Dec 4, 2018, 10:44 am
Last edit by: HHQX888
Ambassador Service general email address: [email protected]
Ambassador Service general phone line (USA): (866) 924-9885
Europe: +353-21-4861 222
USA: +1-866-924-9885
Asia : +86-20-38157156
Ambassador Service general phone line (USA): (866) 924-9885
Europe: +353-21-4861 222
USA: +1-866-924-9885
Asia : +86-20-38157156
Marriott Bonvoy ‘Ambassador Elite’ Level : experiences (2020 and earlier)
Dec 7, 2018, 9:12 am
#1471
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
Dec 7, 2018, 9:46 am
#1472
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: SLC/HEL/Anywhere with a Beach
Programs: Marriott Ambassador; AA EXP 3MM; AS MVP, Hilton Gold, CH-47/UH-60/C-23/C-130 VET
Posts: 5,234
New data point to showcase how Ambassador status alone can be valuable:
I already had been cleared 5 days ago via SNA for the Executive Corner King Suite at the JW Marriott Austin. I called the next day to save my Ambassador the trouble to confirm they could keep the suite at 67 F or below. I also asked about, and reiterated there was no expectation for, the Presidential Suite.
Today at noon I happened to check my app to set the arrival time...and saw that I’d been upgraded already to the Presidential Suite. It’s a very nice suite, indeed.
For the record, as far as I know, my Ambassador did not contact the hotel (though it’s possible she did without my knowledge since she’s so awesome and since she does live here in Austin—we tried to meet up but couldn’t make it happen despite our best attempts). So if that were true, the legacy Marriott hotel was acting on just my Ambassador status.
People keep saying Ambassador status does little. And yet it does so much for me. Constantly.
I already had been cleared 5 days ago via SNA for the Executive Corner King Suite at the JW Marriott Austin. I called the next day to save my Ambassador the trouble to confirm they could keep the suite at 67 F or below. I also asked about, and reiterated there was no expectation for, the Presidential Suite.
Today at noon I happened to check my app to set the arrival time...and saw that I’d been upgraded already to the Presidential Suite. It’s a very nice suite, indeed.
For the record, as far as I know, my Ambassador did not contact the hotel (though it’s possible she did without my knowledge since she’s so awesome and since she does live here in Austin—we tried to meet up but couldn’t make it happen despite our best attempts). So if that were true, the legacy Marriott hotel was acting on just my Ambassador status.
People keep saying Ambassador status does little. And yet it does so much for me. Constantly.
This might be consistent with my stay last week where Ambassador status was shown on the screen when I checked in. Perhaps hotels are starting to treat this as a different level and legacy Marriott properties might be thinking of this as the "new" Plat Premier where they can easily identify their best customers.
Dec 7, 2018, 10:09 am
#1473
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
Programs: Marriott Ambassador and LTT, UA Plat/LT Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 8,764
Congrats!
This might be consistent with my stay last week where Ambassador status was shown on the screen when I checked in. Perhaps hotels are starting to treat this as a different level and legacy Marriott properties might be thinking of this as the "new" Plat Premier where they can easily identify their best customers.
This might be consistent with my stay last week where Ambassador status was shown on the screen when I checked in. Perhaps hotels are starting to treat this as a different level and legacy Marriott properties might be thinking of this as the "new" Plat Premier where they can easily identify their best customers.
Do forgive me, but I certainly hope all hotels in the combined Marriott portfolio now learn to treat Ambassador guests as the highest tier it actually is (something special and VIP)—and certainly much better than legacy Marriott treated the largely invisible Plat Premier level.
Last edited by bhrubin; Dec 7, 2018 at 10:36 am
Dec 7, 2018, 10:23 am
#1474
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: SLC/HEL/Anywhere with a Beach
Programs: Marriott Ambassador; AA EXP 3MM; AS MVP, Hilton Gold, CH-47/UH-60/C-23/C-130 VET
Posts: 5,234
Do forgive me, but I certainly hope all hotels in the combined Marriott portfolio now learn to treat Ambassador guests as the highest tier it actually is (something special and VIP)—and certainly much better than legacy Marriott treated the largely invisible Plat Premier level.
