March 11, 2021 | U.S. & Canada Franchise Management Company Webinar

Explore Program Violation

Expected Consequences Resulting From:

Behavior of Associate

Behavior of friend, family or guest of associate

Inappropriate behavior including, but not limited to:

·Documented noise disturbance (after courtesy warning from hotel management)

·Blatant disrespectful or abusive behavior towards a guest, vendor or associate

·Negligent damage or destruction to hotel property

·Negligently creating unsafe conditions

·Blatant disregard for Global Room Rate Policy or hotel’s guest rules 

·Use of Associate Room Rate while traveling on business

Home Unit General Manager/Management Company’s discretion on which will be used:

3-month suspension of privileges

or

·

6-month suspension of privileges

Serious or egregious behavior including, but not limited to:

·Willful destruction/damage to hotel property

·Theft or illegal activity (while occupying a guest room or on property)

·Falsification of discount documentation, including misrepresentation of family relationships

·Selling Room Rate discount

·Serious Misconduct during stay

Permanent cancellation (lifetime) of privileges

6-month suspension of privileges

U.S. & Canada Franchise Update | March 11, 2021

Participate in the #ForwardForArne Global Event March 18 – 25
Associates and the general public are encouraged to run, walk or wheel in Arne’s honor. Download the event prep packet, digital flyer and other supporting materials to activate the event locally, and encourage associates to share their photos and videos and use the hashtag #ForwardForArne on social media.

LightSpeed Hotels: Opt-In to Implement ERS Inventory Control Changes for Additional Revenue Opportunities
ERS hotels that use LightSpeed can now make changes to inventory due to renovations, customer or associate feedback or modifications to initial set-up. Four-week waves will take place through July 2021. Hotels interested in participating in an upcoming wave should submit an Inventory Changes Request Form. Contact ERSInventoryChanges@marriott.com with questions.

Date

Details

Link

March 15 & 16

Optional Digital Brand Immersion Webinars Scheduled for March 15 & 16
These optional sessions are offered bi-monthly for new hotel leadership or associates looking for a brand refresher. Use the form to register to the appropriate brand webinar and receive a calendar invite; links to the live session are also provided below. 

•Element Hotels: March 15 at 1 p.m. ET 

•Aloft: March 15 at 3 p.m. ET 

•Moxy: March 16 at 11 a.m. ET  

•AC Hotels: March 16 at 1 p.m. ET

March 16

Mobile Key Chargeback Guarantee Program Expanded to Cover Basic Members; Office Hours Available March 16​
Effective March 1, the Chargeback Guarantee Program introduced in September has been expanded to cover Basic Marriott Bonvoy tier reservations who request a Mobile Key. Hotels should review the updated program eligibility and refer to the updated Chargeback Guarantee FAQs for detailed instructions on how to submit a reimbursement request. All Mobile Keys must be delivered consistently in order for the hotel to meet the performance criteria and be eligible for reimbursement. If the hotel’s chargeback dispute process is supported by Marriott Business Services (MBS), no action is required. MBS will evaluate all chargebacks and submit requests for reservations that meet the defined program requirements. Optional Contact-Lite Office Hours will be held on March 16 at 2 p.m. ET for questions.

MGS

March 16

PLUS Platform Listen & Learn Webinar – Digital Media Planner & Account Management Overview

​Join the next PLUS Listen & Learn webinar on March 16 at 1 p.m. ET to learn more about the new Digital Media Planner & Campaign Optimizer. Additionally, get an overview of the PLUS Management options to fit your needs for managing PLUS.

March 16 & 17

Marketing Educational Webinar for Property Marketing Contacts on March 16 & 17
​Join the appropriate regional/brand Teams Live Event using the links below to learn more about media. No pre-registration required; webinars will be recorded and published to Marketing Central. 

•U.S. Select Brands: March 16 at 3 p.m. ET (Join | Add to Calendar) 

•Canada: March 17 at 2 p.m. ET (Join | Add to Calendar)

•U.S. Premium & Luxury: March 17 at 4 p.m. ET (Join | Add to Calendar)

Note: If the Marketing Central or ‘Add to Calendar’ links do not open, try a different browser as they may not work in all browsers.

