Using points to re-qualify for Platinum
 

I'm at 43 stays for the year... and this is my 9th year of Platinum. Next year will be 10, then it's just the run to 600 nights for lifetime platinum.

I just booked three rooms each of the next two weekends using points @ 7500 points/room for a total of six more stay credits. I have a free night cert I'm actually going to use for a short weekend away for the final night. All in all I think burning 45,000 points to re-qualify Platinum for next year, especially when I expect to travel more AND I'm so close to lifetime plat is worthwhile.

Thoughts?

If you booked three rooms on a single stay you will only receive EQN for one room.

Yes, and similarly if OP booked three rooms at three different hotels for the same night. It would be three stays, but OP can only get night credit for one of them and can't even earn points for more than one, probably the one that posts first rather than the most expensive one.

If you’re going to be using points, it would make more sense to book 5 consecutive nights and get the 5th night free, so it would only cost you only 30K pts or 6K pts/night for those 5 nights.

Let's remind the OP that he/she needs to actually stay in the room (and not just pay for it with points) to earn elite nights credit.

This plan is all kinds of wrong.

To be precise, the OP needs to check-in to the hotel in person.

Whether or not the OP needs to actually stay in the room overnight is one of those things that FT has debated to death...

But, yes, if that 7,500 point hotel is convenient to home/work, then the OP should book a 5+ night stay to get the fifth night free. Multiple rooms doesn't help.

Bear in mind, there will likely be a 50% rollover of 21 nights in 22

where did you see that?

It hasn’t been announced, but will be likely, the Marriott night targets are largely unattainable without business travel resuming fully.

ok thanks. Making sure I didn’t miss anything

Entirely irrelevant for the OP who needs to hit 50 nights to keep Platinum. I don't think anybody expects Marriott to copy Hilton with another extension...

But a reason to make an extra push this year for platinum, if it will assist requalification next year.

Given that we have three months left in 2021, seems a bit early for a desperation mattress run.

True for an overnight "stay" but with a 5+ night reservation, OP risks having someone at the hotel notice that the room is vacant, either housekeeping (the norm might be every third day now) or the front desk (when the guest doesn't come and go, charge anything to the room, and there's no activity on the key card.

Agree. I am in same boat even after an upcoming 2 weeks trip to France I would still be short for 3 or 4 nights. I actually still have a 7 nights TP Cat4 to burn and if worse comes to worst, hopefully be able to do this not far from home between Nov and Dec.

The best option for the OP is if there is a low pt cost option near home and book a 5th night free for Nov or Dec stay. So he can pop in a few times during the whole stay if he prefers the bed at home. No reason to do all that in Oct, not to mention the 3 rooms on one single night would not do him any good...

+1

it would be a waste if Marriott decides to extend status.

Agree. Make sure to keep focused each year on your min Plat-required nights - that's all that really matters. Check that off each year and and nights will follow.

True but we cannot count on Marriott. Though still no need to make arrangement so early unless they are for Nov/Dec reservations.

Thanks for that. I was able to change the reservations and do them one a week based on my travel schedule.

With the 1500 point bonus for bookings/stays ongoing, this is cheaper than originally thought (plus the existing 500 Platinum points).