My take on the Marriott Rewards program is this:
1). While Marriott provides a great degree of comfort and reassurance that you will at least get a decent room and a night's sleep -- with very good customer service, its rooms and decor are generally very generic and uninspired to suit my overall tastes -- I much prefer Renaissance and applausd Marriott's further expansion of that brand.
2). That said, as an uber road warrior, I am sure that you can appreciate the lack of surprises that a given Marriott holds for you when on a business trip, especially an extended trip.
3). However, that does not mean that I am truly very satisfied with Marriott or Marriott Rewards by any means.
4). Until recently, I thought that there usual promotions matched their decor -- safe but uninspired. However, recently, with the Double points promo of last year, the promotions started to change and actually became quite lucrative -- awarding the road warrior and leisure traveller a fair measure of return for their input. Even a leisure traveler -- if he or she put in the requisit first stay somewhere could parlay a big payoff, if they were then to stay at a Marriott property and drop some serious money during the stay = Double points. This obviously was the same for anyone travelling on business, as well.
5). However, I think that Marriott's elite qualification levels are seriously, seriously, out of whack. You look at SPG, Hilton, and Hyatt and you see their members either getting suite upgrades, or standing a reasonable chance to get them, but your experience advises you otherwise with respect to Marriott. I do not begrudge you your anger and hostility over that item. In fact, it is the logical extension -- now where have I heard that before?
--of my argument that MR elite level qualifications needs a total overhaul.
6). I think it totatlly ridiculous that the competition requires 25 less nights for their top level -- with their perceived greater generosity for suite upgrades -- and that there is no way by accumulating the number of stays in MR to acheive any level, at all. Nights are it -- you live or die by the nights you register at a Marriott. That is very bad IMHO.
7). What is true for Platinums, is equally true for all the other Marriott classes. I agree that Silver is essentially a joke for those who do not know better, especially when compared to the competition.
I haven't kept abreat of Hilton, but doesn't one only need 10 night (or perhaps it was stays) to achieve their Gold level with their point bonuses and free breakfast -- for EVERY DAY of the WEEK! Compare
that to Marriott's Silver level, and the comparison is extremely unflattering.
8). I think that you probably do deserve the suite upgrades, at least if you have put in more than the 75 nights, but I don't know the true economies that Marriott deals with, other than the claim that there are very few suites in certian properties.
9). Quite frankly, if I was so unhappy with the program as compared to what I see elsewhere, I'd be gone in an instant. In fact, that is what I have done with respect to Hilton. I had accumulated over 1 million points and have yet to spend seriously any of them, but I am no longer staying at Hiltons out of my own pocket or my employer's. I am slowly, very slowly running down my balance, until I decide to blow it on a 2 week Italian vacation at their 2005 opening Venice property (HINT: Marriott) and the Cavalieri.
I have instead substituted Hyatt for my other lodging choice, even though their stay requirements are essentially the same. I have chosen Hyatt because although I have built up more than enough Hilton points, Hyatts are just that much better properties on the whole, and their customer service is exemplary.
10). What I am saying is that given a choice I would rather switch than fight, especially since it is clear that the program benefits are not being structured in the way that you -- or I -- might even think.
11). In fact, the ambiguity about suite upgrades is now crystal clear -- they are not to be given as a rightful benefit -- and therefore, all the complaining -- or worse -- has proven counterproductive.
12). I see no need for additional threads like Neo of the CRS' thread about discontent. One should simply vote with their feet.
Perhaps Platinum Premeir conceirges will be able to shake loose some of those suites for you guys -- as you deserve them -- but Chris just can't state that that is an ironclad benefit. I know that if I were Marriott, I would leave it that way so as not to further anger its clientele. However, I have said this before, Marriott is the largest and apparently the most successful of the lodging companies, and its rewards program is the most difficult to attainl elite status among them all, at all levels. I think that it needs an overhaul, but obvisouly, they probably are not hurting for the business, and inasmucha as they are a conservative company, change -- if it occurs -- happens very slowly.
Good luck in your endeavors, but until there is further proof that Marriott has accommodated your wishes and desires -- no pun intended -- I think that you might need to look elsewhere for the comfort that you think you deserve, as it appears that Marriott has eliminated one of the prime items that mattered most to you. I just ask that inasmuch as this is now well known, that we keep the anger over this decision of theirs to a minimum.
Thanks again for the sentiments.