Complaining about Marriott Bonvoy is kind of a popular pastime in the miles & points world (I’m certainly guilty!). The way I see it, two things can both be true — Marriott can be really bad at managing expectations for elite members, and Marriott can also have a lot of hotels that are worth staying at, so you might as well make the most of those stays.
As many people may remember, the Marriott Bonvoy program was only formed in 2018, when Marriott and Starwood merged, and that included the merger of the Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest programs.
Like many other people, I was initially a Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) loyalist, and was bummed when Marriott acquired Starwood. Nowadays when you see discussion about something Marriott Bonvoy does poorly, there’s always someone who comments about how they miss the SPG days. So I’d like to talk about that a bit — was SPG all that we make it out to be, or is there some sort of a nostalgia effect at work here?
This is a trip down memory lane, but I recognize that this hobby has evolved a lot over the years, and most people probably don’t even know the basics of SPG, so I thought this would be fun to briefly discuss.
In this post:
Starwood Preferred Guest was an incredibly innovative program
Back in the day, Starwood was the “cool” hotel group. It was way smaller than Hilton, IHG, and Marriott, but packed a mighty punch in terms of its brands. It’s amazing that such a small hotel group had iconic brands, ranging from St. Regis, to Luxury Collection, to W Hotels, to Westin (and yes, W Hotels used to be cool, and Westin was at one point a really innovative mainstream brand).
But beyond that, SPG was by far the most innovative hotel loyalty program at the time, and it led the industry in so many areas. SPG Platinum status required 25 stays or 50 nights per year, and had a bunch of industry firsts:
- SPG was the first to offer guaranteed 4PM late check-out for elite members
- SPG was the first to offer suite upgrades subject to availability at check-in
- SPG was the first to introduce no capacity controls on award redemptions
- SPG was the first to offer fairly priced options to convert hotel points into airline miles, since you could transfer points at 1:1 ratio, with a 25% bonus in certain increments
- The SPG Amex back in the day was the go-to card for everyday credit card spending (this was in an era before massive bonus categories)
I think one other thing worth mentioning is that Chris Holdren, who ran SPG, really was a one-of-a-kind loyalty visionary. There aren’t many people who work in loyalty who are as passionate about “their” program as he was. So it’s always nice to know the head of a program really is looking out for members and is trying to make positive changes wherever possible, of course within whatever economic reality that exists.
Do we remember Starwood Preferred Guest too fondly, though?
Here’s what I find sort of funny. I remember Starwood Preferred Guest really fondly, and I miss the program. But as I see it, the things that we most complain about with Marriott Bonvoy are also things that were frequently an issue with SPG.
For one, while SPG had by far the best elite suite upgrade policy at the time, many hotels played games with upgrades, just as they do now. The concept of having to “fight” for suite upgrades was a common practice. Now, a few things:
- I do think that on balance, hotels tried harder with upgrades than they do now
- Elite ranks weren’t as swelled at the time as they are now, so there were just more upgrades available, broadly speaking
- If a hotel refused to upgrade, many people would contact the SPG Platinum line, and they’d actually liaise, and sort of compel the hotel to provide a better upgrade
The other thing is that SPG Platinum members could receive continental breakfast as their elite welcome gift. As is the case today, actual execution of that varied wildly. Many hotels would offer a full, hot breakfast, while other hotels were stingy as could be. For example, I remember staying at the W Union Square. The hotel had a restaurant, but the SPG Platinum breakfast was simply a croissant and a cup of coffee delivered to your room.
My point is simply to say that I absolutely loved SPG at the time, but if I’m being honest, the program had some of the same issues you’ll find with Marriott Bonvoy nowadays. Fighting for upgrades and hotels trying to cut corners with breakfast? That was perhaps an area where SPG properties “innovated,” and that can’t really be blamed on Marriott.
All that being said, I’d absolutely take the “old days” of SPG over the current state of Marriott Bonvoy. If nothing else, Starwood’s smaller footprint meant that the individual hotels and loyalty program at large tried a little harder.
Bottom line
Starwood Preferred Guest was discontinued in 2018, when Marriott acquired Starwood. For many of us, SPG was sort of the “gold standard” for hotel loyalty back in the day, as the program innovated in so many areas, from suite upgrades to late check-out.
That being said, the program wasn’t perfect, and the concept of having to “fight” for suite upgrades and seeing hotels cut corners with elite perks was also a “feature” of the program, given that not all hotel owners were onboard with looking out for members. That being said, on a high level, there’s no denying that the program tried harder.
To SPG loyalists back in the day, how do you remember the program?
I didn't use SPG enough back in the day to speak to the program, but it seemed like Starwood created more interesting properties and concepts than Marriott, even once Marriott took over the same brands...
