RedSun

SPG is much smaller than the Marriott base. Most of us do not even care about it any more. No need to keep bringing it up again and again. It is long dead. RIP.

Sure people can accept changes. We change as the loyalty programs change. As most of us have said, there is no blind loyalty. Most of us are not LT TI or PL. We can just switch on the fly.

I do not think all the "changes" are good for anyone, the so called "elites" included. Myself is one of the "elites".

Yes, we like to make noises and complain. And sorry to disturb you the "top elite". Sorry that the SPG is RIP one anniversary year.

bhrubin

Sure thing. SPG is long dead...until you realize that Marriott Bonvoy has copied almost all of the SPG parameters--including peak and standard rates for awards. Including guaranteed 4 pm late checkout for elites. Including suite upgrades for elites. Including the Ambassador program. Including 5th night free. Including breakfast benefits across most brands (including all legacy SPG brands).

So Bonvoy, which only began in Feb 2019, feels pretty familiar to all of us who came from SPG, which only ended in Aug 2018. Oops.

I'm also one of the elites.

I think the points advance changes are REALLY GOOD and I've been calling for those for months. Points advance allowed too many speculative bookings for people who didn't have the points and who didn't usually get enough points for awards; those speculative awards, especially for the most aspirational properties, blocked out a lot of people who actually had enough points from getting award stays. People abused the points advance. I am thrilled they are clamping down on that.

I think the peak and non peak issue isn't much of a change at all. Why? Because that's what SPG had up until Aug 2018 anyway. So for about a year, we had a break...and now are seeing Bonvoy copy yet another thing from SPG. So much for SPG being dead LOL.

The fact that peak and non peak awards were announced 18 months ago...only to be re-announced this week as finally starting in Sept 2019, isn't news to anyone.

As demonstrated above, SPG isn't dead at all: it's just been reborn and repackaged as Marriott Bonvoy.

Yes, there is a lot of noise around the fringe.

Keyser

for someone who claims not to be bothered with these changes, you are making the most noise in this thread....

we get that these changes don't affect you....but they certainly make a difference to a lot of members....just accept that & move on....

bhrubin

These changes affect me like everyone else.

Of course, these peak and non peak award "changes" were announced almost 18 mos ago, so it's hard to consider it big new now. And of course, these "changes" copy what was true for every former SPG member up until Aug 2018. There's been a year suspension of those, much like there was a 2 year suspension on the most aspirational Cat 8 awards.

The Cat 8 awards were introduced in March 2019. The peak and non peak awards are being reintroduced in Sept 2019.

These are the facts. This isn't big news.

RedSun

It is really funny to read...

I do not care about the dead SPG any longer. Most of us do not care at all. Wake up and move up from the ashes.

Marriott + SPG loyalty program has been sinking after the merge. The "SPG ashes" Marriott copied destroyed Marriott Reward program. Nothing is good after the merge for most people.

Keyser

i don't really think anyone is claiming that its big news & i don't think anyone was taken by surprise when this was announced earlier this week....my impression is that people are not happy with the fact that marriott (unlike spg) decided not to disclose the peak dates or months....instead they seem to be going ahead with no way for the members to figure out what dates will have peak or non-peak pricing....

so once again, its not the end of the world, the sky isn't falling, there is no need to panic & its something marriott said they were always going to do....its the lack of transparency that seems to be bothering most people....

bhrubin

I don't disagree completely with your assessment, though I am less bothered by the lack of apparent transparency--as it will become obvious once Sept 14 hits what will be when we try to book awards. But I don't get quite the same impression.

Even with SPG, no one really looked ahead to see what dates were peak or not--they just booked and discovered what was what. That's pretty much what's going to happen now, even with the lack of "transparency" because there is no peak/non peak chart in advance. (And I don't think having the chart in advance will make people happier, either, since even SPG's chart was far more peak than standard for the most aspirational properties!)

Personally, my approach will be to assume all awards are peak before booking--and then be pleasantly surprised when I book and realize the award nights might be standard or non-peak and cost me less. #expectations

That being said, unlike you, many others herein are speaking as if it's the end of their loyalty to Marriott--which pretty much says to me they think the sky is falling on this not-new news.

myperks

bhrubin

Every SPG property had a list of peak dates. Some properties (especially in the higher categories or most aspirational locations) had almost entirely peak dates, too. SPG only had peak (extra 5K SPG points) and standard award rates; SPG did not have off-peak award rates.

dcstudent

For me it's totally the lack of transparency. I'm not crying over the actual existence of peak v. non. With SPG they made public the number of nights a hotel could select peak AND published the days it chose. Now we have no idea.

Can hotels choose to be peak 365 days a year?
Can hotels choose to never offer off peak?
How many days do they have to mark, if any, at the base level?

For those of us with flexibility in our personal travels and aim for off peak, we'll have to do numerous searches to identify dates.

And, that peak and off-peak now applies to all hotels in the system, not just higher categories (which actually makes sense to me, but given the general lack of transparency still adds uncertainty).

dcstudent

I don't think this is right. My recollection is SPG only did peak for Cat 5 and above and also did limit the total number of days a property could label peak.

bhrubin

That is entirely possible as I've never considered a single below-Cat 5 award.

kaizen7

From this ....
https://thepointsguy.com/news/bonvoy...dvance-change/

There are some other notable implications of Bonvoy’s peak and off-peak pricing, too:

• Peak and off-peak dates will be determined by an algorithm. Individual properties can’t make adjustments themselves.
• Dates will be recalculated once a month, so it’s possible your travel dates could require more (or fewer) points in the future.
• Peak and off-peak dates vary from one hotel to the next; they aren’t tied to a city or region.
• Marriott will balance out peak pricing with off-peak dates over a rolling 12-month period — across the entire portfolio, not by individual hotels.
• Most dates will have standard pricing (again, across the entire portfolio).

I believe Marriott will need to explain further about this.

Reading point 4, makes me wonder if it means certain busy and popular hotels can have more peak days and to balance it, some cheaper Marriott somewhere in the middle of nowhere having extra off peak days.

I guess we need to wait until Marriott release the detailed explanation about these changes.

Keyser

but not everyone is looking to redeem rewards at the most aspirational properties....the majority of members redeem at all categories....i remember a discussion with one of the lurkers over coffee where they told me that the greatest number of spg redemptions came at cat 3, 4 & 5 properties....these people didn't care that the aspirational properties were at peak pricing most of the time because they weren't redeeming at those properties....

great approach....but just because it works for you doesn't mean it will work for everyone....

to each their own....for many years hilton was my back up program....i would end up spending 30-40 nights with them every year....but i ended my loyalty with them when they introduced dynamic award pricing....it just didn't work for me....

once again, my guess is that its the lack of transparency that is bothering people & not the fact that peak pricing is being introduced in this not-new news....

Keyser

correct....