About a year ago, I shared how I earned Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador status, which is the program’s top tier elite status. I actually had the status pre-pandemic for several years (dating back to the Starwood Preferred Guest days), though given how Marriott Bonvoy has evolved, I was curious to see what the experience is like nowadays.
For context, Bonvoy Ambassador status requires earning 100 qualifying nights and having $23,000 in spending in a calendar year. It’s the only status tier that has a spending requirement. Meanwhile Bonvoy Titanium status requires 75 qualifying nights, and Bonvoy Platinum status requires 50 qualifying nights.
So, did I notice a big difference with Ambassador status over Titanium status? In this post I’d like to share some thoughts… the short answer is “not really,” with a few things worth noting. In no particular order…
In this post:
My personal Marriott Ambassador, Mike, is awesome
One of the main benefits of Bonvoy Ambassador status is that you get a personalized Ambassador, who looks after you. Back when I had Ambassador status pre-pandemic, I had an awesome point of contact, Mike. So when I once again earned Ambassador status, I requested to have him again. Fortunately that request was granted.
Mike is phenomenal. He’s genuinely nice, competent, helpful, and proactive. He’s as useful as an Ambassador could possibly be. For example, if I have an issue that needs to be resolved, like a stay not posting correctly, he takes care of it with ease. I never have to follow up with him, and he’ll also often write me nice welcome notes when I’m staying at hotels, which put a smile on my face.
But here’s the issue — Mike isn’t actually staying with me (or taking care of me) at individual Marriotts. So while he helps me with everything I could need help with, it’s up to individual Marriotts to deliver on the experience (and when some Marriott managers think that elites are “gross,” well…).
I’m not a needy guest. I’m not someone who always celebrates a special occasion, who demands special treatment, or who asks my Ambassador to make all kinds of arrangements for me at hotels.
If you go into Facebook groups dedicated to elite members, you might find some air condition obsessed, hashtag Ambassador members bragging about how they get upgrades weeks in advance to huge suites (IYKYK). I think those people are just much pushier than I am, and then they pass off those experiences as the norm. Like, if you exhaust your Ambassador and the hotel enough, they’ll probably just give in. But that’s not what I’m going for, and certainly not the norm.
Let me also mention that I’m really lucky to have Mike as my assigned Ambassador. I know there are lots of people who almost never hear from their Ambassadors, and where it takes days to get a response from them. Around the middle of the year, my Ambassador was inexplicably changed to someone else, and I didn’t once hear from that person. Fortunately I was able to switch back to Mike.
I am receiving more welcome amenities as an Ambassador
As a Bonvoy Ambassador member, I’m definitely noticing that I’m receiving more welcome amenities than I did before. We’re not just talking about welcome amenities at luxury hotels (where that’s an expectation), but I also mean at random hotels.
As a matter of fact, I get welcome amenities a majority of the time, including at limited service hotels. I do think this is one thing that Marriott tries to do for Ambassador members. That being said, more often than not, these amenities fall into the “why bother” category.
Ambassador treatment in the United States sucks
I avoid staying at hotels in the United States as much as possible, given that it often feels like hotels think they’re exclusively in the lodging business, and not in the hospitality industry (there are exceptions for non-Marriott brands, like Four Seasons).
If you ask me, Bonvoy Titanium treatment is generally lackluster in the United States, and I’ve found almost zero difference as a Bonvoy Ambassador member. Sure, at check-in I’ll often be thanked for my status, and I often get a bag of chips or candy bar in my room, but that’s it.
No real effort is actually made to provide upgrades, and more often than not, I’m just upgraded from a dumpster view room to a partial dumpster view room. The guaranteed perks, like the welcome amenity, guaranteed late check-out, lounge access, etc., are consistent for Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador members.
In the past year, I did get one good domestic upgrade, at the St. Regis Longboat Key (which is a lovely hotel, by the way). All too often I end up getting upgrades when I’m alone at an airport hotel for a night, so it was really nice to get an upgrade on a stay that actually mattered to me, where I was with family.
Ambassador is more valuable outside the United States, but…
As I say when it comes to any hotel elite status, the further from the United States you get, the better the elite treatment is. That’s true of Ambassador status as well. When I travel far away, I definitely feel more appreciated.
