Miri Marriott Platinum Moans

Having just spent two nights at the Miri Marriott, perhaps it is worth reflecting once again on the continuing variations in the treatment of elite members in different hotels. At the Miri Marriott I am rarely upgraded, as a gold used to be offered a couple of drinks in lieu of lounge access, but not as platinum (odd). They also charge me for my children's breakfast. Yes, I know the upgrade is subject to availability, and they do not have to offer breakfast to my kids........but I really am never upgraded at the Miri Marriott, and every other Marriott I have visited with my children have included breakfast for them. I am now in the KL Renaissance, and the difference is stark. I have been upgraded to a suite (again), and of course have lounge access.

I will be dropping down to Gold in January, and will be making much more use of my Platinum Accor status, and a big factor in my decision not to pursue platinum Marriott this year has been the lack of recognition at Miri. 

Renaissance Barcelona Fira

An interesting hotel, located a few miles from the centre of Barcelona. However, it is conveniently close to a metro station that will whisk you into the city very quickly- just one stop. Given that it is somewhat less expensive than the more centrally located Marriots it is a good option. The restaurant and breakfast are very impressive and the small roof top pool is an attractive place to unwind. There is also a small indoor plunge pool and a small gym. It is convenient for the airport. On the other hand, there is no lounge and reception is often understaffed. As the hotel is used by tour groups (perhaps from cruise ships) this can be a problem.

Renaissance Kuala Lumpur

The Renaissance Kuala Lumpur is the hotel I use most frequently in Kuala Lumpur. The hotel is large, and is within easy walking distance of the KLCC Twin Towers. Within the Marriott programme the other option is the JW Marriott. Located by the Pavilion, I would argue the JW Marriott location is better, the rooms and breakfast restaurant are also better. However, I opt for the Renaissance more often than not because it usually comes in a little cheaper, but more importantly they pull out all the stops for elite members of the programme. During my last visit, despite being on a very low room rate, we were upgraded to a suite and were given a 18:00 late checkout. The lounge is always staffed and offers extended cocktail hours.

During my last visit I felt a little bad that I had spent nothing in the hotel, and therefore decided to treat myself to a couple of drinks after hours in the lounge- expecting to have to sign for the drinks. To my dismay the staff didn't charge me! At the JW Marriott elite members will find themselves on the executive floor, but you will have to be a more valuable customer than me to find yourself in a larger room.

The renaissance has a large swimming pool, the pool bar can sometimes have a nice vibe to it. The fitness studio and the spa are also very pleasant.

Legoland Johor Bharu

Legoland Johor Bharu is amazing. It has (almost) everything that Legoland Windsor has except the queues. I have been many times, and it has never been busy. The new water park is also fantastic. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Although expensive for Malaysia, it is not compared to Windsor or indeed Universal Studios in Singapore (which is also fantastic, but frighteningly expensive.)

There are a number of options for getting there. I have driven from KL before, it takes 3-4 hours. Malaysia airlines operate inexpensive flights from KL to Johor Bharu. You will pick up 10 tier points in economy- though not if you book a "promo" fare. However, you may want to consider flying business class. These flights are often around 350MYR and will collect you 40 BA tier points at less than £2 a point.

There are an increasing number of accommodation options. I use the renaissance, (because of marriott status) but it is some distance from the park. There is a traders much closer (and next to Hello Kitty Land!) I have not tried the legoland hotel- it can be quite pricey. I am told a new development across the road from the park will include a global hotel brand so that may be a good option in the near future.

Marriott Courtyard Mumbai

The courtyard by Marriott in Mumbai is located very close to the airport- a very inexpensive and short cab ride. Whilst the hassle some have to go through to get a visa for India may make this an unlikely stopover, if you do find yourself needing a room near to Mumbai airport the courtyard is a great option. It is inexpensive, about half the price of the JW marriott on Juhu Beach. Although you give up some of the opulence of the JW marriott, and the rooms are a bit smaller, the service at the Courtyard is fantastic and full benefits are given Gold and Platinum elite guests (EG Courtyards do not have to give free breakfast to elites, and in Europe they tend not to, but here breakfast was complimentary for my entire party) There is also an executive club lounge which is on a par with those you would find in a JW Marriott. The small pool is very enticing and is an oasis of calm above the busy streets of Mumbai.

