Marriott Bonvoy Events program between Aug 18, 2018 and end of 2019
 

I'm having some substantial troubles with two contracts from the past few months that I believe to be eligible for Rewarding Events credit (both included 10+ rooms for one night or more). The nights/points have not posted and the hotel (both events were at the same property) has been incommunicative on the issue. I did get one email in response to an online claim filed at Marriott Rewards, but that line of communication has also gone silent without any explanation. It seems crazy that a published benefit like this can seemingly be ignored by the hotel, as it is a substantial number of nights and points to the customer arranging the events.

Does anyone here have contact information for someone at MR that can provide some assistance in this matter? If so, please PM me and hopefully I can follow up with them.

Due undoubtedly to a barrage of questions about the merger, all emails to Marriott customer service about anything are getting the silent treatment (or months waiting for a response) lately.

The only thing that seems to get near-instant response is live phone calls. So I suggest you try that. I don't know the right number, but start with your Marriott Rewards number, and then just ask if you're speaking to the right person about the issue, and if not can they refer you to the right person. I suggest you do that during Marriott "business hours' for best success.

I've had a couple issues lately (unrelated to meetings) where I first sent emails which acted like they went into a black hole, and then I called and got my problem addressed within minutes.

Thanks for that info. I did call after the first contract was not awarded, and was told that this was something that the hotel needed to do. After that, I called back and was told that "it was taken care of", but it wasn't. So I was hoping to get the contact information for someone specifically in the Rewarding Events area, so that I can share my details and hopefully get things resolved.

"Rewarding Events" program changes after August 18, 2018
 

Lots of changes coming to meetings after August 17, 2018

*Four of our 29 brands do not participate in Rewarding Events: Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, Marriott Executive Apartments and Design Hotels.

Isn't this the same information released weeks ago? Still no specifics, including what, if any, nights are earned after the first meeting.

This is part 1 of RE, and does not apply to conference rooms but rather events that include guest rooms. Nothing has been said about strictly conference rooms. And the statement about 10 nights credit and making Silver has always been the case. Lots more to learn.

I read it differently than you.

https://members.marriott.com/rewarding-events/

It seems meetings will only earn 10 elite nights for the FIRST meeting...and no meetings without rooms beyond the first will earn elite nights.

It seems that every 20 room nights will earn 1 additional elite night--which is precisely what SPG Pro did in the past two years. (Before that, it was 1 additional elite night for every 10 room nights.)

It seems that Marriott is incorporating its old 10 elite nights for a meeting ONLY for the first meeting (without rooms). That eliminates the ridiculous accumulation of elite nights that was permissible and quite common under the old Marriott Rewards rules. It also seems Marriott is incorporating the SPG Pro approach beyond that, requiring 20 room nights to earn additional elite nights. Events without rooms won't earn elite nights beyond the first meeting.

Sounds pretty straightforward and reasonable to me, actually.

Except it does not say "only" anywhere. You are adding it. Marriott has used a version of the "get Silver with your first meeting" in its marketing materials since at least 2012 but has always awarded ten stays for each meeting per the T&Cs. Until the new T&Cs are released nobody will know what they state, which will hopefully be by the 18th. You are entitled to your guess, and your guess may prove correct, but we should wait for facts before proclaiming there is a change. There is a difference between thinking there will be a change and there actually being a change.

I have long advocated conducting any meetings needed for the nights credit before the new program starts to be on the safe side should the rules change, but again, that is a far cry from knowing there is a change. The rumor started because a blogger said he knew someone at Marriott who said there will be a change, and suddenly many started pointing to that statement about nights getting Silver status with one meeting as being new and a clue, but nobody remembers who the blogger was, the post can no longer be found and bloggers have been notoriously wrong through the past three months.

But to the immediate point, what is linked by the OP has been out there for months. It is not new.

You're right that we won't know officially until the new Terms and Conditions are released. But it looks pretty clear to me already. Also, FWIW, people I know with SPG Pro also indicated that this is what they've been told by their superiors.

Cheers (as Sharon says!)!

So what has been out there for years and what has happened for years has no bearing? Why expect a change at all? Sorry to say even the CSRs are prone to make up rules to fit their belief, so be sure to add a fair amount of salt to what they say. I've had an agent absolutely swear what I was saying I was entitled to from a new promotion was something the program would never do. Only by forcing her to do the research did she come back and do what I had asked in the first place with no apology for being wrong. Oh, and she WAS a supervisor (according to her)!!! Wait for the T&Cs and let's see how it shakes out (not that they can't change later).

I have a a few good ones.

