Marriott Closes two Res Centers? are you happy about this?

Question

Are you happy to see that two res centers are closing? I am for one not happy about it.

I really liked working for the center I worked at and am sad that I can no longer work there. I am sure a great many of those of you are loving this! Cause you dont have to deal with people who arnt at the hotel, you know you call us up and you tell us you dont want to talk to us cause according to YOU we dont know anything. We do! the hotels provide US with a lot of info. But now thanks to you and the internet Marriott is closing us.

Answer 1

I have been in the Hotel Industry for 20 years and if you cannot book at the property we have always told them to book with the brand website or brand call center. Call centre employees are much more knowledgeable then people give them credit for, as all tiers in a Brand offer the same amenities. Also the call center is only as smart as the information the property as provided them. I am not sure about the US but all Canadian Marriott properties went smoke free last year and I suspect that has hurt business some. That and all these BS websites like hotwire, travelocity, expedia and hotels.com. Consumers really have no idea that they are no better deals and have hidden costs and bizarre cancellation policies. I have seen people book a room and try and cancel it the next day and be on the hook for the cost of the room. That is not the hotel's policy but that of these websites, some charge an extra fee to make a minor change and you never see that through a chain site, call center or property.
It is sad to see you lose your job but you can check to see where Choice Hotels and Cendant have call centers. They have many many properties.

Answer 2

With my personal experience with auditting asian hotels, those who use call centres fair much better than those who don't. But obviously, the effectivity of a call centre all depends on their staff...