 25% discount. I found a rate of $154 on three other websites and submitted a claim. When I submitted the claim it was showing at $154 and I provided the links. By the time they responded, the rate had changed on one of the links but not the other. They denied my claim. They said when they checked, the rate was $159. On looking again it was clear that the rate was flucuating through the day between $154 and $159 on Travelocity, Expedia and Hotels.com. I e-mailed them the link again where it was still showing at $154. I then called them and customer service and asked two people to please look at the website while they were talking to me, as I was looking at the page. THEY REFUSED TO DO SO. I got a further call to say they still deny my claim because when they looked the rate was $159. Why wouldn't they look when they were on the phone with me? The only reason is because then they can say that "when they checked the rate was higher", and the consumer has no way of verifying that. I had even printed the pages showing the rates of $154 and e-mailed them to Marriott. They still would not honor their committment to the public. TOTAL SCAM. I have cancelled my reservation and have booked at a different hotel. Marriott will now be my last choice when booking hotels.
This is the worst hotel to work for, especially with the Extended Stay proeprties, such as Residence Inn. The company employs the most unqualified candidates while disregarding the decent ones. There is a lot of favoritism and associates who are way under-qualified for the positions they are in, throughout most of these properties.
I book an Advanced Purchase Rate at the Marriott Middleton in July. Prior to my trip i had to undergo a surgery and was not able to travel for six weeks. I called the Marriott Middleton on Monday 7/20 to inform that i would not be coming. The phone rang and rang and nobody answered. So i then called the 800 marriott number, the representative on the phone tried herself to call the Middleton Marriott and also was not able to get through. The representative told me that i could cancel the reservation but the hotel would need to do it, she indicated that she would contact the manager and he would get back to me that day with a resolution. I didn't here back on Monday, nor Tuesday, but on Wednesday i finally got an email from someone at the hotel that i could not cancel and that if i needed the room was still available. Unfortunately by that time it was too late, being the same day, and i couldn't get there even if i wanted.
They still charged my credit card for two nights, taxes and lodging tax (Which is illegal if a guest doesnt arrive) and had the nerve to call my work and complain about the fact i made a complaint in person.
I feel that this manager Samie Bazuzzi conspired to charge me even though he knew i wasn't coming. He told me had to protect his average daily rate at the hotel.
When i returned to the hotel the following month, the manager Samie Bazuzzi threatened to throw me out of the hotel and call the police because i wanted his managers number. He then proceeded to contact the investors of my company and tell them that our employees are no longer welcome at HIS hotel.
Then they lied to american express when the chargeback was issued and submitted three pages of forged documents to support their claim. They left out all of the pertinent information regarding my claim.
If you are a personal attorney in WI please contact me, i would like to file a lawsuit against MR Samie Bazuzzi for slander he is liable for.