Marriott follow Hilton - free internet for Golds / Plats .

[Nottingham Nick]

Marriott Concierge on Flyertalk, has reported that from Jan 2011, golds and plats will get free wi-fi in all properties worldwide. It is already available in the US, but UK properties still charge.

In addition to this, it is further reported, that Marriott Reward points will be awarded for stays at most Ritz Carlton hotels - the brand had previously been excluded.

For me, the big thing about this news, is that the company are apparently taking notice of requests made by frequent stayers on boards like Flyertalk. Marriott Concierge is an official presence on there, who listens, posts, and reacts to comments made - Virgin take note.

Nick

[Neil]

Good news, just need Starwood to follow suit now and I will be a happy bunny.

As a MR Plat for years, it was definitely nice to be listened to

It's actually not trivial in Europe, internet costs for hotels are higher and harder to load into room costs, to the point where this is not something they can just do at the drop of the hat (like happened in the US) but they need a few months work to get there. I assume they are having to renegotiate ISP contracts.

Some places I have been going to for a few years in Europe actually have already changed ISPs, and now offer all-in breakfast/web deals at very competitive prices, which was not the case a year ago. Looks like it's taken them some time to position themselves for this, and they can now pull the trigger. Starwood may be dealing with similar issues, or just playing its natural role as the superior brand.

The RC thing is interesting. As an aside, as a place that charges significantly higher rates WW, they have moved to support free internet for G/P elites immediately; no matter how high the web rate there, it was always going to be a minor percentage of the overall hotel rate, which seems to lend support to cost being the main issue with this.

In general, it's going to be interesting to see whether the existence of a program for RC properties will increase their ability to sell into lower end markets (you could already buy RC rewards with the MR program after all) versus potentially cheapening the brand in the eyes of folks who can spend the money to stay there. Curious to see how the Four Seasons chain reacts. For me it's a non issue .....