Platinum Match
 

Over the next two months, I need to stay for an extended period of time in a hotel for work. Give or take, about 50 nights. Now I already have 14 this year so far with Marriott, and the very prestigious Silver status that comes along with that.

However, there is another property nearby (part of Priority Club) that would net me Platinum status with PC after the stay.

What are the chances that Marriott will match either Gold or Platinum status for me upon me requesting it and showing proof that I am Platinum with PC? I would, of course, prefer to have them comp it in advance if I move my reservation over the Marriott-branded property, but doubt that's in the cards.

Contact marriot rewards asking for a platinum challenge and you'll get it with no problems.

Like Private Pyle said, contact them and they'll be happy to do that. And they also do upgrade you to Plat while you complete your challenge. I had them match my Hilton status and it was amazing how easy it was!

I've been a Platinum member for a few years yet I've never made enough stays to officially reach that level. Even if you reach a pattern of several stays within a few months there is a good chance you will get upgraded. Once you reach platinum they will keep you there unless you stop staying. I stay about 50-60 nights a year and have stayed platinum. My boss usually stays at Hiltons and she is also still a platinum. They want those repeat business customers.

I never knew that Marriott matches status ...

Nice to hear that though ..

They don't, they offer a challenge. If you don't make the challenge you drop down to your previous level.

plan out in advance if you can how many nights you'll have in the next 90 days and ask for that challenge. There's a gold one and plat (I forget the night requirements for each but you can do a search in the marriott forum). I did a gold challenge and tried to do a plat the next year and was shot down. I think you have to wait at least 12 months between challenges.

OP, have you contacted the sales department at that specific hotel and asked for lounge access, free internet and the bonus points that would come along with being Plat? If you cannot get a Plat challenge from MR that would give you those benefits, that might be a good back-up.

It seems if you could get those benefits from the hotel directly, it wouldn't matter if you were actually Plat. Given the number of nights and the offer from a nearby hotel, the hotel may be willing to deal.

The Plat bonus is well worth the effort IMO.

The issue is that the Marriott property is simply uncompetitive, and for whatever reason unwilling to negotiate.

Regardless, I will attain Plat status with PC in the next two months. Hopefully, Marriott simply matches this. My stays tend to be in blocs, so it would be very frustrated to then have to complete a 'challenge' just for a status which I already hold with a competitor.

Frustrating or not, it is the way they operate. You get the status during the challenge but if you don't complete it, you frop back.

Just a note, Marriott's elite status is primarily for those who have stayed at their hotels, not their competitors. Also note that, Marriott is being very generous in providing a challenge where you get the status up front rather than waiting until after you meet the challenge. For SPG, you won't get your "challenged" elite level until after your met the challenge requirements, not before.

Also, PC is probably the easiest and least beneficial elite status of all the "major" hotel chains. SPG won't even talk with you about a challenge if that is the only elite status you hold. Marriott may still offer you a Plat challenge, and if so, that is great for you, but I wouldn't be surprised if they don't really consider Plat in PC in the same vein as top tier in Hilton, Starwood, or Hyatt.

I don't know about Marriott's great generosity. Seems to me all the airlines allow the status during a challenge, effectively acting as a match during the period.

As for SPG, they did a match for me, not a challenge, after seeing the Marriott and Hilton status records. Only nuisance here, SPG insisted the information be mailed to them, not faxed. Added about a week for completion but the stays are all at the Plat level.

American doesn't give you status during their Plat/Gold challenges and doens't offer a challenge to the highest level.

Thanks for the update. AA did offer an EXP challenge but looks like they pulled it recently. A friend got in on this but that was before the lock.

As for the other challenges, there are some reports here about receiving some match status early but most seem to be granting Gold for those matching to Plat. Maybe AA stopped that, too.

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming - which is hotel status matches & challenges ;) :D

Cheers.

