My ambassador finally responded to me after ignoring me for the latter 1/2 of December. She said that she usually tries to respond within 2-3 days. That’s sounds crazy to me with the amount I travel and the last minute changes and requests.

Does that seem reasonable to others? I feel like I have just been unlucky with my ambassador.

The lurker did reach out to me and forwarded my information, we will see if anything changes going forward.

I think your expectations are different than mine. That may constitute part of your challenge.

I agree that too many Ambassadors likely have too many guests since the Aug 18 integration, but I also agree that those numbers should decrease after the Feb 1 drop off. I also believe that Marriott is hiring more Ambassadors.

I had 240+ total nights last year. I’ll guess that 150+ or so were BIB nights.

Most of my nights are for work travel at Sheraton, Westin, Le Méridien, Four Points, Renaissance, Courtyard. I almost never bother my Ambassador for any of these work stays. I’m alone, so upgrades aren’t as important to me. Yet I probably still was upgraded almost 100% to a better room, and maybe 75% actually to suites. The FD almost never “recognized me” as Ambassador but I still got upgraded. So I could care less what the FD calls me or what my key envelope indicates. It’s likely that my Ambassdor made some impact on some, but more were likely because I was a repeat guest and because I made sure to inform them of my Ambassador status—politely.

You seem to want Ambassador recognition at the front desk. That rarely happens for me, nor do I care much at all about that. And yet I’m still very pleased by my results. The new Bonvoy recognition of Ambassador as a separate elite tier may help you, fortunately.

My leisure nights are mostly at StR. LuxColl, and RC. I always reach out to my Ambassador for these, especially if I’m traveling with my husband or family. I probably was upgraded % to a better room, and maybe 60-70% actually to suites. I’d say 25-30% were upgrades to specialty suites not normally offered for regular Platinums.

Of course, I strategically choose stays at times in he low or shoulder season, and almost always outside of holiday and peak periods. So occupancy is usually a bit lower than average and therefore my chances already were better for upgrades. I also am well aware before booking how many suites a hotel has so I can better set my expectations. My choices therefore go a long way to helping my Ambassador to better help me. I’m part of the effort, too.

I don’t bother or expect much from my Ambassador for most of my stays. If you do, you inadvertently may dilute your Ambassador‘s chance and inclination to make more impact when it’s really most important to you. Pick your battles rather than making your Ambassador wage war at every hotel.

Your stays might be at times of higher occupancy. Your stays may be at hotels with fewer suites available. Your stays may be at hotels that aren’t as well managed. All of those mightily contribute to or detract from the overall Ambassador experience.

You seem to recognize already that not every hotel is as good at executing Ambassador requests. That will improve, but there always will be hotels that are better managed than others. And there always will be hotels that are better at elite recognition than others. Being aware can be very helpful.