Dec 8, 2018, 5:32 am
#1475
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Nashville
Programs: DL DM 3 MM AA PLAT HH Lifetime Diamond Marriott Plat AMB lifetime titanium Hertz PC
Posts: 6,187
With Amb status will I be able to get a person when calling or will l have to go through phone prompt hell and be put on hold? Calling the Plat Premier line for a missing stay to make Amb status and have had to wait 20 minutes to be transferred to the SPG side and am now waiting again for 10 minutes so far. Want to try it before January to plan my 2019 stays since I like the hotels but corporate service is horrible and that is being kind.
Dec 8, 2018, 6:02 am
#1476
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: South Florida
Programs: AA LTG (EXP), Hilton Silver (Dia), Marriott LTP (PP), SPG LTG (P) > MPG LTPP
Posts: 11,329
With Amb status will I be able to get a person when calling or will l have to go through phone prompt hell and be put on hold? Calling the Plat Premier line for a missing stay to make Amb status and have had to wait 20 minutes to be transferred to the SPG side and am now waiting again for 10 minutes so far. Want to try it before January to plan my 2019 stays since I like the hotels but corporate service is horrible and that is being kind.
Dec 8, 2018, 6:06 am
#1477
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: LGA/JFK/EWR
Programs: UA 1K1.75MM, Hyatt Globalist, abandoned Marriott LTT (RIP SPG), Hertz PC
Posts: 21,169
If my AMB isn't free I hit 0 or whatever and get a person right away.
I have been saying now the best part of the program isn't any special on-property touches (I never get those anymore now) but rather not having to deal with the non-existent Marriott CS
I have been saying now the best part of the program isn't any special on-property touches (I never get those anymore now) but rather not having to deal with the non-existent Marriott CS
Dec 8, 2018, 9:16 am
#1478
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,232
Has anyone gotten an ambassador by meeting the 20,000 spend but not hitting the night requirement? I think SPG occasionally invited high spend guests to the Ambassador service despite not meeting night thresholds-not 100 percent sure but have heard anecdotes that it happened . I wonder,if that will continue .
Dec 8, 2018, 12:10 pm
#1479
Join Date: Feb 2018
Programs: Bonvoy :Ambassador , ALL :Diamond, Skywards :Silver, Krisflyer :Silver
Posts: 2,808
How high the spending must be to be considered high spender?
21k? 30k? 40k? I guess MR might not have set amount on this part but judge based on other details as well
Btw, new MR t&c did mention MR might invite people who didnt satisfy pltpa requirements into pltpa tiers.
So I believe they will still do that.
21k? 30k? 40k? I guess MR might not have set amount on this part but judge based on other details as well
Btw, new MR t&c did mention MR might invite people who didnt satisfy pltpa requirements into pltpa tiers.
So I believe they will still do that.
Dec 8, 2018, 12:30 pm
#1480
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: 100,409
How high the spending must be to be considered high spender?
21k? 30k? 40k? I guess MR might not have set amount on this part but judge based on other details as well
Btw, new MR t&c did mention MR might invite people who didnt satisfy pltpa requirements into pltpa tiers.
So I believe they will still do that.
21k? 30k? 40k? I guess MR might not have set amount on this part but judge based on other details as well
Btw, new MR t&c did mention MR might invite people who didnt satisfy pltpa requirements into pltpa tiers.
So I believe they will still do that.
If I had to guess, I'd say it would be a multiple of $20K, so well over $40K. My reasoning is that if one compares the revenue requirements for airline FF program top tiers ($15,000 for DL DM, and IIRC UA is about the same for 1K) to the generally believed requirements for invitation to the higher unpublished status level (maybe $100,000 for DL 360 at a hub and certainly over $50,000 normally for UA GS), it's a lot more that just twice the published top tier revenue requirement.
If the rule is 100+ nights and $20,000 spend, you're dreaming if you think that $21,000 spend with less than 100 nights is going to result in an Ambassador invitation unless there are some truly special circumstances about which Starriott is aware, such as being Chief Travel Officer for a major worldwide consulting firm.
If the rule is 100+ nights and $20,000 spend, you're dreaming if you think that $21,000 spend with less than 100 nights is going to result in an Ambassador invitation unless there are some truly special circumstances about which Starriott is aware, such as being Chief Travel Officer for a major worldwide consulting firm.
