Ambassador Aspirations

Wedding anniversaries call for a celebration in one form or another.  My wife and I default to dinner out and exchanging store-bought cards. This year however, we threw caution to the wind and splurged on three days at the beach, at one of those resorts where they put a price tag on every little thing. It was meant to be the proverbial toast to our almost forty years of marital bliss. But right out of the gate I had to wonder if dinner and a card would’ve been the smarter choice.

Ocean-front room… has a nice ring to it, right? Somehow I shooed the practical angel off one shoulder in favor of the carefree one on the other and just booked it. I figured the extra cost would be justified by endless views of the horizon, easy walks on the beach, and ocean waves to lull us to sleep. At least that’s what I had in mind as I approached the front desk.

No sooner did I present my driver’s license and credit card when “Paula” (per the name tag) said, “Can I hang onto your cards a sec, Mr. Wilson? I’ll be right back.” Without waiting for an answer she disappeared behind a closed door. Minutes passed. Then tens of minutes. The growing line of check-in guests behind me was stressful, but more to the point what the heck was taking Paula so long? Was I about to be arrested and dragged away in cuffs? Was my credit card getting shredded to little bits? Was Paula really a front desk employee or someone who was already out the back door with visions of identity theft?

My fears were interrupted when the closed door opened and out strolled a more important-looking person – “Kevin” from Guest Services.  Kevin asked if I could “step aside for a personal conversation”. So we moved beyond earshot of the other guests and an awkward exchange began.

“So… Mr. Wilson… uh… I don’t how to tell you this so guess I just tell you.  We don’t have any more ocean-front rooms.  I’m very sorry.  We’ve given you and your wife an ocean-view room instead.”

Let’s clarify before we go any further.  Ocean-front and ocean-view (at least at this place) are very different offerings.  “Front” is smack-dab on the dunes of the sand of the beach of the ocean.  Leave the sliding door open and you breathe in salt air and get sand in your hair.  “View” is the room high up at the very back of the resort, with the hotel bars and restaurants in the foreground and the ocean a distant third.

I hesitated ever so briefly before responding to Kevin from Guest Services.  The angel on one shoulder was lacing up boxing gloves while the other was donning a Japanese kimono and parasol for a bow of gentle acceptance.  Neither approach seemed quite right so I split the difference.

“Why don’t you have an ocean-front room, Kevin?  I have the confirmation email right here, showing I made the reservation weeks ago.”

“I know, Mr. Wilson, I know.  We simply don’t have the room, not tonight nor any other night you’re here.  How can I make things better?”

“How can I make things better?”  Seriously?

“You can give me an ocean-front room, Kevin, just like I booked online.  That would make things better.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Wilson, that’s just not possible.  The best we can do is an ocean view.  Listen, why don’t you and your wife get settled in and I’ll give you a call later?”

So settle in we did, somewhat begrudgingly.  And I’ll be the first to admit the ocean-view rooms at this place were actually pretty nice.  Our windows were centered so we had a panorama of the pools and restaurants, with the waves and horizon just beyond.  Live music floated up from the bar.  It was a pleasing scene from our little balcony.  Now if only we had the king bed we reserved inside of the room instead of two queens.

Ring-ring (er, buzz-buzz)

“Mr. Wilson?  It’s Kevin from Guest Services again.  I’m checking in to see how you like your room.  Getting settled?  Everything okay so far?”

“Well, yes Kevin, it’s a nice enough room, only it has an extra bed.  We reserved a king and I’m looking at two queens.”

“Two queens?  Hoo-boy that’s not good.  Can’t say how that happened.  How can I make things better?”

Ignoring his favorite phrase and choosing not to state the obvious, I said, “Look Kevin, we’ll manage with the two queens; don’t worry about it.  But here’s what I want to know.  How does a hotel not have the ocean-front room I reserved and was guaranteed weeks ago?”

Pause.

“Well, uh, Mr. Wilson, I’m not supposed to share this information but I can tell you one of our other guests extended their stay, so they’ve taken the room that was supposed to be yours.”

Extended their stay?  Taken my room?  Must be someone important, like South Carolina’s governor or one of those surgeons at the “Advanced Echocardiography” session in the hotel conference room.

“Yes Mr. Wilson, an extended stay.  In fact, the person who made that request is an ambassador.”

Ah, now we’re getting somewhere.  I knew it!  A political heavyweight.  One of  those who has the power to simply decree and it shall be done.

“An ambassador, huh?  Okay, well that’s something.  From what country?”

“Marriott.”

“Excuse me? Marriott?”

“Yes, Marriott rewards.  An Ambassador is the highest level of our rewards program.”

My wife looked it up.  Sure enough, you’re an “Ambassador” if you stay in a Marriott enough nights in a year.  Like, one hundred enough nights.  Me, I stay in a Marriott three nights in a year.  I wonder what the program calls me, “Peon”?  Again my thoughts were interrupted.

