This might be a silly question, but how does 150 earned nights this year earn plat status for the next two years?

why wouldn't it be for this year (75) and for next year, 2013 (75)? how does 2014 enter this picture?

I thought I had it, and now I'm confused again.:p

The nights you earn qualify you for status for the next year. Thus:

2012: 150 nights earned - 75 for plat qualify, next 75 rollover to 2013
2013: 0 nights earned, 75 rollover nights - qualifies for plat for 2014
2014: nights earned will go towards qualifying for 2015.

Keep in mind your status needs to drop before you get the lower rollover threshold. So if you are Plat you need more than 75 "earned" nights to get any rollover nights. If you only do 49 nights several years in a row, it would look like:
Year 1 49 nights Status Silver 39 rollover nights.
Year 2 49 nights Status Plat 0 rollover nights.
Year 3 49 nights Status Gold 0 rollover nights.
Year 4 49 nights Status Silver 39 rollover nights.
Year 5 49 nights Status Plat 0 rollover nights.

See the trend?

ok. Thank you.
I get it.

This is because in 2012 (in the scenario above), you are plat and the nights in 2012 you are earning is what they will be looking at for requalification in 2013 and so on....

Just had to think about that one for a minute.:cool:

Well, it can "technically" be easier if you don't want to stay at hotels by using the meetings with Marriott promo and getting 10 nights per meeting. Do this for the years that you don't travel much.

No. It does not matter what your starting status is, for everyone (and in any rewards program I've ever participated in, for that matter), the nights you earn go towards earning you status for the next calendar year. If you earn the status before the end of the current year, you will obtain the status right away, but it will only expire at the end of the next calendar year (or, in the specific case of Marriott, the following February).

Let's be honest: the easiest status to renew, by far, is IHG. With one 3-night stay, I've already got gold for the next year, and would only need a couple of other paid stays to sew up plat. It's also among the most worthless status, so I probably won't bother.

Looking at the SPG page, it takes 50 nights to get Platinum level 1, how are you keeping it with just 25 nights? 25 one night stays?

Yes, some do SPG hotel hopping to get Plat "Lite" in 25 stays and less than 50 nights. Hilton also bestows status based upon stays or nights. Not sure how many others do.

+1^ True.
Didn't think about it that way. Your current year can always upgrade your current status, but it is what they look at early next year for requalification.

With Marriott though, the rollover thing can be a bit tricky.;) It's hard to say whether or not it's worth bumping to Plat. late in the year if you don't have much travel left, or remain Gold and rollover many more nights for the following year to make earning Plat. easier.

Marriott is NOT the easiest to keep year to year!!!
 

Hardly. First of all, you can get status purely from holding the right credit card now at Hilton:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...erve-card.html

(for $95/year)

and also at Priority Club:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/inter...um-status.html

(for those based in the US, as you appear to be, anyway).

Second, Priority Club Platinum is achievable for earning 60000 points from any sources, including bonuses. So even before the above-mentioned change, many FTers were signing up for stacking bonuses (only available on FT, not promoted by Priority Club themselves consistently) and would earn 60000 points on just their first small handful of paid stays of the year.

Having said that, Priority Club elite status is hit-or-miss, as there are hardly any guaranteed benefits, they're up to the individual hotels.

But which status is easier to keep and which status is worth more are two separate questions.

Meanwhile, I'd say Hilton Gold is in many ways even more valuable the Marriott Gold (since there are no day-of-the-week restrictions or brand restrictions on free breakfast), but (if not using the new Reserve card) can be achieved in just 16 stays (as opposed to Marriott needing 50 nights). So if you can make your stays one-night stays, I'd say Hilton Gold without rollover is at least as easy as Marriott Gold with rollover! Plus, if you're a savvy FTer, you can find out how to get HHonors Gold in as little as 4 stays every two years:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...ges-comps.html

Please show me how to get Marriott Gold in 4 stays every 2 years and/or by just holding the right credit card and I'll agree with you that Marriott elite status is the easists to keep year to year. Otherwise, I'm sorry, but i have to say that HHonors Gold is way easier, with so many more ways to do it.

(Having said all that, if you can get the others so much easier, why not keep elite status at multiple hotel programs! Ie, I have nothing against earning elite status at Marriott, I just have to steer a lot of nights there, which I can only do because I have to steer so few stays to the other programs to stay elite there.)

Makes sense. So I guess one could argue it'd almost be better if Marriott did not do the soft landings in this scenario? Because then you'd be downgraded to Silver in Year 3 but should then get those 39 rollover nights?

I am one step ahead of you on the idea of spreading the wealth around to other chains. I started searching out SPG and Hilton properties near where I need to stay regularly. I really wanted SPG to be my mistress away from Marriott because there are two specific Sheraton's that I'd prefer to stay at during certain events. My problem ends up being that there are no SPG properties in my other locations that I can earn nights with.

I'll have to look into the Hilton thing, the only problem there is they don't have properties I need. in the locations I travel to frequently.

Go sit in the corner!!!

Actually, might be a bit short sighted. You would loose the benefits of the higher status until you re-earn them, amoung them being the higher bonus points. But if title is all that matters, yes. :D

Ok, that is my understanding of the program.

Of course, if they keep the Gold and Platinum challenges, you would be able to find a way to stay Platinum.