New appeal of cheap nights for status
1. For current status, it reduces the level of immediately bought status that can be attained cheaply to Gold. With the personal/business Marriott cards, you get 15 nights. The first meeting getting 10 nights pushes you to new gold (25 night qualification level). Limiting this to 10 elite nights only for the first eligible meeting per year would make it harder to earn status beyond gold (more appealing).

2. For current status, it's still possible to use rewarding events to "buy up" to the 50 night level or 75 night level if your credit card + actual stay activity remains just short of the 50/75 night threshold (and the SNAs/choice benefit granted hitting those levels in a year), but if you're 11 or more nights short - meeting only gets you somewhat closer, not a cheap way to mass accrue all the nights. Changing it in the merged program would reduce the buyup.

3. For lifetime status, meeting nights become a lot more appealing (if Rewarding Events is not modified) in a couple regards.
a. For many of us on corporate discount rates, especially on the non-coastal parts of the US, our average stay before taxes can be quite low, and thus we're fine on nights but short on points. Meeting nights add the nights cheaply, but offer few points (3 in old rewarding events/$, reduced to 2pts/$ August 18th) which means that you have to have a higher average room cost (and at higher end properties, other incidentals that qualify as "eligible spend", but not taxes/fees). Under the post-Aug 18th merged program, points no longer count, only lifetime nights and years at the given status you're seeking lifetime at or higher. So at that point, it doesn't matter if a night is acquired for $7/night in a bogus meeting or $300/night at a hotel. For lifetime qualification under new rules, any night is a night.

b. For those of us who are more upscale, maybe less on discounted rates, or just staying in more expensive areas like the Bay Area or Cali where a CY can run $300+/night (much less higher end properties), you can hit the points target (old LT criteria in MR) before the 500/750 nights. Not a big sweat for lifetime if you're still traveling. Now with August 18th looming, lifetime status will become harder compared to existing tiers (Old was 500 nights/1.6M points for lifetime @ 50 night annual qualification level, new program is 600 nights plus 10 years at the 50 night or more level) and another level is becoming impossible to earn (75 night level used to be 750 nights/2M points for lifetime, qualification for that won't be gone before the end of 2018). A bunch of people on FT in this group are buying up cheap nights for this express purpose (discussed in this other thread). Marriott doesn't want to tick people off too badly by just pulling off the rule changes in advance, and since the elite tiers are changing Aug 18th + single loyalty program, making any change to rewarding events earn structure just makes sense to do together on the 18th (personal opinion).

c. With the new requirement to get lifetime 50 night status (old Gold/new plat) also incorporating the ten years at 50 night clause, meeting bookings become a lot more appealing as a way to tick the box of another year at the 50 night status. I earned LTP this year, and most of my stay activity (200+ nights/yr thanks to rollover nights counting twice) was 2013-2015 (I only joined MR in mid-2012). I would not have renewed Gold (50 nights) without rollover in 2016 or 2017. Under the old program that didn't matter, because years at status didn't matter for lifetime status, thus busier years offset less busy years. If I had to earn lifetime status under the new rules, I would only have five years. That would make use of meetings to supplement actual stay activity (If any) a lot more appealing.

d. The elimination of stay based elite qualification for SPG elites in the merged program makes meetings more attractive to make up the difference.

Other ways earning nights in the current/merging program has become harder:
My personal opinion is that anyone thinking that anything beyond the first meeting earning 10 nights is being extremely optimistic. though The general direction of both companies has been to reward spend/stay activity more and tighten many of the "loopholes" for elite qualification in the program merger.

1. Marriott awarded points for multiple hotel rooms booked, but only 1 EQN per night for the elite member who booked the room, regardless of how many rooms they booked simultaneously. SPG gave the elite booking the room elite qualifying nights for up to three rooms at the same time. The less generous policy (MR) prevails in the merger.
2. Marriott offers an acquisition deal to SPG and the shareholders approve it in April 2016. Then both sides start working on figuring out what a merged program will look like. By 2017 they realize how generous the rollover nights are for the busiest elites, because rollover nights counted twice for lifetime qualification: once in the year they were earned, and once in the year they were rolled over to. MR kills rollover nights in 2017 (excess nights from 2017 will roll over to 2018, but no nights from 2018 or other future years will roll over to the next year).
3. Marriott gave 10 meeting nights flat for rewarding events regardless of the duration of the meeting (5 days of the same meeting was the same as 30 minute meetings, the posting of the 10 nights was by the contract for the room - same contract, no more nights) and regardless of whether or not one person showed up without booking a room at the hotel in a small room or if the meeting brought in 150+ people into a very large and expensive meeting room who each stayed three nights (450 room nights booked driven by the meeting). SPG Pro only gave elite nights to the qualifying planner if they drove at least 20 nights of related room bookings, and then it gave 1 elite night to the planner for every 20 nights of related room bookings, up to 20 elite qualifying nights (400 room nights / 20 room nights to get an elite qualifying night for the planner = 20 elite nights for the planner.
4. Marriott kept the 15 night bonus but limited it to one per member per year regardless of whether or not they had cards, and effectively kneecapped the Chase personal visa by making a product conversion/upgrade to continue getting the category 5 (now 35,000 point) cert, and having to drop the old card that gave one elite night/$3,000 moved across the card to get that (also, the new card earning more pts/$, generally higher redemption rates, etc.)

