Seriously upset at Marriott ["Concierge" Service Expectations]

taterhed · Jun 29, 2015

Wally3433 said:
tater:

Waivers are nice and sound great. But in reality, if the Marriott or it's employees were negligent in any way, they waiver wouldn't help much. A signed waiver is not a license to be negligent in tour booking.

The Ocean Club, by limiting excursions to only those that the subcontracted DePalm Tours books for them, greatly reduces it's liability. DePalm itself is a large company and has it's own insurance, and I am sure the OC and SC have an agreement that further limits their liability.

DePalm has well maintained equipment, and is a little more professional than a guy with some used ATV's you might find on Yelp. It's a good thing that the OC can partner with Depalm, which offers a wide array of tours and excursions in Aruba, not a bad thing.

Sure, the OC will still get sued if something tragic happens on a Depalm/OC booked tour, but the OC feels that, at this time, its relationship with Depalm is the best way to LIMIT that liability, keep insurance premiums and claims down......all of which hopefully keeps maintenance fees in check.

Subcontracted tour booking via professional, full service tour/excursion company by the OC = GOOD.

Marriott Ocean Club employees, likely untrained, booking every tour operator/excursion on the island with a business card.....and individually taking kick backs after every shift = BAD.

Thanks for the info. Good to know. I've never been there, but hope to soon!
I think what you said really falls under my points somewhere....Onsite vendor with (their own) liability attached. As long as they run a customary, safe operation with 'reasonable' rates (ie not using their monopoly to gouge the consumer) then I'm all for it. Oh, and the point: if the contractor (DePalm etc..) isn't performing up to Marriott standards or displays inappropriate behavior--see my post. It's the duty of the guests to report the behavior.

Thanks again, can't wait to 'find out for my self!!'

Ty1on · Jun 29, 2015

Wally3433 said:
tater:

Waivers are nice and sound great. But in reality, if the Marriott or it's employees were negligent in any way, they waiver wouldn't help much. A signed waiver is not a license to be negligent in tour booking.

The Ocean Club, by limiting excursions to only those that the subcontracted DePalm Tours books for them, greatly reduces it's liability. DePalm itself is a large company and has it's own insurance, and I am sure the OC and SC have an agreement that further limits their liability.

DePalm has well maintained equipment, and is a little more professional than a guy with some used ATV's you might find on Yelp. It's a good thing that the OC can partner with Depalm, which offers a wide array of tours and excursions in Aruba, not a bad thing.

Sure, the OC will still get sued if something tragic happens on a Depalm/OC booked tour, but the OC feels that, at this time, its relationship with Depalm is the best way to LIMIT that liability, keep insurance premiums and claims down......all of which hopefully keeps maintenance fees in check.

Subcontracted tour booking via professional, full service tour/excursion company by the OC = GOOD.

Marriott Ocean Club employees, likely untrained, booking every tour operator/excursion on the island with a business card.....and individually taking kick backs after every shift = BAD.

Then imo they should name it the DePalm Tours Desk, not Concierge. That would allay a lot of confusion.

topmom101 · Jun 29, 2015

Hi Rob, thank you for the kind words. I am now at the Playa Linda and loving my time here. The Marriott debacle seems like a long time ago and is almost forgotten.

As a side note, as I type this post, my daughter is speaking to our concierge booking the Kukoo Kunuku bus for us and several of our friends. No
liability issues here at the Playa Linda. Lol

taterhed · Jun 29, 2015

topmom101 said:
Hi Rob, thank you for the kind words. I am now at the Playa Linda and loving my time here. The Marriott debacle seems like a long time ago and is almost forgotten.

As a side note, as I type this post, my daughter is speaking to our concierge booking the Kukoo Kunuku bus for us and several of our friends. No
liability issues here at the Playa Linda. Lol

Have fun! (Just not too much fun

)

Wally3433 · Jun 29, 2015

Ty1on said:
Then imo they should name it the DePalm Tours Desk, not Concierge. That would allay a lot of confusion.