I think you said it all - I’d take a flawed SPG over Bonvoy any day. SPG hotels always felt like the cool kids on the block back then; most just had a certain undefinable cachet. I miss my SPG Platinum - I’ve been Hilton Diamond twice, and Platinum with Bonvoy once, but my two years of SPG Platinum totally shat over them all.
I stayed at a lot of SPG properties, enough to be a lifetime Platinum elite and would choose to stay at an SPG property even when there was a more convenient Hilton or Marriott property available. That's the choice a good loyalty program convinces their members to make.
As lifetime Platinum Bonvoy member I don't go out of my way to choose Marriott properties. Enough said!
I really do miss Starwood! And I recently cashed out all my remaining Marriott points when Aeroplan had an additional bonus offer as I just can't deal with Marriott any longer.
I was a marriott platinum prior to the merger. It was miles better than what we have now. Also miss the days when the amex spg card was really great. Unfortunately the points game has gone downhill over the years. Especially with all the blogs and youtubers etc pushing credit cards like they are candy. Gotta stay one step ahead of the spoon fed masses otherwise your points become worthless, especially with credit card companies driving up the AF costs.
It was absolutely a better program.
I spent every year from 2001 until 2014 as en elite in the program, admittedly most of those as a silver. That part is actually important though, because I almost ALWAYS got some sort of an upgrade as an SPG elite. Sometimes that “upgrade” was just a club floor upgrade, but more often it was a suite and with surprising regularity, I’d find a welcome amenity like a...
It was absolutely a better program.
I spent every year from 2001 until 2014 as en elite in the program, admittedly most of those as a silver. That part is actually important though, because I almost ALWAYS got some sort of an upgrade as an SPG elite. Sometimes that “upgrade” was just a club floor upgrade, but more often it was a suite and with surprising regularity, I’d find a welcome amenity like a fruit basket or a bottle of wine.
Concurrent to my early days as a silver with SPG, I was typically a gold with Marriott Rewards. In that time, I literally NEVER got an upgrade with Marriott and rarely got recognized at check-in.
Ive been gold and titanium with Bonvoy since that program launched. My experience has been so poor that I now only have lifetime gold because 100% of my paid stays for the last two years have been with Accor, Hilton, and IHG.
I remember signing up for SPG in 2010 through a promo that gifted me immediate Gold status for the year, and being able to get to Platinum due to 4 weeks of business travel. Had to do a couple mattress runs to get there, but it ended up being worth it as I was able to leverage that to some really nice suite upgrades in Vienna and Budapest the following year.
Never got back to...
I remember signing up for SPG in 2010 through a promo that gifted me immediate Gold status for the year, and being able to get to Platinum due to 4 weeks of business travel. Had to do a couple mattress runs to get there, but it ended up being worth it as I was able to leverage that to some really nice suite upgrades in Vienna and Budapest the following year.
Never got back to Platinum organically after that until after the Marriott merger (cheating of course with the Bonvoy Brilliant). I’ve gotten a meaningful upgrade a couple times, but nothing like the old SPG days.
'Fighting for upgrades and hotels trying to cut corners with breakfast? That was perhaps an area where SPG properties “innovated,”'
I don't remember any of that, maybe it was a US issue, but I know that for my travels in Europe/Asia SPG was uniformly excellent.
I've since had Marriott, IHG and Hilton as my primary program at one time or another and none of them come close to matching the standard SPG set.
And...
'Fighting for upgrades and hotels trying to cut corners with breakfast? That was perhaps an area where SPG properties “innovated,”'
I don't remember any of that, maybe it was a US issue, but I know that for my travels in Europe/Asia SPG was uniformly excellent.
I've since had Marriott, IHG and Hilton as my primary program at one time or another and none of them come close to matching the standard SPG set.
And another shout for the legendary Starwood Lurker, William Sanders.
Marriott had mangled my account during the integration and some of my Platinum qualifying years went AWOL. I was in an endless back and forth with Marriott CS about this and getting nowhere. Then I remembered about William on FT - I messaged him about it and the problem was fixed almost immediately.
I've never tried Hyatt (the footprint is too small in my region) but I guess that's probably the best these days. But even for Hyatt I recall a lot of people up in arms when they ditched Gold Passport for the Globalist scheme.
SPG was absolutely a better program. In addition to what you wrote:
- SPG innovated the Ambassador program - I was in the first group of customers to receive this. This wasn't a published benefit but high spenders / frequent guests would get a personalized Ambassador who would arrange gifts at the property and even act as a personalized concierge beyond the hotel - they would do things like make dinner reservations (which also sometimes...
