I agree with the first part - it is based on a particular stay pattern. I disagree with the second part. I don't think it's meant to reward past stays as much as it is meant to encourage future stays. Plats don't necessarily get the highest point offers, then Golds, then Silvers. I am a good counter example. The majority of my stays are longer (with randomly scattered short stays). Last year, as a Plat I got the 10k promo (2.5k/stay starting with the second stay, up to 10k). This year, I called and I was registered for the 35k/20n promo. However, on the "main" MR website I see the 10k promo advertised eve,n though when I go to my account I see that I am registered for the 35k. The website wanted me to register for the 10k. (There seems to be a discrepancy here - I think this phone line is linked differently to the account.) Because I have longer stays, I think they wanted to encourage me to have more stays (which would bring them more business), as opposed to wanting me to clock more nights, which I do anyway.

There must be other variables into this equation. It's not just how many nights one has acquired this year, but also the average length of stay, type of property, etc.