Pretty sure they have signage in that office with DePalm's name on it. They also frequently wear yellow DePalm polo shirts.

DePalm pricing is competitive.

Wally3433 · Jun 29, 2015

topmom101 said:
Hi Rob, thank you for the kind words. I am now at the Playa Linda and loving my time here. The Marriott debacle seems like a long time ago and is almost forgotten.

As a side note, as I type this post, my daughter is speaking to our concierge booking the Kukoo Kunuku bus for us and several of our friends. No
liability issues here at the Playa Linda. Lol

Most vendors on the beach will book the KuKoo bus as well. I suggest taking a group selfie every 10 minutes....at the end our your bar hopping you will have an amazing slide show!

MichaelColey · Jun 29, 2015

I'm not one to use concierge services, but if I were, I would avoid places that get these kinds of reviews. If you're going to call something a concierge, they should perform concierge services. Too many times, they're either a front for the timeshare sales department or a contractor for a specific tour company. That's a huge turnoff for me, and I sympathize with the OP.

Myself, I prefer to do my own research, largely relying on Yelp, TripAdvisor and other sites.

geekette · Jun 29, 2015

BocaBoy said:
I beg to differ strongly with this statement. MANY (likely most) people, myself included, do not carry international capable cell phones when traveling in other countries, and frankly have found no real need or desire to do so.

I'm with you, Boca, I barely carry a phone around at home, I don't do it on vacation at all, have never bothered to add international anything for any trip. Don't need it, don't want it.

geekette · Jun 29, 2015

taterhed said:
...
I think most people that travel internationally these days:

carry an internet device capable of communicating on the internet or

carry a cellular device capable of communicating (voice or data or both) or

rent, borrow or use courtesy computers at destination for int'l communications

If you are one of those who travels without any type of electronic device and don't use computers/VOIP at the destination....I think you might be in the minority.

Jmy2C

Some of us vacation to escape the electronics. I am a-ok being in the minority.

taterhed · Jun 29, 2015

geekette said:
I'm with you, Boca, I barely carry a phone around at home, I don't do it on vacation at all, have never bothered to add international anything for any trip. Don't need it, don't want it.

geekette said:
Some of us vacation to escape the electronics. I am a-ok being in the minority.

Yup. Choice is a wonderful thing. I congratulate you. I too am trying to 'cut the cord' as much as possible. My wife, however, can not stand to be out of touch with our dogs for more than a day or two....

lschaaf · Jul 12, 2015

topmom101 said:
Beaglemom, yes, you are right, I did pose the question but some replies were anything but gentle. In hindsight some of my comments (meltdown) were overstated but my emotions were raw at the time. As a mom it was hard to see my daughter upset due to the rude and dismissive treatment she had received. Lesson learned, never post when you are angry.

Yes, I've learned never post when you are angry! You original post did paint quite picture...unfortunately I was thinking more "poor Marriott employees" vs "I can't believe the shabby service your received!" Glad you are enjoying the rest of your stay and have moved on!!

KathyPet · Jul 12, 2015

Are they Concierge Desk and the DePalma tour desk two separate locations within the hotel or does the tour desk handle restaurant reservations also?

ilene13 · Jul 12, 2015

The DePalm tour desk does handle dinner reservations, but to be honest with you, I make my own dinner reservations and just have them reconfirm for me when I get there.

Talking about liability I was at Surfwatch in HH this past week. At the owners meeting we were discussing activities for teenagers. Some of the owners wanted kayaking trips and zip lining trips for the older children. Case Spencer, The GM, talked about the liability and that they would only use certain companies because of the insurance or lack there of in some cases. So it is not just in Aruba.

SueDonJ · Jul 13, 2015

Moderator Note: We are done criticizing the OP and her daughter. It's one thing to answer her, "am I overreacting?" question with a Yes-or-No answer; some of these replies are quite another thing.

Beefnot · Jul 13, 2015

Ok so going forward, all questions that can be answered with a yes or no answer must be answered with a yes or no answer?

