This topic has been discussed both here and (at least) on the Hilton forum. The problem is this: what do you do after you've made the top-tier elite, and you have time to go until the end of the year?

In my case, I will make platinum next week - so I've got six months to go. In Hiltons, it's even easier to make diamond level, 60 nights or 26 stays.

So ... I'm at top tier - which hotel chain wants the rest of my year's business?

Rumor has it that there is a "super" diamond level ("double diamond"?) at Hilton, and Marriott has their exclusive Platinum Plus (?). However, the latter is by invitation only, and they wait a couple of years and monitor your spending patterns. For most of us, we're not going to make it.

Ideally, there should be some sort of enticement to keep us proven spenders within a given chain, rather than just letting us wander off to make top tier in another chain. Also, again ideally, this enticement should not dilute the current benefits of existing "normal" tier members, otherwise a general revolt might ensue.

What I propose is the following, based loosely on airline practices:

Upon achieving top tier (75 nights), you are awarded a certificate good for one night's free stay at any Marriott in the world. No blackout dates.

Want more? OK - Every 25 additional nights gets you another certificate!

In my case, I could look forward to gathering, say, two or three of these little golden pieces of paper. Imagine - just like Starwood is supposed to be - if Marriott has a room available, you can get it with one of these babies. I really believe they would become like gold - a serious goal, worth shooting for!

What's in it for Marriott? Well, it takes an additional 25 nights beyond the difficult task (for many) of qualifying for platinum. Those 25 nights could easily represent anywhere from two to five thousand dollars to Marriott's bottom line that, absent the little incentive, might well have gone to some other chain!

Who-hoo! Imagine checking in at, say, the Marriott in Monaco and paying for your nights with a fist full of these certs! They would not only know your are a platinum, but you are well beyond platinum - i.e., you are definitely one of Marriott's best customers! Hey - you might even get upgraded to a suite!

The cost to Marriott? I don't know how many of their 20 million MR members are platinums, but they do. I'd sure like to see them run the numbers on this and project the cost vs. what I see as a dynamite incentive for increasing business. I suspect there is only a small fraction who would qualify, but that is precisely the fraction they would like to keep firmly attached to Marriott. IMHO, this would be an excellent way to do it.

I'd love other people's opinions on this (or the usual buzzkill who points me to a link where it was discussed years ago, why don't you do a search, etc. )

I'd have loved the heck out of that in 2002. 440 nights would equal fifteen of those certs!

More seriously, though, excess nights simply get you closer to Emeritus at a faster rate. 75 nights a year X 12 years (minimum time in program to be awarded Emeritus) = 900 nights -- and that's only enough for Gold Emeritus (assuming you meet the other criteria), IIRC. Picking up extra nights here and there helps you score Emeritus faster, if you're taking the long view of your travel loyalty programs.

Try this link.......

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forum...to_forumsearch

Just kidding�� Ok, I�ll play devils advocate.

If you stay 25 nights, above and beyond the 75 it takes to make PLT, and you average 2100 points per night (which is about my average, but then I�m a cockroach and we go cheap) then if my math is right you will have 52,500 more points. Guess what? The stay anytime award for one night at C-7 hotel anywhere in the world is ���.52,500 points.

Your problem is solved.

Now with devils hat off. I agree with you. I�m on track to give Marriott about 140 nights this year. More than likely I will go for a higher status at Hilton or try to keep my status at *wood. There is no real reason to give Marriott all those nights. My personal preference would be some sort of roll over program, say all nights over 100 counting towards next years status. Maybe even a guaranteed suite upgrade certificate that I could use on an award stay with Ms l4pi.

You�re on the right track though���

A. I never heard of Emeritus status. And with a 10-year qualification period, I doubt if it would have any effect on my plans. In 10 years, I plan to be either retired or dead.

B. Well, I'm staying on a very nice negotiated rate. Even with plat status and affinity credit cards, I rack up about 500 pts/night -- for me, the free night cert would be a lot more attractive.

Yes, rollover/carryover nights would be a nice thing -- not sure which would be harder to implement. But still, that's just relatively minor tweak. The "golden" certs would be a tangible thing, something you could shoot for. As described above, it would be a marketing counter to Hyatt's Faster Free Nights and Starwoods "available anytime" thing.

For me, the whole purpose of gathering points is to spend them on vacation in some nice locale -- a suite would be nice but not at all critical for my stay. So, anything that gets me nights as a reward for my spending all this time away from home is desirable.

Where I stay, there's a Hampton Inn literally across the street, a La Quinta kitty-corner across, a Candlewood Suites next door, and a Quality Inn right behind us. I have a choice of four other hotel chains, and going there requires no more than turning right instead of left at the driveway. If Marriott was offering a little sweetner like this, I'd be much less inclined to go talk to the managers of these other hotels. Good for me, good for Marriott. And I suspect it would only affect a miniscule portion of their customer base.

I agree with BigLar on something a little extra for those who go above the tough task of 75 nights. I have the same situation; that is, I will have 56 nights at the end of June, so the 75 night issue is moot at this rate. So what makes me stay for an extra 25 or more in 2004. The Free night Cert's would be nice!

