Mar 9, 2016, 12:19 pm
Last edit by: controller1
For those with questions regarding the best timing for applying for a Platinum or Gold status match, this is the policy to keep in mind for your individual determination:
Elite Expiration: The Elite Status Challenge entitles members to one full year of elite status, from one renewal period to the next (i.e. the end of February one year to the end of February the next year) and only carries over if they are upgraded on or after March 1st (whereas earning status naturally* gives members elite status for the remainder of the current year, carries over for the entirety of the following year, and expires at the end of February in the third year)
Elite Status Challenge Expiration Example: If a member is upgraded via the challenge on or before February 28th, 2017 they retain status until February 28th, 2018, the following year. If they are upgraded on or after March 1st, 2017 they retain status for the remainder of the year, all of 2018, up until February 28th, 2019.
Elite Expiration: The Elite Status Challenge entitles members to one full year of elite status, from one renewal period to the next (i.e. the end of February one year to the end of February the next year) and only carries over if they are upgraded on or after March 1st (whereas earning status naturally* gives members elite status for the remainder of the current year, carries over for the entirety of the following year, and expires at the end of February in the third year)
Elite Status Challenge Expiration Example: If a member is upgraded via the challenge on or before February 28th, 2017 they retain status until February 28th, 2018, the following year. If they are upgraded on or after March 1st, 2017 they retain status for the remainder of the year, all of 2018, up until February 28th, 2019.
SPG Status Match Request and Challenge Policy : Discussion Master Thread
Mar 31, 2011, 3:41 pm
#1
Company Representative - Starwood
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Marriott Employee Level
Posts: 31,593
SPG Status Match Request and Challenge Policy : Discussion Master Thread
The folks at SPG want to give advance notice to the Flyertalk community that there will soon be a change in policy regarding status match requests from competing frequent stay programs. Starwood Preferred Guest is evolving its policy on status matches to Platinum to a Stay Challenge format beginning April 1, 2011.
Any contacts regarding a Stay Challenge offer will be done via email to the Platinum Concierge department. Any member wishing to apply for a Stay Challenge beginning April 1, 2011 can contact them at [email protected] in order to request consideration.
Members will be advised on the full requirements of their Stay Challenge and then contacted to advise if the Stay Challenge has been met. Should a member not successfully complete a Stay Challenge, they may request another once the original Challenge has expired.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]
Any contacts regarding a Stay Challenge offer will be done via email to the Platinum Concierge department. Any member wishing to apply for a Stay Challenge beginning April 1, 2011 can contact them at [email protected] in order to request consideration.
Members will be advised on the full requirements of their Stay Challenge and then contacted to advise if the Stay Challenge has been met. Should a member not successfully complete a Stay Challenge, they may request another once the original Challenge has expired.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]
Last edited by Starwood Lurker; Apr 1, 2011 at 9:55 am
Mar 31, 2011, 3:50 pm
#2
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
The folks at SPG want to give advance notice to the Flyertalk community that there will soon be a change in policy regarding status match requests from competing frequent stay programs. Starwood Preferred Guest is evolving its policy on status matches to Platinum to a Stay Challenge format beginning April 1, 2011.
Any contacts regarding a Stay Challenge offer will be done via email to the Platinum Concierge department. Any member wishing to apply for a Stay Challenge beginning April 1, 2011 can contact them at [email protected] in order to request consideration.
Members will be advised on the full requirements of their Stay Challenge and then contacted to advise if the Stay Challenge has been met. Should a member not successfully complete a Stay Challenge, they may request another once the original Challenge has expired.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]
Any contacts regarding a Stay Challenge offer will be done via email to the Platinum Concierge department. Any member wishing to apply for a Stay Challenge beginning April 1, 2011 can contact them at [email protected] in order to request consideration.
Members will be advised on the full requirements of their Stay Challenge and then contacted to advise if the Stay Challenge has been met. Should a member not successfully complete a Stay Challenge, they may request another once the original Challenge has expired.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]
Thanks for the update about status match practices being replaced with fast-track challenges of a sort.
Last edited by GUWonder; Mar 31, 2011 at 3:55 pm
Mar 31, 2011, 4:03 pm
#4
Join Date: Sep 2010
Programs: UA 1k, Hilton Dia, SPG Plat, Hertz PC
Posts: 11
Lucky me. I just received a status match to Platinum from them last week.
Mar 31, 2011, 4:05 pm
#5
Join Date: Aug 2009
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, SPG Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 104
Lurker,
Does this new policy affect those who applied for a Platinum Status Match within the past day or two?
Does this new policy affect those who applied for a Platinum Status Match within the past day or two?
