Keyser

in an average year, 90% of my stays are at spg properties with marriott & a bunch of others making up the balance 10%....i have derived great benefit with having an ambassador with spg for over 6 years & it would just be unfortunate to spend 125+ nights with a brand & not get top level status, just because my spends are under $20k....& that's not to say that i necessarily won't get to $20k spend or will spend nights at cheap properties to get status....my regular stay patterns have me staying at good hotels but very often the best hotels in the cities i travel to are not enough to get me to $20k spend in the year....

i have a junior associate at my firm who works under me & for the last few years he has been traveling to a particular city on at least a weekly basis, most times twice a week....he used to fly air india (ai) & averaged about a dozen flights a month on this route....his tickets were always booked in advance since we knew which days the cases were listed & the average ticket cost was around $100 per flight....i convinced him to sign up for their frequent flyer program since he was traveling so much....it just seemed criminal for someone to fly that much & not derive any benefit from the airline for doing so....

the problem with ai is that they only award elite status on the basis of tier miles flown & not the number of flights taken or spend or any other factor....since his tickets were almost always booked in the lowest class he used to receive around 230 tier miles per trip....a couple of years ago i realised that even after spending over $15k a year & taking close to 140 flights, he only made it to silver status with the airline....with any other airline he would have been at top status & would be getting the necessary perks one should receive with sticking to a particular airline....based on this fact i asked him to switch to a competing airline where he now enjoys top status & is actually enjoying being part of their program....

marriott runs the risk of alienating a good number of spg members who are at ambassador level by introducing the spend requirement....they may simply switch to a competitor....i'm sure they have a lot of smart people telling them whether this risk is worth it or not....they will ultimately try to do what they feel is best for business....if they feel the risk of losing a few customers is not as bad as having to fork out a number of extra benefits for these same customers then i guess that's their call to make....

CHOPCHOP767

Even worse, I suppose for us Lifetime Gold folks, which is apparently meaningless in the new program.

Part of me is happy about a spend requirement: two years ago, I used a Marriott Executive Apartment in the ME for 9 months at a rate of around $270 per night. Since this was a Executive Apartment, the points earnings were pathetic (1 elite night credit for every three nights stayed). Whereas, had I spent 9 months at some Courtyard off an interstate in the States at a rate around $100 per night, I'd get full elite credit, for spending $3,000 a month as opposed to $8,000 per month.

The part of me that is less thrilled with a spending requirement is the likelihood that MR will simply add the spending requirement without any commensurate increase in benefits...

Still, can't say I'm surprised. As soon as the airlines introduced spending requirements, it was only a matter of time for hotels...

drew502

I received this card several months back from a property I've stayed at ~15 times since and have not received it again. I assumed it was something the check-in agents use internally and I was not supposed to get it.

funkbandit

"Lifetime Status is a special thank you for your loyalty—a guarantee that you will enjoy all the benefits of Elite status for life." (Quote from Marriott website)

I fear the only lasting benefit will be the "Elite" status by itself with no special benefits attached.

dinoscool3

If the rumors are true, seems like a downgrade for both programs.

yurtripper

Don't complain - you have a lifetime of 2pm checkouts to look forward to... and the occasional upgrade to a higher (non-exec) floor

ronaldko

hockeyinsider

Again, assuming this isn't fake news, if this is true what about award nights? A couple years back, Marriott changed the program so that award redemption nights were elite-qualifying. If they switch to a revenue component for some or all statuses then award redemption nights will penalize customers.

dabbill

As a Marriott lifetime Plat I'm sure hoping, but not expecting, to be assigned to the PP status. New PP is the same as old Plat which is 75 nights. I expect I'll get devalued by redefining what a Marriott Platinum is. When I made lifetime Plat there was even a requirement of ten years as a Platinum. I'll complete the what have you done for me lately sweepstakes with my useless Delta million miler lifetime silver and potentially lose most Marriott perks. Loyalty Programs are pretty much all one way deals.

CHOPCHOP767

How could I not mention the 2pm checkout? And only 110ish more nights to go for UA Silver status too

hockeyinsider

This implies the programs merge in August but don't take effect until next year since there's no name. It would dispel the rumors that the new program would begin in August.

And what happened to 30 brands? One brand has been dropped. (See below)

C17PSGR

where did you get this?

and 29 brands...looks like bulgari is not there but there are 30 icons

hockeyinsider

I was hoping Marriott may have goofed and published something on its Japanese and Korean websites, but I just used Google Translate and there are no new updates.

hockeyinsider

Design is there, but Bulgari isn't.

raccah

So as a long time plat SPG biz sleeper, these changes are HUGE and horrible. I normally do 30 to 35 stays and I get plat access that way. Now, it is all about nights and not stays anymore - which is a huge con to me. Also, liunge access at 75 nights ONLY? ..., again that is a huge con as well.

Whomever said, these changes are in step with what is there today is very wrong, in regards to SPG. SPG was the best system out there by far, these changes essentially demand 75 nights or spend your money elsewhere, which is bonkers, but hey that is life I guess.