rthib

And no know or fixed benefit

CPRich

Fair enough - I avoid them like the plague so I didn't think of them.


Also agreed. I found MR easier as they always have properties where I travel. I've has a few years stationed in locations without SPG's, so I need to cram in SPG stays through hopping and promos during a 2 month period. But I have 110-125 nights to spread around. A 50 night traveler obviously will find SPG easier.

romadaro

I just called MR's again and the agent confirmed that with 6 additional nights I'll achieve Lifetime Platinum. She agreed that the previous agent I talked to had misspoken as there is no such thing as Lifetime Platinum Premier. It would have been nice if the previous posters had simply pointed out the difference (since they obviously knew) instead of just saying "you're wrong."

djp98374

The trade off is that you dont need the time in the program and it rolls over.

For example with gold...800 nights= 20 nights/yr over 40 years. 4 weeks of travel per year. This part isnt too hard to obtain if you occasionally travel for work....like you travel for 1/2 conferences and 1/2 training classes/seminars, and 1/2 client travel per year. Then add in your own personal travel the 20 nights is reasonable.

the more difficult part is the points because it equates to $200/night (assuming no status and bonus points). If you had the Marriott credit card and use it for your stays at marriott then this makes it more obtainable.

This would be less if say over your career you had one job for 3 yeas that was heavy travel for you may have put in 400 of the nights.

Having needed only one year of status make it easier...plus you add in those gold/platnium challanges gets you the status.

With SPG...the issue is having miminum years of status which would be far more difficult for many.

the other issues with SPG are (1) they are limited to larger cities, (2) there price point in the cities are much higher if you are paying out of your own pocket or your corporation has price restrictions.

For example I work for the federal government so I need to book at fed govt rate set by the GSA which SPG rarely has available. If I stay at a higher rate I need to jump through hoops to get it covered.

One time in my travels I had to go through hoops to get my rate covered because the lack of govt hotel rate availability...I had to argue tthat me staying there means I save more by not needing a rental car. govt rate hotel +rental car costs+parking and gas costs >> airport subway/shuttle costs + downtown hotel cost.

sdsearch

Annual SPG Platinum is not 25 nights, it's 25 stays or 50 nights. It's only 25 nights if every single one of your stays is a one-night stay.

Meanwhile, depends on the elite perks you're interested in, with SPG having two levels, but Marriott having three, there's a quesiton of whether you really need Marriott Plat to compare to SPG Plat. It seems to me that Marriott Gold compares reasonably well to SPG Plat already. And annual Marriott Gold is the same 50 nights as SPG Plat (on nights as opposed to stays).

(That's the problem with comparing different programs' elite lievels by name. The names don't line up: SPG first level is Gold, but that's the name of Marriott's middle level, and Marriott calls its first level Silver. You have to compare by benefits you care about -- free wifi, free breakfast, upgrades, whatever -- and not by name.)

And for those in the US having the Marriott credit card lowers that to 35 nights, while having the SPG card only lowers it to 45 nights (or 23 stays).

(Of course, there are the annual elite status requirements, and they don't line up exactly with the lifetime status requirements. AFAIK SPG doesn't have a stay version of the lifetime status requirement, only for the annual status requirement. Marriot, OTOH, doesn't have a stay version of either.)

jak71454

Is it any of the above three or ALL three needed?

Where do I find that info?

Jim

hhoope01

All three are needed.

And Marriott has not put info concerning their LT status on their website. So you can find info here or you can call MR and ask the agent there about the LT program.

darthbimmer

Meeting the points requirement won't be hard for me, but penciling out the numbers does show where it may be tough. The lifetime qualifications all set the number of points required equal to 2000 times the number of nights required. Earning 2000 points/night means paying an average nightly rate of anywhere from $133 to about $175, depending on your elite bonus, but before special program bonuses and without using the MR credit card. And that's for properties paying 10 points/dollar. If you're racking up lots of nights at cheaper properties or at the brands that pay only only 5 points/dollar, I can see how the points requirement may be hard to satisfy.

