Marriott Hotel Allegedly Bribes Guests for Positive Reviews
A troubling pattern has emerged at one of Marriott International’s properties, raising questions about the authenticity of customer feedback in the hospitality industry. The Aloft Miami – Brickell hotel has reportedly been offering Marriott Bonvoy rewards members 3,000 points in exchange for perfect scores on post-stay surveys, according to a recent exposé by LoyaltyLobby. This practice not only undermines the credibility of customer feedback systems but potentially violates Marriott’s own internal policies against manipulating guest reviews. While many businesses naturally strive for positive customer experiences, this direct exchange of rewards for favorable reviews crosses an ethical line that consumers and industry watchers should find concerning.
The email campaign sent to guests makes the hotel’s intentions unmistakable: “If you enjoyed your stay, we kindly ask you to select the top score. Once completed, we’ll take care of the rest and your points will be credited to your account.” The message emphasizes that only “perfect 9 or 10” ratings qualify for the reward, creating a clear incentive structure that discourages honest feedback. This arrangement essentially tells guests that their truthful experiences matter less than the hotel’s desire to maintain artificially high ratings. For travelers who rely on review aggregators to make informed booking decisions, such practices erode trust in the entire feedback ecosystem that has become central to modern travel planning.
Currently, the Aloft Miami – Brickell maintains respectable but not outstanding ratings across various platforms: 3.7 on Marriott’s own website, 4.0 on Google, and 3.8 on TripAdvisor. These moderate scores suggest the hotel has room for improvement—improvement that would be better achieved through addressing genuine guest concerns rather than incentivizing guests to overlook shortcomings. The practice is particularly disappointing coming from a property affiliated with Marriott International, one of the world’s largest and most respected hospitality brands. When flagship companies engage in such tactics, it sets a troubling precedent for the industry and undermines consumers’ ability to make informed decisions based on authentic peer experiences.
Travel writer Ben Schlappig, writing for One Mile at a Time, didn’t mince words in his assessment, calling the promotion “not only unethical, but violates Marriott’s policies.” This observation appears well-founded, as Marriott’s internal guidelines reportedly state that “properties must not offer compensation, incentives, or rewards (including Bonvoy points, discounts, or amenities) in exchange for a specific survey score or review rating.” The rules further specify that “Guest Voice feedback must represent authentic guest experience without manipulation or conditional benefit.” The contradiction between corporate policy and this individual property’s actions raises questions about oversight and accountability within the Marriott brand family, and whether similar practices might be occurring at other locations.
The hospitality industry faces unique challenges in the digital age, where online reviews can significantly impact bookings and revenue. Hotels understandably want to put their best foot forward, but manufacturing positive feedback ultimately serves neither businesses nor consumers. Genuine customer reviews serve as valuable market signals that help businesses identify areas for improvement while helping future guests make informed decisions. When hotels attempt to game this system through incentives tied specifically to positive ratings, they distort these market signals and potentially mask legitimate issues that deserve attention. The short-term gain of higher ratings comes at the long-term cost of customer trust and service quality.
For travelers, this incident serves as a reminder to approach online reviews with healthy skepticism and look for patterns across multiple platforms rather than relying solely on numerical ratings. For Marriott and the broader hospitality industry, it should prompt reflection on the integrity of feedback systems and the importance of embracing authentic customer experiences—both positive and negative—as opportunities for growth. Genuine excellence in hospitality comes not from manipulating perception but from consistently delivering experiences worthy of praise. As this story continues to develop, it will be interesting to see how Marriott responds to these allegations and what steps they take to ensure their feedback systems maintain integrity across their extensive portfolio of properties. In an era where consumer trust is increasingly valuable, businesses that prioritize authentic relationships over manufactured ratings will ultimately prevail.
