Last edit by: rustykettel
Ten (10) Elite Nights are given for each meeting held in a participating hotel under the "Rewarding Events" program. See below for non-participating brands. Information about the Rewarding Events program may be found at https://www.marriott.com/meeting-eve...els/rewards.mi
The 10 elite nights per meeting are independent of any hotel rooms booked in conjunction with the meeting. In fact, no hotel rooms have to be booked as part of the meeting in order to receive credit for 10 elite nights.
Although the Rewarding Events webpage refers to room nights for meeting participants, the most important section is the one that states 10 Elite Nights, regardless if you or your guest is paying for it
In general, a written contract is required (or should be obtained). In many cases, the meeting is booked through a central Marriott group sales office instead of directly with a hotel. If booked through a central Marriott group sales office, there is a three-page contract that makes reference to the Rewarding Events program on page 2 of the agreement. A MR member number should be included in this area of the contract by the group sales office.
FAQs:
Q: What brands participate in the Rewarding Events program?
A: AC Hotels by Marriott, Aloft, Autograph Collection, Courtyard by Marriott, Delta Hotels by Marriott, EDITION, Element, Fairfield by Marriott, Four Points by Marriott, Gaylord Hotels, JW Marriott, LeMéridien, The Luxury Collection, Marriott Hotels, Marriott Vacation Club, Moxy Hotels, Protea Hotels by Marriott, Renaissance Hotels, The Ritz-Carlton, Sheraton, St. Regis, Tribute Portfolio, W Hotels, & Westin.
Residence Inn by Marriott, TownePlace Suites, & Marriott Executive Apartments do not participate in the program.
Q: How do I find a hotel that participates?
A: Click on the link to the Rewarding Events page and then in the "Plan" section of the page click on the "Find a Hotel" box. Enter the city you'd like to have your meeting in, purpose of event (Business) and then check the "I need meeting/event space" box. Enter the size of your meeting (2 attendees should work) and then click the "Find" box. Leave the start date and end date blank. A list of potential hotels will be shown. The smallest meeting room is not usually shown online --- you may need to call each hotel to find out which one has a boardroom or other small meeting room. Once you've found a small meeting room, then request a quote online.
Q: How quickly will Marriott respond with a quote?
A: Usually within a day or two --- and usually via email. The email should contain a telephone number of the group sales contact. Give them a call and tell them you'd like to follow up on the quote and you're interested in booking the smallest room available for a 2 person meeting for an hour. If they quote a price that's higher than you want to pay, ask them if they can get approval for a lower priced meeting (e.g., a recent quote was for $75 for an 8 hour use of a CY boardroom). They accepted a counter of $50 for a one-hour meeting in the room (plus service charge plus local sales tax). Urban hotels may charge significantly higher rates for meeting space than a smaller, less congested city.
Q: Is a contract required?
A: The terms of the program suggest "yes" --- although there are reports that 10 elite nights have been granted without contracts. A best practice would be to obtain a contract.
Q: How long do points and EQNs take to post after the event is over?
A: Generally, this takes 3+ business days. According to Marriott, it can take 15 business days. If you do not see anything post after 15 business days, contact the hotel before contacting Marriott customer support. The hotel has to be the one to post it.
You will get an e-mail with a subject line Your Rewarding Events Award has Posted: EVENT NAME
Q: Will the hotel know what I am talking about when I say points and elite night credits?
A: Probably not. They may know about the rewarding events points being 3x per dollar spent, but not always. Usually they know of only the Marriott system (Group Posting Tool) where they input how much you spent and when. This is done after the event and is usually authorized by the sales or general manager.
Q: The contract doesn't say anything about points, will I still earn them?
A: YMMV but so far all the electronic contracts from the website state it, but some fail to read it. The paper contracts usually talk about points, but some reports that they don't, but still post. Remember this is a Marriott Rewards benefit that the hotels don't seem to be footing the bill for.
The 10 elite nights per meeting are independent of any hotel rooms booked in conjunction with the meeting. In fact, no hotel rooms have to be booked as part of the meeting in order to receive credit for 10 elite nights.
Although the Rewarding Events webpage refers to room nights for meeting participants, the most important section is the one that states 10 Elite Nights, regardless if you or your guest is paying for it
In general, a written contract is required (or should be obtained). In many cases, the meeting is booked through a central Marriott group sales office instead of directly with a hotel. If booked through a central Marriott group sales office, there is a three-page contract that makes reference to the Rewarding Events program on page 2 of the agreement. A MR member number should be included in this area of the contract by the group sales office.
FAQs:
Q: What brands participate in the Rewarding Events program?
