Moderator, Marriott Bonvoy & FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: McKinney, TX, USA
Programs: United Silver; AA Plat/2MM; Marriott LT Titanium; Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,773
If you already have a Marriott Rewards account, then you shouldn't be "opening" a RC account. You will only need to convert the account to RC. (Which I think you can do online or call MR to do.)
And if you convert your account to RC, your elite status will follow you.