Amex Platinum & Membership Rewards SPG/Marriott benefits beginning August 2018?
Jun 5, 2018, 9:31 pm
#91
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 7,156
Has anyone had any luck getting Marriott to honor lounge access/ benefits for previously booked reservations? I have a couple of reservations that I made ( one for August and one for December) before I knew about the changes happening on August 1. I called Marriott customer service and was told they would not be honored. Has anyone had any luck by calling the hotels directly?
The SPG Gold entitles me to guaranteed 4pm check out but the new Marriott Gold only gives me a 2pm late check out based on availability.
I have an evening long haul flight. It would be nice to get a 4pm check out to be able to freshen up before heading to the airport.
Jun 6, 2018, 6:42 pm
#92
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,417
I am in a similar situation. I have a Starwood booking that is post-August 2018 when SPG Gold will mapped to the new Marriott Gold.
The SPG Gold entitles me to guaranteed 4pm check out but the new Marriott Gold only gives me a 2pm late check out based on availability.
I have an evening long haul flight. It would be nice to get a 4pm check out to be able to freshen up before heading to the airport.
The SPG Gold entitles me to guaranteed 4pm check out but the new Marriott Gold only gives me a 2pm late check out based on availability.
I have an evening long haul flight. It would be nice to get a 4pm check out to be able to freshen up before heading to the airport.
Ask the hotel. You might have better luck with the guaranteed 4 pm checkout if you don't ask them to honor all other current MR Gold benefits, such as lounge/breakfast.....or the hotel could offer you a 4 or 6 pm checkout for some reasonable additional amount of money, maybe as little as $25-50, but if there's a standard for the general public, it would be 50% of the nightly room rate for 4 pm and 100% of the rate for 6 pm, although a day rate (usually to 5 pm) could be cheaper. Some hotels in places where many flights leave late at night (Argentina, Brazil, Singapore, for example) allow 8 pm or later checkouts, while some luxury hotels do the equivalent of Your24 (IIRC Peninsula Beverly Hills, etc.).
Jun 10, 2018, 6:58 pm
#94
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 7,156
Marriott Silver Elite with 25 to 49 nights will be mapped to the new Gold Elite.
It's unclear but likely depends on management of individual hotels whether to honour benefits based on old programmes on bookings made prior to August 2018 for stays after August 2018.
Jun 10, 2018, 11:16 pm
#95
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,485
I'm not aware of program in which status at time of booking prevails over status at time of check-in.
Jun 11, 2018, 8:55 am
#97
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 7,156
I would rephrase this to say that it's possible some properties might (very generously) waive the rule that benefits are governed by status at time of check-in, not time of booking.
I'm not aware of program in which status at time of booking prevails over status at time of check-in.
I'm not aware of program in which status at time of booking prevails over status at time of check-in.
In this case, one attained the status beginning in January 2018 (based on stays in 2017) with full expectation to receive benefits commensurate with that level until the end of February 2019, regardless whether that person would re-qualify for 2019/2020. Adjustments to programme requirements and benefits are usually made once a year.
While on paper, Marriott would have the right to alter the programme at any time without notice. It needs to manage expectations. If I stay 50 nights in 2018 to qualify for Platinum Elite for 2019, I would expect to enjoy those benefits until February 2020, not to be told mid year that the benefits would now change for the worse. Enhancement is always okay but cut back will leave a bad taste in the mouth.
What you were saying would make sense if someone who was Gold Elite in 2017 but did not re-qualify for 2018, that person should not be entitled to Gold Elite benefits for stays after February 2018 even though booking was made pre-March 2018 while that person was Gold Elite.
Last edited by Clipper801; Jun 11, 2018 at 1:45 pm
Jun 12, 2018, 12:18 am
#98
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,417
This is true for status levels earned by nights (or stays), but when status is derived from having a credit card, it wouldn't be unreasonable (albeit perhaps complicated) to grant one year of status upon payment of each annual fee. The status starts when the credit card is acquired and normally ends when the credit card account is closed (or downgraded).
It's the same with PP from a credit card: your membership starts when the credit card is acquired and ends when the card account is closed, rather than following a calendar year. You wouldn't expect to be able to use the lounge based on having or using the credit card at the time your plane tickets were purchased. OTOH I realize this isn't a good analogy--there are rarely convincing analogies on FT--because normal membership isn't tied to a calendar or program year, but starts and ends based on when you pay a membership fee. Some airline programs with variable years such as BA are closer to PP.
