Originally Posted by mk89103

I don't understand the thinking that Marriott had an obligation to treat Marriott members better than Starwood members. Clearly the concern from day 1 of the acquisition was how to merge the programs without alienating the SPG elite (presumably a large portion of the value that Marriott purchased). You can argue about the fairness of point devaluations all day long - in my mind, that's not really an issue of fairness - if a program wants to change the effective % return on corporate spend, that's their prerogative, as long as some advance notice is provided. But treating two members who had the exact same number of stays and dollars spent, one in Marriott and one in SPG, differently, AND then not allowing LTPP to be earned, thus reinforcing the difference indefinitely, strikes me as the very definition of unfair...

As I've become wealthier over the years the whole airline and hotel loyalty thing turned into more of an emotional game than a precise economic calculation for me, and I'm sure many other FTers are in the same boat. I recognize this is among the silliest of things to get annoyed about. But it was also probably pretty silly for me to keep staying at the St Regis or W as my friends started joining Inspirato and Exclusive Resorts. I am/was *PROUD* of LTP because it provided me an emotional connection back to my days grinding it out on the road building my business. Now that connection feels weakened or cheapened somehow.