Marriott hotel food and beverage daily charge

[22go]

We are spending two nights at the Marriott near the Brooklyn Bridge. When I booked ( using points) I was told that there would a $25 food and beverage fee for each night which could be redeemed at the restaurants. I said that since we are platinum members, we would be having food and beverages in the concierage lounge or at the wedding we are attending.

She said this is new as of Feb. Has anyone experienced this before? Is there any way around the fee?

Thnaks. Kathy

 

[Fasttr]

Many of the NYC Marriott's are adding bull$hit fees such as this. I would just complain to everybody and anybody, including Marriott Rewards, Marriott on social media, etc, etc. Only after enough pressure will they potentially rethink these fees.

 

[dioxide45]

Also give them poor reviews on Trip Advisor.

 

[Pamplemousse]

We are spending two nights at the Marriott near the Brooklyn Bridge. When I booked ( using points) I was told that there would a $25 food and beverage fee for each night which could be redeemed at the restaurants. I said that since we are platinum members, we would be having food and beverages in the concierage lounge or at the wedding we are attending.

She said this is new as of Feb. Has anyone experienced this before? Is there any way around the fee?

Thnaks. Kathy

Might this be refunded if not used?
I recently stayed at an MVC where they put a charge on my cc which allowed us to room charge during our stay. Leftover amount was refunded at check out.

 

[controller1]

We are spending two nights at the Marriott near the Brooklyn Bridge. When I booked ( using points) I was told that there would a $25 food and beverage fee for each night which could be redeemed at the restaurants. I said that since we are platinum members, we would be having food and beverages in the concierage lounge or at the wedding we are attending.

She said this is new as of Feb. Has anyone experienced this before? Is there any way around the fee?

Thnaks. Kathy

Might this be refunded if not used?
I recently stayed at an MVC where they put a charge on my cc which allowed us to room charge during our stay. Leftover amount was refunded at check out.

It's not an F&B charge, it is what is referred to as a "Destination Charge". If this were a resort it would be called a Resort Charge. Most of the major chains in NYC are adding anywhere from $25-$50 Destination Charges as a mandatory charge. The Marriott at Brooklyn Bridge's website describes it as such: USD 25 daily destination fee added to room rate includes USD 25 food and beverage credit, USD 20 dry cleaning credit, enhanced Internet and more.

These are typically mandatory, even on award bookings, and are not refundable if not used. Also, they are typically not cumulative. Each of the credits expires daily. In other words, on day three you will not have accumulated $75 of F&B credit to use. So go have a drink or two each day.

 

[Old Hickory]

We are spending two nights at the Marriott near the Brooklyn Bridge. When I booked ( using points) I was told that there would a $25 food and beverage fee for each night which could be redeemed at the restaurants. I said that since we are platinum members, we would be having food and beverages in the concierage lounge or at the wedding we are attending.

She said this is new as of Feb. Has anyone experienced this before? Is there any way around the fee?

Thnaks. Kathy

$25 is a couple of premium cocktails at the bar which will allow you some quiet time away from all the free-loading kids playing in the Concierge Lounge.

 

[bazzap]

$25 is a couple of premium cocktails at the bar which will allow you some quiet time away from all the free-loading kids playing in the Concierge Lounge.

Wow!?!

 

[IngridN]

HA...more like 1 drink! We just got back from the Marriott Marquis in Times Square with this $25/day resort fee. The cheapest drink in the lounge was $18. We did use the credit when we ate in the hotel. The credit also applied and was cumulative for some free sightseeing. DH and I did the Greyline uptown and downtown bus tours for free.

If you use the credit, watch your bill. We did not receive a statement at time of service so I made a note of the amounts. One time, they forgot to add the $25 credit to the bill and we were charged for the full amount. It was credited back at checkout when I disputed the amount.

Ingrid

 

[Old Hickory]

Wow!?!

I'd say. You don't read FlyerTalk, do you? There is an entire thread devoted to the misbehaviors of those "entitled" to the CL.

 

[bazzap]

I'd say. You don't read FlyerTalk, do you? There is an entire thread devoted to the misbehaviors of those "entitled" to the CL.

Yes, I have followed these discussions on Flyertalk.
My”Wow” comment was more focused on charging $25 for two cocktails, following on from the unacceptable (in my view anyway) principle of charging a mandatory F&B fee.
Resort fees, F&B fees, whatever next - oh yes, Window fees if you want to be able to actually see out of your room - and sadly this is not a joke, some chains are now charging a premium for this “benefit”

 

[controller1]

Yes, I have followed these discussions on Flyertalk.
My”Wow” comment was more focused on charging $25 for two cocktails, following on from the unacceptable (in my view anyway) principle of charging a mandatory F&B fee.
Resort fees, F&B fees, whatever next - oh yes, Window fees if you want to be able to actually see out of your room - and sadly this is not a joke, some chains are now charging a premium for this “benefit”

The St. Regis New York charges a $50 Destination Fee! However, it is very easy to recoup the fee with a $50/day F&B credit, $50/day laundry/dry cleaning credit, and two free admissions to several different museums each day. By the way, a call brand cocktail at the St. Regis King Cole Bar is $25...

