In 2019 the Marriott Bonvoy program was launched, following the merger between Marriott and Starwood. The Bonvoy program replaced the Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest programs, to form a unified loyalty program for the world’s largest hotel group.
One positive aspect of Starwood Preferred Guest that Marriott maintained is the Ambassador program, which is a top tier status that offers additional perks. However, qualifying for it is significantly more difficult than qualifying for other Marriott Bonvoy status, given that it’s the only status to have a minimum spending requirement.
Readers often ask if I think this status is worthwhile, so I wanted to share my thoughts, especially as changes are being made to the Ambassador program for 2023. For context on my hotel elite status strategy, I’m currently a Titanium member, but I was an Ambassador member for several years in the past.
In this post:
Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador requirements
In the Marriott Bonvoy program, here are the requirements over the course of a calendar year to qualify for Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador status:
- Platinum requires 50 elite qualifying nights
- Titanium requires 75 elite qualifying night
- Ambassador requires 100 elite qualifying nights plus $23,000 of qualifying spending (the requirement used to be $20,000, but it was increased by 15% as of 2023)
It’s worth noting that “qualifying” spending is based on the purchases on your folios that are eligible for points accrual. This doesn’t include taxes or service charges, and typically doesn’t include spa treatments, tours booked through the hotel, etc. Rather it just includes room rate, select incidentals, and most dining and beverage purchases, though I find it really varies by hotel.
The point is, expect that you’ll be spending a lot more than $23,000 per year at Marriotts to actually meet that $23,000 spending requirement.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
The real cost of Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador status
As you can see above, there’s a $23,000 spending requirement to earn Ambassador status. Spread across 100 elite qualifying nights, that’s like paying an average of $230 per night, before any taxes and fees. That’s not low, but not outrageous either.
The catch is that:
- Marriott co-brand credit cards offer up to 40 elite nights per year toward status annually, so if you spread the $23,000 revenue requirement across 60 nights, that’s an average of ~$383 per night
- This assumes you never redeem points, and a lot of us redeem a lot of points, making it even harder to earn Ambassador status
Personally I finally lost Ambassador status in 2019, because I redeemed a lot of points that year. It’s almost like you’re on a spending hamster wheel to maintain Ambassador status, since redeeming your hard earned points doesn’t help you much toward the status.
What are the benefits of Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status?
Beyond the traditional Platinum benefits (suite upgrades subject to availability, 4PM check-out, breakfast at some brands, etc.), what are the incremental benefits of Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status?
- Titanium members get a 75% points bonus, while Platinum members get a 50% points bonus
- Titanium members get space available suite upgrades at Ritz-Carltons, while Platinum members don’t
- Titanium members get United MileagePlus Silver status through the RewardsPlus partnership
What are the benefits of Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador status?
Above and beyond the Platinum and Titanium benefits, what are the incremental perks of Ambassador status?
- Access to special Ambassador service; starting mid-2023, Marriott will bring back personalized Ambassador service (as was offered pre-pandemic), where you’ll be assigned a single point of contact, though until then you just get access to a shared phone number and email address
- Your24, which gives you a flexible 24 hour stay at a hotel, where you can check-in at any time, and get the room for 24 hours, though this is offered at the hotel’s discretion (for example, this can come in handy in the Middle East, where flights often arrive and depart in the middle of the night, so it’s awesome to be able to check-in at midnight, and check-out at midnight the following day)
My experience with Marriott Ambassador status
The above are the published differences between Marriott Bonvoy’s top elite tiers, but what should you actually expect from the status? Below are my thoughts on the program, in no particular order.
Ambassador status offers more personalized service
Like most things in life, your experience will vary greatly based on who you’re dealing with. When I had Ambassador status, I had the same Ambassador, Mike, for years. His service was always spectacular — simply put, he exemplified what the program should be, and in my opinion he should be running the Ambassador program.
He just “gets it.” He always responded to my emails shockingly quickly, when I had a nuanced question he always got me an answer, and when I did had issues, he got them resolved quickly. He’s a superstar, though I’d note that not everyone had the same experience with their Ambassador. I’ve received emails over the years from many members who were underwhelmed by the program.
The challenge is that at the moment Ambassador members don’t have a single dedicated point of contact, so this isn’t currently a service being offered So while the shared Ambassador phone number and email address should provide a higher level of service than you’d get through other Marriott channels, it’s nothing like one-on-one service.
