Originally Posted by
MSPeconomist
Be aware that if you have one long stay, you probably will not get the benefits of your new status until your next hotel stay. Normally the hotel only knows the status you had when you checked in; it is not updated during your stay. This means that whether you do a Plat challenge or just earn Plat with 50 nights won't matter if those 50 nights will be on one stay.
Not sure if this will work, but here goes.. How about checking out after 18 nights (after challenge is met), spending 1 or 2 nights in another property, waiting for nights and challenge to post and then checking back into first property as a plat?