Marriott has not elaborated on what "eligible spend" is, which is the terms of what the $20,000 must be to get Ambassador status. The T&Cs of the merged Marriott Rewards program in detail are not public yet.
If we follow what
earned points in the legacy MR program, one of two definitions is possible:
- If we follow what earned 10 points per dollar on "qualifying charges" at higher end properties, then this would include most folio items (restaurant, spa, etc.) charged to a room. Taxes on room rate, gift card purchases, third party provided goods (e.g. when a hotel has a third party providing their parking), and catering/banquet charges would be excluded.
- If we follow earning at most other Marriott properties, the spend that earned 10/5/2.5 points per dollar was the base room rate, exclusive of taxes and fees.
Of course, the merged program could apply a totally different definition and allow restaurants but exclude parking, and maybe count meeting room spend in the $20K.
I think possibility
#1 is the most likely, but I'm just making a guess. Time will tell.