The old Rewarding Events program page said that you'd earn silver after your first meeting (true, as silver was 10 nights) and that each meeting earned 10 nights.
The new Rewarding Events program page on members.marriott.com says you'll earn ten elite nights after your first meeting, and then 1 elite night per 20 hotel room nights on the contract (basically copying SPG Pro).

It is technically true that the T&C could permit ten nights for the second and subsequent meetings once released, but given how much more appealing nights from Rewarding Events in the current structure becomes under the merged program for current/lifetime qualification AND the reduction of the other ways to get nights cheaply/as a byproduct of non-room spend (per above).. doubtful.

Also, the related room bookings 1 elite night/20 related room nights on the contract would become pretty pointless if you continued to earn 10 elite nights on every meeting booked anyways. Just book a bunch of smaller meetings and you'll earn the status faster/easier/cheaper than trying to drive a larger number of actual events with people staying in rooms...

Wow, thanks @phltraveler. You really laid it all out there!

I couldn't agree more. I think many people are kidding themselves with lots of wishful thinking and "looking for loophole" reading that the post Aug 18 meeting/group rewards will be as generous under the new Loyalty Program as it was under the old Marriott Rewards.

My point was, there are/were two different programs under the Rewarding Events name, one dealt with events that included guest rooms so a meeting planner would get some credit for arranging the event and there was a second one that addressed people that needed just meeting space. It seems all material for the second program had disappeared some time ago, yet the program continued. It appears to me the original program is all that is what's being thrown out there as the total solution. Also, I'm not seeing where it says you will get the 10 nights only on the first meeting...

I don't know if they will ever clear this up, but hope they do make some clarifications. We all will have our own opinion but the only thing that counts is what they do. Fortunately, I don't expect to make use of this benefit, so no skin in this game.

I'm not sure what you mean by this, maybe changes made a very long time ago (6+ years ago). The current page and FAQ on Rewarding Events (for the current program on www.marriott.com) states that meeting planners:

1) Will get 10 elite nights for the meeting.

2) Will get 3 pts/$, up to a max of $50,000 points per event. This applies to the meeting room and on related bookings (for related guest rooms, at least 10 guest rooms booked), the points are earned on: Guest rooms (regardless if the company or the guest pays), Meeting room rental,Food and beverage, Audiovisual, Any décor ordered by hotel per the FAQ provided on the existing program.

These are part of the same page/same FAQ for rewarding events. It's two benefits/different earns in the same program (rewarding events).

There are no new MR terms and conditions effective 08/18 released yet, and the page for the merged program on members.marriott.com for Rewarding events only states that the first meeting will earn 10 nights.
It does not say "only the first'", nor is any earn rate for elite nights specified explicitly for the second and subsequent meetings, except that it adds the SPG pro of 20 related room nights translating to 1 elite night for the planner, up to 20 elite nights per event this way. Thus, the potential ambiguity on this (as pointed out upthread).

For the reasons I highlighted above (other easy non-stay ways to earn rooms being eliminated/greatly reduced, and the increasing appeal of cheap non-stay nights), I sincerely doubt that the second and further meetings each year will earn 10 elite nights like the first. This has not been conclusively confirmed in either by Marriott, yet and it is my perception.

The main point of my reply to you above was that you posed the question: Why change rewarding events in the merged program?.
My post gave reasons why, if I were Marriott, I would change the Rewarding Events. The way some people are using rewarding events now to chase lifetime status under old MR terms (in some cases, sub $60 meetings, resulting in buying elite nights at less than $6/elite night is evidence that there is incentive to use this program to cheaply accrue elite nights.
(Note that I'm not saying the people doing this are doing anything wrong. Marriott currently offers a very generous benefit in Rewarding Events with the elite nights, and if I had not reached the old Lifetime Plat threshold of 750 nights already, with the merger and ending of old LTP/new LTPP qualification this year as grandfathered only status, I would be booking meetings under Rewarding Events to make up the gap too.)

