Originally Posted by
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No, Marriott brought this on when they mis-matched status after the acquisition was announced.
SPG Platinum with 25 stays or 50 nights was matched to MR Platinum requiring 75 nights.
MR Platinum Premier (unpublished criteria but data points suggest consistent 125 nights and top 2% spend) also matched to SPG Platinum 25. If MR PP had been matched to SPG Platinum 100 then less hard feelings would be in play.
But someone chose only see metal color and not look to underlying criteria. As SPG has an urban, US coastal and global focus versus Marriott showing broader appeal including flyover country properties and cost conscious travelers the political parallels were predictable and very evident when you correlate “rabid” SPG elites to OmniLib postings. (OmniPR rant off topic but way too obvious to ignore)
We can go round and round on this...IMO (and in the opinion of many others) Marriott Plats who became SPG Plats and then stayed at Starwood properties got the benefit of better on-property elite recognition (suite upgrades), ability to get breakfast at any property (resorts, StR/LC, etc.) than they would have by staying at Marriotts. No, you/they didn't get SNAs, Y24, etc but you also didn't earn those by staying at Starwood the previous year.