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Platinum Status in Eight Days and $800 - No Stays Required

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Old Dec 30, 2015, 10:18 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
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.
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Platinum Status in Eight Days and $800 - No Stays Required

 
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Old Jan 11, 2016, 3:16 pm
  #1171  
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: GEG
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Lifetime SkyClub, AS MVP
Posts: 2,410
Originally Posted by sethb
Now it points to something ambiguous.
Which sounds better?

Instant Silver status for having a meeting or 10 elite nights for having a meeting?

It's a marketing page.
dgreen12 is offline  
Old Jan 11, 2016, 5:31 pm
  #1172  
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Originally Posted by dgreen12
Which sounds better?

Instant Silver status for having a meeting or 10 elite nights for having a meeting?

It's a marketing page.
I read it as getting 10 nights... If new to MR then bingo you're Silver, if you already have status, then 10 more nights. Marketing types are known for making something simple sound like a big deal.
RogerD408 is offline  
Old Jan 11, 2016, 7:41 pm
  #1173  
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
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Originally Posted by RogerD408
I read it as getting 10 nights...
It is simple.

Have a meeting, get 10 elite nights.

Lots of posters apparently from Missouri, though.
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Old Jan 11, 2016, 11:52 pm
  #1174  
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Originally Posted by RogerD408
That is true, but what everyone has been saying is they have been able to get the 10 nights for booking a one-hour meeting room since the relevant post has gone away. Believe it or not, there are some things that do happen without being posted on the net!
I hope so. But now that I've realized the trick is to book a lot of meetings every 3 years, what matters to me is the program as it will exist in early 2018.

Yes, every 3 years: in 2015, book a lot of meetings. Get Platinum for 2016, and enough rollover into 2016 to get Platinum for 2017. In January 2018, book a lot of meetings again, getting Platinum for the rest of 2018, 2019, and 2020.
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Old Jan 12, 2016, 7:06 am
  #1175  
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 186
Just found a meeting room in Southern NJ at a Springhill Suites for $100 that I'll try out next week. I happen to be staying in the hotel as well, so I can sit in the room from 8a-9a. Feel awkward about no-show. Lets see if those points post.
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Old Jan 12, 2016, 7:08 am
  #1176  
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Formerly of SacTown, Cali
Posts: 1,243
Originally Posted by JCrew7384
Just found a meeting room in Southern NJ at a Springhill Suites for $100 that I'll try out next week. I happen to be staying in the hotel as well, so I can sit in the room from 8a-9a. Feel awkward about no-show. Lets see if those points post.
Make sure you sit there the entire hour. Don't leave early. The Marriott points police might have a camera rolling.
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Old Jan 12, 2016, 7:10 am
  #1177  
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Originally Posted by JCrew7384
Just found a meeting room in Southern NJ at a Springhill Suites for $100 that I'll try out next week. I happen to be staying in the hotel as well, so I can sit in the room from 8a-9a. Feel awkward about no-show. Lets see if those points post.
Did you ask about the room credit? Did you sign a contract (not that it's been required every time)?
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Old Jan 12, 2016, 7:15 am
  #1178  
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 186
Originally Posted by SacTownGuy
Make sure you sit there the entire hour. Don't leave early. The Marriott points police might have a camera rolling.
Really? That can't be true. What if a meeting ends early. What if I only need it for 30 minutes but the min booking is an hour. Also people here seem to be able to get it by not even showing up. Plans change...

Originally Posted by RogerD408
Did you ask about the room credit? Did you sign a contract (not that it's been required every time)?
Received contract in email. When i send it back I will confirm my MR number and that points should post.
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Old Jan 12, 2016, 8:01 am
  #1179  
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Originally Posted by JCrew7384
Just found a meeting room in Southern NJ at a Springhill Suites for $100 that I'll try out next week. I happen to be staying in the hotel as well, so I can sit in the room from 8a-9a. Feel awkward about no-show. Lets see if those points post.
Being that it's a NJ property, how many cigarette machines did you have specified in the contract ?

