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
Yes, Marriott provides soft landings for elite levels each year. So if you are Plat this year and don't make it for next, you will be Gold.
Though if you have some stays coming up very quickly, you might try calling MR to see if they might give you a Plat challenge to get you back up to Plat status without having to pay the 40K points.