Originally Posted by JW6130

I hope Marriott puts a stop to these easy challenges soon, or at least requires a large chunk of nights before granting the desired status. If this "Taste of Gold/Platinum" thing keeps going, everyone will be Gold/Platinum for their yearly vacation.

It will be like flying Delta, where everyone and their baby is on the upgrade list thanks to promotions. I watched a lady try to board a Delta flight a couple weeks ago during First Class boarding by flashing her "Platinum" Amex credit card.

Once the Elite status no longer identifies a truly high-value customer, Marriott will stop assigning undocumented premium benefits to it. If you appreciate the occasional suite upgrade when you go on vacation, you probably agree with me.

(I'm perfectly fine with status matches from Starwood/Hilton. Those are actual high-value customers that Marriott might benefit from courting.)

Or maybe Plat Premier is the new "Platinum"?

JMHO,

JW6130