Dec 8, 2018, 1:21 pm
#1481
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: SLC/HEL/Anywhere with a Beach
Programs: Marriott Ambassador; AA EXP 3MM; AS MVP, Hilton Gold, CH-47/UH-60/C-23/C-130 VET
Posts: 5,234
A new career path to aspire to
Where were you last week? Me: I was inspecting a couple of potential meeting sites ..
And the week before that? Me: Making sure we have the best meeting sites.
Sort of like being on the pilot's union hotel committee ...
Where were you last week? Me: I was inspecting a couple of potential meeting sites ..
And the week before that? Me: Making sure we have the best meeting sites.
Sort of like being on the pilot's union hotel committee ...
Dec 9, 2018, 5:54 am
#1482
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Nashville
Programs: DL DM 3 MM AA PLAT HH Lifetime Diamond Marriott Plat AMB lifetime titanium Hertz PC
Posts: 6,187
Thank you that is what I was looking for. With SPG some years I qualified for AMB some years I did not either way, I rarely contacted them directly/personally since 200 nights a year of business travel can not be very personalized. Yes the one off special occasions etc are nice, but 90% of my travel is planned on short notice, though my travel agent at work.
Dec 10, 2018, 7:18 pm
#1483
Join Date: Jun 2004
Programs: Marriott/Starwood Lifetime Titanium, Hilton HHonors Diamond, IHG Spire, United Premier Silver
Posts: 707
Thanks. After calling that general Ambassador number after-hours to get the address, I can really empathize with what some folks have reported experiencing with not being able to receive help from that line after-hours. The call was a complete waste of time. The language barrier was so great that the agent continued to ask what I needed after I expressed it at least eight times, and I, too, really could not understand much of what she was trying to say, except that I finally was able to make out that she said that she could not understand me due to her lack of proficiency in English.
Dec 10, 2018, 7:21 pm
#1484
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: 100,409
Ambassador (not mine) incorrectly tells hotel(s) I don't have Ambassador service
TLDR version: An Ambassador (with whom I've had no previous contact) tells a hotel where I'm a somewhat frequent guest that I don't have Ambassador status in an email that was copied to me. Another hotel that was contacted by my Ambassador in advance of my arrival asks me to prove at check in that I have Ambassador status. Both are legacy Starwoods.
Background: I earned Ambassador status, based on 100+ nights and $20,000+ spend this year, before August 18th. I received an email from my assigned Ambassador (whom I'll call Ambassador A) about a month later. I'm also LTP with SPG and LTPP (from MR LTP) but the way status is shown on my accounts has tended to fluctuate a bit.
History: I know that the hotel in question tends to preassign upgrades, so when I didn't see a preassigned suite even though multiple standard suites appeared to be available for my one night stay in connection with a special dinner, I tried to contact my own ambassador (call her Ambassador A) to request that she please tell the hotel that I'd like to get a suite for this stay. When I failed to reach her as the date rapidly approached, I hit the phone option (zero?) to be connected to another member of the ambassador team and talked to Ambassador B, who sent a very gracious and professional email to the hotel's Director of Guest Relations (whom I've never met). The hotel preassigned the suite and responded to Ambassador B confirming this and adding a bit of gossip about me. [Is it usual for a hotel manager to make vague but negative comments to the ambassador team about an ambassador guest for no real purpose? I guess they don't like me because I wanted my do not disturb sign on the door to be respected by housekeeping staff on previous stays.] Then a different person (located in a different call center from either my own Ambassador A or the Ambassador B with whom I had talked and who had helped me), name her Ambassador C, sent me an email with the good news about the suite, but also including copies of the emails with the hotel (not very professional IMO).
In the next step (still before my arrival), the hotel's Director of Guest Relations contacts Ambassador B (without sending a copy to Ambassador C) to ask whether I have Ambassador status as the hotel cannot see it on my reservation. Here, shouldn't a legacy Starwood property be accustomed to the idea that if an Ambassador contacts the property on behalf of a guest, the hotel then knows that the member has earned Ambassador status? I'm rather stunned by this need to verify my status, especially since I would have expected to have been preassigned the suite as a SPG Plat50 like usual.
