VA1379

I haven’t done that for the simple reason that I have not been able to find Sheratons that are comparable to Marriott properties I like to stay at for where I am traveling. I’m not willing to accept a significantly inferior product at the same or higher price than its counterpart in Marriott:

CCIE_Flyer

Ha! Wishful thinking on the never part, likely even the 2020 part.

Your solution does seem one of the obvious choices available to Marriott, but it would likely contribute to elite bloat, no? And that's got to be a concern for them, esp given that a first combined year disaster (e.g. massively overcrowded lounges) could have a truly lasting impact on the combined brand...

HHonors OUTSIDER

Yes good point they may have to increase the number of qualifying nights to achieve Gold or Platinum in a new combined program. Also as others have mentioned in this thread the probable reason for removing buy back and rollover nights sooner rather than later. I think you are on to something here they should delay the combined program until 2022 to allow enough time to weed out the excessive numbers of Gold and Platinum.

Marriott15

I'm a Pharma rep and stay about 120 nights a year. I can't spend over $200. Which is my issue in a lot of cities I visit! I can't stay in the Marriott or JW Marriott because its always over $200. I'm mostly staying in Sheratons and Westin's during this promo. What do you normally stay in with Marriott and what Sheraton properties are you comparing?

vishalgupta22

I guess it's a little naive question, but I am confused between Membership year and rollover nights (I am also a newly minted MR plat so know very little as compared to others here)

I called customer service and they told me my marriott platinum is good until end of Feb, 2019. Now the question is how do I requalify?
Do I need to earn another 75 nights between March 2019 and Feb 2020 or do I need to earn the nights in calendar year 2018? Same for rollover nights, are rollover by calendar year or membership year?

I know that the program may change in 2019 and all this may be irrelevant, but for now, please try to help me with current information.

Thanks,
vish

Sorry

CJKatl

Don't be sorry. These are logical questions. Let me give it a shot...

You qualify based on calendar year, but your membership level starts once you qualify and continues through the next calendar year and through January of the year after that. So if you qualify this year, you will be Plat through the end of 2017, all of 2018 and through the end of Jan 2019.

If you do not requalify, Plat ends. To requalify, you need to earn 75 nights during calendar year 2018. The 75 can include rollover, credit card, birthday gift and butt in bed nights.

Right now, nights can be rolled over once. So let's say you started 2017 with 10 rollover nights from 2016. Including those nights you have 90 credited nights for 2017. You will start 2018 with 5 rollover nights. The ten that rolled over for 2017 will not rollover again, so they get subtracted. The 75 you need to qualify this year will also be subtracted, leaving 5 rollover nights going into 2018. Those five nights will also go into your lifetime total a second time. (Once when earned and once as rollover)

Please do not hesitate to ask if that is clear as mud or should you have other questions. BTW, the above is based on the current rules and does not take any unknown but likely changes for 2019 into account, nor does it mention that rollover ends after 2018.

vishalgupta22

Thanks CJK

That was crystal clear.

Voodoo Daddy

I believe IHG offers rollover nights, although the comparability of IHG elite to Marriott elite is certainly dubious.

VA1379

It is for leisure trips, and I am not traveling as much now compared with several years ago. It might be partly where I travel, but I notice the weekend and weekday room rates aren’t so different between the Marriott and Starwood properties, although there is a difference in what you get as a platinum member. A Marriott gold member is better off than a Starwood gold member in terms of complimentary breakfast so I am making a comparison between a regular platinum for both brands. I am not going to take into account room upgrades, whether you have SPG Platinum 75 or 100/Marriott Platinum Premier, or if you are a top 50 guest at a hotel since those things can alter your experience significantly. Also, there is greater variability with room upgrades, and the preferential treatment you get for being top 50 at a property can vary a bit depending on who is working that night at a hotel.

I’ll give an example from a couple of weeks ago. I stayed at the Crystal Gateway Marriott for $84 on AAA rate. The Westin across the street had a AAA rate of $80-90. I don’t remember the exact amount for the Westin, but they were close. I took the Marriott property because it has an M Club while the Westin has no club lounge. Crystal Gateway Marriott’s M Club has no evening appetizers on weekends, but it was still open for snacks, fruit, soda, coffee, tea and water from a tap. The biggest difference is the breakfast benefit since platinums are entitled to a continental breakfast as the Westin and have to pay $5 for a full breakfast buffet. I got the full buffet for free at the Marriott, and I ate it in the club lounge and did not have to tip. I don’t tip in club lounges since I usually pick up after myself, although they had someone clearing plates there.

I considered staying at the Tysons Corner Marriott that weekend with a $76 AAA rate. The nearby Sheraton was selling rooms for $85 on a AAA rate. Both properties have free weekend parking (Friday and Saturday nights), and the Marriott hotel charges $2 more for weekday parking ($12 vs $10; Sheraton also has valet parking for $20). This Marriott has the traditional executive lounge (no M Club), which is open Sunday night to Friday morning for breakfast and evening appetizers and desserts. It is not open 24 hours to use as a space for guests, and I am not sure if it is open to grab drinks like some traditional Marriott executive lounges. I had thought about trying out the Sheraton Tysons in the past year, but I was dissuaded by reading that offerings in the club lounge had gone downhill in the past year. They stopped offering evening service on the weekends, and the club breakfast sounded worse than what the Marriott offered during weekdays. Of course, a full breakfast in the restaurant on the weekend at the Marriott property would be much better than any club breakfast. This Marriott has a really good breakfast offering in the restaurant, and I have always been able to get extra yogurt or lox if they were ran out of it. The evening offerings at the Tyson’s Corner Marriott are among the best for a hotel in the United States. Before Crystal Gateway Marriott got a M Club, I would say that the Tysons Corner Marriott had a better executive lounge for breakfast and appetizers/dessert.

The gym at the Tysons Corner Marriott is one of the better ones for a Marriott hotel with a lot of strength equipment, a decent amount of cardio machines, and a good space for mat work. They don’t have a squat station, but they do have equipment for doing tricep pulldowns with a twisted rope while standing up. From what others have said, the Sheraton Tysons has a decent gym as well.

Weekday room rates are similar for both the Tysons Corner Marriott and the Sheraton Tysons. I checked for January 23 to 24, 2018, and I was getting $186-220 for BAR and AAA rates. People with good corporate rates may be getting much lower than that. I know both properties charge more in busier periods. I also saw during that date that the Washington Marriott Georgetown (not really in Georgetown) had a $152 AAA rate for the same night. That was a lot more than 10 % off BAR.

hockeyinsider

D.C. area rates can be extremely high (over $350 per night for a Courtyard or Marriott) and then surprisingly cheap, like under $160 a night when there isn't much happening in the swamp.

Marriott15

I appreciate your post! This just goes to show you how there are so many ways people value hotels depending on their situation. I am so caught up in the corporate world right now that I don't even think about those things! I couldn't even tell you how much I pay in parking! I also get $100 a day in food so when I go book a hotel I am not worrying about if they have free breakfast or not just assuming they have a onsite restaurant.

jrich7970

I'm assuming that the IT folks haven't done all their work yet?

UA-NYC

No, there just aren't any more rollover nights as a benefit, it's lazy IT that the field is still there

hhoope01

You might find the https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marr...r-changes.html thread has some good information and discussion on this.

jrich7970

I think you misunderstood my post.

I was aware there was no rollover...

My point was, knowing there was no rollover, I was surprised that the field was still there, and not was it still there, it showed "2018".

But, whatever.