Originally Posted by
pinniped
The crazy thing is: I empathize with the OP. He's done something that is almost impossible to actually do, and I could easily see a non-FTer (read: someone who isn't a total nerd about these programs) doing and not being aware of it until too late. I can also see where Marriott/Starwood might be willing to grant an exception to someone who really has fully barely short of Platinum in both programs.
Different tone, less entitlement, less informing us how sophisticated he is...he might actually get some helpful advice here. Hotel programs have been generous to me over the years, occasionally extending Plat/Diamond when I didn't fully earn it. Asking how to proceed in this situation isn't unreasonable, but "reasonable" discussion left the station 1 sentence into the OP.
Makes me wonder if the request to Marriott and Starwood wasn't a snotty entitled demand/threat, and that's why it got shot down.
One only needs to look at my initial posts on FT to realize I was a very naïve and arrogant traveler that thought I had things figured out. Now, after more than 12 years of exposure to FT, I still learn something new everyday. The separate setup between SPG and Marriott I'm fully aware of, but plenty of friends aren't. FT is fantastic for learning, both good and bad, but I cannot tell you how many times a friend or coworker slams a company because of ignorance. I'm not faulting them, but I'm appreciative of what I have learned on FT, and I'd like to think its made me a better traveler.