Ambassador C then responds with the following email:
"I was looking at the guest account and it is true that it is showing Platinum Premier Elite. I am not showing he has an ambassador. Platinum Premier Elite should be ambassador so I think there was confusion with his status. I think he should be a Platinum and not an ambassador....."
Among other things, this shows a total lack of training regarding the new program.
Personally, I'm concerned that this makes me look like some sort of scammer to the hotel. [When I stayed just after August 18th, I asked the front desk person to check how my status appeared on the reservation and in their system.] Normally I would be returning there soon for another special event, but I'm tempted to just put the place on my "do not stay" list because I'm also offended that a hotel manager would disbelieve so pointedly that I have Ambassador status. I don't know whether the hotel knows that I saw this email exchange. I've met the property's new general manager, so I guess I could forward the email to him explaining why I don't plan to return for this event.
In the meantime, when I checked into another legacy Starwood property where I'm a repeat guest, the front desk employee (whom I've never met) asked me to prove that I have Ambassador status, even though the property had been contacted by my own Ambassador A in advance of my stay to request a nice upgrade. Here, I got their standard SPG Plat treatment, although they easily could have chosen to give me a number of available suite categories (including a one bedroom suite that I've been given in the past and a slightly higher junior suite) that were above their standard Plat/SNA junior suite category upgrade. This was a stay where my SNA request from several months earlier disappeared and mysteriously my name was incorrectly changed on the reservation to reflect how Ambassador C referred to me in the email correspondence.
Shortly after this, when making a new reservation, I noticed that it had me indicated as "just" a Plat despite my account showing PPwithAmb and LTPP status correctly at the time. This has left me wondering whether Ambassador C somehow changed the status (even if only temporarily) on my account to what she "thinks" it should be versus this being the usual IT glitch that I've been experiencing periodically since the merger.
SO, what is the collective FT wisdom here? Should I let the hotel's Guest Relations Manager know that I saw the email and ask for an explanation? [I first saw the email when I was about to arrive, so that it was too late to cancel my reservation then--although I considered it--and the stay felt very awkward to me so that I did not enjoy the experience.] Should I "report her" to the new GM, with or without an indication that I'm therefore declining to come for the event? Should I insist that my own Ambassador A or a manager from the ambassador program contact at least the first hotel and possibly the second one to to tell them emphatically that I DO have Ambassador status (and implicitly should be treated accordingly)? I need to decide soon regarding the next event at the hotel, but after taking some time to think about the situation, I don't feel I would enjoy the experience if I do nothing about what happened.
BTW, the offending ambassador, Ambassador C, seems to be based in Wichita, Kansas. I have her full name and contact information (email address and phone number, plus office hours).
Shouldn't "first do no harm" be a standard for ambassadors? Or are we taking a big risk by contacting the ambassador team when we cannot reach our own assigned ambassador?
Background: I earned Ambassador status, based on 100+ nights and $20,000+ spend this year, before August 18th. I received an email from my assigned Ambassador (whom I'll call Ambassador A) about a month later. I'm also LTP with SPG and LTPP (from MR LTP) but the way status is shown on my accounts has tended to fluctuate a bit.
History: I know that the hotel in question tends to preassign upgrades, so when I didn't see a preassigned suite even though multiple standard suites appeared to be available for my one night stay in connection with a special dinner, I tried to contact my own ambassador (call her Ambassador A) to request that she please tell the hotel that I'd like to get a suite for this stay. When I failed to reach her as the date rapidly approached, I hit the phone option (zero?) to be connected to another member of the ambassador team and talked to Ambassador B, who sent a very gracious and professional email to the hotel's Director of Guest Relations (whom I've never met). The hotel preassigned the suite and responded to Ambassador B confirming this and adding a bit of gossip about me. [Is it usual for a hotel manager to make vague but negative comments to the ambassador team about an ambassador guest for no real purpose? I guess they don't like me because I wanted my do not disturb sign on the door to be respected by housekeeping staff on previous stays.] Then a different person (located in a different call center from either my own Ambassador A or the Ambassador B with whom I had talked and who had helped me), name her Ambassador C, sent me an email with the good news about the suite, but also including copies of the emails with the hotel (not very professional IMO).