Mar 31, 2011, 4:10 pm
#6
Join Date: May 2009
Location: MSP
Programs: Promus Preferred, ITT Sheraton Club
Posts: 674
Glad to see SPG is keeping its ranks from becoming bloated ^
Mar 31, 2011, 4:15 pm
#7
Company Representative - Starwood
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Marriott Employee Level
Posts: 31,593
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]
Mar 31, 2011, 4:17 pm
#8
Company Representative - Starwood
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Marriott Employee Level
Posts: 31,593
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]
Mar 31, 2011, 4:37 pm
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: MAN and LON
Programs: Mucci, BAEC LT Gold, HH Dia, MR LT Plat, IHG Diamond Amb, Amex Plat
Posts: 13,771
William, can you give us a summary of what the change is? I am not averse to status comping other hotel schemes (that is how I came to be SPG Plat in 2006 and maintained under my own steam ever since), but is this a loosening and extension to more schemes elite members or a tightening and restriction?
Why not be transparent? Presumably it would be quite easy to find out this information by calling the Plat concierge and a process of trail and error?
Why not be transparent? Presumably it would be quite easy to find out this information by calling the Plat concierge and a process of trail and error?
Mar 31, 2011, 4:38 pm
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Los Angeles & Orange County, CA
Programs: Wouldn't you like to know?!
Posts: 23,822
Since SPG is matching Hyatt just in about every department (including this one, the status challenge instead of a match), you think they'd already match the free breakfast for Platinums part, but of course, no.
Mar 31, 2011, 4:40 pm
#11
Company Representative - Starwood
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Marriott Employee Level
Posts: 31,593
William, can you give us a summary of what the change is? I am not averse to status comping other hotel schemes (that is how I came to be SPG Plat in 2006 and maintained under my own steam ever since), but is this a loosening and extension to more schemes elite members or a tightening and restriction?
Why not be transparent? Presumably it would be quite easy to find out this information by calling the Plat concierge and a process of trail and error?
Why not be transparent? Presumably it would be quite easy to find out this information by calling the Plat concierge and a process of trail and error?
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]
Last edited by Starwood Lurker; Mar 31, 2011 at 5:01 pm
Mar 31, 2011, 4:58 pm
#12
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
I'm not sure that is what this will accomplish. Have you considered that many of those who had previously been granted status matches to SPG Platinum will now be able to get fast-tracked to Platinum status (after having lost SPG Platinum status) when that was generally not available before for those accounts that had a history of being status matched to Platinum?
If this is something like X nights or 10 stays within 90 days for SPG Platinum status and includes people who had been status matched before, then that is a way to bloat up the Platinum ranks while Starwood gets some faster-pace revenue collection out of it. The counter-trend to that from this transition to challenges is that status matching won't occur absent Starwood's getting some accelerated business from the challenge stays.
If there are more customers who can take up a challenge to Platinum status under the new policy than could get status matched under the old policy, then the results will be a bloating of the Platinum ranks who use the Platinum benefits. If there are fewer customers who can take up a challenge to Platinum status under the new policy than could get status matched under the old policy, then the results may be as you desire (with less competition from other Platinum members) but not necessarily as you desire (when those granted the challenges are far more likely to use the Platinum benefits than those who are status matched without any X-stays challenge).
If this is something like X nights or 10 stays within 90 days for SPG Platinum status and includes people who had been status matched before, then that is a way to bloat up the Platinum ranks while Starwood gets some faster-pace revenue collection out of it. The counter-trend to that from this transition to challenges is that status matching won't occur absent Starwood's getting some accelerated business from the challenge stays.
If there are more customers who can take up a challenge to Platinum status under the new policy than could get status matched under the old policy, then the results will be a bloating of the Platinum ranks who use the Platinum benefits. If there are fewer customers who can take up a challenge to Platinum status under the new policy than could get status matched under the old policy, then the results may be as you desire (with less competition from other Platinum members) but not necessarily as you desire (when those granted the challenges are far more likely to use the Platinum benefits than those who are status matched without any X-stays challenge).
Last edited by GUWonder; Mar 31, 2011 at 5:05 pm
Mar 31, 2011, 5:28 pm
#13
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Home Airports: CAE/CLT
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, National Executive
Posts: 5,452
William, can you give us a summary of what the change is? I am not averse to status comping other hotel schemes (that is how I came to be SPG Plat in 2006 and maintained under my own steam ever since), but is this a loosening and extension to more schemes elite members or a tightening and restriction?
Why not be transparent? Presumably it would be quite easy to find out this information by calling the Plat concierge and a process of trail and error?
Why not be transparent? Presumably it would be quite easy to find out this information by calling the Plat concierge and a process of trail and error?
Not to worry, I'll bite on this offer and report back. I was planning to do a couple of mattress runs over the next few months anyway, this might make my life easier.
Mar 31, 2011, 5:38 pm
#14
Join Date: Oct 2006
Programs: LAN, AA, SPG
Posts: 1,965
Is it a "status match" or a "challenge"? By my definition these are two very different things.