That being said, I don’t think I’ve received a single upgrade this year outside the United States that I wouldn’t have received as a Bonvoy Titanium member. Admittedly I can’t say that with certainty, but I haven’t really received any “amazing” upgrades.
I typically get an executive room or maybe a junior suite, but significant suite upgrades have been few and far between, assuming I’m not using Nightly Upgrade Awards (which give no priority based on relative status).
My single Ambassador Your24 request was honored!
One of the few published incremental elite perks of Bonvoy Ambassador status is access to the Your24 program, which allows an eligible member to request a specific check-in time, and then stay for up to 24 hours.
The catch is that it’s at the hotel’s discretion, and you probably won’t be surprised to learn that a lot of hotels aren’t great at honoring that perk. This year, I requested to use the Your24 benefit once, at the Courtyard Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. I was pleasantly surprised to see that honored for an early check-in.
However, the hotel didn’t actually end up being full, so I suspect I would’ve received early check-in anyway. Either way, it was nice to have that assurance when coming off a long haul flight.
Bottom line
Somehow I ended up back on the Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador hamster wheel. Unfortunately as you’d expect from the Bonvoy program, the value of the status really is incremental, if you ask me.
On the plus side, my Ambassador, Mike, is incredibly helpful and kind, and he’s by far the best aspect of this status. I’m also noticing an increase in welcome amenities, even if it’s just a bag of chips.
However, when it comes to actual on-property treatment, I can’t say that I’m noticing a big difference compared to Titanium status. In the United States, upgrades are generally minimal, as is the case with lower elite tiers. Meanwhile outside the United States, they typically try a little harder, but I also found that to be the case as a Titanium member.
I actually have Ambassador status for another year now, so I’m hoping to travel to some more interesting international destinations, where there might be more of a difference in terms of service. We’ll see. Either way, I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to earn this status. But if you’re going to earn it anyway, well…
What’s your take on the value of Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador status?
I lol’ed at the pic of bag of chips.
Meanwhile even a Hilton Gold gets a bag of chips and a free water or two at a Spark on a $68 a night stay.
I'm currently being forced to endure a full flag Marriott for 3 weeks. The Fairfield Inn I stayed in for my last Bonvoy stay was nicer, had free breakfast/coffee, free parking, faster Wifi. I'd rather be at the Hampton or Homewood next door....
Oh, and air conditioner guy on Facebook is a psycho.
I have been Ambassador in the past and other than my24 it's of no value. Dedicated agent was changed so often it was a waste of Time.
This year I will have 123 nights and $22k in spend and that's OKAY
You are absolutely right about us based properties ( always with some exceptions)
I found the status is more valued at south Asian countries, especially in India , Japan , Thailand etc
I agree on US properties allthought some were more Ok as others but i dont travel there that often.
Total nights this year 155 (rewards/paid).
In most cases I always got a senior suite around the world. With longer stays often if hotel was really full (not suites bookablw as well) they offer from 2nd or 3rd night to change. Often I declined if its just me.
Most often they are visible...
I agree on US properties allthought some were more Ok as others but i dont travel there that often.
Total nights this year 155 (rewards/paid).
In most cases I always got a senior suite around the world. With longer stays often if hotel was really full (not suites bookablw as well) they offer from 2nd or 3rd night to change. Often I declined if its just me.
Most often they are visible in the app 2-3 days before already. Always big welcome gifts which I often not use and i often message the hotel upfront in the app that 1 pcs of fruit is enough and not need a full basket.
Your24 I used maybe 4-5 times always OK.
Personal ambassador I use mainly if i need to get in touch with a hotel before I arrive (=german hotels that have way to high heating and turn it off in winter for my room) or for some specific questions like Mulu resort and excursions. And used hem twice to solve issues with a hotel and i mean really wrongdoing. I am quite easy for things that can go wrong. But sometimes ….
Imagine having booked a suite at a luxury property. You have an actual email confirmation that you've booked a suite & your personal ambassador confirms it. But, when double-checking with the hotel the day before, they say you have a standard room (being charged at the suite's price). You provide the confirmation to the manager, who says he's confused. Your personal ambassador then says it's a pricing issue and can't get involved. That's was the...