SPG was absolutely a better program. In addition to what you wrote:
- SPG innovated the Ambassador program - I was in the first group of customers to receive this. This wasn't a published benefit but high spenders / frequent guests would get a personalized Ambassador who would arrange gifts at the property and even act as a personalized concierge beyond the hotel - they would do things like make dinner reservations (which also sometimes came with gifts), offer itinerary planning, etc. This would be less useful now given better technology but it truly felt like a special, personalized service back then
- The no black-out dates on points reservations & guaranteed room availability for elites was serious unlike today. I remember booking rooms at regular points rates only months in advance for things like the Kentucky Derby, the Winter Classic, etc
- The level of customer service was much higher - if there ever was an issue, it was made right and you felt cared for. Compare this today with what Marriott customers experienced during the Sonder meltdown
So, yes SPG was very innovative for its time and had much better treatment for its frequent guests - I still miss it today.
I miss the SPG life too. Maybe you could write a post comparing what SPG was then to what Hyatt is now. To see how Hyatt has innovated (or not), given many consider them to be the best option in 2025. It would be interesting to look at both programs not only from a status and perks perspective, but also in terms of the value of the points.
I can accept that we have rose-colored glasses in many cases, but I think it is also arguable that many programs slid a bit across the pandemic, with Marriott possibly being the worst offender (due to them getting fat and lazy).
You're right about the nostalgia effect with SPG. The SNAs were limited, and I remember thinking after staying at the Bonaventure in downtown LA and they decided that I got a "single" breakfast as my welcome offer (on a 4 day stay), that this wouldn't be the program for me. I switched to Hyatt in 2012.
Was SPG also the first to do 5th night free on award stays?
I think the key issue is that loyalty programs developed into profit centers (or even independent enterprises in some instances). Initially, they were meant to provide some benefits for loyal guests, in a simplified way "the more loyal you are the more benefits". Nowadays, the profit centers/enterprises try to generate as much revenue as possible (e.g., through credit cards) at a cost as low as possible (e.g., as little compensation to the hotels as possible)....
I think the key issue is that loyalty programs developed into profit centers (or even independent enterprises in some instances). Initially, they were meant to provide some benefits for loyal guests, in a simplified way "the more loyal you are the more benefits". Nowadays, the profit centers/enterprises try to generate as much revenue as possible (e.g., through credit cards) at a cost as low as possible (e.g., as little compensation to the hotels as possible). SPG was a loyalty program, Bonvoy is a profit center.
Make a green choice was another SPG invention I think.
And at least it worked more often than not. Then Marriott rebased point values 3:1, didn't increase the green choice bonus accordingly, the payouts effectively stopped not long after the merger, and the initiative was finally put out of its misery during COVID. In some ways the evolution and demise of Make a Green Choice perfectly mirrors the broader SPG to Bonvoy experience.
3k points at the low end which would be 9k in the MB world. Barely see anything below 25k points now.
They were an incredible program from the low to high ends. RIP SPG - you are indeed missed.
One key difference today with Bonvoy vs SPG is that we used be on the phone with the latter a lot.
Generally, they were effective in locating points availability, last minute changes, or situational assistance. Occasionally, they'd help unlock a cash room where the hotel said they were full.
We don't call Bonvoy nowadays because they're functionally useless - what's the purpose, most of the time. Better to try and fix things for ourselves....
One key difference today with Bonvoy vs SPG is that we used be on the phone with the latter a lot.
Generally, they were effective in locating points availability, last minute changes, or situational assistance. Occasionally, they'd help unlock a cash room where the hotel said they were full.
We don't call Bonvoy nowadays because they're functionally useless - what's the purpose, most of the time. Better to try and fix things for ourselves. That's part of the loyalty program that's missing now, imo. Member services got a serious nerfing.
Yes, SPG points were more valuable. Yes, SPG elite benefits were more consistently delivered. But the real differentiator was Starwood brands like Sheraton and Westin operated at a significantly higher level than those brands today under Marriott. You can't blame the pandemic for everything. Marriott was cutting left and right before the pandemic. Sheratons and Westins always had room service. They don't know. They always had robes, slippers, mouthwash, etc. Sheratons used to have a...
Yes, SPG points were more valuable. Yes, SPG elite benefits were more consistently delivered. But the real differentiator was Starwood brands like Sheraton and Westin operated at a significantly higher level than those brands today under Marriott. You can't blame the pandemic for everything. Marriott was cutting left and right before the pandemic. Sheratons and Westins always had room service. They don't know. They always had robes, slippers, mouthwash, etc. Sheratons used to have a loofah. Resorts branded under Sheraton and Westin even in Hawaii had club lounges. They were solid 4-star hotels and, in some markets, even 5-star hotels.
