To be honest, doesn't sound like you have much loyalty to Marriott - seems like you got comped platinum.

75 nights a year is all you need to quality for Platinum. You are are 0 nights for the year.

If you had made platinum on your own last year, even one night over 75 would have rolled over into this year.

Also, if you had the marriott credit card, you'd automatically start with 15 nights per year and an additional night credit for every $3K spend.

So, although you have to earn 75 nights per year, with rollover and the credit card, it makes it easy. Sure marriott has the highest bar in the industry to get to their (published) top tier - and there are always other chains, of which Hilton is just one - that have lower night requirements and thus are a better fit for some.

My rollover doesn't even start until 100 nights because marriott bumped me up to Platinum Premier. So I don't get rollover from the 75 nights.

Still, I'm sitting at 139 nights so far this year. Did I stay 139 nights? No. 21 nights because I own 3 weeks with Marriott Vacation club and I actually stay at my resorts. 15 nights from the credit card (and free nights too) and many more nights for multiple $3K spend. Rollover from last year was 53 nights (!), so my total bonus nights (nights I didn't say) is 76.

And I should be rolling over about 55 nights into next year, and have 15 nights credit from the CC and should earn 21 nights via MVCI. So without staying next year, I should rollover some of that into 2012!

So, it's doable. There are plenty of people who stay more in hotels than I do (heck, I'm even doing the SPG thing now because they have some night features like suites and cash and point awards, and a pretty sweet credit card as well).

It's all up to you and your perceived value. Me: I value travel packages. Garnered millions of frequent flier miles through these awards. Much more valuable to me than hotel stays alone.

Are you missing something? Probably spending nights at Marriott.

Billy