SueDonJ · Jul 13, 2015

Beefnot said:
Ok so going forward, all questions that can be answered with a yes or no answer must be answered with a yes or no answer?

Obviously not, considering that only "some" posts in this thread have been deleted. If those who have had posts deleted from this thread don't understand why, they can PM me for the explanation.

This is the end of discussion related to moderation in the thread. Check out the TUG Posting Rules if you don't know why.

topmom101 · Jul 14, 2015

Thank you, Susan.

Theousaf · Jul 25, 2015

I feel your pain...

Sorry to hear about your issues with the Marriott. Although not an owner, I have stayed there, on business in Aruba and I'm not a big fan. We own timeshares at the Divi Links, Phoenix and CLBR and the concierge there happily make reservations, etc. If I remember correctly, someone died this spring on a rented ATV which may be why they don't make reservations. As far as phone calls go, I converted an older iPhone to my "Aruba" phone and just buy minutes from one of the Chinese markets; It costs about $.20 to call the US. I also use Facetime, when I have access to free WiFi, Skype, and FB Messaging. I hear that "Magic Jack" works well although I have never used it.

myhrse11 · Jul 25, 2015

I've used the Marriott concierge in multiple MVC's and never had them say that they won't make a call or reservation and in fact usually they are happy to do so. This includes Hawaii, St Kitts, Las Vegas. The posts suggests that there is no concierge at the Surf Club and just a De Palm tour desk. Sounds like the management didn't want the overhead of staffing the concierge so they sold space to a tour company.

We'll be going to Aruba and staying at the Surf Club in 4 weeks.

Thanks for posting this. Because of this post I'll make sure to book all of our reservations for activities before we go. I'll use Skype while on the island either from my Kindle or my iPhone. Verizon is expensive internationally. We also thought of renting a phone or buying a burn phone on the island (if available).

Someday cell phones will be seamless regardless of where you are but not yet. Wouldn't that be nice?

LUVourMarriotts · Jul 27, 2015

As an owner at the Surf Club, who has been renting lately, I was concerned enough about this situation that I reached out about it. I actually have a renter, via direct exchange, at Surf Club this week, and I never want my renters to experience bad situations. I contacted the BoD of Surf Club, and also had an email conversation with the Surf Club GM. Here is what I found out.

As many have already posted, this service is managed by DePalm Tours, not Marriott
Marriott personnel do commonly refer to them as "the concierge"
The agreement between Marriott Surf Club and DePalm Tours requires the DePalm folks to make dining reservations for guests, not tell them to call from their rooms
The agreement between Marriott Surf Club and DePalm Tours requires that they make excursion reservations for guests, even if the excursion directly competes with a DePalm excursion
The many examples mentioned in this thread of not following the above agreement items is a breach of the agreement and the GM will be working with DePalm to rectify the situation
The GM will be considering if it is necessary to stop using the term 'concierge' and use something more appropriate
The GM is considering signage to make it obvious that these folks are DePalm Tours, not Marriott Surf Club associates
It appears the front desk manager, as described in this thread, did not respond to the OP's inquiry properly, as the tour should have been booked

Hopefully action will be taken to stop the DePalm associates from making a common vacation interaction difficult. But, if anything continues to occur, make sure to bring it up to the management, and know that Marriott put this service and agreement into place to make the guests experience a great one, not the opposite. So demand resolution if you feel you are not getting the appropriate service, or answer.

NOTE: We did not discuss the booze bus tours, so I am not 100% certain that those types of excursions are also covered by the agreement to make reservations.

topmom101 · Jul 27, 2015

Luvourmarriotts, I don't know what to say other than THANK YOU SO MUCH for taking it upon yourself and following up with management. I truly felt that the way my daughter was treated by the "concierge" was totally inappropriate, hence my reaction. I feel somewhat vindicated.