.

They will have to. I expect this will be clarified no later than the restoration of the MR website/reservation systems on August 18th (assuming the IT switchover on that date goes smoothly & as planned).

@phltraveler, you have laid out your case about why you think Marriott should make the change and your interpretation of statements that makes you think there may be change. What you have not done is offer a single piece of proof that there will be a change. We will not know until Marriott announces the rules for the new program. The facts, nobody can remember which blogger started this rumor and the blogger has apparently taken the post down - nobody can find it now - give me pause.

It is not that the rumor might not be true, but it is important for our own integrity that we are clear about what is fact and what is rumor, even if the rumor has believably, so that FT remains a good source for information as opposed to a rumor mill. I have always relied on information posted here and hate to see posters caught up in what they think should happen being presented as a done deal. You were clear on this, but others have made statements stating the change will happen.

BTW, linked is a flyer for Rewarding Events that has a 2010 copyright. Edition was new and the logo is there, but not AC, Delta, Gaylord, Protea or Moxy. It specifically mentions earning ten nights for the first meeting and nothing about additional meetings which we know continued to earn ten more nights each for at least seven or eight years. The ten years mention is not new.

On the contrary, @phltraveler did offer evidence: the New Loyalty Program Rewarding Events page at https://members.marriott.com/rewarding-events/.

That you don't want to subscribe to his or my interpretation of that evidence is your prerogative.

But both he and I both did offer that as evidence and indicated how that is different from the previous Marriott Reward wording. The current Marriott Rewards group/events terms and conditions do not articulate any difference for a "first" meeting as this new wording does. You don't accept that because it doesn't include the word "only" as you've indicated many times. We believe the "first" wording accomplishes the same intent as what you need to hear with "only."

A blogger's rumor has nothing to do with his or my interpretation here. To me and him, it is perfectly obvious that the new program will provide ONLY the 10 elite nights for the FIRST meeting--and no meetings beyond that. You need only; we got the meaning with first.

If it weren't as we are suggesting, it would have stated that you "Get 10 Elite Qualifying Nights when you book A meeting." It doesn't because Marriott is going to limit the 10 elite nights to just the FIRST meeting, not a meeting or any meeting.

The Rewarding Events page does not say only, first does not mean only and it does not mention the second or subsequent meetings. There are no facts there and yes, his interpretation brings in words/meaning that are not there. All we know for sure is one will continue to get ten nights for the first meeting. We do not know about any other meetings. We will need to see the rules to know the rules.

BTW, here is the dictionary definition of first. Only is not one of the definitions.

Agreed (bolded portion above). The wording is ambiguous enough on members.marriott.com that it theoretically could go either way. I would not depend on the availability of Rewarding Events after 08/18 under the current structure where every single meeting earns 10 nights.

The old Rewarding Events page stated that each event got ten nights and instant silver after your first meeting - which was a byproduct of the fact that every single meeting gave 10 nights and 10 nights was the qualification for Silver status.

The new page specifically states that the next first meeting explicitly earns 10 nights, with no mention of subsequent. Is it omission because the second onwards earn no nights, separate from room bookings? Or just pointing out that you earned ten nights after your first meeting (technically true right now) and no changes? Only when new T&C come will we know.

I agree, which is why many of us are disclaiming what our opinion is on what's likely, while acknowledging the ambiguity. Truth is, it hasn't been confirmed.

The flyer you linked - it says first meeting gets 10 night credits, and then below the silver/gold/plat card photos it generally states that 1 meeting or event = 10 night credits. This separate mention that the meeting or event is 10 night credits separate from the 10 nights after your first meeting mention is not mentioned on the new members.marriott.com Rewarding Events page.

As far as missing brands, your flyer comes from Marriott.com.au, and thus is targeted towards the Australian market.

AC Hotels: No AC Hotels have ever existed in Australia; the first does not open in the country until 2020 in Melbourne. Agreement for Marriott to joint venture with AC Hotels in 2011, PDF is dated 2010.
Delta Hotels: 36 locations across Canada + US, none in Australia. Was not acquired by Marriott until 2014, PDF dated 2010.
Gaylord Hotels: None in Australia. Was not acquired by Marriott until 2012, PDF dated 2010.
Protea: Marriott only acquired the brand in 2013, PDF dated 2010.
Moxy: Brand was not introduced until 2013, PDF dated 2010.

