Yes indeed!! I just hit this milestone earlier this year. They really should do something extra for people at this level. Not sure what, but your suggestions are a start.

I wonder how many people have reached this level?

I also wonder. I bet its more than we think.


I'll hit 12 years next year and while I travel a LOT more than people with office jobs I don't travel anywhere near so many of the people on this and other sites.

I hit it last year, only found out because I called to ask where I was in getting there. Since I've been PP for 7 years, and will probably keep that this year, I won't be recognized as Plat Emeritus until I drop below plain Plat, then I get bumped up to Plat and the lifetime card.

Seems silly that Marriott doesn't do more. When I hit 1MM (lifetime Gold) with AA there was recognition, then when I hit the 2MM mark (lifetime Plat), a nice gift. When I hit 1MM with DL (lifetime sliver, or Silver) I was given a choice of nice gifts to choose from. Both programs indicate that on the card - not that the card means that much, but it's a nice gesture.

As for suite upgrades, domestically I've only had a handful, and typically only on one night stays. Never had one for multiple nights. At the Casa Magna in Cancun, they always seem to get me one of the Caribbean suites. Meanwhile, at SPG properties with suites, I've only missed one this year out of 30 stays.

Platinum Emeritus Qualification.
 

I'm a platinum, have been for a while now, and yesterday when checking into a Courtyard in MSP, the front desk told me, "Congratulations! You just hit Platinum for Life!"

I was surprised, as it just didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. This afternoon, I recalled the conversation and called Marriott Rewards to ask about it - and this is what I was told:

To qualify for Platinum Emeritus, you must:
1. Be a Marriott rewards member for 12 years
2. Have stayed at least 1000 nights in those 12
3. Have been a Platinum Elite member at least once
4. Have earned 2 million points over the duration of your time as a member.

I'm WAY short of that. Okay, maybe not THAT short, but... I started in 2005, so it'll be a while before I hit the 12 year mark.

this thread (specifically the first page) is freaking hilarious :p. We are such nerds.

^ :D Good thing I didn't post the youtube video of the 'secret handshake'.

I've been a Plat Premier since January. In general, this status is inconsistently recognized. I'm not sure how I made it but I did spend 191 nights mostly in Marriott, Renaissance and Ritz Carlton properties last year. I spend very few nights even at Courtyard which I consider a downgrade.

The one benefit I do know I get is when I b*tch, somebody listens.

Case in point:
I've been staying at the Renaissance Arboretum in Austin for most of the year. Most of the time, I get upgraded to their "luxury suite" which is a 8-900 sq. ft. corner room with dining area, living room, sleeping area, dressing room and bathroom. Sort of an open floor plan. Two TVs, two comfy cowhide lounge chairs with ottoman, sofa, etc. Lots of windows.

Recently, I quit getting upgraded and was being thrown into regular rooms. Now I know this property has at least 12 luxury suites and 28 executive suites (rooms with a small living room and separate bedroom). The desk clerk told me that they were all being occupied by other Plat Prems. Yeah, right. So I fired off a polite but insistent email to the senior rooms controller who had been sending me hello/goodbye emails. I asked them why I had fallen off their radar and told them that the Marriott in Round Rock didn't have a problem finding me a suite. She figured out where the disconnect on allocating me an upgrade had occurred and got my profile updated. Now I'm back to my usual upgrade and I'm very satisfied.

I usually get upgraded and I've started referrring to my status in the virtual concierge requests just to make sure they know I'm coming :D

The only Marriott chain that ignores my status is the Ritz. I tolerate that for now because I'm usually staying at a discounted rate comparable to most Marriott's. My suggestion to Marriott is that Platinum Premiers should get upgrade benefits to at least the Club level at Ritz Carlton. That's certainly a fair thing to do considering how much money I spend.

Where are you getting virtual concierge from? I've only gotten virtual concierge e-mails a couple of times. Is it attached to the reservation or reminder?

I propose one free night for every 50 nights you stay. The free night should be at ANY category hotel, PLUS free breakfast at all properties 7 days a week. Where is is a CL, we have the option to eat off the menu downstairs.

Out of curiosity, what are your overall thoughts on the Renaissance Austin? Specifically, do any of the suites have luxurious bathrooms with separate baths and showers, or is it principally a business-oriented property? Any specific suite numbers I should request? Have a stay down there in a couple weeks. Much appreciated.


Regarding your point about being treated like yesterday's lunch at Ritz's, I've found that Ritz's tend to be more sensitive to the kind of rate you book than anything else. Though standard FS Marriotts have upgraded me on points, cheap negotiated rates, and rack rates, I get substantially better treatment at Ritz's when I book a FHR rate in conjunction with my Platinum Marriott status. This combination almost always has resulted in Club Level Suite upgrades when I book it. Nevertheless, I agree entirely that a guaranteed club upgrade would be a major benefit, and would also dissuade those who have the option from booking through FHR.

