Programs: SPG-Plat, Hilton-Diamond, Club Carlson-Silver, Cathay-Diamond, Virgin-Gold
Posts: 462
As someone who has had an Ambassador for the last 2-3 years and have really found it great I am now wondering what the future holds!
Clearly by setting a 100 night entry requirement the program is changing and there will without doubt be more members! While obviously not as many as Platinum any dilution of a program usually means dilution for its members! The main area I see suffering is the upgrades recieved, you will now have more Ambassdaor guests at hotels especially the major city hotels which will hit the number of upgrades and this coupled with the Suite Nights program which will also impact on availability for Ambassador guests I see that one advantage of the program being reduced!
While there are many other advantages, the easrly checking or late checkout is also addresses outside the program so that becomes less of an advantage.
I am not staying it leaves the Ambassador program as worthless far from it and only time will tell but I am sure it is not worth as much today as it was yesterday and if there is a change the truth is the people Starwood have been trying to attract with the program, mainly people staying many nights but also high spend in hotels etc will notice.
Programs: SPG E Level; AA Pa Kettle; CO/UA Pa Kettle; PWP Plenipotentiary Ombudsman of :rolleyes:
Posts: 25,780
Quote:
Originally Posted by toddml
As someone who has had an Ambassador for the last 2-3 years and have really found it great I am now wondering what the future holds!
Clearly by setting a 100 night entry requirement the program is changing and there will without doubt be more members! While obviously not as many as Platinum any dilution of a program usually means dilution for its members! The main area I see suffering is the upgrades recieved, you will now have more Ambassdaor guests at hotels especially the major city hotels which will hit the number of upgrades and this coupled with the Suite Nights program which will also impact on availability for Ambassador guests I see that one advantage of the program being reduced!
While there are many other advantages, the easrly checking or late checkout is also addresses outside the program so that becomes less of an advantage.
I am not staying it leaves the Ambassador program as worthless far from it and only time will tell but I am sure it is not worth as much today as it was yesterday and if there is a change the truth is the people Starwood have been trying to attract with the program, mainly people staying many nights but also high spend in hotels etc will notice.
Thanks for the comments. If Starwood thought that adding the ability to earn having an Ambassador assigned to a member's account would adversely affect others who already have one, it would not have made this a possibility.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
Programs: SPG Plat; MR Plat; UA 1KMM; Hertz 5*; National EE
Posts: 444
Quote:
Originally Posted by Starwood Lurker
Thanks for the comments. If Starwood thought that adding the ability to earn having an Ambassador assigned to a member's account would adversely affect others who already have one, it would not have made this a possibility.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
Please confirm my understanding: A platinum member with Ambassador status does not have a higher priority of receiving an upgrade over a regular platinum member, right?
Programs: SPG E Level; AA Pa Kettle; CO/UA Pa Kettle; PWP Plenipotentiary Ombudsman of :rolleyes:
Posts: 25,780
Quote:
Originally Posted by ktjan
Please confirm my understanding: A platinum member with Ambassador status does not have a higher priority of receiving an upgrade over a regular platinum member, right?
Frankly, I don't know how that is determined and I'm fairly certain that no one at Starwood is going to go on record regarding how the art and science of upgrades is accomplished.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
Not being a 100 night guy with any one chain (and I'm guessing that isn't going to happen unless some unique situation arises) this does not really affect me but I am interested as to what an ambassador actually does?
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Frankly, I don't know how that is determined and I'm fairly certain that no one at Starwood is going to go on record regarding how the art and science of upgrades is accomplished.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
Fortunately I am only a Platnum and don't spend 100 nights in a hotel however when I hear about the Ambassador program last year, I was a little miffed- basically because it was an arbitrary program.
Now that the program is defined (and the definition is fair!!), its great - it also acts as incentive..
- Is the Ambassador assigned immediately once the member achieves a 100 nights within the calendar year?
- Does this benefit expire?
- If affirmative, when?
- How does this impact members who already have Ambassadors assigned?
Programs: SPG-Plat, Hilton-Diamond, Club Carlson-Silver, Cathay-Diamond, Virgin-Gold
Posts: 462
Quote:
Originally Posted by Starwood Lurker
Thanks for the comments. If Starwood thought that adding the ability to earn having an Ambassador assigned to a member's account would adversely affect others who already have one, it would not have made this a possibility.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
I do hope you are correct and I guess time will tell, the thing I liked about the program in a way was its selective nature of its members! It was not just about number of nights it was about other things as well! With a specific 100 nights threshold it just makes it a bit easy to attain now and will certainly lead to an increase in members so I do hope your right in the fact it wont have an adverse effect on the current members!
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPlat, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 7,118
Quote:
Originally Posted by ktjan
Please confirm my understanding: A platinum member with Ambassador status does not have a higher priority of receiving an upgrade over a regular platinum member, right?
At least in the past, this has been true in that the Ambassador typically contacts the hotel shortly before the guest's arrival and requests that the person be upgraded if possible and otherwise be treated especially well. Then typically the hotel follows this suggestion--although not necessarily, for example if there are competing people who are frequent guests at that property--and preassigns the person into a suite or whatever the best upgrade available is. The net result for other Plats arriving at the property the same day is that suites that would otherwise be in the "if available at checkin" pool have already been given to the person with an Ambassador.
Last edited by MSPeconomist; Feb 1, 12 at 9:05 am..
Reason: Typo
At least in the past, this has been true in that the Ambassador typically contacts the hotel shortly before the guest's arrival and requests that the person be upgraded if possible and otherwise be treated especially well. Then typically the hotel follows this suggestion--although not necessarily, for example if there are competing people who are frequent guests at that property--and preassigns the person into a suite or whatever the best upgrade available is. The net result for other Plats arriving at the property the same day is that suites that would otherwise be in the "if available at checkin" pool have already been given to the person with an Ambassador.
I don't think is especially true that having an Ambassador gives you pre-assigned suites at hotels. While the Ambassador is great for checking to make sure your reservation is in order and special requests are conveyed to the hotel and they know your arrival time, a suite is never guaranteed.
I'd also argue that the Ambassador is a great point of communication to advise the hotel when you may be my yourself arriving late and departing early and don't need a suite.
I've also found the ambassador open and honest in setting expectations when a suite is not looking available prior to arrival.
Of course they do help with upgrades when possible.
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Fortunately I am only a Platnum and don't spend 100 nights in a hotel however when I hear about the Ambassador program last year, I was a little miffed- basically because it was an arbitrary program.
Now that the program is defined (and the definition is fair!!), its great - it also acts as incentive..
Good job!!
This. Absolutely this!
As someone who was staying 165 nights each of the last two years at high revenue properties in NY and DC, I was beside myself that my colleagues all had ambassadors and I didn't. And they were staying at cheaper hotels and fewer nights. I was constantly ridiculed. Finally, I will be just like them!
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