“Look Mr. Wilson, I’ve got to get going now, but we’ve added a nice discount to your room rate.  I hope it makes up for the inconvenience.  How can I make things better?”

Man, this guy really wanted to make things better, so I considered my options.  Room service?  Spa treatment?  Round of golf?  Hotel gift shop splurge?  Instead I simply said, “Sure Kevin, make me an Ambassador”.

He laughed.  Then he stopped laughing.  Needless to say, I didn’t get the promotion.

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Author: Dave

Five hundred posts would suggest I have something to say… This blog was born from a desire to elevate the English language, highlighting eloquent words from days gone by. The stories I share are snippets of life itself, and each comes with a bonus: a dusted-off word I hope you’ll go on to use more often. Read “Deutschland-ish Improvements” to learn about my backyard European wish list. Try “Slush Fun” for the throwback years of the 7-Eleven convenience store. Or drink in "Iced Coffee" to discover the plight of the rural French cafe. On the lighter side, read "Late Night Racquet Sports" for my adventures with our latest moth invasion. As Walt Whitman said, “That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.” Here then, my verse. Welcome to Life In A Word.

27 thoughts on “Ambassador Aspirations”

  2. I’m with Geoff – do you and Mrs Dave now ask each other “How can I make things better for you?” Of course that could be dangerous if the spouse isn’t in the best of humor.

    It’s funny the connotations a word can carry. To me, Ambassador means a top trim sedan built by American Motors up into the 1970s, or the glitzy but fading hotel in Los Angeles where Bobby Kennedy was killed in 1968. I don’t think I would want to be those kinds of Ambassadors.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. “Ambassador” sounds dated to me. “Diplomat” is more like it these days. But the latter isn’t as elegant as the former I suppose, so Marriott made its choice. Pretty sure my lowly status in their rewards program has no name at all.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Kevin from Guest Services was admirably poised in an awkward situation. Had to give him props for his composure under fire. It’s probably why he has the job.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. You have to wonder if the resort ever did intend to give you the room you wanted or if an ‘ocean front room’ is just a sales tactic…

    We had a similar experience where we were told the room we had booked was no longer available because the guest that was in it decided not to leave. Unfortunately, it was midnight and there were no other rooms available until the next day. The hotel booked us a room at a different place for one night and it turned out to be a truck stop motel on the outskirts of town. It was a ‘tired’ motel and a ‘tired room’ that I think normally was booked by the hour.

    The next morning I returned to our preferred hotel and camped out in their lobby until they got me our room. I think they were relieved to get me out of their lobby where I had spread out my bags and set up shop like some homeless person in off the street.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. On this part of the East Coast, “ocean front” is technically not possible. You have the stretch of (protected) dunes grass between you and the beach. We walked out to the shore later the first night and looked back at the hotel, so we could compare “view” with “front”. The rooms didn’t seem all that different to be honest, but you can bet I was thinking “blog post” the moment this debacle started to go down.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. That’s a good idea, Herb. The room rate discount may ease the immediate frustration but there’s no reason why this wouldn’t happen again. Corporate needs to know it’s not a good business practice, no matter how important their “ambassadors” are to them.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Enjoyed your post, so funny… I mean “after the fact,” we can ALL laugh with you. Sounds like they did give you a nice room, while not exactly what you wanted. What a trip!! I hope you had an extra glass of champagne that night.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. We used to stay at Marriotts all the time until a few experiences like the one you had turned us off them. Pity really, we were loyal until they started playing games with our carefully booked plans. Happy Anniversary btw. 🥂

    Liked by 1 person

  10. That was funny…..reading about…..but not actually living it. I enjoyed your descriptions of the competing angels on your shoulders! I used to like staying at a Marriott, but I haven’t traveled in so long, I’m sure I don’t have any status at all. You should have pretended you were a cardiac surgeon, (I could have coached you through the echocardiogram thing), and feigned a heart attack and said you were in need of fresh (ocean) air….

    Liked by 1 person

    1. If I step back a little, I can see how someone who earns “Ambassador” status pretty much gets what they want with Marriott. They’ve certainly earned the right to bend the rules a little (just not at my expense please). On the other hand, I can’t imagine spending a hundred nights or more a year in a hotel. Seriously, what kind of a life is that?

      Liked by 1 person

  11. We often stayed at a favorite B & B in FL when R & R was in order. One time my husband and I asked if we could stay an extra night, and even though we were return-guests, the owner told us if we were willing to change rooms, he could accommodate us. We packed our stuff; they moved it to another room. THAT’s what Kevin should have arranged!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. My glass-half-full persona wants to believe someone made a mistake, thinking our room was available when it really wasn’t. Candidly it worked out very well for us in the end, considering we still had a beautiful ocean view and a deep discount on the rate. Made the cost of staying at a high-end resort feel practically reasonable!

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