A: AC Hotels by Marriott, Aloft, Autograph Collection, Courtyard by Marriott, Delta Hotels by Marriott, EDITION, Element, Fairfield by Marriott, Four Points by Marriott, Gaylord Hotels, JW Marriott, LeMéridien, The Luxury Collection, Marriott Hotels, Marriott Vacation Club, Moxy Hotels, Protea Hotels by Marriott, Renaissance Hotels, The Ritz-Carlton, Sheraton, St. Regis, Tribute Portfolio, W Hotels, & Westin.
Residence Inn by Marriott, TownePlace Suites, & Marriott Executive Apartments do not participate in the program.
Q: How do I find a hotel that participates?
A: Click on the link to the Rewarding Events page and then in the "Plan" section of the page click on the "Find a Hotel" box. Enter the city you'd like to have your meeting in, purpose of event (Business) and then check the "I need meeting/event space" box. Enter the size of your meeting (2 attendees should work) and then click the "Find" box. Leave the start date and end date blank. A list of potential hotels will be shown. The smallest meeting room is not usually shown online --- you may need to call each hotel to find out which one has a boardroom or other small meeting room. Once you've found a small meeting room, then request a quote online.
Q: How quickly will Marriott respond with a quote?
A: Usually within a day or two --- and usually via email. The email should contain a telephone number of the group sales contact. Give them a call and tell them you'd like to follow up on the quote and you're interested in booking the smallest room available for a 2 person meeting for an hour. If they quote a price that's higher than you want to pay, ask them if they can get approval for a lower priced meeting (e.g., a recent quote was for $75 for an 8 hour use of a CY boardroom). They accepted a counter of $50 for a one-hour meeting in the room (plus service charge plus local sales tax). Urban hotels may charge significantly higher rates for meeting space than a smaller, less congested city.
Q: Is a contract required?
A: The terms of the program suggest "yes" --- although there are reports that 10 elite nights have been granted without contracts. A best practice would be to obtain a contract.
Q: How long do points and EQNs take to post after the event is over?
A: Generally, this takes 3+ business days. According to Marriott, it can take 15 business days. If you do not see anything post after 15 business days, contact the hotel before contacting Marriott customer support. The hotel has to be the one to post it.
You will get an e-mail with a subject line Your Rewarding Events Award has Posted: EVENT NAME
Q: Will the hotel know what I am talking about when I say points and elite night credits?
A: Probably not. They may know about the rewarding events points being 3x per dollar spent, but not always. Usually they know of only the Marriott system (Group Posting Tool) where they input how much you spent and when. This is done after the event and is usually authorized by the sales or general manager.
Q: The contract doesn't say anything about points, will I still earn them?
A: YMMV but so far all the electronic contracts from the website state it, but some fail to read it. The paper contracts usually talk about points, but some reports that they don't, but still post. Remember this is a Marriott Rewards benefit that the hotels don't seem to be footing the bill for.
Platinum Status in Eight Days and $800 - No Stays Required
#706
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: LGA
Programs: DL DM, UA Gold, Marriott Plat Prem., Hilton Gold, National Exec Elite.
Posts: 2,533
It could if you fly a lot on United, and you want free economy plus and free checked bags. Especially with UA now having the minimum spend requirement. I think $800 for UA Silver is a decent deal. A year subscription to Economy Plus is $499, then when you throw in free checked bag, and priority boarding, and one or two business class upgrades (if you get a little lucky), it could make a lot of sense. And actually if you want global economy plus for a year, it's $699.
#707
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: AGS, CAE, ATL
Programs: Delta PM 2MM, Marriott Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 511
[url]
Yup if you click on terms and conditions if takes you to the marriott website and you can see they are the same:
http://www.marriott.com/rewards/terms/elite.mi
Yup if you click on terms and conditions if takes you to the marriott website and you can see they are the same:
http://www.marriott.com/rewards/terms/elite.mi
#708
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: LGA
Programs: DL DM, UA Gold, Marriott Plat Prem., Hilton Gold, National Exec Elite.
Posts: 2,533
If you actually do stay at RC, you should get that credit card because it gives you some free club level upgrades. And like someone else said you get the $200 travel credit you get with Amex Plat, so the card is really only $200, and if you use a few club level upgrades it pays for itself.
#709
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,723
#710
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,417
Maybe to get lifetime status? Otherwise there's no point to status if you don't stay in Marriotts.
#711
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 1
Recently signed up for MR and the visa card is on the way, obviously looking to get points fast, what is the advantage of gold level? was it worth getting the Marriott visa or the ritz? I like the meeting room idea.
We did a few ballrooms a few years ago , I wonder if i talk to management would they put it on my account you think?
We did a few ballrooms a few years ago , I wonder if i talk to management would they put it on my account you think?
