myperks

there are lots of reports to the contrary so count yourself as lucky or you don’t travel much outside certain regions where yes, full breakfast is more common. I also doubt you get free breakfast at non full-service brands like Courtyard, AC, where credits are offered.

cruiser9999

Given the downturn in travel PLUS the tact that many companies now realize that there is no need for all that travel as the job still gets done AND by eliminating a good portion of corporate travel the companies save a lot of money, THE MORE LIKELY SCENARIO is that a good number of hotels will close permanently, those that stay open will not have the conferences, meetings etc as well as not sell out and there will be lots of space in the lounges. I don't think Marriott would be giving out all the 50% night benefit if they thought that business would continue as before. As an example I travel more than 100 nights a year (or at least I did until Covid-19). This year I will have less than 20 nights and not many more in the future until Covid either disappears or there is a vaccine. I don't think that I am the exception but rather more the way of the future.

GoldenItalianBoy

Are these your thoughts or something announced by Marriott ????

bocastephen

Did you feel the same way when you were a Platinum and Titanium didn't exist? Or it's just easier now to shoo away the 'little people' when you're not one of them?

GoldenItalianBoy

Should I leave Marriott (even though I am Titanium at the present time) if these changes will be approved ?
I really hope they keep benefits as they are now, in Europe I see there is no difference between full/continental breakfast (generally you have access to full buffet breakfast as served to paying guests) and lounges are not so crowded, as per my personal experience.
Maybe one day I will drop to PLAT for some reason....

bocastephen

There are no changes - this thread is nothing more than sourpuss wishful thinking by higher level elite members who are put off by having to share any type of benefit or amenity with the riff-raff at lower levels. Nothing is changing.

GiovanGolf

This topic is incentive to the members who achieved platinum status by actually staying 50 nights. There is a world outside of the USA, where people have to stay at hotels to earn their elite status. The rest of the world has no access to complimentary 15-night credit cards and 10-night bogus or legitimate meeting credits. As much as I would like Marriott to devalue those members, I respect the system's indiscrcriminate way of handling elites, as I personally don't see the sense in policing a loyalty program. I have a life to enjoy. 😂

This fringe topic is a spawn of over entitlement, ego tripping, and an overall condescending attitude.

If Marriott wants to eliminate its loyalty base in Asia, then I personally would just take my business elsewhere. I maybe from what many would call a 3rd world country, but I don't demand complimentary lounge access for my hard earned loyalty, I'd just pay for it outright and that rarely is ever a club lounge in a Marriott property. Removal of the club lounge benefit for platinum elites will just push me and many others away to different hotel brands beyond Marriott Bonvoy. I'd pay for club access in a Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons, Shangri-La, and many other hotels that still operate their club lounge as a stand-alone product, rather than just being a mere benefit like what it has become in the USA.

Don't drag innocent people into your insecurities, because no one from Platinum is suggesting that Ambassadors should get less. In fact, many members want to see Ambassadors to get more, so it becomes more appealing for all of us to stay loyal to Marriott. There's no need to attack fellow members, since we're all on the same boat.

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fdem

I was just going to make a comment similar to GiovanGolf. In Europe we do not have free credit card nights etc. I would be up to LT Titanium by now if they hadn’t only offered it in the first year of the Bonvoy merger had I been able to use cc nights bogus meetings etc, but even though I would have probably easily achieved it at the time of the merger, accept rules are rules and just live with it. I pay for all my stays personally being solely a leisure traveler and judging by many posts am perhaps likely to be more profitable to Marriott than many business travelers whose companies have discovered the delights of zoom and business travel likely to be cut or even halted.. I wish nobody’s benefits to be reduced as a tough time for all especially the hotels themselves.

mav

I agree with you. I have stayed at 2 of the Marriott timeshares during the pandemic, and they are almost completely empty. We were at one for 2 weeks, only about 5 other units were occupied the whole time we were there, and that was in the whole resort. We are at another one right now, and its the same way, virtually empty. And any of the hotels we have stayed at on the road are the same way.
When all this started, we were in London at the Marriott Park Lane , and then London closed up. everybody headed home but we stayed and didn't leave until our reservation was completed. We were given a full breakfast every morning, delivered to our room, afternoon tea if we wanted it, and dinner delivered to our room , complimentary for being Titanium and the lounge was closed. We had the hotel and staff to ourselves. It was very nice and we were well taken care of. We also got to know the staff VERY well. We considered it another page in our travel book
We walked in Hyde park everyday, saw the sights we have already seen many times just NEVER with no other tourists, and Marks and Spencers was open because they have a food hall. Got some very nice outfits for my little granddaughter.

kamaainaflyer

Well, before the merge Platinum was 75+ nights per year, and guests with 50-74 nights were Gold, so even then there were perks for being someone who had 75+ nights per year. And yes, I did feel the same way in regards to overcrowded lounges that seem to have become worse over the years. Also, I prefer the term "riff raff" over your term "little people". jk.

myperks

didn’t realize a thread like this will draw this much “emotional” feelings, even for a Marriott forum .

just discussions and I see valid points on both sides. With so many posters against it, Marriott might just implement it or something similar .


Definitely nothing announced on the Marriott side. Just some chatter with some travel folks from work one day on zoom happy hour.

to be fair, legacy gold (current platinums) had access to lounge.

cmd320

That’s because for the vast majority of people your ‘proposal’ offers pretty much nothing or removes benefits and the actual benefits you suggest for Ambassadors either are already supposed to exist or would be next to impossible to implement.

Marriott’s bigger focus at the moment should be getting its properties to actually adhere to the current program rules which is at best inconsistent currently.

myperks

Proposing lounge certificates with full breakfast gift amenity for platinums instead of flat out lounge access can be argued to actually be an even swap (or increase) in benefits. Use lounge certificates when one knows the lounge is good but have the option of full breakfast at all eligible brands.

proposed ambassador benefits includes guaranteed Your24 and SNA processing (with certain advance notices), something not done right now. (Save me the whole “shouldn’t it be done right now” speech since it based on availability now for Your24 and SNA processed with Plats and Tits). At least the appearance in the policy of adherence instead of “based on availability.” Appears easy enough to implement.

On your comment on adherence and enforcement of current policies, agreed but here we are, it’s inconsistent.

kamaainaflyer

Yes, I know. Basically, I was agreeing with the original post. For clarity (regardless of what you call it now or what it was called before): I agree that anyone with 75+ nights per year should have unlimited exec lounge access. And I like the original posts's idea that guests with 50-74 nights per year should receive 5 lounge passes each year they reach the 50 night milestone.

X-ON

The suggested change has lower chance to happen than an actual default and bankruptcy of MAR, if this happens I guess the OP get part of the wish list realized, the cut of benefits of plats and if you can bribe a janitor to let you into a shutdown hotel you can sit in the lounge all by yourself..... Yes I know most likely MAR would still operate under a chapter 11 filing... and most hotels are own by hotel companies anyways ... Still...