It was recently announced that Marriott Bonvoy will be extending elite status by a further year. Marriott has just made a couple of further announcements for top tier Ambassador members.
Continue reading: Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Members Can Gift Platinum Status
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
I have $40,000 in spending and 125 nights with Marriott in 2021 for a total account balance of 4.5 million points.
Didn't Marriott do this last year?
This is nothing new or anything to get excited about.
Literally half the guests at any hotel these days have platinum status thanks to Marriott (a) extending the status of everyone who hasn't stayed at a hotel since March 2020 and (b) giving away status this year with overly generous promotions.
Platinum status is kind of worthless since most domestic properties don't have lounges open, breakfast is still grab-and-go or greatly reduced at many properties, amenities like pools or gyms remain closed, and daily housekeeping is sporadic.
It's very disappointing that Marriott didn't use the launch of a new Bonvoy program -- the revenue model is really a new program and not just a mere change –– to solidify elite status benefits, improve known weaknesses (like breakfast, and actually differentiate ambassador from titanium and platinum.
The gifting of platinum status is also worthless for those customers who aren't married or partnered. Even if I was married, my wife would travel with me. Giving her platinum status wouldn't make much sense unless she was traveling independently.
I don't understand the logic of Marriott yet again flooding the ranks of elite status with new elite status holders. Especially when there is nothing in the terms and conditions that says an ambassador is supposed to receive a suite upgrade before one of these gifted platinum status holders.
@ FNT Delta Diamond -- I'm curious, if I may ask, why are you spending $40K and 125 nights with Marriott this year? Is Marriott the only option where you need to stay, do you love Marriott Bonvoy and think it's better than other programs, or...?
What a wonderful email to get yesterday. Let me tell you personally what Ambassador status is worth currently: 0.0. I actually needed my “ambassador” a couple weeks ago. I sent an email and received a reply 36 hours later.
I know they’re short staffed, etc. But I’m not getting a discount on any of my rooms, I’m paying full price and there’s no cleaning and most club rooms are closed or way cut back. I guess I do get bonus points, which are getting less valuable by the day.
Give everyone Platinum, give my dog Platinum. What does it matter? Loyalty is insignificant now, it’s all straight transactional. Providing a basic service for a fee. It’s ok, you can say it, we know.
With the continual elite status extensions, members can receive devalued benefits and be denied room upgrades for even longer. This is great!!! But seriously folks . . . in reality, realization of benefits are ultimately controlled by the individual properties. The individual properties do not care diddly squat about one's loyalty to Marriott or Hilton or Hyatt. They care about whether you are a repeat paying guest at their specific properties. If you're not a repeat paying guest, don't expect anything. With all hotel loyalty programs, it's just a game of points . . . unless your target redemption property is "managing" award inventory . . . in which case, it's not even a game of points. Is there an alternative? Yes. If you are a repeat guest for enough nights, you can negotiate a lower rate with the sales office . . . which might well be of greater value than loyalty program benefits and points.
This is not a "nice gesture" but a slap in the face. Extending status was bad enough. This "gift" is not a gift but just a way for Marriott to try to get more people in hotels and further dilute benefits. I earned Ambassador. I will be over $20K by the end of the year. They should have given members that actually qualified a dedicated Ambassador again, a free night, or the ability to roll over excess nights/spend. Marriott is tone deaf and I'm shifting the rest of my stays to Hyatt this year to finish my Globalist requalification and then some.
I have Ambassador status, but I’m pretty much done with Marriott after this devaluation. Just need to figure out where to spend my points before next spring.
Fortunately, I also have globalist status. Hyatt is going to get all of my city and vacation stays. Marriott can keep my smaller market stays.
I'm with Brandon. 37 years with Marriott, the first 7 as Gold that last 30 as Platinum and I'm moving to Hyatt the same as he is.
The list of things the hotels and corporate has pulled is too long to recite but here's a couple...
Downgraded the category two outstanding travel awards were good for. This was after they were issued but before they were set to expire. Just plain refused to honor them.
Allowed hotels to take upgraded rooms and suites out of inventory by bundling them as part of a "package" that was by their own admission nothing but a way to keep them from being used for upgrades.
These aren't one time mistakes. Time to stop doing business with an organization the embraces cheating their customers.
I’m with those above that this is not a “nice gesture”, this article is hugely wide of the mark. It’s a cynical insult taken in combination with the email pretending Marriott gives a **** about loyalty, it would literally be better if Marriott had done nothing. Oh great, for the second year in a row I can gift the mid-level tier of Marriott’s program to someone who doesn’t need it in exchange for being one of the few guests keeping certain hotels open. “Better not let them gift Titanium though, that would be too much”. I have zero interest in maintaining Ambassador again next year.
As someone who earned Titanium this year with 'head in bed' nights, this is an insult. I understood extending status last year, but are those of us who spend enough nights in Marriott properties to earn top tier status in any hotel program (other than Bonvoy), supposed to be happy that our loyalty was just dramatically devalued and with no additional benefit.
P.S. I could log enough stays this year for Ambassador, but the incremental value is minimal, particularly compared with earning status with Hyatt, Hilton and even IHG.
I don't fully understand the mentality of the Bonvoy program leadership. As being a lifetime titanium elite, now ambassador (which literally means no additional value), I'm stuck with arriving at properties giving up points to get breakfast at best. Then think of not having lounge access (which makes NO SENSE) to be told if I want a coke, snack, or bottle of water that I'll need to pay for it. I just returned from a trip to LAX where I got 3 pancakes and a water were included in my free breakfast but when asked to add 2 straps of bacon, I was then out 5.00. There really needs to be an awakening at the Bonvoy department that those of us with this level of status, honestly get nothing to make us feel loyal.
I’m at 99 nights with multiple stays already booked in November and December but I don’t think I’ll make the $14,000.00 minimum spending this year , what concerns me more is the rewards spending change as I have over 800,000 points to use
I'm at 95 nights now (including the 50 elite night credits for members this year) and ~23k$ spent. I'll probably qualify this year with 4 more nights already booked. Not really stoked about this, Platinum status isn't worth much as others have stated and I don't have any family to gift it to.
I am 350 nights and over 40k$ spend this year I have been an ambassador for many years and I think this will be my last year with them, the ambassador service is bad, they do not reply to emails and you can spend over an hour on international phone bills trying to get hold of a useless person that does not help you on the other end. it is a shame they have killed the service it was what made me join SPG back in the days
I’ve been trying to obtain platinum for a while. I would appreciate a referral for platinum if you’re still able. Thanks
I am going on a Oneworld Round The World trip in March 24. Could use a referral. Been stuck at Gold for ages.