Separately, I would say that the communication with the merger seems less than ideal. The fact that these changes have not been adequately explained to the point where we're eight days away from the combined program and we're still confused as to how certain aspects of the rewards program will work in a little over a week is disheartening.

While the flyer is on an au site, it includes logos for brands that are not in au, leading me to think the flyer was not meant for just au. AU has no FI, Ren, SHS or JW but the logos are there. And there is no AU contact info, only NA contact numbers.

And I appreciate your cautious, thoughtful approach to the potential rule change.

Thanks for the civil discussion.

It's funny what you can find if you look hard enough online.

That's the exact wording as it appears in the new T&Cs. That seems a little more definitive with the "First qualifying event" and the use of the word "then" for the subsequent statement, no?

EDIT: From another part, same page:

I don't see it that way, but there is nothing any of us can do at this point. Let's kick back and let them get their work done and see what happens. It is their program subject to change without notice after all.

Main reason to change it - since points are no longer a criterion for LT status, one could easily just do 5 meetings a year for $250, get your annual status, and one more year towards LT...lather, rinse, repeat

Not just that. @phltraveler also pointed out that there is a big trend in everything Marriott to eliminate all yearly major "shortcuts" to "meaningful" elite status. (I say "yearly" to factor out one-time challenges.)

They are getting rid of any credit card giving more than the new Gold status (which is not much more than Silver). They are getting rid of UA Gold status giving more than the new Gold status. They are getting rid of 2 different ways to earn more elite nights with credit cards (stacking 15 nights per year from multiple cards, and earning 1 elite night credit per $3k spend). They are getting rid of SPG's method of earning status through half as many stays as nights needed.

Ie, I can't think of any other yearly major shortcut to new Platinum (or above) that they aren't getting rid of.

Now, obviously, none of that proves that that they are getting rid of 10 elite nights for every meeting. But it does show that if they were to keep 10 elite nights for every meeting, it would be rather inconsistent of them.

If "first" means "only", does it mean the first meeting each year or the first meeting, period?

And no 3 room credit per night like with SPG In the end, I agree with the assumptions above and possibly even the reading of the text, but it is also true that there is conjecture until official. I think enough of us have seen the very careful wording of Marriott mean 2 different things to 2 different people It's possible we won't even really know until meetings start to post.

A bit off topic, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least if we had some double night stay credits arise from the major shift away from cheap night credits

We are all waiting for the new T&Cs. Do you have a link?

Members.Marriott does not have "thereafter" in its description.

Here's a copy of them.

Thanks, although I am ashamed at how excited I am to start reading these. :o

BIGGER CHANGE:

Under what is posted as the new rules:
and a membership can be revoked if a member:

For most member that would likely mean no ten nights even for a first meeting!

ADDED: We do not know when this was posted or if it the final rules or a draft. It would be unlikely this is not real, as nobody would likely go to the trouble of preparing such a detailed fake, but until the rules are posted by Marriott we still do not know absolutes. But this seems pretty believable.

See here.

Nice finds. I was mainly scouting the Rewarding Events section/subsection and missed the mention of Rewarding Events in the cancellation of MR accounts section.

I would caution against cursory analysis of long documents. At the risk of doing what I advised against, I don't believe the restriction is as onerous as you are implying.


"4.2.b. To achieve or renew Elite membership status, the following number of Elite Night Credits (“Minimum Requirement”) must be earned through (i) nights stayed at Participating Properties or (ii) Rewarding Events between January 1 and December 31 of any given year:"


"5.3.d. Elite Night Credit. Members who hold Qualifying Events at Participating Properties also receive ten (10) Elite Night Credits for their first Qualifying Event, and then earn one (1) Elite Night Credit for every twenty (20) rooms booked and actualized, up to a maximum of twenty (20) Elite Night Credits per contract."

I searched for "Rewarding" and it was one of my first hits,

BUT...

This appears to be an old draft and is not the current or final T&Cs. In the section on how to qualify for LTPP it does mention that all Marriott LTPs become LTPP but is silent on SPG LTPs with 750+ nights. We know that changed. There are a few other rules we know were changed that seem to be missing from this draft, so it is obviously outdated. We still do not know what is final.

Isn't that accounted for here?:

Those terms match the members.marriott.com description:

As I am reading the whole document my thinking is you may be correct. The warning in the first section is ominous, but it references Section 5 which does not appear to have a definition of meeting planner, just the list of who is not eligible. Maybe this was clarified in a later version of the rules.

You are looking at the section on earning elite status in the new program. Here is the section on mapping from the old to the new program and SPG mapping to LTPP is missing; it only has Marriott mapping, so it does not incorporate the change.