Originally Posted by
JBord
I'm confused by your first paragraph. I agree that someone who earns status should get all the rewards...not the same as someone who is "gifted" their current status. Someone who earns it will get the additional points, SNA's, and all the other benefits. If Marriott wants to do something on top of that for actual earners, that's fine too.
I understand your view in paragraph two, but that's not a macro view of the situation. Certainly Marriott could take that action, but they'd risk losing customers. The whole point of this discussion, from the Marriott perspective, is recovering and keeping customers after this passes. There's nothing they can or should be doing to encourage people to travel unnecessarily now. Rolling status over during this extraordinary time is the best tool they have to recover quickly, IMO.
Originally Posted by
JBord
I agree with you, but I don't think anyone is saying people who earn status shouldn't be rewarded. Perhaps they even give you Ambassador status if you don't reach the spend, based on the revenue you contributed. No one is saying they'll ignore any customers, just that this is an extraordinary time and if they don't act appropriately they could lose a significant amount of repeat business. You state that if they look past your contribution you'll leave. But there's no indication that they'll ignore you, just because they're helping others.
I don't expect that they would "arbitrarily" roll over status. I assume they would appropriately assess the business situation and the economic climate before making a decision like that. I also think it depends on the timing of when travel returns to normal. And they'll consider what others in the travel industry are doing.
I think you should care what they do for others too. I want to be a customer of a company that makes good business decisions and treats customers well. It might not benefit you personally this time, but maybe it will next time.
I love flyertalk - the level of selfish people here is astounding. This whole thread is "what will marriott do for me??!!!". Let someone point out marriott doesnt have to do anything and the selfish people come out of the wood work to decry they very concept that their DYKWIA may not be recognized.
EDIT: This comment isn't aimed at you, just an observation.
As for your point about what will happen and how status will be affected - Its Marriott. Of course they will ignore a large number of people. next to UA this is the most tone deaf organization I have dealt with. They simply are incapable of figuring out and managing a situation like this without irritating people. Their inability to acknowledge loyalty is pretty well known and their tone deaf responses should surprise no one.
I really hope they find a balance that works for everyone. My prediction is:
1. The will extend status and ignore those that worked to get status in spite of the issues.
2. They will do nothing and effectively give those who supported them a leg up on those who could not travel.
I wouldn't mind a third option where they offer reduced rates to status (35 nights to platinum etc) and then provide point or certificate bonus nights over that for stays that exceed the reduced thresholds. They could then in theory satisfy both groups of people. But its Marriott - I just can't see this happening.