OU812

You are forgetting about the Megabonus which can night 25,000 - 50,000 points per quarter if you meet the nights/stays requirements. If you earn the 50,000 points each quarter you will have 1 million points in 5 years, assuming MR doesn't start analyzing their promotions as well.



Regards,

RIP...

djohannw

So you agree it can be done in 25 nights. Of course that has certain restrictions (i.e. each stay being exactly one night), but there is a possibility to maintain status with 25 nights at SPG which is only a third of MR Plat no matter how hard you try.

Well...similar upgrades and an arrival gift (and one of decent value) will require MR Platinum - so ideed it depends on each one's valuation of the elite benefits. It's not easy to compare elite-levels with each program as the benefits vary, but apart from lounge-access and the availability of breakfast Gold-benefits are the only comparable aspects to SPG Plat.

Trust me, I do that. And the diversity of benefits afforded by the different chains makes a comparison a very personal decision - for me as someone who has >150 nights a year both programs have their pros and cons, and I balance my nights between the two but make sure that I requalify at Plat-Level at both.

Which for me and many others living in Europe has no meaning at all - we just do not get any jump-start by taking out a credit-card...and I think both the population of MR and SPG will be at least at parity between US- and non-US-residents.

Greetings - Dirk

CPRich

Hmmmmm. Very first response to you:

My apologies, I guess.

sophiegirl

It is unfortunately true that many long term MR members know quite a bit more than some MR customer service agents, as you have now found out.

Your post seemed to indicate that you weren't really interested in what anyone knew, only in what you were told by Marriott. As both CPRich and VickiSoCal are generally known to be correct, and more than willing to share their knowledge......perhaps chastising them and expecting an apology is the reverse of what should have occurred.

VA1379

My guess is they may require more nights if they change the criteria for lifetime status. Rollover nights have made it easier for people to accumulate nights. The 12 year requirement seems unlikely to change, and it would look stupid if they increase the point requirements after lowering them. I realize Marriott has done stupid things before, but I think this possibility is low.

Frankly, I would rather see them change nothing and make lifetime status more public. I am waiting to hit the 12 year mark, and I'll be screwed if they raise nights significantly. I have enough points, unless they decide lifetime platinum needs 5 million.

iwc

Not sure what it all means but Michellel from Marriott posted on Marriott Insider:

"Re Lifetime status: we've never published the criteria so, technically, you wouldn't notice any changes. Truthfully, we went through an exercise comparing our criteria to our competitors with the thought of being better aligned. We get that we're behind the big two in terms of perceived value - and although there are some who won't believe me, or take this as an opportunity to pile on - we really work hard to advocate on behalf of our members to maximize benefits and recognition. Sometimes we're the windshield, sometimes we're the bug... Plainly - yes. Change is coming. Positive if you strive to achieve lifetime, and Negative if you think it'll just cause more (unworthy?) people to make a commotion in the CL."

We can only hope for the best.

dfe

So what in the world does this mean for those of us that are currently striving for lifetime status and passing up less expensive options at other brands (which have much more liberal requirements for annual elite status--think SPG) just to aquire nights and points towards Marriott lifetime. The Insiders often talk in riddles such as--

Negative if you think it'll just cause more (unworthy?) people to make a commotion in the CL."..--Who is "unworthy" if they meet the published requirements for lifetime. This is just a bizzare off the wall statement.

Plus I don't understand why she says that "we've never published the criteria so, technically, you wouldn't notice any changes." I always thought that the criteria were very clearly stated and published. It consists of the three factors of years of membership; number of paid nights; and points for each lifetime status level. What is under the table that has not been published?

Of course we would notice any change no matter how minor. If changes work in favor of the customer a big thumbs up--but if changes go the other way just wait for the uproar and defections.