High value SPG members: Marriott screwing us on LTPP because they can't do IT
 

If you’re a high value SPG member who has 750+ lifetime nights, but not 10 combined years of Platinum status, you’re about to get screwed out of Lifetime Platinum Premier status. And the reason why is that Marriott can’t figure out how to pull the data from SPG’s IT systems.

While Marriott will give Lifetime Platinum Premier status to legacy Marriott members who have achieved 750+ lifetime nights and 2 million points, they are not offering the same opportunity to high value SPG members. This is because, as I just learned after complaining about this, they can’t figure out how to determine the number of points earned for legacy SPG customers.

This is unacceptable. First, it’s IT. Figure it out, guys. I know it’s hard but everyone else has.

Second, consider that SPG’s mix of brands (Westin, W, St. Regis, etc) is higher end than Marriott (lots of select service locations). The odds that a longtime SPG member with 750+ nights clears the 2 million Marriott points requirement (only 666,667 in SPG Starpoints) is very high.

Third, if they still can’t figure out the data, then offer some kind of exception or review process. Everything I’ve heard directly from Marriott or read on FT suggests that Marriott will apply the rules they announced strictly and without exception. That’s just not good enough -- especially given their own failures with data.

Instead, what Marriott has offered as a compromise is a 10-year Platinum status requirement. This may sound reasonable, but it perversely screws over their highest intensity customers. Think about the type of customer likely to have extremely high night counts, but not enough years. It’s likely to be a younger salesperson or consultant, who will be traveling around for years to come. Any marketer worth their salt would take a Customer Lifetime Value lens to the problem.

Here’s an example: who is a more valuable customer?
* A 65-year-old executive with 800 nights and 12 years of status
* A 35-year-old salesman with 950 nights and 8 years of status

So what does Marriott say to the latter customer? Thanks for your business, but you’re a second class citizen. It’s rather obvious that I’m in this second group. I have boatloads of nights and points – well above any requirement Marriott is applying to its legacy customers.

Marriott is about to turn a high value, loyal customer into a Lifetime Enemy. And the worst part is, they don’t care enough to do anything about it.

You picked the SPG program, presumably knowing that it had the following features:

Lifetime Plat (50 night level or less) status requires 10 years of at least PlatMinus (25 stays or 50 nights) status, no exceptions.

The highest lifetime level offered is Plat (really PlatMinus), at 25 stays but to be recognized in the new combined program as the 50 night status tier.

Other people picked programs that were more in line with their personal travel patterns and philosophies, including perhaps even their own personal evaluations about which guests are the most profitable (hint: it's not necessarily the ones spending the most money or staying in the highest tier brands, nor the ones with demographic characteristics closest to the assessor).

Figures that an economist would respond with a post about incentives. And I mean that as a compliment. Except that when I and others "picked" our respective programs, there were no exploding offers or two-tier Lifetime Platinum programs to be aware of. These are last-minute changes that the new Marriott owns the responsibility for completely.

Marriott has been able to grant status without reaching tier goals in the past (not sure if allowed today). I was Plat for many years and my travel dropped when I moved to corporate. Being I had the corporate address on my account, my status was maintained for several years. And how many of us have been told an error would be fixed by "a one-time exception"? So it can be done if they want to do it. The trick is finding the person that is willing to look at the situation and evaluate what is the right thing to do. Unfortunately, that is getting tougher and tougher.

IIRC MR was also reputed to do soft landings as a matter of policy, although rollover also provided a cushion against the possibility of losing status after a low travel year.

Some interesting and potentially valid points, drowned in bitterness and unsubstantiated "SPG was the best and their customers were too" assertions.

Expected by those left behind. I was there for a bit until they changed their plans and allowed combined accounts to qualify. I still have sympathy for those that will be close, it's like running for the gate only to find the GA gave away your seat, closed the door early, and won't reopen. I won't be surprised if there are some that will be moved up after things settle out and management comes out of their caves thinking the worst is over.

I have some sympathy for the scenario, but since the OP wouldn't be lifetime anything if the merger had never occurred, the logic doesn't stand up. (nor was there ever a lifetime SPG75)

FWIW, no hotel chain wants to give lifetime status to 35 year olds. It dulls the incentive to do the 50 or 75 nights each year. The idea is to set a difficult, yet achievable target, to get at least 10 years of "loyalty" out of a traveller, in the hopes that apathy, inertia and a few perks keep the guest within the fold after that...

I personally think 10 years is fair. The idea is before the corporation shows you life time appreciation, you have to first show a long-term commitment. 1 year at 100 nights vs. 3 years with 150 nights is irrelevant. The idea is can the corporation count on you long term, and yes it's more beneficial to the corporation, long term, to get you committed to 50 nights a year for 10 years, then rack up 500 nights in 6 years. Because they know as soon as you get life-time, you will aim for another life-time program at another corporation if that is possible, and that other life-time program becomes a competitor for their business for your life-time. The idea is make you work hard for life-time at the time you work hard the most (30s-40s), and by the time you get their life-time (by late 40s early 50s) you can't go after another program's life time anymore, so when you retire you will only spend money on the one program you have lifetime with (Marriott). You know they really did figure all these out years ago.

I'm in the boat of missing the cutoff and I'm a little bitter. With 7 years of loyalty (6 with SPG and 1 with Marriott) and 800 nights, I feel like I'm being punished for being to loyal to SPG. If those nights were all Marriott I would be earning LTPP or if I split status when I reached a certain threshold at SPG (50 or 75 nights) and moved to Marriott I would be earning LTPP.

Oh well, the same thing happened to me when AA changed their LT rules in 2011.

Although there may be additional examples, MR used the last 3 years night totals when deciding whether to continue the prior year's status.

I don't think this was true for PP,

It was true for what was previously called Platinum. Without disclosing what I believe were the exact criteria, I can tell you it took an average of more than 50 nights per year.

I might be mistaken, but I thought the old PP was based on multiple years and not a single year.

I think any SPG member has to take a step back and remember who got sold and who got acquired. I thought it was generous they allowed you to combine your MR account with SPG which bumped up a lot of people. They didn't have to do that.