Actually, Marriott Bonvoy was launched in late winter or spring of 2019. There was an UNNAMED loyalty program from August 2018 that combined legacy Starwood's SPG, legacy Marriott's Rewards and legacy Marriott's Ritz-Carlton Rewards.
:) Haha I was one of the folks who mentioned about SPG in your previous Marriott post. Agree with you Ben on remembering SPG a bit too fondly!
Back in the day I used to juggle both SPG and Marriott (lived 200 nights per year on the road... yikes) and since then have held status at many other brands. It seems the concept of customer service has gone down the drain. If today SPG was...
:) Haha I was one of the folks who mentioned about SPG in your previous Marriott post. Agree with you Ben on remembering SPG a bit too fondly!
Back in the day I used to juggle both SPG and Marriott (lived 200 nights per year on the road... yikes) and since then have held status at many other brands. It seems the concept of customer service has gone down the drain. If today SPG was around, it would be no different as most of the service dilution is led by the hotel owners.
It feels it is better to book through card-booking programs as people can choose from wider array of better brands (Fairmont, Taj, Mandarin, SLH to name a few) and still get loyalty-like benefits.
Is this the end of 'loyalty'?
So sadly SPG is gone. Marriott Bonvoy is a disappointment. What’s the ‘best’ hotel loyalty program in 2025?
Hyatt hands down
Hyatt gives you no points on any alcohol purchases at on site bars and restaurants. That alone makes it a no go for me. I love a nightcap at a hotel bar.
Hyatt. Nothing else is remotely close.
People say Hyatt, but caveat emptor - they have a small network and ultimately it depends on the property. I've been Globalist and refused upgrades, breakfast sucked (limited 'free' options), and customer service can be a crapshoot.
The only thing that provides assurance is in your wallet
I was never part of the spg crowd although I had road warrior friends who raved about it. I started traveling more for work a few years ago and decided to go with the Hyatt program after hearing how lousy the others were.
From your description of spg I'd say Hyatt meets or exceeds it. Would you agree or disagree? Even at busy hotels in the the US the staff seem genuinely trying to...
I was never part of the spg crowd although I had road warrior friends who raved about it. I started traveling more for work a few years ago and decided to go with the Hyatt program after hearing how lousy the others were.
From your description of spg I'd say Hyatt meets or exceeds it. Would you agree or disagree? Even at busy hotels in the the US the staff seem genuinely trying to give you a good stay. Even upgrades, they seem to genuinely try their best. I remember last summer staying at Andaz NYC at early check-in the staff gave me an upgrade to a non-suite and was very apologetic that she couldn't give me a suite because there were a lot of globalists checking out at 4 but if we were willing to wait until then, she could probably get us one. We ended up not waiting (it was noon, and we had kids who needed a nap before heading into the city) but I appreciated her honesty and willingness to try even without me pushing for it.
Similarly with the breakfast benefit, the guaranteed late check out, etc, the hotels seem to be very proactive about offering the benefits without you even asking.
And redeeming the points has been surprisingly easy, even at short notice.
Anyway curious to hear from people who have been with both what their thoughts were.
It's confirmation bias. Marriott is a massive program, far larger than the size of what SPG ever was.
As a result, you have more people complaining about the same issues. It's probably fair to say issues with SPG happened less because there were less overall elites.
And who can forget Starwood Lurker / William Sanders from FlyerTalk?
He really contributed a LOT to SPG and created zillions of fans over there.
SPG was a great program. Period. I consistently got suite upgrades as a simple Platinum, and consistently got recognition like little treats delivered to my room or things like that. The only thing that disappointed me was Your24, although I only tried to use it a handful of times. Twice I had confirmation emails for it that weren't honored once I arrived. But Id take the old days of SPG Platinum any day over Bonvoy Titanium or Ambassador.
I remember them having a lot more (and more interesting) promos for members, double points, triple points etc…. Made earning points easier when traveling for work etc and their redemption levels seemed to be a lot more reasonable
The biggest issue with SPG that no one addressed at the time was that it was just really hard to earn points. If you didn't have a ton of credit card spend, what were your options? A $100 hotel stay would earn you like 300 points.
And that's what made their points so valuable. I remember their points were consistently valued around 2.2 to 2.4 cpp. And it made the Amex SPG an everyday spend card, even though you were only earning 1x on unbonused spend.
I mean, the CC was definitely amazing. I actually still have mine in my wallet (as a matter of pride - I kept using it until it stopped working before switching it out), and I didn't burn the magnetic strip on it like I did my VX card as /that/ played out. It was probably the best "generic spend" card at the time (base earning of 1.25 miles per dollar at the airline of your choice beats the pants off of most airline cards).