The good news is that personalized Ambassador status is returning in mid-2023. Hopefully it works similarly to pre-pandemic, though I can’t help but wonder if it might be watered down somewhat. Will we see the same ratios of Ambassadors to members as pre-pandemic, or will we see fewer Ambassadors having to deal with more guests? Only time will tell…
Ambassador members may get better upgrades
This isn’t a published benefit one way or another, though many hotels prioritize upgrades for Ambassador members over Titanium or Platinum members.
While all Platinum members and above are eligible for suite upgrades, it seems pretty logical that if hotels are going to pre-block suites for guests, they’d do so by status or other considerations (booking through Marriott STARS, repeat guest, etc.).
Certainly not all hotels do that, but on balance I’d expect to get more good upgrades as an Ambassador member than a Platinum member, for example. I’d expect this to reflect the trends we see in regions when it comes to guest recognition. In other words, in Asia I’d expect Ambassador upgrades to be prioritized more, while in the United States many hotels can’t be bothered.
Ambassador status likely won’t help you much at hotels that don’t particularly value elite members.
Your24 isn’t quite as good as it sounds
Your24 sounds like a cool concept, though I’d note there’s a huge catch. It’s entirely at the hotel’s discretion whether or not to confirm it, and hotels only do so two days before arrival.
So it’s not just subject to availability, but even if a hotel has room, they don’t have to grant Your24. For example, this has worked great in a hotel in Abu Dhabi that maybe had 10% occupancy, but I’d almost expect this to never work at a hotel in Europe, if you’re trying to check-in early after a transatlantic flight (at least under normal circumstances).
So I’d say this sounds better than it actually is.
What a good Ambassador may do
Okay, let’s be more concrete. Like I said, the Ambassador that I had for years was awesome, so what did he do for me?
For one, he surprised me out of nowhere and sent me cute notes that made me smile every so often.
He also often arranged a special welcome amenity. It didn’t happen every stay, but Ambassadors will typically be asked what they like in terms of food & drinks, and then maybe every few stays you may find a customized welcome amenity waiting for you.
Beyond that:
- If a stay didn’t post correctly, Mike always helped get it fixed right away
- He also often proactively checked with me before stays to see if there’s anything he could do for me
- While it’s rare that I asked for anything special, if I did, he’d typically be able to make it happen (within reason, of course)
Basically, my Ambassador made me feel like I was dealing with a really awesome human, rather than a large, faceless company. Again, this isn’t a service being offered right now, though in mid-2023 we should see the return of personalized Ambassador service.
Is Marriott Ambassador status worth it?
Obviously there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on:
- How many special requests you have
- How good the Ambassador representatives you deal with are
- How much you’d stay with Marriott otherwise, and/or how much travel you have to switch around to make it happen
I was lucky in that I had a fantastic Ambassador, and that I had the status at a time when there was actually personalized Ambassador service. Fortunately that’s making a comeback, though it hasn’t been the case for the past couple of years.
Once we see the return of personalized Ambassador service, I’d say it could be worth it if you’re someone who values that kind of service, and if you get a great Ambassador. However, as of now we don’t really have a sense of how personalized service will be, so I’d have a hard time getting excited about Ambassador status as of now.
That’s especially true when you consider that elite status is even easier to earn with credit cards, and on top of that the spending requirement for Ambassador status has been increased. For the time being I wouldn’t be going out of my way to earn this status.
I’m also lifetime Platinum member with Marriott, and the truth is that most of my stays are in cities where I’d probably do well with upgrades even as a Platinum. For example, I’m generally finding myself staying at Marriott properties in regions with fewer elite members and/or at hotels that care about elite members, rather than in places like New York and London.
Bottom line
Ambassador is Marriott Bonvoy’s top tier status, which requires 100 elite nights and $23,000 per year in eligible spending. The status offers more personalized service (full personalized service should return in mid-2023), flexible check-in and check-out, and sometimes better upgrades.
I enjoyed my time as an Ambassador member, but I just don’t find it worthwhile to stay extra nights at Marriott to earn it, unless you’d otherwise be really close. I find that I’m treated better as a World of Hyatt Globalist member, so that’s where most of my nights go (and fortunately I now have lifetime Globalist status).
If you’re a Marriott Ambassador member, what has your experience been like?
Recently an employee from the Ambassador desk (title under name) replied to an email sent to OCA. I believe Reservations/Ambassador/OCA are all the same. It seems when you address an issue with Marriott, they find ways to argue with you and make you the bad person. One employee said I had to call (so they can get your number) to extend my certificate and the offer expired in two days. She followed up with a...
