Likelihood Marriott will Take Away Lounge Access from Platinum During Next Downgrade?
#31
Join Date: Nov 2017
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Bonvoy titanium
Posts: 537
A plat could stay at any property (doesn't have to be RC), pay rack or corporate rates, and easily spend more than a titanium on any given stay or through any given year. I don't think how the airlines do upgrades is relevant here--it's a completely different product: everyone shows at the same time and all the seats are available at the same time (you DO know "your seat" isn't really "your seat"...right?). It's possible to have three top-tier flyers seated in coach together who all paid more for their seat than every person in F (none of whom are elite or top-tier) because they all walked up an hour before the flight. Do you think airlines should hold all the seats in the F cabin because the elites who spent the most money for the flight should get those seats? That would be silly. I don't think hotels work that way, either.
You said in your original post DYKWIA is important to you--okay, then: pony up the money and just buy the room you want. Presto: you'll probably (but not necessarily) spend the most money AND have the better room. You can even tell everyone about it and some may be very impressed. Or call ahead, tell them exactly when you're arriving, and pointedly ask "DYKWIA?...Great, if you have an upgraded room available, I expect you to hold it for me until I get there." Maybe that will work, and maybe it won't. I don't know.
If you want to try to spend as little as possible and get the most out of it, play the game by the rules the program lays out just like everyone else. That means that a nicer room isn't "your upgrade"; it's a perk the hotel may or may not give. I am sure the hotel will leave a suite or premium room empty if they don't see a benefit in giving it as an upgrade--because it is empty doesn't mean they're required to upgrade you into it. I'm guessing it isn't exceedingly common that an upgraded room is available for the length of a given stay AND upgrading someone into it leaves another like it to be sold. There's a thread around here somewhere about the dark arts of revenue management; I don't pretend to understand it fully, but I'm sure they're not going to shoot themselves in the foot with upgrades--if they think they can sell it they're not going to give it away and we ought not begrudge the fact.
Upgrades are often a pleasant surprise (but sometimes not--like the this past weekend when I got "upgraded" into a executive suite that's also accessible, which is literally a pain in my back). I'm perfectly happy to get the room I paid for and the lounge access/PAG I "earned" under the program rules--if that changes, so be it. MR/MBv doesn't "owe" me anything that's not in the T&C and I'm very clear-eyed about the fact they can change the T&C any time and for any reason. "Lifetime" means "lifetime of the loyalty program", which can be terminated with as little as 6 months notice (less in some jurisdictions)--that's all spelled out up front in the T&C. And if you don't think you're getting enough love, you can terminate it too...
cheers and happy travels!
You said in your original post DYKWIA is important to you--okay, then: pony up the money and just buy the room you want. Presto: you'll probably (but not necessarily) spend the most money AND have the better room. You can even tell everyone about it and some may be very impressed. Or call ahead, tell them exactly when you're arriving, and pointedly ask "DYKWIA?...Great, if you have an upgraded room available, I expect you to hold it for me until I get there." Maybe that will work, and maybe it won't. I don't know.
If you want to try to spend as little as possible and get the most out of it, play the game by the rules the program lays out just like everyone else. That means that a nicer room isn't "your upgrade"; it's a perk the hotel may or may not give. I am sure the hotel will leave a suite or premium room empty if they don't see a benefit in giving it as an upgrade--because it is empty doesn't mean they're required to upgrade you into it. I'm guessing it isn't exceedingly common that an upgraded room is available for the length of a given stay AND upgrading someone into it leaves another like it to be sold. There's a thread around here somewhere about the dark arts of revenue management; I don't pretend to understand it fully, but I'm sure they're not going to shoot themselves in the foot with upgrades--if they think they can sell it they're not going to give it away and we ought not begrudge the fact.
Upgrades are often a pleasant surprise (but sometimes not--like the this past weekend when I got "upgraded" into a executive suite that's also accessible, which is literally a pain in my back). I'm perfectly happy to get the room I paid for and the lounge access/PAG I "earned" under the program rules--if that changes, so be it. MR/MBv doesn't "owe" me anything that's not in the T&C and I'm very clear-eyed about the fact they can change the T&C any time and for any reason. "Lifetime" means "lifetime of the loyalty program", which can be terminated with as little as 6 months notice (less in some jurisdictions)--that's all spelled out up front in the T&C. And if you don't think you're getting enough love, you can terminate it too...
cheers and happy travels!
No im not going to bail on Marriott as I do really believe I get good value from my stays and more or less looked after. But when I check into a hotel and the lower tier member next to me gets upgraded and I dont something is wrong. Thats not the right way of looking after elites
#32
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Washington DC Metro Area
Programs: A: PP, LTG/1.5M | UA: SLV | Bonvoy LTT | IHG PLT| Hertz 5 Star | Nat'l Emerald Club EE
Posts: 1,066
Do you know for certain this has happened? Does it happen to you frequently? Did/do you say something to management? There's no compensation in the T&Cs for upgrades, but at least a manager might be able to explain what happened if it was really as blatant as that.