In the next step (still before my arrival), the hotel's Director of Guest Relations contacts Ambassador B (without sending a copy to Ambassador C) to ask whether I have Ambassador status as the hotel cannot see it on my reservation. Here, shouldn't a legacy Starwood property be accustomed to the idea that if an Ambassador contacts the property on behalf of a guest, the hotel then knows that the member has earned Ambassador status? I'm rather stunned by this need to verify my status, especially since I would have expected to have been preassigned the suite as a SPG Plat50 like usual.
Ambassador C then responds with the following email:
"I was looking at the guest account and it is true that it is showing Platinum Premier Elite. I am not showing he has an ambassador. Platinum Premier Elite should be ambassador so I think there was confusion with his status. I think he should be a Platinum and not an ambassador....."
Among other things, this shows a total lack of training regarding the new program.
Personally, I'm concerned that this makes me look like some sort of scammer to the hotel. [When I stayed just after August 18th, I asked the front desk person to check how my status appeared on the reservation and in their system.] Normally I would be returning there soon for another special event, but I'm tempted to just put the place on my "do not stay" list because I'm also offended that a hotel manager would disbelieve so pointedly that I have Ambassador status. I don't know whether the hotel knows that I saw this email exchange. I've met the property's new general manager, so I guess I could forward the email to him explaining why I don't plan to return for this event.
In the meantime, when I checked into another legacy Starwood property where I'm a repeat guest, the front desk employee (whom I've never met) asked me to prove that I have Ambassador status, even though the property had been contacted by my own Ambassador A in advance of my stay to request a nice upgrade. Here, I got their standard SPG Plat treatment, although they easily could have chosen to give me a number of available suite categories (including a one bedroom suite that I've been given in the past and a slightly higher junior suite) that were above their standard Plat/SNA junior suite category upgrade. This was a stay where my SNA request from several months earlier disappeared and mysteriously my name was incorrectly changed on the reservation to reflect how Ambassador C referred to me in the email correspondence.
Shortly after this, when making a new reservation, I noticed that it had me indicated as "just" a Plat despite my account showing PPwithAmb and LTPP status correctly at the time. This has left me wondering whether Ambassador C somehow changed the status (even if only temporarily) on my account to what she "thinks" it should be versus this being the usual IT glitch that I've been experiencing periodically since the merger.
SO, what is the collective FT wisdom here? Should I let the hotel's Guest Relations Manager know that I saw the email and ask for an explanation? [I first saw the email when I was about to arrive, so that it was too late to cancel my reservation then--although I considered it--and the stay felt very awkward to me so that I did not enjoy the experience.] Should I "report her" to the new GM, with or without an indication that I'm therefore declining to come for the event? Should I insist that my own Ambassador A or a manager from the ambassador program contact at least the first hotel and possibly the second one to to tell them emphatically that I DO have Ambassador status (and implicitly should be treated accordingly)? I need to decide soon regarding the next event at the hotel, but after taking some time to think about the situation, I don't feel I would enjoy the experience if I do nothing about what happened.
BTW, the offending ambassador, Ambassador C, seems to be based in Wichita, Kansas. I have her full name and contact information (email address and phone number, plus office hours).
Shouldn't "first do no harm" be a standard for ambassadors? Or are we taking a big risk by contacting the ambassador team when we cannot reach our own assigned ambassador?
Dec 10, 2018, 8:40 pm
#1485
Join Date: Jun 2004
Programs: Marriott/Starwood Lifetime Titanium, Hilton HHonors Diamond, IHG Spire, United Premier Silver
Posts: 707
That sounds like a frustrating mess.
Dumb question, but did you merge accounts? I have not yet merged, so my Marriott account shows ambassador status, but my SPG account does not, only platinum. When I stay at reservations that I booked with my Starwood account, they do not know that I have ambassador service. Only the reservations that I booked through my Marriott account show that I have Ambassador status.
If you have merged, it should be uniform across both legacy properties, of course.
Dumb question, but did you merge accounts? I have not yet merged, so my Marriott account shows ambassador status, but my SPG account does not, only platinum. When I stay at reservations that I booked with my Starwood account, they do not know that I have ambassador service. Only the reservations that I booked through my Marriott account show that I have Ambassador status.
If you have merged, it should be uniform across both legacy properties, of course.