golfhan1

I have heard in one of the post from Chinese based website, but indeed CANNOT confirm, the truthfulness of these statement whether it is 100% true, partially true OR completely BS. This is referring to Platinum status benefit being downgraded, altered, wiped out or however you wanna call it.....

1. Membership extend for 1 year
2. Only Titanium and Ambassador can enter lounge
3. Platinum cannot upgrade to Suite
4. Late check out: gold to 14, platinum 15 and titanium to 16:00
5. Platinum choose 1 gift, Titanium 2 gifts, Ambassador 3 gifts (but what? Details not revealed)

GUWonder

The Hyatt properties in Sweden aren’t all that expensive. They are not the best value I get in two of Sweden’s three biggest cities, but they are ok in some way at times. But a majority of the Hyatt-affiliated ones in Sweden include breakfast for all guests regardless of status. Can’t say the same for Marriott in the country.

I helped pull off Hyatt mattress runs in Sweden during the summer of 2021. Way cheaper doing it then in Sweden than doing it in the US then.

gudugan

I think this is going to be my new strategy

Titanium thru 2023 (exp Feb 2024)
Start year with 40 EQN
If there’s a double night promo (seems to happen every year)
- Mattress Run to Titanium
If there isn’t
- Organically get to 50 nights. I think SNA will be more valuable from now on with 25 night PLT and (maybe next year) Taobao PLT.

Keep in mind I am near lifetime PLT (2-3 years) so I need the EQN anyway. If I was lifetime PLT I would probably organically go for the 50 only and would not try for Titanium at all. If I didn’t have a stay planned where SNA would be useful I wouldn’t even go for the organic 50.

I have now been actively cross shopping Hilton and Hyatt. From my travel patterns Hilton has about the same quality property so no reason to stay there. A Hyatt property doesn’t exist where I’m going. So a bit stuck.

worldwidedreamer

Honestly what I get the most out of elite status across the board is a feeling of winning. As all of the brands have tried to move us from a usage to spend, and then add a subscription fee, it feels less like winning…especially when they do not deliver on the product sold.

As a Titanium the expectation was set about a range of benefits which I do not feel actually apply to me. At too many hotels either the benefits have been greatly attenuated (I.e. lounge only open for breakfast M - F 7a-9a) or simply ignored. And don’t get me about award devaluation.

Loyalty is a two-way street, and Marriott makes it hard for me to justify giving them a higher wallet share, so my spend increasingly has gone elsewhere.

dw

That’s probably the most surprising part of the rumor to me, if it ends up being true and applied globally, since so many Platinums have already been extended by two (?) years now. Though perhaps it’ll just be for the China market.

ElevatorEnthusiast

I will say that all of the expected Platinum status benefits were listed in the email sent out last night to existing Brilliant card holders about the changes to the card.

36902BRF

I think that comparison is more nuanced than you are making it out to be. I think the two situations are materially different.

• There is no way to organically earn access to Centurion lounge (except for guest access).
• Amex has a huge corporate card program for its cards so many folks aren't paying the annual fee. I don't know if there are Bonvoy corporate cards but I haven't seen one and they are certainly far less common if they exist.
• There is a community of folks churning credit card rewards and there are many Amex Platinum flavors to churn. No lifetime language is increasingly honored more in the breach than in the observance. So there are plenty of folks who will get a Platinum card for one year double dip the benefits (since they are based on calendar year), get a great signup bonus and then cancel. The Bonvoy cards are just less desirable to this group due to tighter rules on churning Bonvoy cards and less valuable signup bonus.
• While this will vary by individual I think the Amex Platinum credits are easier to value and possibly do a better job of offsetting the annual fee cost. I hold the Brilliant card and the major wildcard for me is what is the value of the 85k night cert to me? I have had no issues maxing out the 35k and 50k certs but there are a lot more properties you can use them at for good value. There are just fewer targets that max out the 85k cert and for me at least I am less in to luxury properties than some. This becomes even more of a wildcard next year. I just have plain low trust in Bonvoy even by the standards of loyalty programs generally.

gudugan

While I agree with the rest of the post, I think it's more likely people are adding authorized users to their Amex Plat at 3/$175 and then guesting in a bunch of people. My friend who is working in a large consulting firm only has the corporate Amex green (https://www.americanexpress.com/us/c...-credit-cards/), I doubt most businesses want to pay a large AF for their rank and file employees. Guess we'll see what happens after the access change in early 2023.

askyamaz

​​​​​​​just gotta break even by living 154 more years

GUWonder

For sub-Platinum customers with a big balance of Marriott points, picking up this credit card can be part of a useful strategy to get better value out of points redemptions for hotel award nights.

Adelphos

Not just points bookings - cash as well.

I stay 20-25 nights a year at Marriott, with comparable numbers nights in other programs. My travel is increasing, but I will continue to split programs. I have this card, and I had a mix of points, cash and corporate bookings at Marriott already scheduled the next couple of months. Now all of the bookings have some kind of breakfast benefit, one now has access to a good lounge, etc. Even getting 25% more in points on a corporate booking (i.e. not my money, not my card) adds value.

The last one is what a lot of analyses ignore... A general member staying 10 night a year at Marriott attending meetings/conventions at $400 a night, and paying with a corporate card, earns 40,000 points. A Platinum member earns 60,000 points on the same stays; that's $140 in value. That, combined with a dining credit and an 85K cert, can start tipping the scales in favor of holding this card. And that is before factoring in stuff like Platinum benefits.

GUWonder

Maybe Marriott will try to push US-based customers seeking a status challenge/match to instead pay for this credit card.

GoldenItalianBoy

That would be a shame!

GUWonder

Given how both Xi and Modi are now going through the motions of telling Putin that the Ukraine situation is bad, it seems to me that the big mainland Asian economies and demand in China are weaker than expected even a few months ago.

Do the Chinese hotel owners/operators really think the bigger problem is staycation elites and this is their way to try to deal with the situation while yet again being told regional members’ status will be extended yet again in hopes for it being useful for brighter economic days at some future, yet to be determined point in time?

Marriott globally cutting Platinum benefits at this time isn’t going to help with putting heads in beds anywhere. I doubt it goes ahead in the next quarter or four such that it becomes global Marriott policy.

GoldenItalianBoy

I really hope they won't devaluate Plat benefits.

Marriott knows that here in Europe (except for UK only I think) we have NO CHOICE of branded credit cards, so our 50/75 elite nights are totally earned with stays and money.

Obviously, in the worst case, I am ready to leave and stay elsewhere.