Recently an employee from the Ambassador desk (title under name) replied to an email sent to OCA. I believe Reservations/Ambassador/OCA are all the same. It seems when you address an issue with Marriott, they find ways to argue with you and make you the bad person. One employee said I had to call (so they can get your number) to extend my certificate and the offer expired in two days. She followed up with a letter telling me how I felt since I did not call and the offer had expired.
As a lifetime Platinum member, while using points for stay with family at Marriott Champs Elysees Hotel, I was given a room that barely to hold a king bed without touching the walls with the window overlooking garbage dump. Despite call to the GM office for a courtesy request for a better room, I had to bribe the night front desk supervisor with 100 euros and was given a room with balcony overlooking Champs Elysees....
As a lifetime Platinum member, while using points for stay with family at Marriott Champs Elysees Hotel, I was given a room that barely to hold a king bed without touching the walls with the window overlooking garbage dump. Despite call to the GM office for a courtesy request for a better room, I had to bribe the night front desk supervisor with 100 euros and was given a room with balcony overlooking Champs Elysees. All that after 10 years of loyality towards Marriott. And this was when Platinum was the highest status one can get.
I am lifetime Gold, was Ambassador for a year - and just fell back to Titanium. Mid 2022 I placed more effort with Hyatt and reached Globalist with them. I struggled with the hit or miss service from Ambassador - but could imagine with a great - single point of contact there could be value. Of note - I primarily use the service for family vacations with points. While I agree Hyatt Globalist wins by...
I am lifetime Gold, was Ambassador for a year - and just fell back to Titanium. Mid 2022 I placed more effort with Hyatt and reached Globalist with them. I struggled with the hit or miss service from Ambassador - but could imagine with a great - single point of contact there could be value. Of note - I primarily use the service for family vacations with points. While I agree Hyatt Globalist wins by far (good personalized service and overall great benefits), a lot of my travel for work is at the value level - and I just can not stand the current Hyatt version of this - they Hyatt Place. They are dark and drab on the best of days…They have a great new concept - Caption and I do enjoy Centrics but at times these are out of our spend range. This year I will stay between Hyatt and Marriott based on the best property for me and see where this lands me overall for 2023.
I am not surprised at the final conclusion. I am a lifetime Titanium member, but find that Marriott over the last several years has gone down so badly that I now spend my time keeping my Hyatt Globalist status. Hyatt gets an A while Marriott gets a C- for poor service. Hyatt just gets it--we travel alot and when we want to use a perk, Hyatt comes through. With 150-175 nights a year that I...
I am not surprised at the final conclusion. I am a lifetime Titanium member, but find that Marriott over the last several years has gone down so badly that I now spend my time keeping my Hyatt Globalist status. Hyatt gets an A while Marriott gets a C- for poor service. Hyatt just gets it--we travel alot and when we want to use a perk, Hyatt comes through. With 150-175 nights a year that I spend on the road, I just a soon stay at Hyatt since they seem to value me much more than Marriott. I check in at Hyatt--they recognize my status and usually offer an up grade. 2 nights ago I was in Savannah and they upgraded me without me asking, for a week I was in FL and used an upgrade award which the Hyatt Regency honored and I got a spectacular 3 room suite with a view of the water. Marriott cannot compete.
As a Titanium member I have not seen what makes anything special. I realized this past year I give them about 30k a year and not one time in 6 years has an upgrade ever been offered. In the hotels that are franchised, I am told no free breakfast. Consistency is non-existent in the Bonvoy group. Employees have not been trained to ever even recognize your status. The 5 times I was recognized it was...
As a Titanium member I have not seen what makes anything special. I realized this past year I give them about 30k a year and not one time in 6 years has an upgrade ever been offered. In the hotels that are franchised, I am told no free breakfast. Consistency is non-existent in the Bonvoy group. Employees have not been trained to ever even recognize your status. The 5 times I was recognized it was from one of the Summerfield Suites in Baltimore and the rest San Diego Courtyard. The tier one properties treat all as we should be glad we are allowed to stay there. I spoke and wrote to Marriott and told them I was going to date others. I have switched all over to Hyatt as they recognize all and I am much happier. Marriott never made me feel good for burning through my money for staying on their properties. The one hotel I do like is the J.W. Marriott. If the Ritz and St. Regis were like the J.W., it would have been better. I am also an AMEX BRILLIANCE cardholder and will be surrendering this card soon as I am no longer interested in the Bonvoy program. I am actually mad I fell for the trap of loyalty with this group. It was a total waste of time and money. This is actually sad, because the potential was totally there. It just wasn't.
