Jan 16, 2019, 7:27 am
Last edit by: Oxon Flyer
New Tier Names. This applies to Lifetime naming as well.
Platinum Premier Elite becomes Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite . (75 nights)
Platinum Premier Elite with Ambassador becomes Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite. (100 nights + $20,000 spend)
Platinum Premier Elite becomes Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite . (75 nights)
Platinum Premier Elite with Ambassador becomes Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite. (100 nights + $20,000 spend)
Say Hello to Marriott Bonvoy, launches Feb 13, 2019
Jan 17, 2019, 2:37 am
#166
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,417
I always thought that the last syllable was pronounced "ott" as in otter (the animal) but not accented. I don't see any reason to introduce the Y as in yacht (unless you're a fan of the Bravo reality show Below Deck).
Jan 17, 2019, 2:43 am
#167
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,417
This isn’t news; Marriott had announced last summer that the new Lifetime Plat Premier status (now to be called Lifetime Titanium) would only be offered once—with that sweep coming sometime this month or perhaps around the Feb 13 introduction of the new Bonvoy program. This Lifetime Titanium level was never to be offered again.
Chances are good that the bulk of Lifetime Titanium members are older and are expected to not be a significant proportion of Marriott Bonvoy elites in the coming years. So the fact that one can only attain Lifetime Titanium status based on pre-2019 qualifications might not make much of a difference after another 5-10 years or so. Marriott is counting on that, I’m sure, and has done the statistical analysis to feel comfortable with that.
Other than getting a few more points (negligible), having suite upgrade potential at Ritz-Carlton/Edition (which doesn’t seem to happen much anyway), and having suite upgrade priority over regular Platinums (which would happen with regular Ambassador and Titanium guests, anyway), I don’t think it’s going to be that big a deal in the end.
That's great news: Starriott has decided that I don't matter as I'm going to die soon anyway. I thought Titanium was supposed to be this super strong metal...
OTOH, I find it amusing that I first got an email announcing BonVoy saying that as LTPP I'll become LTT from my SPG account and then another email five hours later saying that PPwithAmb will turn into Ambassador status for me (from my MR account).
OTOH, I find it amusing that I first got an email announcing BonVoy saying that as LTPP I'll become LTT from my SPG account and then another email five hours later saying that PPwithAmb will turn into Ambassador status for me (from my MR account).
Jan 17, 2019, 2:52 am
#168
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: The place where it gets so hot in the summer some planes can't take off.
Programs: Marriott LT Titanium, WoH Globalist, National EE, United Platinum
Posts: 1,446
Wow, I guess the PR firm didn’t do much research on the value of precious metals, and how titanium is used in marketing perquisites. While titanium is very durable, it is often likened to steel, and falls below silver in value (much less platinum). Last I looked, it was a few dollars per ounce.
I can tell you that when two people are talking, and one says “I’m Gold, how about you since you travel more than I do”, and the other says “I’m Titanium”, the next comment is likely to be a bit of embarrassment on the part of the Gold for bragging. That, or, “I think I had a coffee table made out of titanium and glass in the early90s...”
Frankly, I don’t care what they call it... if it’s nights that matter, they can call it Bonvoy 25, 50, 75, 100 for all I care. But to many people the status name matters, and titanium is not a precious metal.
I can tell you that when two people are talking, and one says “I’m Gold, how about you since you travel more than I do”, and the other says “I’m Titanium”, the next comment is likely to be a bit of embarrassment on the part of the Gold for bragging. That, or, “I think I had a coffee table made out of titanium and glass in the early90s...”
Frankly, I don’t care what they call it... if it’s nights that matter, they can call it Bonvoy 25, 50, 75, 100 for all I care. But to many people the status name matters, and titanium is not a precious metal.
Jan 17, 2019, 4:04 am
#170
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: MIA, VIE and DPS
Programs: DL Plat 1MM, AA EXP 3MM, SQ Krisflyer Gold, UA Silver, Marriott LTT, HH Gold
Posts: 1,132
So my status will continue to be wrong, stays will occasionally post (to be fair, they post more often than not). There will be no customer service worth talking of (or to) - the program we came to know.
I was hoping for substantive changes - like the program working. Guess too much to hope for
Jan 17, 2019, 4:09 am
#171
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Chicago
Programs: Hyatt Glob; UA 1K; BonVoyage LTT (RIP SPG); HH Dia; JX Insighter
Posts: 1,643
That's great news: Starriott has decided that I don't matter as I'm going to die soon anyway. I thought Titanium was supposed to be this super strong metal...
OTOH, I find it amusing that I first got an email announcing BonVoy saying that as LTPP I'll become LTT from my SPG account and then another email five hours later saying that PPwithAmb will turn into Ambassador status for me (from my MR account).
OTOH, I find it amusing that I first got an email announcing BonVoy saying that as LTPP I'll become LTT from my SPG account and then another email five hours later saying that PPwithAmb will turn into Ambassador status for me (from my MR account).
Jan 17, 2019, 4:09 am
#172
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: MIA, VIE and DPS
Programs: DL Plat 1MM, AA EXP 3MM, SQ Krisflyer Gold, UA Silver, Marriott LTT, HH Gold
Posts: 1,132
where you cryogenically frozen for the last year and they just thawed you up?
