Marriott FB post, August 1, 2012
 

Speculation? Replacement for BOGO? Cash + Points?

It is the replacement for the BOGO benefit. Trust me when I say that it is nothing like the BOGO benefit they took away last year. Also, they may be announcing some of the other "enhancements," that will be implemented March 1, 2013, must of which aren't going to make elites very happy. For example, I heard they will be offering Gold & Plats the option of taking breakfast in the restaurant at check-in (still Mon thru Fri only). However, the guaranteed lounge access benefit will no longer be available to Gold Elites!

My guess is the over selling of the new non-benefit of points and cash.

A few comments.

1-I NEVER used a BOGO-wouldnt know how to/where to find them. When people used to post "go here...there" etc...on the website, all I found was 14BILLION "stay a weekend night in beautiful ski country in JUNE and get 75 bonus points"....:rolleyes:

2-I will get flamed for this...but....I think GOLD should not get lounge access. Plat/Lifetime plat is EASY to reach (ESPECIALLY W/rollover). Lounges are already slammed. BUT...that said...they SHOULD give a definative "yes/no" and not a "if available" blah blah blah! Or how about lounge certs of 10 nights/yr for Gold???

3-If they take away bfast for family, it will be a HUGE devaluation. I am affraid one day we will lose that.

How about earning status based on points?

I am currently at the San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina. The lounge has been packed morning and night. I counted at least three families (mom, dad & 2 - 3 kids 10yo and under) in the lounge this evening making the offerings their dinner. There was also one extended family of at least 10 (grandparents, parents, kids) in the lounge last night. I am sure this is not what MR intended when this benefit was first conceived.

I can really see that MR & MI need to do something, because the overcrowding is getting out of hand.

Wonder what other enhancements may be coming?

Regards,

RIP...

they could start with limiting the lounge access, WITHOUT additional payment as HH does (or in the case of the Conrad SQ says NO ENTRY to the youngins), to the MR plat guest and his/her partner who is also a checked in guest.............

at the SD Marina you've got 2 towers of guests all being "dumped" into a single lounge............ no wonder it's over-flowing!!!!!!!

If they take away lounge access, what is the benefit of becoming Gold then??

I am not a business traveler. It was difficult for me to become Gold. If Golds lose lounge access, I am done with Marriotts. I have often stayed at a Marriott when it was less convenient, etc. so that I could get enough days. I also changed my credit card from a Disney rewards card to the Marriott rewards card to help with the number of days. I will be cancelling my Marriott card too.

DH recently applied for (and received) the Ritz Carlton rewards card. Part of the benefit of the card is the automatic Gold status with Marriott (provided you spend the $$$ on the card over the course of the year). No way will the benefits of the card be worth the annual fee if they take away the lounge access for Gold. I might have to cancel that one too just on principle.


Maggie

Found the post after a search. It's not on the Marriott Facebook page, it's on the Marriott Rewards page (which I didn't know about yet).

+1 Especially for us who based in Europe AND not travel on business. We don't have people paying for our hotel nights. We earned our Gold with our own $ and we can't even get a credit card to give us elite nights.

I will be done with Marriott if I don't get my Gold benefits. I'll move my stays to IHG because even as a Plat I got lounge access even on 5k PB nights. It's also much easier to be a IHG Plat than Marriott Plat.

hope Marriott hears ya as lately they've been kinda deaf to the traveling public..............

No way. They even started off the new Cash+Points thread with "You've been asking for". :p

So they know exactly what we've been asking for.*

*Marriott might not be above playing word games though.:eek:

I can't believe they would be so stupid. Gold at Marriott takes a lot of nights and people would just move their business elsewhere very quickly.

Moved mine last year with the loss of EEOs.
says the dude hwo easily achieved SPG and Hyatt top tier status :D

maybe that's why they were "recuiting" newbees with their give away by the truck-load of plats, via plat challenges........