UASPG

After reading "Unfortunately don’t get too excited, because Marriott’s Suite Night Awards are nowhere near as useful as the Suite Upgrade Awards that World of Hyatt Globalist members receive, each of which is valid for a suite upgrade at the time of booking for a stay of up to seven nights." on OMAT, I thought that this Hyatt benefit would be perfect for the Lifetime Rhodium status.
Those Suite Upgrade Awards would be credited each year after the completion of 75 nights, if you have that status.

Lifetimenotelite

Im not sure what fair is but the “old” way to LTP in Marriott was 750 nights, 10 years in Marriott rewards AND 2 million points.

I was fortunate to get LTT but a spend requirement has to be in there to be equivalent. Folks staying at Fairfield inns and CY got hosed with Low spend so they’d have the nights but not the spend.

Dont forget the reason they did LTT was because SPG LT was easier to get so they didn’t want to screw legacy Marriott folks.

Fine to debate if opening up LTT again but don’t forget that the old MR LTP was harder to get.

UA-NYC

I remember calculating that I could have earned Marriott LTP the "old way" in about 6 years with my equivalent Starwood stays....the latter of which took 10 full years to earn (at a higher ADR along the way too).

Not so easy after all...

GUWonder

I think Marriott would be leaving money on the table if it didn’t open up the LT game so as to try to get customers to run up the OPM use at a time when OPM travel recovery isn’t as strong as leisure travel. But then this would include a major spend requirement in order to run up the OPM revenue.

Phasers

I'm sitting here with 930 nights, 12 years, and an active balance of 2.1M points right now. Missed LT Titanium by 1 year, since I was only 9 years at the time, but well over the other requirements. I'm definitely peeved.

SPN Lifer

When Marriott halted the lifetime 75-night level, I had been striving toward it for a decade and was at about 1.25M points (⅝ of requirement) and 500 nights (⅔ of requirement).

Needless to say, when they cut it off on six months notice effective Monday, 31 December 2018, I felt brutally and grievously Bonv∘yed!

Apparently Marriott did not stop to consider the effort their abrupt cut-off would have on the sensibilities of loyal guests who had, for so long, through thick and thin, been inspired and motivated by the promised rewards of lifetime 75-night status.

Instead, many of us are now pursuing lifetime status elsewhere, to become somewhat more "free agents".

The only way Marriott can restore the goodwill of those it so unjustly Bonv∘yed would be to reopen qualifications for lifetime Titanium Elite status, even if it takes 1,000 nights to get there.

Lifetimenotelite

This. Especially when I got close I definitely made sure spend went to Marriott.
if there is a spend too it that’s the only fair way.

My hunch is that the old way of getting LTP or LTG was that many would hit the nights well before the spend (especially with rollover night). Been a while but I seem to recall CC didn’t count it was what was spent at the properties (and those with timeshares).

Diluting isn’t a great idea either. Majority of my spend was OPM but also a fair chunk of my own but that was because the loyalty went both ways…..

If everybody is special, nobody is special (UA group 1 I’m looking at you….)

Lifetimenotelite

Any new level be careful what you wish for. Every new level in hotel and airline programs ends up with winners AND losers and typically comes with higher hurdles for everyone (example, spend requirements)

Lifetimenotelite

It does seem odd that they didn’t do a look back at the time and give anyone within say 90% of the requirement a grandfathering until they reached it.

Its clear they wanted to give LT but also it incentivizes road warriors to stretch each year to get Titanium and eliminate the free agency.

I’m sure they’ve done the math and figured current LTT folks will die off or age out of working & traveling over time in which case nobody will have it.

JBKettle

IMHO an an LTP, there's little reason to 'stretch' to get/keep Tit. The only real difference is the point earning and that's a pretty minor difference from my perspective. (The other benefit differences aren't on my radar, not that I don't acknowledge they exist.)

OTOH, -as I said above- if MI were to reopen LTT, I'd have a reason to return my focus back to MI. Otherwise, I'm focusing on lifetime elsewhere and a free agent when 'elsewhere' doesn't have a good fit.

ETA: I'd be fine, delighted even, with a 'super stretch' LTT that was similar to the MR-Level-LTP. Give me something achievable to focus on. Otherwise, ^^^^.

supatight80

Ouch. I got my LTT in my 30s. I don't think I'll be dying of natural causes any time soon.. And since 100% of my travels from the get go are leisure trips, I won't age out of working & traveling either...

Lifetimenotelite

Again, you are one drop in the ocean to Marriott. Each year a chunk either stop traveling or die off. This is simple actuary analysis.

Look right on FT where people brag that once they hit LT they can shop around to other chains. This is why they give LT but still make you travel to get top tier going forward.

On programs like this you have to think far beyond your individual case.

And to be clear, it doesn’t matter to MARRIOTT whose card gets dinged at check out.

Today it’s someone else, tomorrow it can be us LTT taking the hit. If you participate in these programs long enough (airline or hotel) the scope creep on qualifying and benefits earned erode away slowly year after year.

sdsearch

Is it possible it was United's call?

Since the main benefit of Titanium over Platinum is free United Premier Silver, maybe United heard about all the upcoming lifetime Titanium members who would essentially get "lifetime" airline status without having necessarily flown the airline much in their lifetime, and then maybe United told Marriott "only if you cut off qualifying for lifetime Titanium soon, or else we'll terminate the agreement giving Titanium members free United Premier Sliver"?

Lifetimenotelite

Im sure it was a variable but they had to save face with existing lifetime Marriott folks without creating a massive influx of top tier elites.

My guess is they wanted to have a distribution.

What could happen is if the industry struggles this gives them something to bring back later as a carrot.

EXPLAT

I'm with you on the being peeved. I made it in the 10th year but Marriott told me I didn't. I should have taken screen shots of the website and App but I didn't. Marriott won't tell me why when I send them the 10 years I made Platinum, with the 10th year being the Marriott takeover of SPG. So now I'm just LTP instead of LTT.

Already have 30 nights at Hyatt. Having to stay 60-nights at Hyatt without the Marriott breakfast benefit and suite upgrades is the downside for now, plus having to do this for 10 more years. Marriott has so many Platinums though, that upgrades to suites are a rarity. I'm going to reduce my Marriott credit cards to one and replace them with Hyatt cards to help with Hyatt status.