ericw

Hi guys, need some advice here.

I only stayed 11 nights at Marriot last year due to reduced travels and shifting nights to other hotels. I am offered to buy back my Gold status for 25k points or $312.50 till Apr 1st.

I have no Marriot points since all of them went directly to AA. So I will have to pay cash for it.

I forsee myself staying 10-15 nights at Marriot this year max. Do you guys think $312.50 is a good value for it?

Thanks for your input!

DeltaWings

Upgrades, guaranteed lounge access if you stay at FS Marriotts, it would be worth it for me.

joshua362

IMO, no, not now given the lounge cut backs of the past 2 years.

$312.50 buys a lot of more robust, hardy breakfasts should you divide that by only 10 or 15 times. Their breakfast buffet is less than $15 in most places outside NYC. The lounges have really cut back breakfast too, anything to travel (yogurts, breakfast bars and cereal boxes) are gone where I usually stay.

Maybe a different answer if you're traveling with family.

I struggle to get CL upgrades as a PLT and that may get me an 8oz bottle of water or two different from a "normal room". Gone is the mouthwash I used to use.

Anecdotal evidence here is that some lounges are coming back but I haven't seen it where I stay, especially in the evenings. Evenings can be cleaned out by 6pm and not restocked, I never can count on it usually working later than that.

Your mileage and other's opinions may vary!

newbiztraveler

I don't think it's worth it. An "upgrade" usually means a CL floor room... which, let's be honest, who cares. Lounges are occasionally good, but I don't think it's worth $312.

SkiAdcock

If you stay 15 nights this year, that's about $20/stay. I'd probably do it for that due to exec lounge access, which includes brekkie, evening munchies, soft drinks (occasionally booze), maybe a better room, etc, and oftentimes free i-net access in the lounges, and the $20 is probably less than what an exec level room extra would cost you. Note - if those 15 nights are going to be on weekends when most lounges are closed, I'd probably reconsider (unless those weekends are at int'l properties, a # of which keep the lounge open on the weekends). Cheers.

ericw

Thanks a lot guys!

Since most of my Marriott stays are for leisure on weekends and most of my business stays are at Fairmont and occasionally SPG/FS, I seldom take advantage of the club lounges... Sometimes I do get vouchers for breakfasts at restaurants but not so often.

I guess I might as well save the $312 - enough for 1-2 night hotels for a weekend getaway...

SkiAdcock

Agree that if most of your stays are on weekends, then it's not worth it. Enjoy the weekend getaway. Cheers.

kmwjes

Gold is worth it to me because of the Free Weekend night promotion that starts again March 6. I book at lower Saturday night "Stay for Breakfast" rate at a full service/non-resort Marriott and Sunday night (which is usually a higher rate)is free plus it includes an extensive breakfast/brunch. So the lounge being closed on the weekend is a non-issue. There's also a free dinner offer. We use this all the time in Atlanta, DC and most recently Renaissance Seaworld in Orlando.

djjaguar64

I gained the Gold status thorugh the BA promo. Now it says buy back by April 1st but the cost is too high. I mean IHG sells its gold status for $120 with a free night cert.
What happens to my status after April 1st?

SkiAdcock

Is the free weekend night starting on March 6th specific to Gold, or can any level get it? Also, how long does it last? I'm Platinum & I don't remember a free weekend night promotion, but then again I'm bad about tracking promos. If you're talking EEOs, that is a point & could be of value to the OP. Actually since you mention dinner, it sounds like you're talking the EEO stuff. But again - if someone is int'l-based, then the EEOs are worthless to them as they're not valid overseas (or even in Canada) & thus the $312 buy-in might be as well.

Well, if you don't qualify for Gold through whatever method, you'll either drop to Silver or nothing. But then again they've been handing out extended status like candy, so who knows.

