@kaizen7 .... interesting post. I am 99% out of BonBon but have been on the phone to my Ambassador twice in the last week as I finish up final Redemption Stays. Without her I would have gone crazy since 18 August. Probably the one thing I hope for most in terms of Diamond benefits is an effective 24/7 Ambassador type phone line with only super capable and enthusiastic customer service staff stationed there. I don’t care which time zone they are in. Currently I call Ireland from Southeast Asia and that is absolutely fine. I know others have made the same suggestion here previously. This would sway me more than Suites although suites are always greatly appreciated.

I mentioned in an earlier comment here that I feel some trepidation thinking about possible time wasting in ensuring that 26,000 Status Points are correctly posted. An excellent Ambassador-like contact person would really remove a lot of the concern.

Then individual properties would need to really respect (adhere to the terms of) Diamond Status and whatever benefits are finally announced .... possibly quite different depending on whether Luxury, Premium, Economy brand or whatever.

If properties are reasonably free to ignore the benefits due to vague terms and conditions then staying at Platinum would be quite ok. I know this has already been stated here before but I cannot remember who said it.

A final somewhat unrelated point ... I wish it were easier to find those properties which are quite few in number, ie I wish there were more of them. Am always happy when there is a sudden announcement of a new property belonging to one of those more elusive brands opening nearby.