AFAIK AmEx could modify or terminate the agreement of SPG Gold status for Platinum card members at any time, with or without warning. If that were to happen, people wouldn't be happy, but it wouldn't violate any program rules. Here people notice the change more due to the merger.
IMO it was a bad decision to temporarily do the status linking and matching the way Starriott has been doing as the sample of higher status has resulted in unrealistic expectations regarding the permanent program. In other words, people are more unhappy than they would be if they had never received the temporary MR Gold status from SPG Gold. This strategy also gave us overcrowded lounges and excessive competition for upgrades.
It's the same with PP from a credit card: your membership starts when the credit card is acquired and ends when the card account is closed, rather than following a calendar year. You wouldn't expect to be able to use the lounge based on having or using the credit card at the time your plane tickets were purchased. OTOH I realize this isn't a good analogy--there are rarely convincing analogies on FT--because normal membership isn't tied to a calendar or program year, but starts and ends based on when you pay a membership fee. Some airline programs with variable years such as BA are closer to PP.
AFAIK AmEx could modify or terminate the agreement of SPG Gold status for Platinum card members at any time, with or without warning. If that were to happen, people wouldn't be happy, but it wouldn't violate any program rules. Here people notice the change more due to the merger.
IMO it was a bad decision to temporarily do the status linking and matching the way Starriott has been doing as the sample of higher status has resulted in unrealistic expectations regarding the permanent program. In other words, people are more unhappy than they would be if they had never received the temporary MR Gold status from SPG Gold. This strategy also gave us overcrowded lounges and excessive competition for upgrades.
Jun 13, 2018, 1:17 pm
#99
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 7,156
Is Marriott splitting those who attained SPG Gold by the "regular" route, i.e., # of nights/stays into a separate group from those who attained SPG Gold through Amex Platinum? So one group will be mapped into Platinum Elite, and the other into the new Gold Elite in August 2018?
Jun 13, 2018, 3:41 pm
#100
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Truth or Consequences, NM
Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott Titanium, Hertz President's Circle, UA Silver, Mobile Passport Unobtanium
Posts: 6,195
Is Marriott splitting those who attained SPG Gold by the "regular" route, i.e., # of nights/stays into a separate group from those who attained SPG Gold through Amex Platinum? So one group will be mapped into Platinum Elite, and the other into the new Gold Elite in August 2018?
Jun 13, 2018, 3:52 pm
#102
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Truth or Consequences, NM
Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott Titanium, Hertz President's Circle, UA Silver, Mobile Passport Unobtanium
Posts: 6,195
Jun 13, 2018, 9:50 pm
#103
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,485
In this case, one attained the status beginning in January 2018 (based on stays in 2017) with full expectation to receive benefits commensurate with that level until the end of February 2019, regardless whether that person would re-qualify for 2019/2020. Adjustments to programme requirements and benefits are usually made once a year.
IMO it was a bad decision to temporarily do the status linking and matching the way Starriott has been doing as the sample of higher status has resulted in unrealistic expectations regarding the permanent program. In other words, people are more unhappy than they would be if they had never received the temporary MR Gold status from SPG Gold. This strategy also gave us overcrowded lounges and excessive competition for upgrades.
Jun 14, 2018, 10:48 am
#104
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,417
Yeah, but some of the punishment was borne by other elites who had earned the status in the form of crowded lounges, fewer upgrades, etc. It's not like Starriott paid all of the cost of these policies.
Jun 14, 2018, 8:03 pm
#105
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 7,156
The benefit accruing status was "attained" through an exceptionally generous status match. It was not earned based on stays. Anyone who "earned" Marriott Gold on stays will be converted to Plat in the new program and continue to receive consistent benefits. I just don't see any injustice here.
Effectively, Marriott is saying, yes, back in 2017, we told you if you stayed 25 nights at Starwood properties, we would give you SPG Gold in 2018 and here were the benefits. You would enjoy this benefits until the end of February 2019. Fast forward May 2018, sorry, we have changed our mind. We are cutting your benefits.
As for those who obtained MR Gold Elite through a status match on the strength of their SPG Gold, yes, the deal was generous. If Marriott decided that it has made a mistake and wanted to reverse course, I have nothing to add. They probably should have matched the SPG Gold to Silver Elite but status definitely influenced one's booking decision. Then the change in August 2018 will be an "enhancement"!