Cheers.

hhoope01

If someone is int'l-based, then there is a decent chance to find CLs open for those weekends. So it looks like there may be some benefit to Gold whether US based or not.

ericw

ah... I totally forgot about this...I did take advantage of this last year at Marriott Chicago MM. However, not all the hotels are included in such promo, eg. NYC etc are excluded..

mm....

bigguyinpasadena

Yeah the exclussion of so many properties really bugs me about the EEO BOGO's. But IF you can/will take advantage of a few of the BOGO nights/meals than it is probably worth $300 and change.
It is going to be up to you-if you think it will be worth it or not.If you do not see yourself staying at MI properties than why bother? But if you will,and you look forward to a few weekend nights for free than go for it.
I value my nights much more than miles-but I know folks love to see that million mile mark on AA

VA1379

You can use the EEOs at some nice properties (i.e. Seattle Waterfront and some properties in Chicago) that have decent weekend room rates. I usually use them at cheaper properties, but I use so many in a year that it adds up to savings of at least $1,500 over using AAA rates or other promo rates that don't qualify for using an EEO. Some properties will go above the requirement and give you a gas card for both nights when you use an EEO for a public rate that includes one.

If you were to just stay at the JW Marriott in HK for a week, I would buy back gold. The cost for lounge access is more than $312.50 for 7 days.

BrightlyBob

I posted this on the thread about phantom status, sorry, I know you can attach a thread but dunno how to do it, so instead repeat my analysis, applying it to your situation:

If you've been offered the opportunity to buy Gold for 25,000 points the question is, is it worth it? Whether that's worth it depends upon the value you can squeeze out of the status, so lets examine that.

The benefits of Gold are:-

1. A Gold elite telephone line, that's exactly the same number as the Silver elite, so that's no added value over Silver there then.

2. Guaranteed room type, hmm, not sure this is worth anything, I always get the room type I book with any hotel, I did with Marriott before I joined MR.

3. Extra 0.5 points per $! Yup, non-elites get 10 points per $, Silvers get a 20% bonus, thats 12 points per $, an extra 2 points over non status and Gold get a 25% bonus, that's 12.5 points per $, or 0.5 point per $ over silver. You'd need to spend $50,000 to recoup the cost and with room averages at FS Marriotts about $170, that means about 290 nights, many more for CY or FI... So that's hardly worth it then!

4. Room upgrades, variable and in the queue behind Plats, so really difficult to value. I personally found as a Gold I was upgraded more than occasionally, less than often. Most of my upgrades were as Gold (and still are as Plat) along the lines of better room position/view rather than concierge level or suites. Since as a Silver (and Gold and Plat) I've always booked the cheapest room, this doesn't save me any money, as I'd never pay the extra though I guess it does make my stay nicer. Difficult to value something I'd never pay for though, but lets say an extra $10 night, when acheived, which for the sake of arguement I will say is 1/3 of the time. A fair value for a point is 1cent so thats worth an average of 300 points per night.

5. Exec Lounge access... Now here's the real meat of Gold, free soft drinks and coffee, free weekday breakfast, free evening offerings. That I can value. $15 per night for the breakfast benefit alone, an extra $10 for the soft drinks/coffee/evening fare gives you an added value of $25 night, although it can be much more, or much less. At some hotels the breakfast offerings are so wide as to be a cooked breakfast in the lounge with evening offerings which are equivalent to a meal, and for those properties without a lounge the benefit is sometimes replaced by breakfast vouchers and drinks vouchers, or free minibar. The benefit can however be really disappointing at other hotels with lounges open only Monday morning to Friday lunch, and no alternative offered, weekend stays can be very dry indeed. Hence Exec lounge is only worth it if you stay vast majority weekdays or, if a good proportion of your stay pattern is leisure based staying at the "overperforming" hotels (***but don't tell Marriott... Corporate doesn't seem to like excellent customer service***).
So how to value this? Well some can be worth as much as $40 night in exec lounge benefits, others barely manage the $15 breakfast value, so take an average of $25/night. This is therefore a valuable extra for the midweek stayer. For me about half my stays are weekdays, although in Europe over half of CL's are open during weekends, and when not all hotels seem to offer complimentary full breakfast worth $20... On the other hand I can't or don't always feel like taking full advantage. Then again, I am accompanied about half the time so that adds to the value, so say 2/3 of the $25 seems appropriate here, that's $16 night which I'm valuing at 1600 points each time.