Point being, it is ridiculous to say there is some kind of industry standard for how status matches and challenges are treated. Every company, including Marriott, has chosen the route they think serves their market best.

Agreed.

Cheers.

Note that Starwood no longer does status matches. See the http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...-1-2011-a.html thread for all the gory details.

If anyone is curious:

Marriott, after a short email exchange, very graciously extended Platinum status to me though February 2012 (for the year 2011). No conditionality on receiving conformation of PC Plat. status, no challenge, just Platinum status. I'm extremely impressed with their generosity. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that, by coincidence, my ~15 nights this year with Marriott have all been at relatively expensive Ritz-Carltons, but who knows.

To their credit, they've won me over as a customer, as I'm now much more willing to go out of my way to stay at one of their properties.

OP, that's good news indeed. Enjoy your many nights at the property. Thanks for letting us know that it worked out.

+1
+2

Im prepared to try out MR, and wanted a platinum challlenge. I'm a HH Diamond (35 nights so far this year) and PC Plat (32 nights so far this year).

I was just offered a gold challenge for 12 nights until Dec 31st, 2011, but really want a platinum challenge as I am able to stay the 18 nights in 90 days that others have reported in this forum.


Ill reply to the e-mail I just received and ask them again kindly for a platinum status challenge.

BTW - after just threading the thread in Hilton forum where Hilton's Diamond Force process on awards is going to cost a gazillion more points (and even paid stays it sounds like), a lot of the Hilton Diamonds are looking at other chains, such as Marriott, Hyatt, *wood, PC, so I wouldn't be surprised if we get more inquires re: the Plat challenge. If Marriott wants to cement some new regular guests/revenue, keeping the 18/90 might be a good thing for them.

Cheers.

E-mail came back saying that his system wouldn't let him offer me a platinum challenge and that he went to his supervisior and couldnt offer me anything, as i'm only showing 11 nights since 2006.

Anyone have suggestions on how to get them to give me a platinum challenge?

Maybe PM Marriott Concierge to see if s/he can help w/ the Platinum challenge. Offer to provide your top credentials from the other programs. Also mention that if you get the Plat challenge then you obviously will be staying at Marriotts more in the future than you have in the past.

BTW - to keep Marriott's Platinum status, you need 75 nights/year. If you don't think you'll be able to do that in the future, then sticking with Gold challenge might be ok, especially if you think you can get Gold each year.

Gold gets you executive lounge access and free internet access worldwide. Plat gets you an amenity gift, extra points & Plat override (for paid stays, not award stays), but other than that, is similar to Gold.

Cheers.

THANK YOU GUYS. I am SPG Platinum and HH Gold. After looking into the Marriott lifetime status, I decided to move over to Marriotts. Just called into the Marriott CSR line and got the "Taste of Platinum" treatment. Instead of 90 nights, they gave me from 7/7 to 10/30 to earn the 18 nights. Now I need to find some mattress runs.

My platinum challenge started in June. I will complete the 18 nights for it next month. Will I have Platinum till 2013 or is the expectation I have 75 nights by Dec 2011?

I can't believe you are asking this question:D

I know, but search has yielded nothing. So, although every other program grants you status for the entire next year, there is no evidence one way or the other (that I could find) for Marriott Rewards. Hopefully, this will help someone next time now that this is in the Platinum Match thread.

So what prevents an unscrupulous person...
 

Just wondering, by reading this forum...

What prevents that an unscrupulous person takes advantage of this Challenge program?
You pretty much can get a new account, enter the challenge, enjoy the benefits of Platinum status for a while... and then, say you don't make it... well, just simply register again with a new account and then try again?

Just wondering. It seems Marriot is kind of taking a risk with this offer... aren't they?


Btw... I just called and got my "Challenge Platinum" status in 5 minutes.

If it's a challenge from another program, it's 1-time only & recorded. But to point out the obvious, if you're starting new accounts, it's not like you can combine them all for the points ;)

Cheers.