Marriott will take care of you
We made a 2 night stay in NYC after our honeymoon in Jamaica because the flight was cheaper to go through NYC than directly back to Pensacola (go figure!). We took advantage of the opportunity to cash in some Marriott Rewards points and got a room for 2 nights at Marriott Times Square South. Our flight didn't arrive to JFK until 9:30 pm so I called the hotel the week before the wedding to let them know we would be a late arrival.
We arrived to the hotel around 11:30 pm on May 28 (Memorial Day weekend) to find out they were over-booked. I was a little miffed at first but they already had arrangements for us to stay at The Kitano (just a couple of blocks away) on Saturday night. I asked about a suite at the Marquis and the guy said they would do it in an instant but every Marriott in Manhattan from Central Park to Wall Street was packed to the gills and had absolutely no room to spare. No problem, the desk gave us $10 cash (for the cab), hailed a cab, and refused to take any tip for handling all our bags and told us to come back around 11am on Sunday. No problem. The Kitano was very nice with marble bathrooms and one heckuva view of the Empire State Building right out our window.
Sunday morning we check out of The Kitano and head back to Courtyard around 10:30. No room yet so we checked the bags and went walking around the city. Not that big of a deal, but just a little bit of a hassle when you're tired from travelling and just want to see the sights. At noon, our room was ready and check-in was fast (less than 2 minutes). Nice room, good size for Manhattan.
Monday morning check-out was quick. We were told that we would only be charged points for one night stay and the first night was on them (30,000 points to use another time, heck yeah!) and a $0 hotel bill is always good to see! :) Management and bell clerk were very nice and apologetic for the problems 2 nights prior. We never questioned it and just accepted what happened as being a holiday weekend and the fact it was a free stay anyway. As long as we had comparable accommodations we were good (of which they had them waiting on us at a nicer hotel). Overall, a very nice experience.
A couple of weeks later, I just happened to check my Marriott points balance, and not only did they refund our points for the first night, we received points as if we paid for the room! A couple of days pass and I receive a letter in the mail from The Courtyard Times Square South. I figured it was a questionnaire about the stay. Not even close. Inside was a letter thanking us for being loyal customers and telling us about the points credit along with a $100 check for our inconvenience. Wow! I was not even expecting this, especially since we usually stay less than 10 nights a year with the Marriott chain. I didn't realize big corporations even cared about their customers anymore!
All in all, we had a teriffic experience in NYC thanks (in no small part) to the courtesy of the workers and management at the Courtyard Times Square South. The hotel was as good as any I've seen (especially for their prices) in Manhattan, and Marriott has certainly secured my few nights a year that we travel. When we return to NYC we will definitely be checking into the Courtyard. For the money, convenience, and wonderful staff you can't go wrong.