#34
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: BOS/UTH
Programs: AA LT PLT; QR GLD; Bonvoy LT TIT
Posts: 12,653
Please don't take this the wrong way, but is this anything beyond pure, completely groundless speculation? First, you assume without any evidence whatever (if I'm wrong, I'd be happy to see what you have) that there will be a downgrade in a couple of years, and then you go on to ask for opinions from there? Sure, "speculation" is FT's middle name, but this seems a bit much to me.
#35
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Washington DC Metro Area
Programs: A: PP, LTG/1.5M | UA: SLV | Bonvoy LTT | IHG PLT| Hertz 5 Star | Nat'l Emerald Club EE
Posts: 1,066
I'm just not sure how they could make this work. There's just such a wide variety of upgraded/desireable rooms versus F/J/PE/E on an airplane. For all I know I get "upgraded" nearly every stay but it's such a minor difference it's not worth mentioning. The move from one cabin to another is very obvious; outside the move to a club/concierge floor, it's not very obvious what's behind the door in a hotel...so there's not really a good way to guage the "class" of room you're in versus those around you.
#36
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: NYC
Programs: AAEXP 2MM, UA 0.9MM, Hilton Diamond, Marriott LT Plat
Posts: 124
#37
Join Date: Nov 2017
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Bonvoy titanium
Posts: 537
I think we just have to trust them to do what they're supposed to--as you note, I think they generally do.
I don't think I've ever had this happen to me, but the whole thing is rather opaque really--it's not like you can actually see who's in each room, what status they are, and whether they booked that room or got upgraded into it (and if they got upgraded, why--it could be unrelated to the program).
Do you know for certain this has happened? Does it happen to you frequently? Did/do you say something to management? There's no compensation in the T&Cs for upgrades, but at least a manager might be able to explain what happened if it was really as blatant as that.
I don't think I've ever had this happen to me, but the whole thing is rather opaque really--it's not like you can actually see who's in each room, what status they are, and whether they booked that room or got upgraded into it (and if they got upgraded, why--it could be unrelated to the program).
Do you know for certain this has happened? Does it happen to you frequently? Did/do you say something to management? There's no compensation in the T&Cs for upgrades, but at least a manager might be able to explain what happened if it was really as blatant as that.
#38
Join Date: Nov 2017
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Bonvoy titanium
Posts: 537
agreed but I still dont think Marriott does enough for higher tiers. My posts are tounge in cheek. No Marriott should not downgrade platinum as that sets a bad precedent for all tiers but they sure as heck need to do better for top tiers imo
#39
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: SFO/YYZ
Programs: AC 25K, AS MVP Gold, BA Bronze, UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 2,430
RC suite upgrades? I've seen ambassador members report that they didn't get any upgrade at all at RC properties with tons of open rooms. No Your24, and that benefit isn't guaranteed for ambassadors anyway. Extra 2.5pts/$ is cool but not life-changing. There's just no killer benefit that makes me want to stretch for PPE.
#40
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BOS/EAP
Programs: UA 1K, MR LTT, HH Dia, Amex Plat
Posts: 31,837
Not even Marriott is that stupid. Once all the UA Elite nonsense is over lounges will be much less crowded. With 50+ nights giving no lounge access would be worst in industry, not even Marriott can afford this.
#41
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: RSW
Programs: Delta - Silver; UA - Silver; HHonors - Diamond; IHG - Spire Ambassador; Marriott Bonvoy - Titanium
Posts: 14,184
Seems to me that they tried approaching the surfeit of platinums the other way around via restricting credit card nights as an eligible loophole for lounge access.
#43
Join Date: Nov 2017
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Bonvoy titanium
Posts: 537
#44
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 12,974
Platinum benefits will be downgraded when Marriott decides that there are too many Lifetime Platinums.
Since only Tits would get lounge access in that scenario, and far fewer people are grandfathered into Lifetime Tit, it would be an option for Marriott to cut costs...
Since only Tits would get lounge access in that scenario, and far fewer people are grandfathered into Lifetime Tit, it would be an option for Marriott to cut costs...
#45
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: SFO
Posts: 4,902
its not that simple with behaved kids... one parents behaved kids can be another guests torment. Ill be okay if the parent removes the kid from the lounge during tantrums but almost never happens. And we all know confrontation will happen if the hotel staff says anything about it because those that dont have the decency to remove themselves during kids tantrums are also difficult guests to deal with. Might as well restrict access completely.