Imagine having booked a suite at a luxury property. You have an actual email confirmation that you've booked a suite & your personal ambassador confirms it. But, when double-checking with the hotel the day before, they say you have a standard room (being charged at the suite's price). You provide the confirmation to the manager, who says he's confused. Your personal ambassador then says it's a pricing issue and can't get involved. That's was the final straw for me.
I had been Ambassador for years. Had three different personal ambassadors -- quality varies widely. When one gets to Ambassador, one just wants to be taken care of. And, if the personal ambassador is just "okay," then what's the point? (As Ben noted, the other benefits are marginally incremental.)
PS - One property at which I was a regular routinely granted (modest) upgrades. And, one property granted an unexpected presidential suite upgrade. However, the norm is that a property will resist granting or outright refuse to grant an upgrade even though upgrade-eligible rooms are available (not just in the US). In the end, benefits as a whole became meaningless . . . promises not kept. And, I left.
I've been an ambassador for 7 years. I legitimately re-qualified during every year of the pandemic even when most weren't traveling and had one or two years of courtesy extensions.
My biggest issues are too properties are lazy and don't care. Part of being an ambassador is answering extensive questions on F&B preferences. Presumably, those preferences are supposed to inform hotels about what you might like if they provided a F&B amenity.
I'd estimate...
I've been an ambassador for 7 years. I legitimately re-qualified during every year of the pandemic even when most weren't traveling and had one or two years of courtesy extensions.
My biggest issues are too properties are lazy and don't care. Part of being an ambassador is answering extensive questions on F&B preferences. Presumably, those preferences are supposed to inform hotels about what you might like if they provided a F&B amenity.
I'd estimate 90% of properties that provide me a F&B amenity provide me something specifically listed as something I can't or don't eat. For example, I'll get a regular Pepsi (or even a Coke) when my profile says I only drink Diet Pepsi/Pepsi Zero. Or I'll get desserts and sweets when my profile says I eat healthy and don't eat junk food, sweets, snacks or any kind of dessert.
Likewise, my only room-specific requests, which are on my ambassador profile and also noted on every reservation, are 100% feather pillows and a room on a high floor. And yet, I'll get a room (not even a suite) on the third of seven floors and the pillows will be 100% foam or the fake feather-polyester blend.
When I had Ambassador status, a particular hotel I stayed in like 150 nights/year for work always insisted on dropping a bottle of wine in my room weekly upon check-in. I literally never opened it because I was only there to sleep and didn’t have a check bag to take it home in. All the same, nice gesture. Was a lovely hotel and I also became friends with the staff, which helped.
Ahahaha reminds me of my stay during my ambassador period at the then Courtyard by Marriott near Tverskaya Moscow (center). I literally had a bottle of wine (full size) and a bowl of fruits and macaron placed outside my door every afternoon. It got to the point that at the end of my month look stay, I had over 15 wine bottles in my wardrobe that I only drank once. I found a clever use...
Ahahaha reminds me of my stay during my ambassador period at the then Courtyard by Marriott near Tverskaya Moscow (center). I literally had a bottle of wine (full size) and a bowl of fruits and macaron placed outside my door every afternoon. It got to the point that at the end of my month look stay, I had over 15 wine bottles in my wardrobe that I only drank once. I found a clever use for them though. Started using them as gifts to my friends in Moscow on my last few days. Even delivered 7 bottles at once to a particular friend who was shocked
Also learned a fun fact. During my entire month of stay, I was the only ambassador at the property so it came without saying having me was pretty much a very uncommon experience for them, hence this bizarre offering of trying to make me into an alcoholic
They probably just kept taking and putting back the same bottle of wine knowing you weren’t going to drink it.
Had a fairly high success rate with Y24 when I was ambassador years ago. I think I got it almost every single time but all the properties were in Asia. I never used them for early check in before most of the mainstream properties usually check you in as early as 10-11am in many places around Europe and Asia as long as rooms are available. Y24 on the other rate for late checkout, like arriving...
Had a fairly high success rate with Y24 when I was ambassador years ago. I think I got it almost every single time but all the properties were in Asia. I never used them for early check in before most of the mainstream properties usually check you in as early as 10-11am in many places around Europe and Asia as long as rooms are available. Y24 on the other rate for late checkout, like arriving at 2am and the room being available to you till 2am next day, that’s where it had the best value