That said, good for you if you had great customer service. I had times where I had none at all - eventually it turned into bad with CS reps seemingly not having enough authority to go to the bathroom by themselves.
That said, good for you if you had great customer service. I had times where I had none at all - eventually it turned into bad with CS reps seemingly not having enough authority to go to the bathroom by themselves.
Jan 17, 2019, 4:23 am
#174
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
There's a new verified twitter feed out.
https://twitter.com/marriottbonvoy
Only 160 followers so far. I wonder what it will be a month from now?
https://twitter.com/marriottbonvoy
Only 160 followers so far. I wonder what it will be a month from now?
Jan 17, 2019, 4:28 am
#175
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: London
Posts: 18,408
Bonvoy - New name for Marriott Rewards - new gaffe
COMING FEBRUARY 13
Say hello to Marriott Bonvoy™ — the new name for Marriott Rewards®, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® and SPG®. The benefits you love with a fresh new perspective.
Let’s look at that:
Bon - French for good (an affirmative, such as “OK” or “alrighty”)
Voy - Spanish for I go/I’m going (but widely used in the same way as in English “I’m coming”)
I look at Bonvoy™ and what I see is an expression of the feelings voiced by many contributors to this forum:
Right, I’m off!™
Say hello to Marriott Bonvoy™ — the new name for Marriott Rewards®, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® and SPG®. The benefits you love with a fresh new perspective.
Let’s look at that:
Bon - French for good (an affirmative, such as “OK” or “alrighty”)
Voy - Spanish for I go/I’m going (but widely used in the same way as in English “I’m coming”)
I look at Bonvoy™ and what I see is an expression of the feelings voiced by many contributors to this forum:
Right, I’m off!™
Jan 17, 2019, 4:58 am
#176
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: ZRH
Programs: UA Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 258
Jan 17, 2019, 6:02 am
#177
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: EWR
Programs: UA Gold, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Silver, Hertz
Posts: 435
Thanks to FT, I was already aware of the things in the official email I got from Marriott introducing Bonvoy (Titanium status, etc.) However, one thing struck me: "More information about your current Credit Card will be coming soon. " I have the old Marriott Rewards Visa (i.e. the elite night credit for every 3K in spend.) My initial assumption was, of course, they will be rebranding it to say Bonvoy. However, my well-founded feeling that changes rarely benefit the consumer make me wonder what other "information" they will be sending me!
Jan 17, 2019, 6:46 am
#179
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: ORD/MDW
Programs: BA/AA/AS/B6/WN/ UA/HH/MR and more like 'em but most felicitously & importantly MUCCI
Posts: 19,719
We all can think of brand names that are meaningless nonsense words. Because tons of them were and are! We’re just used to many now because they’ve existed for enough time. Google. Yahoo. EBay. Expedia. Travelocity. Napster. Priceline. Kayak. Microsoft. Verizon. Starbucks.
Google refers to a very high number. And so on. The majority of corporate coinages are not pure nonsense.
Bonvoy is not total nonsense, with a buried / corrupted allusion to bon voyage, but it's close enough. It defies common sense because hotels are about arrivals, but you say "bon voyage" to someone departing. (It's not a greeting, or message of hospitality; it's a goodbye.) The coinage is too easily read as a corruption of "envoy," confusing the intent, and Envoy is a brand for too many other things (a GM vehicle, a home-services app, various travel agencies, the AA regional carrier). So Bonvoy sounds neither intuitive nor unique, in the way a good coinage like "Verizon" does.
Finally, in this game you have to worry about unintended / negative allusions. Bonvoy is perilously close in "mouth feel" to Bon Ami, which is a household cleanser and not a good allusion for nice hotels. Or Bonomo, or Bok Choy, or Bon Jovi, or Bono, or Bonjour (which is a brand for printer networking software, but which might actually have been better for Marriott in this case). And your quick-reading mind, if it doesn't catch the well-obscured "bon voyage" allusion, can truncate Bonvoy to "boy" or "good boy," which makes it -- and Marriott -- sound juvenile. As I said upthread, my first reaction to hearing "Bonvoy" was that it's entirely useless for signifying hotels, loyalty, travel, etc. but would be a good name for a line of designer clothes for children. It also kind of sounds like a candy bar to me, but maybe just because I grew up with Bonomo Turkish Taffy.
I have done my share of corporate nomenclature work. It is shocking how stupid and arbitrary and regrettable some big decisions are in this space.
Last edited by BearX220; Jan 17, 2019 at 6:57 am
Jan 17, 2019, 6:57 am
#180
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Denver, CO, USA
Programs: Sometimes known as [ARG:6 UNDEFINED]
Posts: 26,708
Additional oddities: For DECADES people have tossed off "Titanium" as a joke level of status in various frequent traveler programs. It's been used as a DYKWIA reference in comedy sketches worldwide. What does Marriott do? Appropriate a joke status level.
I eagerly await Cubic Zirconium level as the lowest tier.
I eagerly await Cubic Zirconium level as the lowest tier.