There's no fancy benefit as Marriott Plat as well...haha

Well, obviously there are a lot of things Marriott COULD do to tangibly reward Platinum Premiers. Maybe it's my imagination, but it seems to me that PP isn't what it used to be--in years past I got better upgrades and more consistent "Wow--thank you for being PP!" than I do now. My suspicion is that what was originally truly the top 3% of platinums has become watered down and most hotels now have several PP's in residence every night. In short, PP is the new plat.

That being said, I still get treated great at properties where I've made some personal connections. For me these include the Wailea Marriott, Washington Dulles Airport Marriott, Renaissance Las Vegas, and particularly the San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter. These are places that, even though I may only stay once a year, have for some reason taken note of me and truly roll out the red carpet. And so, I steer as much business as I can to them both personally and with posts like this.

Finally, I wholeheartedly support the suggestion that PP's get complimentary Club Level upgrades at Ritz-Carlton. Not only is it a great reward, but it would without question result in increased revenue to Marriott overall. You can't book a Ritz on the cheap at all, so just to get a room there is going to bring in some coin. And if a Club Level room is available (because we all know upgrades are "subject to availability") it really doesn't cost them an extra penny to put a REALLY loyal guest in one of those rooms. I think this would be a huge PR boon for the company and I honestly cannot see a downside...

The personal connection is a great way to get perks. I do projected related consulting for the most part so I'm usually in one place for extended periods of time. Getting to know the key staff like GM, room controller, front desk, even the bar tenders can pay off. If I'm staying at a new property, I will respond to the Virtual Concierge link I get in the reservation reminder and note my status. Emails from the hotel are another opportunity.

You're probably right about the rate-sensitivity of the Ritz. When I blow in there and pay $119-125/night, they're probably looking at me like I was Larry the Cable Guy's second cousin twice removed. As long as they don't ask me too many questions about my rate, I won't complain about no upgrades ;)

I also know that Ritz does Priceline. We were chatting in the pool with another couple at the Sarasota property and that's how they booked. Although I still had them beat in price :D

The Renaissance Austin is primarily a business hotel. Typical Marriott bathrooms and amenities. The suites do have a separate dressing area. They're not super-stylish but they're comfy. The beds are a little firm so beware. All the rooms have large leather chairs and cowhide ottomans. Luxury corner suites have numbers ending with 23. Accessible luxury corner suites have numbers ending with 39. Main difference is bathroom shower and wider doors. There are eight executive suites on each floor with the small living room/wet bar and separate bedroom. They're easy to spot because they have a small window that looks out into the central atrium or hallway. I believe this used to be an Embassy Suites but not entirely sure. Food service is decent although the room service menu doesn't have a lot of variety. Restaurant is always dead but food is good. They have a nice little sandwich/snacks/coffee restaurant in the atrium. The Arboretum mall is next door with Cheesecake Factory, Barnes & Noble and some smaller quick eats venues. The location is very good as it's near the intersection of Tx highways 1 and 183. Nearby restaurants worth eating at include Rudy's BBQ, Trudy's, Chuy's, Mighty Fine Burgers, Mimi's Cafe, Roaring Fork and lots more.

This hotel does a lot of meetings, especially with government groups. It does keep the bar scene lively. There's also a lot of corporate travelers from IBM, ACCenture, ATT labs and others. Note the emphasis on captilization ;)

Property: Marriott New Orleans (Canal St)
Length of stay (repeat stays?): 3 days, many many previous stays
Greeting: Thank you for being a Platinum Premier
Room upgrade: Concierge floor (club closed for weekend)
Suite upgrade: no
Special requests filled: Got to room and wired HSIA was not working, took three calls to get an engineer to the room, didn't have access to the tools to fix the problem, moved to another room (after verifying wired HSIA worked).
Other: Asked about weekend breakfast and was told not comp'ed at that property. Signed breakfast off to room, PP discount showed as Employee Discount, only the tip showed up on the room bill. Had dinner in same restaurant, PP discount showed as AARP, proper amount showed up on room bill.

Property: JW Marriott, Seoul
Length of stay (repeat stays?): 8 night stay
Greeting: Thanked me for being a Platinum Premier
Room upgrade: Yes
Suite upgrade: Yes
Special requests filled: Refrigerator in room
Other: They emptied the for sale items out of the refrigerator in the room in order to accommodate my request. Fantastic Concierge lounge open 7 days per week. Evening head concierge recognized me from my previous stay three years ago!