Originally Posted by
craigthemif
Easy to answer...
As of December 2018 you cannot BRG any Design hotels...
Very few, if any, people around here are going to be "pushed back to the OTAs". A BRG policy is nothing more than:
- marketing for the masses
- a game to get an extra 25% or 5k points for those who understand the value of earning points, status credit, etc.
By all means cancel all of your reservations and become a free agent. Then wonder in 2020 and beyond why you're no longer earning free nights, getting free breakfast or a suite upgrade.
I have been doing this for 15 years plus and have liftetime Titainium plus Ambassador since it launched, I know what the BRG scheme is and what it has become. My issue is tht Marriott are just so anti customer focused, my Ambassador is amazing but anythign I ahve to deal with Marriott direct with is simply so much hard work and gets nowhere. I have even got emails from corporate office saying they are bad and unable to do their job due to understaffed and not able to get answers to simply queries.
As a lifetime Titanium my suite upgrades and breakfast is very safe, equally I actually tend to book suites when I need them anyway! I have 65 odd nights this year and well over the Ambassador spend threshold already, but not sure I will bother with the other 35 nights as I have been a 'free agent' the last 5 weeks as decided not going to be foolish to be loyal when its clearly such a one way street!
As for free nights I would take no more free nights and deal with a company who can be bothered to respond to its customers in a sensible and reasonably manner over a few free nights here and there!