andrewpartyman

I can't believe how many of you are giddy over this. The reality is that an award stay is just that, an award stay. Status should be determined off of paying nights and stays, plain and simple. This is a huge devaluation and a terrible change to SPG. I am coining this the "AMEX Virus." Just like with Delta, now anyone with an SPG AMEX that uses their points for stays will be a Platinum. I love SPG, don't get me wrong, but they need not fall into the trap that Delta has with AMEX--making everyone feel special. For 2011 I am at 78 nights and 42 stays with SPG, I don't really have much reason to stay another night at SPG as they have no lifetime status and no higher tier than Platinum. Furthermore, I have 238,462 SPG points--I can, if so desired, be Platinum for about the next 5 years without ever paying for a night again. Don't be so quick to greet this as a good thing. If something is worth having, it's not given away for free. Just like when I board a Delta flight and 99% of the plane is priority boarding, soon, you'll be checking in and everyone will be a Platinum, there will be no benefit to obtaining status, and every "perk" will be gone. The better perks some of us want like free breakfast will only be given by hotels if people are earning status the old fashioned way: staying and paying.

I am counting down the days until SPG introduces "roll over nights" like Delta with roll over Medallion miles. This is the beginning of the end for SPG, mark my words.