My Experience Not Earning Marriott Bonvoy Points For The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner Booking With Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts

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If you wish to read only some of the article, the simple answer is I received the points after submitting Marriott’s Missing Stay Request for The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner stay that was booked through Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR). 

However, I want to provide my personal experience throughout this article so that you understand how I got to that point, what went wrong, etc. I hope this experience provides insight to help you in case you were unlucky like me for not earning Marriott Bonvoy points and elite night credits from booking with Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts

The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner
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    Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts (FHR) Earns Marriott Bonvoy Points & Elite Nights

    It’s important to know that Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts does earn Marriott Bonvoy points and elite night credits. 
    This has been confirmed by my personal stay experience in the past and the points community. See below:

    My Experience Not Earning Marriott Bonvoy Points For The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner Booking With Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts (FHR)

    Long story short, here are the sequence of events that happened before the resolution:
    • After making the reservation at The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner through Amex FHR booking, I made sure my Marriott Bonvoy number was included on the reservation, and the reservation showed up in my Marriott Bonvoy account as expected. 
    • One day before check-in. I used the chat feature in the Marriott Bovoy app to ask the hotel for a possible room upgrade. The hotel front desk replied that they noted my reservation for the upgrade in the morning. 
    • Later in the afternoon, I noticed my reservation for The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner disappeared from my Marriott Bonvoy account online and within the Marriott Bonvoy app. 
    • I decided to call The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner property, and the front desk said that my Marriott Bonvoy number was not on the reservation, causing the issue that I could not see the reservation in my Marriott account. She manually added my Marriott Bonvoy number to the Amex FHR reservation, but the reservation still did not show up in my Marriott Bonvoy account. 
    • I decided to call the property again and talked to the same girl. She assured me I would earn elite points and stays because she had already added my Marriott Bonvoy number to the reservation, despite the reservation not showing in my Marriott Bonvoy account. 
    • I decided to call Marriott Bonvoy customer service, and sure enough, the agent gave me a long lecture that because the reservation was booked with Expedia (Amex FHR’s reservation system), I would not earn any points. I told the agent I was not there to argue with him and I just needed to know the Marriott reservation’s confirmation number because the one I had was the Amex booking’s confirmation number. Remember, don’t argue with them, as it goes nowhere. 
    • I used that Marriott reservation’s confirmation code and added it to the Marriott app, but I kept getting errors, and I tried 5 times with the same error result. But what was odd was that when I went to look at the My Trips section on the Marriott website, there were 5 reservations for The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner. Oops! Apparently, each reservation got added even though there were errors. 
    • At the time of check-in, I made sure with the agent at the check-in desk that my Marriott Bonvoy number indeed was on the Amex FHR reservation, my Marriott Platinum Elite status was also recognized, and all stay features were working through the Marriott Bonvoy app as usual. 
    • However, after checking out and waiting for a few days, I did not receive my Marriott Bonvoy elite nights and points from that stay at The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner.
    • I decided to email the hotel and inquire about it, and they simply advised me to file a Missing Stay Request with Marriott after 10 business days had passed. 
    • After 10 business days, I submitted the Missing Stay Request with the Marriott Bonvoy program by attaching the digital receipt from my stay at The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner. Then I received Marriott Bonvoy points and an elite night credit accordingly. 

    How to Submit Marriott Bonvoy Missing Stay Request Form?

    The process to complete and submit a Missing Stay Request Form with Marriott is simple, provided the following conditions:
    • You have waited 10 business days after the check-out date. 
    • You have a digital receipt you received via email or a scanned paper receipt. If you do not have one, you can always access it online or call the property and have them send you one via email. 
    When you are ready to claim a missing stay with the Marriott Bonvoy program, do the following:
    • Go to the official Marriott’s Missing Stay Request homepage.
    • Sign into your Marriott Bonvoy account if you are not signed in. 
    • When the missing stay request form appears, even though you booked your Marriott stay through Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts, select No to the question: Did you book your stay through a third-party website (e.g., Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda)?
    • Continue to complete the form with your stay information and attach a copy of your hotel bill. 
    • In the comment, I mentioned that the reservation was an Amex FHR booking, and the property assured me that I would earn elite points and stays, but I had not seen those points and elite night credit posting. 
    • Finally, click the button to submit your missing stay request form. 
    • Quickly one day later, I received a reply email from Marriott customer service and got my Marriott Bonvoy points and elite night credit immediately after I read that email:

    Thank you for sending us a copy of your hotel receipt. We hope you enjoyed your stay at The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner and apologize that it was not systematically credited to your account. We are delighted to help you and want to make sure you get the credit you deserve for staying with us.

    Using the provided information I have added all eligible credit to your Marriott Bonvoy account. You will see your points reflected on your online account summary within the next 24 hours.

    Tips On When You Are Not Earning Marriott Bonvoy Points & Elite Nights With Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts Bookings

    This is my experience on how I did not earn Marriott Bonvoy points and elite night credits for my Amex FHR booking and resolved the issue through the Missing Stay Request. Meanwhile, I also want to provide some tips if you encounter the same problem:
    • Do not chat or do anything to your reservation with the property until check-in if that is the culprit. 
      • I said this because after I used the chat feature in the Marriott Bonvoy app to ask about a possible upgrade, the hotel’s front desk replied that they had noted my reservation. After that, the reservation magically disappeared from my Marriott account. 
    • Call the property to have your loyalty number manually added if you don’t see the reservation in your account after booking with Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts. 
    • Refrain from calling Marriott Bonvoy customer service and arguing because you will go nowhere. The agents will simply state that the booking is through a third-party Expedia; therefore, you do not earn points. 
    • Ensure to request a digital hotel bill receipt to file a Missing Stay Request after 10 business days. See the step-by-step section on How to Submit Marriott Bonvoy Missing Stay Request Form? 

    Conclusion

    In all fairness, I don’t know what happened because Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts booking is an eligible rate to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and elite night credits
    Up to this point, I’m still wondering if it specifically only happens with The Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner property. My advice is to refrain from doing anything to the reservation with the hotel after it’s booked through Amex FHR and the reservation appears in your Marriott Bonvoy account. If you encounter the same issue as me, follow the steps that I mentioned in my experience above to claim your missing points and elite nights through the Missing Stay Request

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