At this point, I will ONLY stay the extra 25+ this year (2004) as I have, at this momemt, only 130 nights total to go right now to make the "emertis" mark of 1000. I already have the 12 years; I've been Plat for about 7 and have the 3MM points earned. so I will go for 90+ nights this year, leaving me only a small amount to do next year then it's Perm Plat. So sometime in Sept. I'll start back at HH to continue my Diamond status...doing the 28 stay deal ( I already have 15 stays). I really think that the Marriott program is superior to HH; however I am with HH for the points, however inflated their redemption is...since they have resorts in some places of the world where no Marriotts exist, ie: St. Lucia, Key West (full service HH, no full svc. Mar.) etc.

My stays are at almost all brands of Marriot, excepting the TownPlace and Res.Inn Brands. I don't like the "double bed" at Res. Inn (Homewood has Kings) and TownPlace and Res. Inn only do 1/2 points....I understand, maybe the Townplace 1/2 point issue, but not the Res. Inn at the rates they charge now!

My other issue is with Courtyard vs. H.Garden Inn: Diamonds get free breakfast, at least a continental that may be upgraded at a modest charge to a full buffett. Why can't Courtyards do the same for Platinums. HGI's are a superior product over CTYD, altho' the CTYD's that have been refurbished are close and now they all have h.s free too, like the HGI's have. Also, I will not stay at a "franchise-type" CTYD; they seem to run their own program regardless of the Marriott name on the signage.

One last issue: in my family I will never make or get the letter from Marriott alowing me to become "premier"....my wife(Gold) has 43 nights so far this year, on track to Plat and I will make plat too....but neither of us will go to 125+ even tho' we'll have about 165 nights between us. As I am posting this, I'm in a CTYD in Orlando and my wife is in the Pere Marquette in the Big Easy!

No complaints tho, the suggestion of the certificates gets my vote, plus, maybe the CTYD Bfst for Plats! Thanks.

P.S. BigLar: no Marriott in Monaco, but a Marriott in Cap D'Ail; kinda around the corner in France, near the heliopad!

Yeah, well, I can spell Monaco - every time I tried Cap D'Ail it came out different.

A tip of my hat to you! ^

And I thought I was good at negotiating rates. Are you a cockroach too?

Why qualify for another program when you can just send them a copy of elite status in another program and they will match elite status. Stick with a good program until it goes bad.

Wanna see my lapel pin? It's one of the original black ones. Serial number 100 or something like that.

Maybe we could start a group of Marriott folks like the DL rats or the US roaches. Let's see, we could call ourselves the ...............Bed Bugs.

That could have several meanings.

Now, back to our original topic.....

It's not just a matter of qualifying -- what's the point of getting comp'd top level in another program and continuing earning points in the original program?

I'm trying to couch this from Marriott's point of view -- namely, what could they do that would be relatively inexpensive and easy to implement, yet would represent a very desirable goal for people who are very frequent travellers. I'm sure they'd like to capture 100% of that available dollar.

The problem I've identified is a lack of any "cookies" once you've gotten the top tier. Any frequent traveller surely knows there are other programs out there, and as long as continued stays at Marriott just result in more points (and that's pretty much it), why not give Hilton or Priority Club or Starwood a go and see what that's like?

For a marketeer, that's poison -- while we all give lip service to competition, what we'd really like is a locked-in customer base. My suggestion is just a little goody to help them get there.

And of course, I make out a little, too.

Not a bad idea. See this link for what we are doing on the DL Forum regarding bag tags to identify ourselves to each other and other FT'ers;
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=326947

On BigLar's proposal, I might also suggest that a higher level than Platinum might keep the Lifetime Platinum's from straying as well. Marriott is still my primary hotel chain and accounts for 90% of my annual hotel stays. But some who received the Lifetime Platinum status might wander off to other hotel chains and an opportunity to reach a yet higher level might keep them in the fold.

While part of me understands this "I've made platinum for the year (or the rest of my life, for the emeritus folks), so now I'll work on earning status with someone else" mindset, when I deconstruct it, it really doesn't make sense.

Is the reason you've stayed with Marriott so much simply to get "recognized" for it? I suspect that for most of us it's because we know Marriott offers a superior product. After making platinum you could spend your next 25 nights in a Hilton, but why? You'll be treated better, have a nicer facility, and earn more Marriott points (including the platinum bonus) by just sticking with them. Unless you just like to show off an array of elite-tier cards, the logical thing to do is to continue patronizing the brand that has earned your loyalty through the superiority of their product.

I can only answer this from my perspective. I stay somewhere between 200 and 235 nights a year. Often the most convenient hotel is not a Marriott. It is nice to have the elite benefits in those hotels as well. So if it means giving another program ten or 15 nights that would have gone to Marriott, I will do it to enjoy the 20-25 nights spent at the other chains. Now if Marriott made me think twice before even considering such a move, wouldn't it be smart on their part.

Don't get me wrong, Marriott is my program of choice and it will continue to be so. But I will also continue to try to earn status in the other programs for those times Marriott doesn't work for me.