Marriott Bonvoy has launched a fun new “Lifetime Journey” website for those with lifetime elite status. To me this is a bit more interesting than the recent “Share Your Achievements” initiative.
In this post:
Marriott highlights travel for lifetime elite members
Those with Marriott Bonvoy Platinum or Titanium lifetime elite status should have received an email from Marriott with the subject line “[name], Experience Your Lifetime Journey Like Never Before.” This email promises a special message from Marriott’s CEO, a complimentary gift, and personal Marriott Bonvoy highlights:
Ben, take a look back at your member journey like never before with a special message from Marriott International CEO Anthony Capuano. Then claim your complimentary Lifetime Elite gift to celebrate everywhere your travels take you. View your personal Marriott Bonvoy highlights and get inspired by the Lifetime Platinum Elite community you are part of.
If you’re eligible, you can log into the website with your Marriott Bonvoy credentials.
The website has several tabs, the most interesting of which shows how many points you’ve earned and redeemed, how many nights you’ve stayed, how many brands you’ve stayed at, the brands you’ve stayed at most, and the cities you’ve visited most.
There’s also a tab showing the top cities that other lifetime Marriott Bonvoy members redeem Bonvoy points at.
Then the gift that’s mentioned is a “complimentary luggage tag set to highlight your status and show that you’re part of the Lifetime Platinum Elite community.”
Then there’s a roughly one minute video from Marriott’s CEO, which also briefly features the head of Marriott Bonvoy, as well as a bunch of Marriott employees thanking Bonvoy members for their loyalty in a variety of languages.
My take on Marriott’s Lifetime Journey website
In general I like when loyalty programs consolidate statistics about member activity over the years. It’s cool to see not only where I’ve stayed, but also where others have stayed. That being said, I’m a little confused by some of the statistics.
For one, how have I allegedly redeemed more points than I’ve earned — am I in Marriott Bonvoy debt?!? I assume this goes back to the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) days, so I’m a bit confused.
Next, I’m a bit surprised by my most visited cities. Jamaica is number three?! I mean, I’ve stayed at the Sheraton JFK several times before it became a homeless shelter, but I’m surprised that this makes Jamaica my third most visited city.
When I think about it, I realize that I have fairly few Marriott properties I repeat. I guess it comes down to me only generally picking Marriotts as a backup (with my preference being Hyatt), and as a result, I don’t often stay at the same property or in the same city at Marriotts multiple times.
Bottom line
Marriott has launched a new website for select lifetime elite members, highlighting lifetime stay activity, and offering a free luggage tag. The website has some cool stats that I enjoyed seeing, though I question just how accurate it is, or how much it factors in activity from back in the day, when the SPG program existed.
To fellow Marriott lifetime elite members, what do you make of this website?
I was a very loyal Marriott road warrior and enjoyed the benefits.
My lifetime titanium status got all messed up when I had to merge my Marriott & SPG Accounts. It got reverted back to starting status every time I was told it was fixed. I’ve sent emails and called but have never been able to get anyone to re-instate the lifetime status. They dig way back & find it, try to reinstate it,...
I was a very loyal Marriott road warrior and enjoyed the benefits.
My lifetime titanium status got all messed up when I had to merge my Marriott & SPG Accounts. It got reverted back to starting status every time I was told it was fixed. I’ve sent emails and called but have never been able to get anyone to re-instate the lifetime status. They dig way back & find it, try to reinstate it, then say “ I’m not sure; I’ll send it in” But nothing has ever happened after all this time.
I’m confident it can be fixed but I can’t find anyone who gets it done.
I just qualified but it won't let me log in to see my journey. called Marriott and they still haven't fixed it. :(
Thank you for your article. I just ordered my luggage tags.
If I did receive an email I must have deleted it, so thanks. I just ordered my lifetime Titanium tag.
how did you earn that many points..
i only got 2 million from 750 nights.. everything was organic in my case
I came here to say this too. I have 4 million over roughly 1,800 nights. Is he paying 700 dollars a night for each stay?
Now that they are handing out platinum elite status like Halloween candy with the new credit card , this means nothing. Folks like us who earned lifetime platinum the old fashioned way, staying in hotels hundreds of nights a year, feel very slighted.
The statistics do not matter in reality. It only matters if you are trying to get some certain status.
The fine print at the bottom of the page says:
"*Your Lifetime points earned as shown on this site reflects total points earned from 2006 to the present. Your Lifetime points redeemed as shown on this site reflect total points redeemed from 2007 to the present."
How about the millions of SPG and Marriott point I earned in the 90's? Those nights are what gave me lifetime elite status.
I was hoping the gift might...
