2006 membership pack
 

Has anyone with a lifetime membership received a 2006 membership packet? I have not. While my card says lifetime, and I have no need of another card, i had expected to receive hard copies of the elite coupons.

I didn't get another card for 2006 but I've been getting the hard copies of the elite coupons on a regular basis. Got the Fall 2005 coupon book but haven't seen anything yet this year.

Sorta brutal for a life time requirement, eh? I could probably get the points and nights in about 4-5 years, but couldn't qualify for plat until 12th year?

Three million points in 4-5 years? You might want to check your math.

Well, 3 million in 4 - 5 years is not impossible, but it would be brutal.

Assume each night averages $150 in charges (you can eat at the hotel restaurant or use room service and add that to the bill) and you pay with a Marriott charge card so get the 3 points per dollar, and are Platinum so get an additional 3 points per dollar, so 150 x (10+3+3) = 2400 points per night.

It would take 1250 nights at that rate to make the 3 million, so you could make it in 5 years if you stay 250 nights per year average. If you stayed 300 nights per year, you could do it in a bit over 4 years, and if you did 350 nights you could do it in about three and a half. Actually, with the periodic promotions and bonuses, you could probably do it in under the 1000 nights you'd need anyway (to make the "nights" criterion for lifetime Plat).

Brutal, but possible.

Anything is possible but your scenario is extremely improbable and very implausible. I prefer to deal in reality.

I've been a Lifetime Plat for a couple of years so I was in possession of a Plat Card with the "Lifet" designation in the "expires" field (and I doubt there's any need for another one - my status remains as "Plat" online).

I received absolutely nothing w/regards to EEOs or what's been referred to as the "2006" MR Guide so last week I called the Plat Line.

They told me they'd send me the "guide" and a new card (if I desired it) but as far as EEOs went I was advised that I could print them after I signed in on the website and went to the appropriate area. (Told them I was aware of that but found the hotels seemed to be more comfortable and familiar with the pre-printed EEOS.
Anyway, I was told I'd receive a package in from 7 - 10 days and I let it go at that.

In yesterday's mail came the material - two 2005-2006 MR Guides but nothing else other than the ultimate (undated) cover letter.

Dear Marriott Guest:

Thank you for your recent inquiring regarding the Marriott Rewards Program.
Enclosed you will find the following:

1 2005-2006 Marriott Rewards Guide
1 2005-2006 Marriott Rewards Guide Intl

Additional items may follow, under separate cover. Please contact our customer service representative at (801) 4685000 in the US or (44) 171-584-5500 in the UK with any additional concerns.

Thank you for choosing Marriott for your personal and business travel.

Sincerely

Xxxxx X. Xxxxx
Fulfilmment Manager
Marriott Guest Services.

So, what I received was the literature that I had last yearAs far as the "addional items," I'm not holding my breath.

If in the future they again neglect to send me materials that I would expect as a Plat I'll handle it at that time.

Including bonuses, credit card, meals, and everything else, I've earned a little over 700K points in the last 12 months. That was a little over 150 nights, mostly in full-serivce Marriotts.

Knowing what I know now (thanks to FT!), I probably could have had another 50K or more.

Well when did the actual Marriott Rewards as we know it today come into existence?

Prior to this version, I remember something about being Club Marquis or something like that. I joined in the mid 90's. Also there was this thing called the Courtyard Club too which I also belonged, I take it none of those points count towards this 1.5 - 3.0 Million???

In the past year, I've "stayed" 340 nights in hotels. I've mainly reserved 30+ days stays to get a lower rate and become tax exempt. Hotels didn't have a problem taking the money for weekends I wasn't there. I used 4-5 years as a safe example, when I could probably do it within 3. So being to wait 7-9 years for a lifetime plat is... hm.

I "qualified" for the original Club Marquis (as I remember it only took 5 stays) in 1981 with a stay in the *Marriott "Inn" in Marina Del Rey & don't recall much about it other than receiving auto turndown (mints, ice etc.)

Their first true "frequent guest" program was called Honored Guest (started in the pre-CY timeframe, somewhere around 1982 or 1983.

There was one "elite" level (called "Club Marquis" as I remember and I don't know how you qualified for it other than being grandfathered because you'd achieved it in the pre-Honored Guest days).

Back then it was a completely manual system - you presented a card upon check-in and the hotel filled in the points you were entitled to for hotel charges plus "bonuses" for presenting a Delta boarding pass and/or a Hertz rental agreement. There was also a bonus for attaining "Club Marquis."

The cards, were sent periodically by Marriott and as I remember had your name and membership number (**six digits in those days) preprinted on them and if you were holding "Club Marquis" status embossed on the card was a gold Marquis logo.

Every month or so a statement would be sent (impact printer, of course) along with a newsletter profiling those that had reached the 150,000 point level!

BTW, there were no award categories - otherwise the scheme was the same, less per night all the way up to seven nights.

Under Honored Guest Club Marquis members got not only the turndown, but also check-cashing privileges and preferential reservations(guaranteed, but I don't recall the time limits).

Later on came "super-elite" Club Marquis status (black cards were, I believe were issued out of Mr. M's office at its (his) descretion (or so I was told).

*Still there, but now a CY.

**When the numbers were expanded to nine digits they attached a triple-zero prefix on mine. (On more than one occasion front desk associates have remarked that I was the only (or one of the very few) holding a "000" number who they'd ever checked-in.

No one's ever asked for an autograph but hearing that causes me to feel very old.

Lifetime status should have added benefits!

How can I find out these life to date numbers?

thanks for the history lesson, quite interesting, I didn't get into to the hotel game till the early 90's and that was using Hilton and the old USA days for days inn.. then I finally joined marriott in or around 95.

I've got four leading zeros in mine and I also sometimes have felt old...but being emeritus for several years has mitigated the pain.