JW Marriott Khao Lak

The JW Marriott Khao Lak is a fantastic resort hotel, located on the mainland of Thailand just over an hours drive north from Phuket Airport. The stand out feature of the hotel is the extensive swimming pool which has canal type sections that pass by a huge number of rooms- as a result many of the hotels rooms have direct access to the swimming pool. I imagine it is quite amazing to be able to slide from your room into the pool and to be able to swim to any of two swim up bars and a number of restaurants.

I have visited this resort twice. On both occasions I have received a very generous upgrade. Both times I booked the most basic room type. Once I was upgraded to a duplex suite, which was huge, and a very pleasant to have stairs leading up to the sleeping area, a downstairs toilet for guests and a huge bath in the en-suite. On my second visit we were given a huge suite on the second floor. The outside shower in the bathroom was awesome. It should be noted that neither of these rooms had pool access......though I would rather have  suite without pool access that a room with- not everyone will agree with that.

Marriott elites are valued at this property- during the off-off season, we also benefited from happy hour cocktails in any of the bars. The excellent kids club hours over lap happy hour- which meant we were able to enjoy a cocktail or two without our children, collecting them before heading off for dinner.

In the "off-off" season rooms can be picked up for £60 per night or less. It is still warm, but the sea can be a bit rough and the rain can make the pool a bit chilly. As the main season begins, around October, the sea should be calm, the rain less frequent and the rooms still inexpensive. In the high season, room rates do increase, heading up to around £120 per night.

This resort is a great option for those wanting 5 star luxury on a reasonable budget, especially if you have status in the Marriott rewards programme.

Marriott Rewards- Why this is my main hotel loyalty scheme

Marriott has been my preferred hotel brand for the last five years. As with airlines I view the miles or points as secondary to a programme, and see the benefits for status as the main reason for concentrating stays with one brand. I have found Marriott Hotels keen to respect the benefits outlined in the plan, and they often go beyond what is required.

For me, the key benefit of elite membership is guaranteed lounge access this starts when you have gold status (50 nights) If the hotel has a lounge, you get access. No arguments. The one downside of this policy is that the lounges can be crowded. I find this more of a problem in Europe than in Asia though.

The room upgrades I have received over the four years have varied from spectacular (JW Marriott Khao Lak) to routinely non-existent (JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur). You get to know the hotels that upgrade, and those that don't. The Rennaissance in Kuala Lumpur is one that always does upgrade, and when I moved from Gold status to Platinum status I have often found myself in a Suite.

One drawback of the programme is that the only way to status is nights, although these can be earned from credit card spend in the UK and US, in general the only way to get nights in ASEAN is to stay. 50 nights for gold and 75 nights for platinum is a lot. But this means they can (and do) reward customers with status well.

A further drawback with Marriott rewards is that their points promotions are less generous than other brands- and the more you stay the worse your targeted promotions seem to get. Finally, I find the lack of centrally located mid range hotels in London a pain. During my next London trip I will be staying at a Radisson- where I have no status, because I wasn't prepared to fork out over £300 for a Marriott room.

If you think that Marriott rewards could be for you, the key is to get status as soon as you can. Customer service will often offer a challenge- stay X nights in 3 months and we'll give you Gold Status- in fact they sometimes give you Gold Status, and then let you keep it if you stay X times in three months. It is certainly worth an email to customer service if you have some Marriott stays in the near future.

Finally, arranging a "rewarding event" in a Marriott results in a 10 night credit to you account. I usually arrange two such meetings a year. The 30  qualifying nights I therefore need to retain gold status is a much more reasonable target to obtain.