JBord

I wasn't aware of this. I'm going to hit either 75 or 76 nights this year, but knowing I was going to be close, I bumped up my credit card spend on the Chase Marriott rather than using other cards (it's 1 night per $3000 spent). Not that it matters much which card I use, and I'm sure there's no guarantee anyway, but I may have thought about that a little differently. I suppose after this year it really won't matter much now anyway since 74 nights would just mean 24 wasted stays that could have achieved status at Hilton or wherever.

meowtown

I also reached out on Twitter and got the following via dm:

[QUOTE][@MarriottRewards: Hello, you will be able to buy back for 2018 but not a buy back for 2019. The Elite Rollover Nights will continue till 2019.
/QUOTE]

txpenny

I'll have 190+ rollover nights at the end of the year that will push me over the 750 LT requirement come 1.1.18. Timing is everything.

crimsona

My wife did 48 or 49 nights without getting bumped to gold, had 38-39 rollover as it was all fresh. Got Marriott visa this year and went for platinum. And just in time too, apparently

stuartpig

Thank goodness for that. I have earnt Plat and Lifetime Plat properly despite never staying on business and paying out of a meagre salary for leisure stays. I made Gold with over 50 nights in 2006. No bonus nights then. 2007 made Plat and have made 75 nights without redemption or rollover or double nights every year except 2014 when I did 70 but was already Lifetime Plat. I would be at that status under the old rules by now as am on 1120 nights. I have stayed at hotels where I have heard people quote “my husband is a gold” in an entitled way as if to say “the lounge is mine and my teenagers domain above all others” Lets face it Gold for this year was achievable with a UK credit card last year to make silver followed by 15 nights on the double nights promo then rollover. BTW all my nights gained in FS Uk hotels, which aint cheap.

CCIE_Flyer

I would think that puts you into the minority, no? I would rather walk than drive a compact, and I really enjoy Hertz Prez at locations with the Choice thing where you procede to the lot associated with your status and drive off whatever you'd like. I've been driving really nice crossovers in Miami, mostly recently an Infinity with 6 miles driving out of the MIA lot. Nice leather, nice technology onboard, pretty to look at, lots of pep under the hood.

But I agree that it'll be diluted if Hertz continues down the path of giving it away in this fashion - I earned Prez through thousands of dollars in annual revenue, and I will not be happy to compete with others who didn't.

CJKatl

I called Hertz and asked. Years ago I was Pres Circle. My company switched to National about six years ago. When I left last year I called Hertz and they gave me PC again just for asking.

CCIE_Flyer

That's hysterical!! But at least you have a track record with Hertz - giving top-tier status away through brand affiliations seems silly given that it's an actual benefit (in my view) if one rents in Choice (or whatever they're calling it) markets such as Miami. Elsewhere it's just a once-class "guaranteed" upgrade that you're likely to have to fight for ("participating locations only," etc).

Oh well, I'm sure their bean counters have done the math and will continue to evaluate the bottom line...

SkiAdcock

Your family might like seeing you a tad more, so it's not all bad

Cheers.

username

Obviously they are trying to synchronize the 2 programs even more. I personally think they did not go far enough. They should do for 2018:

1 - a more equal match: SPG Plat should be Marriott Gold instead of Plat, Marriott Plat should be SPG Plat 75 (or use the combined SPG+MR total to set 2018 status)
2 - elite-qualifying stays/nights applied to both programs (but earn point in one) (or use the combined totals to set elite status during 2018)

My biggest fear is the combined program will do dynamic awards like Hilton and Travel Packages going away. You know they are thinking about it....

RichMSN

I'm already ready for my PLT status at 25 stays with SPG (including reward stays) to go away. For that reason, SPG has always been the best program for status, IMO.

CJKatl

Not to throw gas on your fire, but MR has done it before. There used to be Florida Hopper and Europe Hopper awards where you could get five or seven night stays, with discounted points, and stay in two or three different hotels. Those were awesome. And then there were Weekend BoGo coupons where if you stayed Friday or Saturday you could get the next night free if you were Plat just by printing a certificate from the site. Those were taken away very quickly with a promise they would return, but after about a year Marriott told everyone that was a lie and there would be no replacement. At the time, there was a Marriott rep who frequently posted on FT. She was furious because they told her, and she told us, there would be a replacement. She posted about her disappointment with MR on this and we pretty much have been ignored by Marriott since.

sdsearch

Think again. It already only costs $75/$95 a year to have Hilton mid-tier status through a credit card (Amex Surpass to be replaced by Ascend). Come January 18, it'll cost $450 to -$50 ("net negative annual fee" after subtracting the value of the benefits from the actual annual fee) or so to have Hilton top-tier (Diamond) status through a credit card (Amex Aspire). Who (based in the USA) needs to actually stay at Hilton to build status with them???

Meanwhile, in case you haven't heard, Kimpton is being swallowed up by IHG, and by next spring it won't a separate program any more. Hopefully you have of lot use for 10 am check-ins, because that's one of the very few IHG benefits not availlable through the Chase IHG credit card (which gives mid-tier = Platinum status at IHG, with an uncapped free night cert in exchange for a paltry $49 AF, both after the first year).

See Marriott and SPG are the only "big footprint" (in the USA) "major" programs left which don't give away mid-tier to top-tier status through a credit card.

If you want a program that doesn't give away much status through a credit card, you have to use a "small footprint" program like Hyatt or Club Carlson, or a budget program like Choice, Best Western, or WyndhamRewards (but at the budget programs elite status doesn't give much in way of conventional elite benefits).

So maybe you just should focus on which program you want to earn the most points in, rather than which program to "chsse status" in?

crimsona

Ritz gives Marriott gold and Amex Plat gives SPG gold, so technically the it is gifted, just a higher annual fee

djohannw

Sure, but then I am bound to some restrictions when choosing my hotel - in the city I am going the most there are four Marriott- and SPG-properties each, yet in general the rates are substantially cheaper on the Marriott side (about 30% on average) and then the Marriott properties are a lot nicer and more interesting than the SPG ones, especially the Autograph Collection property. This means about 35-45 nights for Marriott out of this alone...so P100 would be out of question, and even P75 would be a problem. Add my preference for MVC properties on family-vacation, and even P75 will be gone. So yes, in theory I could move everything to SPG, but practically speaking it would be too restricting given my travel pattern...

@sharon: In theory you are right, but my wife claims she is sleeping a lot worse since I'm home more often...:-)!

Greetings - Dirk