I’m Ambassador for 2023 and since 2018. I’m also Lifetime Platinum and going to Lifetime Titanium via MVC Abound. Ambassador status is more recognized in EMEA and APAC, compared to US. I was in the Maldives in November and Hawaï in Dec,, the services I got exceeded my expectation. In the Maldives, the Meridien separated us from other Elites (gold plt and titn), and exclusively gave us a private tour of the island and resort....
I’m Ambassador for 2023 and since 2018. I’m also Lifetime Platinum and going to Lifetime Titanium via MVC Abound. Ambassador status is more recognized in EMEA and APAC, compared to US. I was in the Maldives in November and Hawaï in Dec,, the services I got exceeded my expectation. In the Maldives, the Meridien separated us from other Elites (gold plt and titn), and exclusively gave us a private tour of the island and resort. They thanked us for being Ambassador, they gave us beach bags that other lower Elites got. The dedicated Ambassador line was great, dedicated or not, we had good experiences overall (not perfect bc they goofed few times and I had to correct them). Your 24 helped us few times in EMEA trips. Sometime I stay at the same hotels, and got acquainted to GMs and built a relationship, I was/am always upgraded to their Presidential Suite, the hotel relation is important to me. For me, Ambassador status makes a difference over Titanium. We met with Marriott Corporate last summer, and they told us Ambassador is not for everyone, they will make it hard to get and you also have to earn it. I agree with Marriott but I think they could also increase the benefits for being an Ambassador.
@John K - You do realize Hawaii is the US, right?
There's a Facebook Ambassadors Group run by HRH Bill Rubin who is a total a&&hole. Beware if you belong to that group. He totally kisses Marriott's A$$. He controls what is posted in the group and if you post something you don't like about the Ambassador Program - he denies your post. He's even invited someone high up at Marriott to join and monitor the group - but how can this person fairly hear member's...
There's a Facebook Ambassadors Group run by HRH Bill Rubin who is a total a&&hole. Beware if you belong to that group. He totally kisses Marriott's A$$. He controls what is posted in the group and if you post something you don't like about the Ambassador Program - he denies your post. He's even invited someone high up at Marriott to join and monitor the group - but how can this person fairly hear member's issues if we can't post our concerns.
Moving on. Marriott ruined SPG's Ambassador program. I have 22 years as Platinum or higher (8 years as Ambassador) and thankfully I have attained Lifetime Titanium. Speaking to a hotel front desk manager at a recent stay, he told me from the hotel's perspective - there's no difference between Ambassador and Titanium. So, I'm happy being dropped down to Titanium from Ambassador level.
Sadly I did not qualify for the new Ambassador requirement I only stayed 82 nights and spent $19750. Oh well. I'm sure Bill Rubin didn't either but I'm sure he'll be granted Ambassador Status in 2023.
He was banned from Flyertalk for pushing that group high and low. Had the same Ambassador attitude over there too. They're nice to him so obviously the program is great and has no negatives.
The benefits really only apply at Platinum.
This is not true:
"In 2019 the Marriott Bonvoy program was launched, following the merger between Marriott and Starwood. The Bonvoy program replaced the Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest programs, to form a unified loyalty program for the world’s largest hotel group."
Marriott Rewards, SPG and Ritz-Carlton Rewards were MERGED into one loyalty program effective August 2018. That merged loyalty program was unnamed until the spring of 2019, when it was re-launched as Bonvoy....
This is not true:
"In 2019 the Marriott Bonvoy program was launched, following the merger between Marriott and Starwood. The Bonvoy program replaced the Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest programs, to form a unified loyalty program for the world’s largest hotel group."
Marriott Rewards, SPG and Ritz-Carlton Rewards were MERGED into one loyalty program effective August 2018. That merged loyalty program was unnamed until the spring of 2019, when it was re-launched as Bonvoy.
Before August 2018, Marriott Rewards had platinum premier and Ritz-Carlton Rewards had cobalt; both of which were unpublished statuses. I'm pretty sure Marriott Rewards also had something called concierge that was a pilot project attempt at copying SPG's ambassador.
And the unpublished Platinum Premier somehow became a published Titanium because the different Platinum didn't align.
But to OMAAT's point, MR and RC were essentially the same program with a different naming. You can't even have both.