 

[BocaBoy]

The St. Regis New York charges a $50 Destination Fee! However, it is very easy to recoup the fee with a $50/day F&B credit, $50/day laundry/dry cleaning credit, and two free admissions to several different museums each day. By the way, a call brand cocktail at the St. Regis King Cole Bar is $25...

Sure, if you were going to buy those things at the hotel in any event.

 

[kds4]

It's not an F&B charge, it is what is referred to as a "Destination Charge". If this were a resort it would be called a Resort Charge. Most of the major chains in NYC are adding anywhere from $25-$50 Destination Charges as a mandatory charge. The Marriott at Brooklyn Bridge's website describes it as such: USD 25 daily destination fee added to room rate includes USD 25 food and beverage credit, USD 20 dry cleaning credit, enhanced Internet and more.

These are typically mandatory, even on award bookings, and are not refundable if not used. Also, they are typically not cumulative. Each of the credits expires daily. In other words, on day three you will not have accumulated $75 of F&B credit to use. So go have a drink or two each day.

Agreed. I have seen this charge at several NYC properties. I did not know it applied on awards stays however. I do know that it doesn't apply to all paid stay rates. For example, travelers staying on a government rate are exempted from the 'destination charge'.

 

[Old Hickory]

Yes, I have followed these discussions on Flyertalk.
My”Wow” comment was more focused on charging $25 for two cocktails, following on from the unacceptable (in my view anyway) principle of charging a mandatory F&B fee.
Resort fees, F&B fees, whatever next - oh yes, Window fees if you want to be able to actually see out of your room - and sadly this is not a joke, some chains are now charging a premium for this “benefit”

Million dollar views?

 

[bazzap]

Million dollar views?

Yes a premium for special view types I can accept, but just for daylight - no I would choose somewhere else.

 

[chris5]

Stayed at the Brooklyn Marriott for 2 days on points 3 weeks ago and are Lifetime Platinum members. We were charged the annoying $25 destination/resort fee, which we used at the Bar for drinks and french fries. It's also annoying that you can't use the upsell charges at the Lounge for wine, beer or liquor. I'm staying at the San Juan Marriott Resort/Casino next month and I'll be hit with an $18 destination/resort fee as well. One thing I would suggest is that the Brooklyn Marriott also provides free dry cleaning up to a certain amount so if you need a shirt cleaned I suggest you take advantage of that too, which we didn't.

 

[bazzap]

Stayed at the Brooklyn Marriott for 2 days on points 3 weeks ago and are Lifetime Platinum members. We were charged the annoying $25 destination/resort fee, which we used at the Bar for drinks and french fries. It's also annoying that you can't use the upsell charges at the Lounge for wine, beer or liquor. I'm staying at the San Juan Marriott Resort/Casino next month and I'll be hit with an $18 destination/resort fee as well. One thing I would suggest is that the Brooklyn Marriott also provides free dry cleaning up to a certain amount so if you need a shirt cleaned I suggest you take advantage of that too, which we didn't.

I guess on the positive side, they do at least very clearly identify this charge up front during the booking process so you can decide whether to proceed or not.
“Please note - USD 25 daily destination fee added to room rate includes USD 25 food and beverage credit, USD 20 dry cleaning credit, enhanced Internet and more.”

 

[Dean]

I've had some luck getting resorts to give a partial credit since much of the items would be included otherwise for Gold or Platinum members. I've also had a fair amount of luck getting flexibility on using the food/drink credits beyond the technical allowance. This is true even for one stay booked through priceline at an upper level Marriott.

 

[NboroGirl]

I've also had a fair amount of luck getting flexibility on using the food/drink credits beyond the technical allowance. This is true even for one stay booked through priceline at an upper level Marriott.

What do you mean by that: "beyond the technical allowance"?

 

[Dean]

What do you mean by that: "beyond the technical allowance"?

The one's I've experienced have generally specified the type of drink or food as well as the location. At Sawgrass it was specifically for wine and technically it would have been for the type of wine we would tend to drink but they were out. So they did give us room credit instead. At the autograph in St. Augustine they allowed us to use them like cash on the 2 stays but again, the options were specified and they needed a manager to OK the variation.

 

[mas]

That's why I like Residence Inn. Stayed at the Times Square RI at the beginning of the month for 6 nights and had none of these type charges. They also had a marvelous buffet breakfast.