I agree but here's the rub. From Marriott corporate's point of view, why get rid of it? I guarantee you there someone in that corporate office (this coming from a guy in a corporate office) who is saying it costs them absolutely nothing (from a benefits or operations standpoint) to have a PP level. And it probably makes some folks feel special.

The only thing it costs them is credibility with people like us who, when we see this kind of behavior, think about all the other things Marriott promises and whether those efforts / benefits are genuine.

Currently, Marriott has zero credibility with me but I'm just one guy and I'm sure they're aren't losing any sleep about it.

It seems to me the lack of any official comments from MC means they are working on responding to SPG's changes. Marriott's coverage is so much better than SPG so I doubt they will go as far as SPG does.

What? :confused: How in the world do you derive that conclusion from the absence of MC addressing concerns about the PP reduction in benefits?

Of course in all fairness to MC, they are just messengers and have had little time to report our comments back to Ed French and company, much less received a response from them. Of course since the PP cards just went out, which revealed the reduction in benefits, it appears as though they didn't pay much attention to our comments of the recent past.

+1

Since I have lifetime platinum I have little incentive to stay with MR properties. No EEO BOGO, no 20% off food and far fewer suites in recent years.

Last night I checked into a TPS and the front desk told me I had just 17 more nights to maintain my status for next year. I asked how he know how many nights it would take to make PP next year, he did not know what PP was and said I needed the nights to make P. I told him I was already lifetime P and he did not know it existed.

I hope Hyatt builds out the suburban brands quickly.

Color me ignorant. What are these SPG changes of which you speak? I've got 24 nights slept so far with Marriott this year, and I'm pretty sure I'll re-up for Platinum, given rollover from 2011 and CC nights. I wouldn't mind exploring SPG a bit, if I knew of reason(s) to do so.

Thanks,
--woodstock

Not to pile on but there's no way that taking no action - not even lip service - should be construed as working on a response. In Marriott's case, doing nothing usually means one thing - doing nothing.

Just a side note - I don't want to be a MR hater. I don't want to come off as a MR hater. I've got a bunch of points and just wish they were still a valid option for me because they're located everywhere I travel, I carry their credit card and they have some really nice high end redemption opportunities. But they have truly become a shell of what they were. Really a shame.

In defense of Marriott and I am a lifetime PLT and have been PP for five years running you may think your "underwhelmed" but i can tell you as a road warrior there have been and continue to be many times that simply being a PP has paid off. Getting a room when there "are none", higher upgrades, late late check out if needed and on and on!

AT some point one has to simply be a "loyal" customer then switch because someone offers a "free" something. ANd if one looks around the most consistent chain has been Marriott.

Agree with all of the above. Bolding mine.

I get all that as a regular Plat. @:-)

What extra are you getting as a PP now? From the start of the thread it seems like they've taken away one benefit (20% discount) that differentiated the two levels. A shiny card & sep phone # isn't a big distinction between Plat & PP.

Cheers.

Ok, if you and I were at the desk and there was one room left who do you think will get it? There are countless times that I have heard" your PP" we need to take care of you and I guarantee you that if I have an issues it takes front page!

All the frequent hotel and flier programs are doing the same thing. There are minimal benefits in staying more than what it takes to get to the top tier.

If I stay 50 nights in Marriott I see a lot of benefits (free breakfast, internet, better rooms, etc.). However, the benefit of Platinum is minimal above Gold and the benefit of going beyond 75 is zero.

I think the reason for this is that there are a large number of people in the 30 night range and they want to incent them to try and get to 50 or 75. The number of people above 75 nights is much smaller and statistics show these people tend to be loyal regardless of what additional incentives Marriott provides them with.

Because of this I spread my nights across Marriott, Hilton, Four Seasons, Fairmont and Shangri-La.

If more people do this and stop staying in Marriott after 75 nights then maybe the hotels and airlines will improve the benefits for the top guests.

... of course that is presuming they even know what Premier status is to begin with. All too often I end up explaining how the FG program works and what it takes to maintain status. One FDC tries telling me all the status levels are lifetime and you don't need to re-qualify every year. Ummm

But it is nice to find someone that knows and is willing to show appreciation. One FS Marriott didn't carry milk in their market and sent me to the bar and to tell the bartender it was on the house. :)

Good points

You might want to go over the to SPG forum and look at all the discussion sticky threads there. You may find that there are some that do provide substantial benefits above their top level.

First, read my signature line. We're in the same boat. I'm 85K points and 2 yrs short of LT Plat. I'm now earning MR points with my credit card and Hertz rentals. If that doesn't get me there by 2014 (it will), I'll buy some MR points to put me over the 2M threshold.

Now, alternative hotel programs. Here's my thread from last year: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marri...endations.html

I went with Hyatt because *wood wouldn't give me a Plat challenge (I'm a prior *wood Plat). I got completed the Diamond trial and am now a Hyatt Diamond. I've used 4 suite upgrades and I'll be given 4 more suite upgrade certs to burn Mar 2012-Feb 2013. However, I'm now going to shift to *wood for several reasons.

1) *wood's new program enhancements. I have 373 *wood lifetime nights and have been an elite for 4 years. I only need one more year as gold to have LT *wood gold. That's a low bar to hit and since I have 3 yrs as *wood plat, I only need 7 yrs plat and 127 more nights for LT *wood plat.
Here's a link to *wood's new benefits: http://www.flyertalk.com/the-gate/bl...te-status.html

2) I LOVED *wood when I was a Plat 2003-2005. The only reason why I shifted all of my travels to Marriott is because of the LT status. I knew that my travels would eventually slow down and I wanted to get a lifetime benefit for my loyalty. I used to get tons of suite upgrades with *wood and they have great upper end hotels.

3) Hyatt isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Their lounges (called 'clubs' in Hyatt-speak) aren't as busy as Marriott and are nicer but there isn't much/any in the way of hot foods. I Hyatt Place is OK but I think that Marriott's low end have more value.
I haven't tried *wood's Element and Aloft yet but have visited the hotels. I like them; they look like a great budget option.

4) Let's talk suite upgrades. Not all suite upgrades are created equal. Some suites are dedicated suites. Other suites are simply a room set up between two normal rooms, separated by the lockout. Of the 4 Hyatt suite upgrades that I've gotten, 3 have been lockouts. Of the MANY suite upgrades that I got at *wood in 2003-2006, only 1 was a lockout.
And now it looks like more Hyatt properties are opting out of allowing Diamonds to use suite upgrade certs. Thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hyatt...pting-out.html

So now I'm going to move my business back to *wood in order to get LT Plat status there. I'm not happy about having to build my status back up from zero but once I hit gold this year, I'll have it for lifetime. Then I've got to build back up to plat which I should have before the end of this year.
I'll burn my Hyatt suite upgrade certs but I'll check with each hotel first to make sure that they're dedicated suites; I'm not a fan of simply adding a second hotel room to my regular hotel room. I'd rather have less space in a dedicated full time suite.
Marriott will remain my backup and I'll continue to earn MR points to get me to LT plat. Since I'm being renewed to PP through 2/13, I assume that I'll fall to P through 2/14. Even if I fall to MR gold, that's OK. Other than a welcome amenity, I don't see much of a difference between MR gold and plat. And then in 2014, I'll have enough points for LT plat so once I hit 12 years in the program, I'm back to Plat.
I'll still give MR some business but I'll shop between them and *wood for the best property. I plan on making another trip to Peru so JW Lima will be a must-stay.

You are right - SPG is probably an exception. Unfortunately the places I go don't have a lot of SPG options for me so it would be difficult to get to 100 nights.