Marriott Bonvoy has already revealed its status soft landing policy for the next membership year, and it’s good news (well, at least for those who don’t requalify for their current status tier). Thanks to LoyaltyLobby for flagging this.
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Marriott Bonvoy’s 2025 status soft landing policy
Marriott Bonvoy has announced its status soft landing policy for 2025, for situations where someone doesn’t qualify for a particular elite tier based on their activity in 2024. Specifically, elite members who don’t achieve the published criteria to maintain their status will only drop down at most one elite tier.
In other words, Ambassador Elites will at most drop to Titanium Elite, Titanium Elites will at most drop to Platinum Elite, Platinum Elites will at most drop to Gold Elite, and Gold Elites will drop at most to Silver Elite.
For what it’s worth, this policy matches Marriott’s historical approach to status soft landings. Before Marriott and Starwood merged, back when Marriott’s loyalty program was named Marriott Rewards, Marriott consistently had a status soft landing policy. With this, Marriott Rewards members never dropped more than one elite tier per year, regardless of their activity.
That policy has continued since the new program was formed, including for the next year. However, there’s no guarantee this will continue to be the policy in the future.
Status soft landings make a lot of sense
During the pandemic, we saw airline and hotel loyalty programs largely extend elite status several times. This made sense, given the extent to which business travel decreased for many. However, with the huge increase in leisure travel and all the new ways to earn elite status, we’ve seen elite ranks swell.
Personally I think the concept of a status soft landing makes a lot of sense. After all, sometimes life conditions change for people, and in many cases those changes are just temporary. If you drop from top tier status to no status, you don’t really have much of an incentive to stay loyal to that hotel group when your travel picks up again.
By offering a soft landing, loyalty programs can try to build more of a long term relationship with members, and that’s a positive. We also see some programs allow members to pause their status for a year or extend status as a one-time exception based on life circumstances, and I think that’s a great policy as well.
Bottom line
Marriott Bonvoy has a generous status soft landing policy for 2025, for those who don’t requalify for status in 2024. If you didn’t requalify for your current status tier with Marriott Bonvoy in 2024, you can expect that you’ll be downgraded at most one status level.
What do you make of Marriott Bonvoy’s soft landing policy for status?
The Marriott "soft landing" is good news. 4 nights short of the 50 nights required for Platinum. The current status is Titanium so the "soft landing" will be to Platinum. The end of year trip is to Osaka and rather than book 4 nights at one of the Marriott hotels, the excess of IHG points will be used for the IC Osaka.
Not sure if this is that big of a deal.
The only big benefit is difference between Gold and Platinum with lounges access. So dropping from Plat to Gold is still a big loss.
Going from Amb or Tit to Plat - you still have lounge
Going from Gold to Silver - still don't have lounge
I've been Ambassador for years. I will not judge whether someone else earns tier status or is worthy enough for it. Too many angry elves.
Of course, this just continues the subtle devaluation of benefits across all programs, hotels/airlines/etc. For some reason it doesn't feel so bad or obvious at hotels though, even though it's still happening. And I guess it hardly matters anyway, because you can practically instantly purchase status through their Marriott credit cards. I'm sure I'll wonder at some point why I even bothered to chase lifetime status.
No one should be chasing lifetime status.
The irony of reaching lifetime status?
You switch brands to earn lifetime on the next one too.
If you travel enough to use the benefits you'd probably already earned that status.
Being a Platinum but staying only 3-4 nights a year. You're not really missing much.
Is being an elite member of Marriott really worth the trouble? I am Titanium and the benefits I see at the Marriott hotels I stay at (mostly Residence Inns) are marginal at best. (Yea! 500 bonus points at check in.) The only Marriot benefit I find with any utility is the Premier membership on UA.
The 4pm late checkout is what I value as a Titanium.
As a Titanium Member for the last 7 years in a row this policy really irks me. I understand and support them extending once due to life circumstances or even "soft landing" for those who were very close to re-qualifying. BUT, some of us have gone the extra mile to actually earn that status. Opening up additional Credit Cards, spending more on said cards, maneuvering personal and business trips to line up with dates, paying...
As a Titanium Member for the last 7 years in a row this policy really irks me. I understand and support them extending once due to life circumstances or even "soft landing" for those who were very close to re-qualifying. BUT, some of us have gone the extra mile to actually earn that status. Opening up additional Credit Cards, spending more on said cards, maneuvering personal and business trips to line up with dates, paying for stays we didn't necessarily "need", and even staying off-site at events even when it's out of the way or inconvenient to stay at a Marriott just to earn that status, AND all of that was during the pandemic, aftermath, and a technical recession. Not fair to us as a group. And yet when we check in now, the properties have up a sign that says "your jot special anymore, there are 45 Platinum members here tonight" or whatever. Not a good look, feeling Bonvoyed.
As a recognition to your loyalty and feedback. I hereby grant you the status of Titanium snowflake.
Your next milestone reward will be when you complain about all the other elites whose company pays for their trips while you spend your own money.
Then the hypocrisy,
"Opening up additional Credit Cards, spending more on said cards"
So you complain about people who kept a lower status without staying the requirements, yet you also...
As a recognition to your loyalty and feedback. I hereby grant you the status of Titanium snowflake.
Your next milestone reward will be when you complain about all the other elites whose company pays for their trips while you spend your own money.
Then the hypocrisy,
"Opening up additional Credit Cards, spending more on said cards"
So you complain about people who kept a lower status without staying the requirements, yet you also boost your night count with credit cards too. Members from countries without Bonvoy cards are thinking the same about you too.
And by the way the Ambassadors are also thinking "your jot (sic) special anymore, there are 45 snowflake members here tonight".
This policy was in place before you made Titanium, it's not like band-aid ripping Ed the backstabber. Him you can vent freely. I'd even protect you from Fluffy Tim the guardian.
@Eskimo Very well said and you should probably protect him from the wannabe Mrs. Hilton too haha.
Hey Eskimo! I usually agree which much of what you say, and often I learn something. Was I whining a bit, yeah. Do I technically have it better than some International members, also yeah. But just to be clear: I don't get my stays from some corporate daddy. I'm a self employed sole proprietor. And even though I get 40 nights a year from my CC's (not the most you can get from CC's BTW)...
Hey Eskimo! I usually agree which much of what you say, and often I learn something. Was I whining a bit, yeah. Do I technically have it better than some International members, also yeah. But just to be clear: I don't get my stays from some corporate daddy. I'm a self employed sole proprietor. And even though I get 40 nights a year from my CC's (not the most you can get from CC's BTW) I still stay many paid nights. This year I'm at 87, of which NONE were during the double nights promo. And I'm at $11k plus in spend. Not enough to be an Ambassador, but I'm hardly one of those staying a weekend on my own at. SpringHill Suites, getting reimburse, at $290 spending for the year, and moaning about my status level. I get most of your points and take them to heart. All things are relative, I just don't think status should be extended as much as they do it. That's all.