I must add something that I never mentioned in my earlier posts. After the front desk manager followed me to our room so she could speak to my daughter, I asked her directly if the "concierge" worked for DePalm since it was so obvious they only offered info on DePalm activities and she unequivocally replied no. I am reluctant to give a name as I really have no interest in getting anyone in trouble but this was the same person who asked my daughter to walk back to the front desk with her and gave my daughter some brochures to look at and then allowed her to use her phone to book the ATV tour.

I'd say some training is in order.

Wally3433 · Jul 28, 2015

It's common to give names of hotel employees on TripAdvisor reviews so that they can be corrected if needed by management. Management for most properties will respond directly on TA with some sort of response (not with a resolution, but at least a "we are looking into the matter").

Ty1on · Jul 28, 2015

LUVourMarriotts said:
As an owner at the Surf Club, who has been renting lately, I was concerned enough about this situation that I reached out about it.

People like you make this forum worth the price of admission.

Beefnot · Jul 28, 2015

topmom101 said:
Luvourmarriotts, I don't know what to say other than THANK YOU SO MUCH for taking it upon yourself and following up with management. I truly felt that the way my daughter was treated by the "concierge" was totally inappropriate, hence my reaction. I feel somewhat vindicated.

I believe your irritation and frustration were warranted, but your reaction, at least how you had described it, was not.

LUVourmarriotts, very nice follow up. Good stuff.

Luckybee · Jul 31, 2015

LUVourMarriotts said:
As an owner at the Surf Club, who has been renting lately, I was concerned enough about this situation that I reached out about it. I actually have a renter, via direct exchange, at Surf Club this week, and I never want my renters to experience bad situations. I contacted the BoD of Surf Club, and also had an email conversation with the Surf Club GM. Here is what I found out.

As many have already posted, this service is managed by DePalm Tours, not Marriott

Marriott personnel do commonly refer to them as "the concierge"

The agreement between Marriott Surf Club and DePalm Tours requires the DePalm folks to make dining reservations for guests, not tell them to call from their rooms

The agreement between Marriott Surf Club and DePalm Tours requires that they make excursion reservations for guests, even if the excursion directly competes with a DePalm excursion

The many examples mentioned in this thread of not following the above agreement items is a breach of the agreement and the GM will be working with DePalm to rectify the situation

The GM will be considering if it is necessary to stop using the term 'concierge' and use something more appropriate

The GM is considering signage to make it obvious that these folks are DePalm Tours, not Marriott Surf Club associates

It appears the front desk manager, as described in this thread, did not respond to the OP's inquiry properly, as the tour should have been booked

Hopefully action will be taken to stop the DePalm associates from making a common vacation interaction difficult. But, if anything continues to occur, make sure to bring it up to the management, and know that Marriott put this service and agreement into place to make the guests experience a great one, not the opposite. So demand resolution if you feel you are not getting the appropriate service, or answer.

NOTE: We did not discuss the booze bus tours, so I am not 100% certain that those types of excursions are also covered by the agreement to make reservations.

The response you received imho is quite interesting. We long ago gave up on attempting to use the "concierge" at the OC since we found we were either dealing with the timeshare staff who lose all interest in assisting you once they know you don't wish to tour, or the Depalm staff who on repeated occasions had told us to book things ourselves(including providing us with #'s for dinner ressies). Both have been referred to by front desk staff as the "concierge". Neither imho come close to providing normal concierge service.
As I said we don't use them at all any longer and haven't now for quite some time(we now book all our dinner res before we leave home). It would seem to me to be a good idea to have them "re-labelled" some as to avoid misunderstandings for newbies at the resorts.

Seriously upset at Marriott ["Concierge" Service Expectations]

taterhed

Ty1on

topmom101

taterhed

Wally3433

Wally3433

MichaelColey

TUG Review Crew: Expert

geekette

geekette

taterhed

lschaaf

KathyPet

ilene13

SueDonJ

Beefnot

SueDonJ

topmom101

Theousaf

myhrse11

LUVourMarriotts

TUG Review Crew: Veteran

topmom101

Wally3433

Ty1on

Beefnot

Luckybee