The fine print at the bottom of the page says:
"*Your Lifetime points earned as shown on this site reflects total points earned from 2006 to the present. Your Lifetime points redeemed as shown on this site reflect total points redeemed from 2007 to the present."
How about the millions of SPG and Marriott point I earned in the 90's? Those nights are what gave me lifetime elite status.
I was hoping the gift might be a real live actual upgrade once in a while instead of the 'sorry no upgrades available' spiel I get every time I ask. Or maybe a decent free hot breakfast like the pre covid days...
BONYOYED. No journey for me. Lifetime titanium. Nothing in my account. I’m in a courtyard tonight. Shocked there was no upgrade.
You must have been lifetime titanium pre SPG, because that status doesn't exist anymore. I envy you. My lifetime platinum is truly watered down.
I honestly always thought this should be a feature for all Marriot members to view, not just elites. I have always wondered about this information and if there was a way to calculate and plot it out, well here it is. I become lifetime platinum after this year, but im still kind of sore they dont do lifetime titanium because I would be that if they still offered it. If I recall, even IHG shows...
I honestly always thought this should be a feature for all Marriot members to view, not just elites. I have always wondered about this information and if there was a way to calculate and plot it out, well here it is. I become lifetime platinum after this year, but im still kind of sore they dont do lifetime titanium because I would be that if they still offered it. If I recall, even IHG shows you all the locations you have stayed history, which marriott had not previously.
Based on my stats I can confirm that the most frequent brands tally excludes all the pre-merger SPG data.
Yes, the data from SPG clearly isn't included, making the stats very inaccurate. Just like our SPG nights and years were not included when Lifetime Titanium status was awarded. The gift of luggage tags is lame. Makes me remember how unvalued and disappointed I felt during the merger as one of the original SPG Ambassadors. Not cool at all, Marriott.
Given the erosion and/or denial of tier benefits, I don't understand why anyone needs tier status, let alone lifetime tier status.
We live such different lives. We have a similar number of nights, we've both stayed at 22 brands, though my #1 is Courtyard. However, you've earned 7 times as many points as I have! This is my primary brand, not backup, and my friends consider me an excessive traveler. Perspective.
I'd prefer they spent their money fixing IT issues and making sure I get breakfast and a periodic upgrade. Marriott clearly has their priorities backwards.
Nah. This is very clever. Their whole "thank you for your loyalty" line has become Marriott's way of saying the Southern insult "bless your heart." I guarantee you there's some sort of big program change coming very soon.
Luggage tags? Really?
I'm declining, and hope you do as well to send them the message that more luggage tags mean nothing.
I too show a million more redeemed than earned, which is stupid, and the most stayed cities is so far from accurate it is annoying.
I'm still waiting for my hard copy membership card that I ordered in the waning days of SPG.
The top 5 cities/ properties shown appear to be from my stays after 2015 (post-merger?). In 2009, I made SPG platinum that year based solely on my stays/nights at W San Diego that year - neither the property nor city show up on my LT dashboard.
I did 300 nights at a Marriott property. Doesn't show because it's based on stays, not nights. Those 300 nights were considered 1 stay.
Except I did 50+ more stays at the W San Diego than the combined stays at the 5 cities listed on my dashboard. That's Bonvoy IT for you.
Made me a little sad that I've spent a thousand nights away from my family. Cool to see the stats on brands and locations.
Maybe you transferred points and they don’t count as earned?
As a Lifetime Titanium, I'm looking forward to the luggage tag, but I also show 2+ million points earned and 3+ million points spent. I've never purchased points...
I assume Starwood data didn’t exist, couldn’t be converted, or just wasn’t considered.
My stats are fairly close to accurate, although the lifetime nights count doesn’t match what Marriott.com says.
I am also surprised by what cities I’m listed as staying at the most. It considers stays, not nights. So while I once lived in a Marriott for 300 nights, that is considered one stay.
What really surprises me is the listing of...
I assume Starwood data didn’t exist, couldn’t be converted, or just wasn’t considered.
My stats are fairly close to accurate, although the lifetime nights count doesn’t match what Marriott.com says.
I am also surprised by what cities I’m listed as staying at the most. It considers stays, not nights. So while I once lived in a Marriott for 300 nights, that is considered one stay.
What really surprises me is the listing of cities. I can’t believe New York City is the most redeemed city for points.
What a lame "gift" for the money spent over a long period of time. Now how about reintroducing LT Tit!
I wish the stats would say how many lifetime elites there are. That would be interesting.
I had the same thought re the points earned vs. redeemed. I suspect "earned" excludes points which have been purchased.
Maybe bonus points and service recoveries too.
Had a look at my stats - I’m originally out of the SPG program but my stats only show post merger stays, so it’s totally inaccurate for me.