I had SPG, Marriott Rewards and Ritz-Carlton Rewards account. I merged the SPG and Marriott accounts but kept the Ritz-Carlton account separately. I still have a separate Bonvoy account as a result of that old Ritz-Carlton account, which was opened when I had the credit card.
Lifetime Titanium here with Ambassador status. I too had Mike as an Ambassador and he was awesome! However, with the centralized system and the overall degradation of the Bonvoy program (couldn't use SNAs even though a suite was available and Ambassadors threw up their hands), I don't see real incremental value here. If you are on the cusp or you get there naturally, great. Don't go out of your way. I don't find that anyone...
Lifetime Titanium here with Ambassador status. I too had Mike as an Ambassador and he was awesome! However, with the centralized system and the overall degradation of the Bonvoy program (couldn't use SNAs even though a suite was available and Ambassadors threw up their hands), I don't see real incremental value here. If you are on the cusp or you get there naturally, great. Don't go out of your way. I don't find that anyone rolls out any kind of proverbial red carpet for me on arrival or during my stays. The high-value stays (think great luxury properties during high season with family) get me the room I booked, nothing more/less. Maybe I get something for those mid-week 1-2 night stays, but meh.
And just a little slap in the face for people who dropped $20k
I was mistakenly thanked a few times for being an Ambassador. Sadly still no upgrades.
I've had Ambassador status since 2018. 2018-2019 it was "fine" but not great by any means: whenever I needed anything from my ambassador, she was on vacation (just a pure coincidence apparently). Half the time I called the Ambassador line, I was directed to a representative who was not based in the US, and they were never able to actually help me out. 2020-2022 it was completely worthless - I called the line 5 times,...
I've had Ambassador status since 2018. 2018-2019 it was "fine" but not great by any means: whenever I needed anything from my ambassador, she was on vacation (just a pure coincidence apparently). Half the time I called the Ambassador line, I was directed to a representative who was not based in the US, and they were never able to actually help me out. 2020-2022 it was completely worthless - I called the line 5 times, 4 times the agent was clueless and didn't even realize that I was an Ambassador. The 1 time I spoke with a competent agent she was lovely and took care of my request (a simple switching of hotels without having to deal with the rude staff). I took the Ambassador survey in 2020, 2021, and 2022 and I received a phone call each time, where a rep expressed their remorse for how poorly I viewed the status. It's just a complete waste without a real Ambassador. I'd rather it be like United 1K, where there is always a US helpline, plus maybe some additional amenities (higher points earning, exclusive events in cities, etc.). In general, I've cut down my travel but I'll also be switching to Hyatt
Wow the timing of this post, 4 days after the qualification period.
It either
a) Rub it in the face to who actually tried to get Ambassador, or got Ambassador.
b) A bit too late for someone who might actually benefit from being an Ambassador.
By the way something new I learned this year, specifically over New Year stays. Might be worth sharing here to aspiring Ambassadors.
If your stay crossover the year,...
Wow the timing of this post, 4 days after the qualification period.
It either
a) Rub it in the face to who actually tried to get Ambassador, or got Ambassador.
b) A bit too late for someone who might actually benefit from being an Ambassador.
By the way something new I learned this year, specifically over New Year stays. Might be worth sharing here to aspiring Ambassadors.
If your stay crossover the year, i.e. book Dec 29 - Jan 5.
You will get 3 nights in the previous year and 4 nights in the new year. This most people are already aware.
Your entire spend will count towards the new year.
So you could actually miss out on spending because you checked out after the new year. Or meet the 23k by checking out your massive bill on Jan 1.
Just has this experience! My St. Regis stay (points for the stay, cash for the in-hotel spend) posted and I'm well on my way with this year's spend requirement.
Bonvoy anything is never worth it
I have been ambassador for a few years now, not because I chased it, but because it was just a consequence of my travel patterns.
I am pretty low maintenance, so I have not had many requests in relation to the stays, but I have to say retro claims of points, or correcting wrong point calculations have been amazingly painless.
Some hotels seem to be quite up to the beat on recognising you,...
I have been ambassador for a few years now, not because I chased it, but because it was just a consequence of my travel patterns.
I am pretty low maintenance, so I have not had many requests in relation to the stays, but I have to say retro claims of points, or correcting wrong point calculations have been amazingly painless.
Some hotels seem to be quite up to the beat on recognising you, typically the more highend hotels. Some less so. Overall, definitely better than my pre merger platinum and titanium days. But not something I would put extra money in to getting.
Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite Status is not worth it.
Next post.