6. EEO's, an extra weekend night free, but this time round not honoured in any hotels outside the USA. This is a major benefit only if you can use it, and if you live outside the USA you're probably like me, on the outside looking in, nose pressed against the window. So its worthless to me, but if you're in the USA, very valuable. Last year when it was valid in Europe I used it at least 4 or 5 times (unlike USA it was not valid in that many European hotels). Now, weekend rates are much lower than weekday but nonetheless the value is still about $100 per weekend night, or 10,000 points each time ^. Say you use them just 4 times per year that saves you $400, or 40,000 points ^^

But worthless if outside USA, so that's...







Ahem, sorry about that. So, to continue...

On this basis the benefit of Gold gives you PER NIGHT:-

1. Phoneline, same as Silver so... Zilch

2. Room type, all hype... Zilch

3. 0.5 points per $. Purleeze, so pointless as to be... Zilch

4. 300 points on the room upgrades.

5. 1600 points per night for the exec lounge access

... EEO's I will return to in a mo'

At a total value of 1900 points per night you'll only have to stay 13 nights at FS Marriotts to pull back the value in upgrades and exec lounge benefits, AND whilst doing so you will earn 0.5 point per $ spent so at the average $170 per night that will in 13 nights gross you an extra 1105 points over Silver. Don't spend 'em all at once

Remember this relies on a lot of averaging and as always YMMV. On weekday stays you'll get more out the Exec lounge, but less chance of upgrades, at weekends the upgrades may be more frequent but the Exec lounge benefits may well be non-existent with no replacement vouchers. In reality this does become an EU-v-USA thing. Over here you'll get lounges open at weekends or free breakfast or free breakfast and minibar/bar vouchers, over in the USA less upgrades, less Exec lounge bennies, but "worry ye not" USA, for your moment in the sun is about to arrive...

Overall, I would say the 25,000 points is worth it if you'll stay more than 13 nights in the year at FS, which if you're in Europe I suspect you will. But its not worth it if you're in the USA AND your stays are mainly non FS brands, since without the Exec lounge benefit, the value largely disappears... Until we return to those EEO's...


6. For those staying in the USA ONLY at weekends... EEO's worth on 1 stay per quarter, on my cash conversion, 40,000 points per annum... But this doesn't need a rough cash conversion, we can take the points at their use, for hotel night stays. On that basis to buy that night with points as a reward stay would cost 25,000 points for just one EEO night at a category 5 hotel, thus getting your entire cost of Gold back in one EEO stay


A no-brainer here, if you're in USA and plan a weekend break the EEO's alone mean the Gold buyback is good value especially if you're the man I referred to above with 13 nights or more FS paid for stays who lives in the USA. In fact even if you just live in USA but take a lot of weekend breaks the buyback becomes stonking value...

The ideal customer for this offer... A USA resident with plenty of business in FS, a penchant for lots of weekend breaks, who vacations in Europe... Yes that one will certainly get fantastic value from the purchase.

But in OP case, he is having to buy the 25,000 points which I value at 1UScent per point redemption value but which will cost OP $312 to buy, or an extra 25%. Thus you'll need to stay an extra 3 nights (ie a total of 16 nights) to reclaim the value on all the bennies EXCEPT EEO's. If you live in USA and are spending a weekend away at a cat 5 and can redeem an EEO against it, you get your value back straight away, although many, including me, would say that 25,000 points for a weeekend night at most Marriotts is poor value for your $312, however do it say twice over the year and you'll certainly take $150 of value leaving you only the other half of the value to regain by normal stays which can be done in 8 nights.

In other words, 2 weekend stays with EEO's and 8 other nights would reclaim the value, essentially, 10-15 nights as you plan is barely enough to recoup the cash, but if you were to redirect a few other stays Mariotts way you would come out in credit. A more typically low-staying Marriott Gold would probably make 4 EEO's per year (4 nights paid for 4 nights free) and say 20 other nights which would make the purchase very strong value.