Schnit

My question is what do you think you will get from the higher status? Better upgrades and benefits?

Once you think about that, how much would you spend getting those yourself? If you are planning on spending 30 nights at a Ritz next year and think you will get upgraded to a room that costs $500 more, sure it could be worth it, assuming you are right. But if its to save even $1,000 in upgrades next year, its not worth it.

Herb687

Trying to keep answer as short as possible:
Spend $4,000 in roughly 2.5 months.

(And then in 5 months time, realize that you've wasted $4,000 for almost no incremental benefit over Titanium)

You're welcome!

Alex_I

- Just get an Aspire card and enjoy HH Diamond status in Europe and Asia. With Titanium, Diamond, and Globalist status, you can simply shop between the three chains for better hotels and/or benefits from promos. This is what I do.
You can also bank points for a lifetime status but nobody knows what would happen with any of these programs in 1-2 years. Thus, enjoy while it lasts!

Pretzelsandpeanuts

This, this, this.

escapefromphl

why not spend a 4 or 5 days to a week in Hawaii at the Mauna Kea or St Regis in Bora Bora?

must_wander

Agreed on both points. I have the Aspire card, expect to drop to Titanium next year, and just picked up Globalist through the corporate challenge, and I plan to do a lot more shopping around next year. As for the riskiness of chasing lifetime status, you never know when they'll decide to kill a lifetime status tier, and by the time you find out it's usually too late to try to catch up. I had this happen with the merger, I would have hit the threshold for LT Titanium shortly after the conversion date, which of course was too late and I ended up topping out at LT Platinum.

seawolf

Why do you want Ambassador status? What is it about it that you can't just obtain directly with the $4,000?

Alex_I

- I was lucky to have enough SPG nights to make the LT Titanium...
Unfortunately, the main trend is to devalue LT status benefits. I was happy to reach LT PLT with AA sometime ago but now there is PLT Pro above that. Staying 1,000 nights with Hilton will make you LT Diamond but now you can get Diamond with just Aspire Card. I am only started staying with Hyatt 2 years ago and LT Globalist is very far away. By the time I reach that there is a chance the program will change a couple times...

clarkef

I'm going to be a little different that others here. The question is what would Ambassador get you based on your specific travel habits and is it worth 4k. For me, Ambassador was great in that I could send an e-mail and have things solved without me spending a lot of time on the phone. That was the main benefit. It was worth spending an extra 2k to achieve. This year, I'll be about 6k short. That perk is not worth 6k to me.

SPN Lifer

In the abrupt cessation of lifetime Titanium Elite qualification eligibility, you are not the only one who was brutally, unforgettably, and unforgiveably Bonv∘yed!

Will Marriott Reopen Lifetime Titanium Status?

Turning to the thread topic, there is no shortcut to Ambassador Elite status other than to spend the requisite money.

Kacee

+1000

I wouldn't spend an extra $100 for Ambassador.

Radiation Station

You must really hate phoning people. FYI the social media teams for Marriott Bonvoy are fairly responsive, so you could save a couple of k and DM them on Twitter.

I haven�t found the Ambassador team any more useful than conventional CS over email. In fact, one time, they tried to deny me compensation promised by another agent over the phone. And they will not go to bat for you if a hotel treats you badly. You will be given around 20k points for your inconvenience, which is a poor replacement for enforcing programme benefits and supporting their most valuable customers.

I have qualified for Titanium this year and I won�t be spending the extra money or 16 nights I need to make Ambassador again, as there are no concrete or tangible benefits over Titanium.

clarkef

My $0.02

• I hate inefficiency. Spending a half hour on the phone is an abject waste of my time, when a short 2 minute e-mail works very well for me.
• Of course, what the agent promised you over the phone isn't memorialized in a paper trial. You would have been better served with an e-mail trial
• The one large issue I had with a Westin netted me 100,000 points
• Again, the concrete tangible benefits are based on each person's individual needs and desire. The ability to e-mail problems may not be of value to you, but that does not change the fact that it is of value to me. That's my point. Grand sweeping statements are pointless. Each person needs to evaluate their wants and needs and decide what is in their best interest. Ambassador was worth a couple grand to me, but not 6K.

kaizen7

This.
It give incentives for people to book higher category room/suite for their stays.
(I did earn ALL status from spending only)

Back to OP $4k question, honestly I don't see the value of it.
If it very close, like $500 or lesser then it might worth the extra spending.

I did received amazing upgrades from time to time like presidential suite upgrade at Ritz Carlton Pacific Place Jakarta, and Strand Villa at St Regis Bali, but then I would say it because I frequently stays there in the first place.

Perhaps OP can try being Titanium for next year and see if OP can feel any difference compare to from being an Ambassador.

bmwe92fan

LOL -- I just did this at the St. Regis in PR -- spent like a Kardashian for our anniversary and I've nearly spent $20k at Marriott this year -- with less than 40 nights. I am lifetime Titanium and don't see much value at all in Ambassador status. With over 2,500 nights at Marriott's / SPG hotels in my lifetime (Yes I'm getting old) chasing status is no longer that important to me -- mostly because I've witnessed the massive degradation of lifetime status across the board -- (Like at airlines) -- and I don't believe this trend will reverse....