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Old Jan 12, 2016, 8:04 am
  #1180  
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Formerly of SacTown, Cali
Posts: 1,243
Originally Posted by JCrew7384
Really? That can't be true. What if a meeting ends early. What if I only need it for 30 minutes but the min booking is an hour. Also people here seem to be able to get it by not even showing up. Plans change...
Nope. It's mandatory. Read the fine print. It's there somewhere, really small writing, just keep looking. You need to stay the entire time. EVERY second! One guy accidentally booked an 8 hour meeting and didn't even leave to go to the bathroom. You don't want to risk losing the 10 elite nights. I heard Mr. Marriott showed up once to confirm attendance for someone doing a $100 meeting. Maybe that's an urban legend though. Good luck!
SacTownGuy is offline  
Old Jan 12, 2016, 3:05 pm
  #1181  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
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Originally Posted by JCrew7384
Really? That can't be true. What if a meeting ends early. What if I only need it for 30 minutes but the min booking is an hour.
If you can't stay in the room the entire hour, hire someone on CraigsList to do it for you. You can trade taking turns for bathroom breaks, too. It's better to be sure than to risk losing those 10 EQNs.
darthbimmer is offline  
Old Jan 12, 2016, 3:12 pm
  #1182  
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 186
Originally Posted by darthbimmer
If you can't stay in the room the entire hour, hire someone on CraigsList to do it for you. You can trade taking turns for bathroom breaks, too. It's better to be sure than to risk losing those 10 EQNs.
I have hosted plenty of meetings in the past at Marriott (where we actually used and needed the room) and we left hours early on an all day reservation, no issues... This sounds like a myth.
JCrew7384 is offline  
Old Jan 12, 2016, 3:31 pm
  #1183  
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: GEG
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Lifetime SkyClub, AS MVP
Posts: 2,410
Originally Posted by JCrew7384
This sounds like a myth.
And it's not even April 1.
dgreen12 is offline  
Old Jan 12, 2016, 3:43 pm
  #1184  
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Formerly of SacTown, Cali
Posts: 1,243
Originally Posted by JCrew7384
I have hosted plenty of meetings in the past at Marriott (where we actually used and needed the room) and we left hours early on an all day reservation, no issues... This sounds like a myth.
Ya, it's different now with this 10 elite nights bonus. It's such a massive benefit and so many people are taking advantage that it's a new frontier out there. They watch the "meetings" like a hawk looking for a fake meeting. Read the fine print. I would arrive 10 minutes early and leave 10 minutes after the meeting time ends just to be safe. Better safe than sorry. Also, dress in a suit. If they see you dressed too casual they will know it's a fake meeting. Plus, don't link to their wi-fi because Marriott corporate security may get your Flyertalk log in info and see you are posting about having a fact meeting. You can't be too careful here! Watch yourself!
SacTownGuy is offline  
Old Jan 12, 2016, 11:40 pm
  #1185  
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: BZN
Programs: AA:LT Platinum DL:LT Gold UA:1P MAR:LT Titanium
Posts: 8,291
Originally Posted by SacTownGuy
Ya, it's different now with this 10 elite nights bonus. It's such a massive benefit and so many people are taking advantage that it's a new frontier out there. They watch the "meetings" like a hawk looking for a fake meeting. Read the fine print. I would arrive 10 minutes early and leave 10 minutes after the meeting time ends just to be safe. Better safe than sorry. Also, dress in a suit. If they see you dressed too casual they will know it's a fake meeting.
It was worse than that for me. The front office manager actually had the audacity to come into the room and ask me if I was "really having a meeting or just doing this for the nights". When I fumbled around, he asked if he could see what I was working on, and fortunately I was smooth and opened up a spreadsheet with a bunch of numbers and he figured I must be legitimately working. I actually don't think they have the right to probe like this, so you could probably blow them off, but if you don't want to risk having the elite nights retracted, it's probably worth playing along.
mooper is offline  


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