March 23

Property Marketing Office Hours Available March 23 at 4 p.m. ET
​This virtual session (Join | Add to Calendar) will provide an open forum for property marketing contacts to ask questions. No pre-registration required.

Date

Details

Link

March 15

Opt In to Extended Booking.com Preferred PLUS Program by March 15
​​Marriott and Booking.com will continue the limited time “Preferred PLUS” program designed to further increase a participating hotel’s visibility on Booking.com search results. The program is now extended to cover April 1 – June 30. Hotels must opt in by March 15 to participate in the April period. Review the program guidelines for further details and opt in procedures.

MGS

March 15

GPOS Hotels: GPOS IAD Data Center Maintenance March 15 from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET
An urgent requirement for Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance has been recently identified which will require GPOS services to be taken offline and maintenance completed. The outage will occur on March 15 from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET. No action is required by the hotel. Once the maintenance is complete, services will be restored, and sales data will synchronize automatically. Additional details are available on MGS.

MGS

March 17

GXP Critical Escalation Rules Will Be Automated Beginning March 17
The below escalation rules will automatically be created for any property that does not already have them and for all new openings moving forward.  

•Chat Cases: set to 5 minutes after 

•CEC Cases: set to 30 minutes after 

•CEC Sensitive Cases: set to 30 minutes after

Active GXP Property Admins will be automatically added to these Escalation Rules and should confirm their email address on their GXP profile settings. Improvements have also been made making it easier for GXP users to respond to guest Chats in the Salesforce GXP App from a mobile device. Additional details will be provided in The Post on March 15.

MGS

March 19

Marriott Account Sales Preferred Business Pilot Program; Opt Out by March 19
As part of the Business Transient segment focus, Marriott is piloting a North American Preferred Business Program within a select group of Account Sales Mid-Market customers.  The Pilot includes a discount of 5% off retail rate, effective April 1 – Dec. 31. Hotels wishing to opt out can do so via survey response by March 19. No action is required for participation; the 5% discount will be automatically loaded. Program details and opt out instructions will be communicated to all MarRFP users on March 8 and can also be found on MGS.

MGS

March 31

Global Quality Audit Process Updates

•March Self-Audit now available and due by March 31 at 5 p.m. ET. Associates that cannot access the site or need to modify their access to reflect a different property should use the QA Site Access Guide to submit an access request. It can take several days for access to be approved and reflected on the QA site.

•Virtual Audits began Feb. 1 and will continue to take place throughout 2021. Beginning March 15, hotels who do not schedule a Virtual Audit within two weeks of receiving the scheduling email from Deloitte will be assigned a date and time for their Audit. Once scheduled, changes cannot be made to the date and/or time. Hotels that cancel or do not show up for their Virtual Audit will be assessed a $300 fee and the Virtual Audit will be rescheduled. This is consistent with the BSA program, where a hotel would be charged for the BSA if they refused the auditor. Watch the video and review the FAQs for further information on scheduling and expectations. 

April 30

Updated COVID-19 Public Space Signage Now Available

The COVID-19 public space signage related to protocols and standards has been updated and consolidated to provide more consistency for guests and ease of use for associates. Segment-specific placement guidance and signage packets are now available on MDAM and MAL to make it easier to print high-priority signage locally, if needed. Guidance for temporary FF&E and interiors interventions are also consolidated into a separate guide on MGS. Hotels that have not printed signage, have worn out signage, or have signage that does not align to the guidance provided should plan to print at least high-priority signage by April 30.

MGS

Ongoing – June 24

2021 Leisure Recovery Offers Extended; Now bookable through July 5
Refer to the survey for a list of recommended offers and respective rate codes. If you are opting in for the first time, Topline Teams should ensure rates are loaded in HPP.  If your hotel previously opted in, confirm your set up in HPP is correct. Current offers are now bookable through July 5 with stay dates through September 6, 2021 and will be supported by email marketing, paid social media, placement on marriott.com and public relations support at no additional cost. Hotels can use the opt-in survey through June 24.  Submissions made before Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET will be added to marketing channels each Thursday throughout the booking window.