#712
Join Date: Oct 2001
Programs: LTP, PP
Posts: 8,701
Retroactively? I doubt that.
If I had to start over I'd just get the Ritz card for Gold for the first year then earn the nights via BIB after that.
Gold gets you lounge access, assuming you stay at FS or RENs or JW's, that is the only perk you can really count on. Not at resorts or the lesser brands. And the food offerings & quality vary wildly IME. There are entire stays where I just use the lounge for OJ in the morning and water at night! Your experiences may vary!
If I had to start over I'd just get the Ritz card for Gold for the first year then earn the nights via BIB after that.
Gold gets you lounge access, assuming you stay at FS or RENs or JW's, that is the only perk you can really count on. Not at resorts or the lesser brands. And the food offerings & quality vary wildly IME. There are entire stays where I just use the lounge for OJ in the morning and water at night! Your experiences may vary!
#713
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Frozen in Carbonite
Programs: UA Aluminum 0.6MM, Bonvoy Life Sentence, Hyatt Eliteist, AA Super Plutonium
Posts: 2,878
duplicate post
Last edited by TommyC80; Feb 9, 2014 at 10:35 am
#714
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Frozen in Carbonite
Programs: UA Aluminum 0.6MM, Bonvoy Life Sentence, Hyatt Eliteist, AA Super Plutonium
Posts: 2,878
For example, let's say you're Platinum since Day 1 in the Marriott program. Earning 2 million points (promotions aside) would require a spend of $133,333 -- a bit less if you have the credit card.
At an average rate of $200 a night -- which is on the high side -- that would equate to 667 nights; pretty much right there at the 750 mark. So, I guess if your travel pattern significantly changes to where you go from staying 75 nights a year 9 years in a row to Zero -- yeah go ahead and book some conferences.
As others have said, this method of getting status seems pretty pointless for a large majority of people. Pay $395 a year to get gold via the RC credit card if you need lounge access that bad (you get $200 back in airline credit each year, so the net cost is really $195)
Besides 25% extra points and the paltry welcome gift there isn't much difference btwn gold and plat.
#715
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: BZN
Programs: AA:LT Platinum DL:LT Gold UA:1P MAR:LT Titanium
Posts: 8,291
It's definitely not great for everyone, but an extremely good deal for some.
#716
Join Date: Oct 2001
Programs: LTP, PP
Posts: 8,701
If you got Gold via the Ritz card, would you then need 25 night to PLT or still the entire 75?
#717
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: South Florida
Programs: AA LTG (EXP), Hilton Silver (Dia), Marriott LTP (PP), SPG LTG (P) > MPG LTPP
Posts: 11,329
I'm not familiar with all the perks of the Ritz card, but typically being gifted status does not reduce the number of nights needed to earn/renew status. Some cards do gift you nights to help you get status quicker. Check the terms and see what it says.
#718
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Frozen in Carbonite
Programs: UA Aluminum 0.6MM, Bonvoy Life Sentence, Hyatt Eliteist, AA Super Plutonium
Posts: 2,878
BTW...I heard from the Platinum desk that they were "considering" adding a benefit to the card where if you spent $75,000 a year they would give you Platinum status. However, that was in June of last year and I haven't seen/heard anything about it since. I know they were reviewing the card's benefits last summer -- I got invited to a focus group on it in NYC. Maybe there's some changes coming or maybe they are deciding to leave it as-is.
Last edited by TommyC80; Feb 9, 2014 at 7:17 pm Reason: Added comments on Pay-for-Platinum rumor
#719
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Frozen in Carbonite
Programs: UA Aluminum 0.6MM, Bonvoy Life Sentence, Hyatt Eliteist, AA Super Plutonium
Posts: 2,878
#720
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Potomac Falls, VA
Programs: AA Plat 2MM, MR Gold, Avis Pref
Posts: 41,109
so you could do this for $600 to get plat if you can find the $100 C/Rs
lets assume that you can find $100 C/Rs
you probably could knock this down to $500 if you only stay 10 nights a year and I'm also going to assume one stays at a FS Marriott or equiv. as there isn't any tangible benefit to me at any other brand
in addition you get the UA benefit so if you are a UA part time flyer (I'm not) that has as others have shown a tangible benefit so your out of pocket cost is quite minimal
then factor in the credit to lifetime and I'd go out on a limb and say anything at $500 or less is probably worth it (again assuming you fly UA which I do not)
at what point is it worth it for a FS marriott person but less than 50.. that is the question (also factor in if you have the CC)
My personal amount would be, if I could get to 40 revenue nights and have the CC, I'd definitely do it at $200 I'd have to think about it at 30 nights + CC at $300 though - again, I don't get a UA benefit since I do not fly them