Will the new Lifetime Gold be worth attaining?
 

New lifetime gold as I understand it will require 400 nights and at least 7 years as gold. I am at 320 with MR and 42 with SPG - 362 total. I called Marriott and they tell me that I have over 7 years as gold. I pretty much totally stopped staying at Courtyards when they went to the bistro, I hate standing in line to pay for a coffee and the mediocre breakfasts that sometimes take forever. Will it be worth the effort of staying 38 nights for LTG? Will there be any benefits to this? My situation - most of my MR stays occurred 20 some years ago, only 750,000 points on older cheaper stays. I'm Lifetime Diamond with Hilton, enjoy the free breakfasts everywhere, lounge access, some really nice upgrades and bottles of water when checking in. I'm planning on retiring in 2 years so am wondering if there will be any real advantage to having LTG when on vacation stays.

If you are staying at hotels anyway, why not? I wouldn't pay extra for the nights, but even if you have better options right now we have all learned that things can change quickly. While it might not be worth it today, another chain could get purchased with another loyalty program folded and benefits and qualification parameters might change and suddenly you might wish you had gotten LTG in the new program when it was easily doable. One in the hand is worth two in the bush...

I am kinda in the same boat with DL. I'm not flying for work but am about 10k points short of Million Miler. On the one hand it seems silly to to a MR just for status, but on the other hand once it's done I won't need the amex for free luggage.

With Delta and their changes to AmEx spend and Diamond, I've backed off completely. I could have finished off another 300K MQMs before I retire with the AmEx bonus but at 3MM, you get nothing. No reason to shoot for it.

Worth what?

There is no cost for the status, it comes with stays. What are your assumptions as the alternative? Are you planning to spend an extra $10 per night to stay with MR vs. another option, making it a $4000 investment?

If you're staying anyway then yes, it's worth $0.

There has to be some definition of a "cost" to be "worth" something.

Sorry, kinda new around here and don't post a lot.

Why if FT so hard at times???

While I can see where you might read what he wrote as coming across as harsh, having read his posts for years it is likely more a writing style thing and jotting stuff down quickly than meant to be intentionally harsh. The regular posters on this thread tend to be more supportive of and kind to one another than you find on some other FT threads. This isn't our "hometown airline" thread.

BTW, just today I used a DL hat that IIRC you handed to me at a DL DO near Lindberg about eight years ago. My car is a convertible. The had is in the glove box so when someone asks for the roof to go up on a day like today to protect his/her hair the hat comes out.

Fantastic!! I also had an extra 777 model that we gave away, I can't remember who won that.

If you're happy with Hilton, and have been staying with them almost exclusively for years, then you're not going to gain much by getting an equal status at Marriott. Are there issues with Hilton properties at some places you travel to?

IIRC I saw the model 777 and watched someone get it but cannot remember who or what the person looked like.

You triggered a pet peeve... Courtyards no longer have free coffee in the lobby no matter if you are regular, silver, gold, plat or titanium. Most CYs have the coffee maker near the toilet with free generic Maxwell House type grounds but since anyone can go on the Internet and learn how to wash socks or make meth in a hotel coffee maker I won't use it. Most other brands either have coffee in the lobby or CL. If I am reading this correctly, if you become MR LTG in the old program by the end of this year you will be LTG in the new program and have CL access.

Or you could get a Marriott card that gets you 15 nights/year for a couple of years.