geminidreams

In this case I was referring to this particular situation. They allowed these benefits for almost a decade, I can hardly see them being particularly concerned about denying this because they just want to be hard nosed about it. They have enough people upset with the rollover that there is simply little to be gained by spending time on something so trivial when next year it will not reoccur.

For me I am lifetime gold and due to job circumstance am not travelling so much. The 3 rooms credit under the same booking when I would do a family trip once per year is what got me to platinum for several years. Prior to that I would often book cheaper hotels for those trips but the marginal cost to get platinum for those occasions got SPG about 25 extra room nights per year. Maybe it is not significant for them but Im sure my case is not an isolated one and there would be many who probably behaved similarly. As legacy SPG Ive never had the benefit of credit card nights so it is no loss. Same with the meetings credit.

phltraveler

That contract language doesn't make as nearly of strong of a case for getting the EQNs because all the contract promises to do is post the meetings AND it states that the terms for points/miles are whatever is in effect at the time of posting (which may be changed at any time without advanced notice).

The issue is pre-merger the system just awarded the nights. The only manual effort was hotel holding the meeting putting inputs into GPT, everything else (the points and EQNs) is programmatic.In order to get retroactive credit for 10 EQNs for pre-08/18 meetings that posted 08/18 or later, human intervention and time is required (either via programming to adjust the prior postings in a sweep, or manually for a human to review the inputs and somehow manually award the nights).

I'm not Marriott but I'd wager the group that this effects (people who hosted a second or other subsequent meeting after the first between August 4th and August 17th AND care about the EQNs) is likely small, so I'm not sure I would hold my breath on the sweep. As far as manual adjustment, that depends on how flexible Marriott chooses to be on it.

Marriott could easily stick to the "letter of the law" and point to the standard Rewarding Events language (@xar post a couple replies above this seems to contain the standard language) as awards being what was stated at time of posting and the contract explicitly not naming nights as "too bad, so sad"; the meetings @mingzie held were processed within 10 business days, and those 10 business days happened to place the meetings as being processed after 08/18, when the terms of what a Rewarding Event would provide had changed.

If mingzie's contract explicitly states they will be given the nights on the other hand - they have a much stronger case, and I think once some of the more impactful IT issues are resolved (like old MR LTP/new LTPPs only being current status at Platinum among other current status issues), then I think MR will manually adjust the EQNs.

Vince Chan

Why not using Virtuoso or FHR?

Probably better hotel, same benefit.

Vince Chan

So starting 2019, is it certain that you can only earn 10 nights each year of your first meeting?

RogerD408

It's that or something else... It has not been made clear if it's annual or ever. Until MPG releases more specific T&Cs, we can only guess.

They are still working on the system and it appears that is how the new programs are working. There has also been discussions with program managers saying they missed the mark and suspect there are yet more changes coming down the pipe specific to Rewarding Events, but nothing you should hang your hat on at the moment.

Beltway2A

That's the same as my post 18th language. Where you lose me is when you start with "it was understood", that's going to get you nowhere 99% of the time. Is the contract itself illusory given that Marriott can change the terms at any time? Someone is certainly welcome to argue that, but I wouldn't waste my time with it. As long as the points are posting according to the terms and conditions online at the time of posting, you got what you bargained for.

DMPHL

I imagine that the delays, etc. are because of system integration and not any kind of scheming on Marriott's part, but I know for me the issue is around events (with more than 100 rooms) that were contracted last fall, completed by the first week in August and were posted to the GPT by the hotel before Aug 18th. Everything took place when Marriott's program's explicit terms were 10 Elite Nights per event.

So, the concern is that Marriott can sell you on booking with them with specific incentives, change the terms on a specific date, and just wait to post your event after the cutoff, so that they don't have to give you what they stated they were going to give you, event if every part of the process was completed before the cutoff date. If the cutoff date was in 6 months, could they just wait 6 months to post your event? Two years?

Again, I don't think necessarily that that's what they are doing, but if that's the logic, then at what point does it break down?

aba_bab

Just want to share an anecdote here as I could hardly believe the response I got.

I had a couple of meetings booked (showed up too incase that makes a difference) pre merger - in late July, and all of them posted except one from the YWJ Airport Marriott. The conversation about 10 Elite nights was clarified prior to booking the meeting. This property had given me the 10 business day schpiel and I was like fine whatever.

Anyways, fast forward till today, it's been 7+ weeks and i have to followup with the sales manager 2-3 times before I get a response from him. His latest response was ludicrous though. I mean - I could've gotten 20 different answers about not getting the nights that I would've been OK with and been like, "oh well".. but this guy replied to me saying "I talked to MR, and they see you had a couple of other nights posted as well from banquet events and its not clear from which property.. and it is really hard for tell"

That was it. I don't think I've ever been told my a company that the reason I will not get something I should be getting is because it 'too difficult' to look into it and I should not inconvenience them. SMH...

xar

You had to look at the contract i posted above plus the T&Cs wordings found in the pre-merger write up (https://www.marriott.com/meeting-eve...events-faqs.mi)

​​​​​

Beltway2A

Now that's interesting. It's ambiguous what exactly

is referring to, if both sets of rules are currently online. You seem to be focusing a lot on the pre-merger writeup though, when it's the terms in effect at the time your rewards were awarded that matters. Though given that Marriottrewards.com just redirects to nothing useful, I'm not sure what to make of it.

Either way, it ultimately comes down to how much you'd be willing to spend suing Marriott over this. And I can't imagine it would be worth doing so over just spending nights paying for a hotel room.

benzylamine

Hello,

Just want to get some DP about the event elite nights? Has anyone successfully received elite nights yet? i heard it only awards 10 nights for first event. What if someone stayed before merger, and stayed again after merge?

Thank you

aba_bab

Very interested to hear any success stories. After my experience with the Sales Manager, I escalated to the GM and think its absolutely useless to pursue this any further. She replied to me as well and is quoting me incorrect info ("pre merger, you could only earn Elite nights is you booked a block of 10 rooms".. smh).. but at least she is being polite.

Thankfully I booked 2 extra nights as a buffer and got my platinum for the year. Now including my future stays though, I'd be 10 away from a plat premier.. which doesnt really mean much to me other than 5 more suite night awards.

arthur -- flyer wanna be

since putting in a ticket last month, i have not heard back from customer service about the pre august 18th meeting issue,
so i also took the plunge tonight and emailed arne directly... hoping that there will be someone assigned to this case.
we all have different options in terms of spending our hard earned cash, and in booking meetings there are many different options. one of the enticing reasons to book at a marriott was that they were giving 10 qualifying nights per booking. one can definitely make a case that but for those 10 nights, there are plenty of other options to book meetings in hotels other than marriott. for meetings on or before Aug. 18, 2018, paid for by the customer, BUT FOR the actions of Marriott agents 'POSTING' too late, I believe there is definitely cause for action if Marriott does not apply the old program for these bookings.

anyways, will update y'all if i hear back.

bungonia

Greetings. After twelve years on Flyertalk I guess it's about time to post. I had a meeting last week at a Rewarding Events participating hotel. No charges other than the room. It was my first meeting of the year, although I have had several previous meetings but none for several years. The ten Qualifying Nights posted a few days later.
My experience would tend to confirm that "first meeting" refers to the first meeting of the year. Happy Travels.

jeanie

Congrats on your first post! Thanks for the data point.