Then I should have silver for next year but that is not what my acct is showing. Maybe I need to call?

No, it's nights. 10 for Silver, 50 for Gold, 75 for Platinum just as the OP stated.

The only thing with Marriott I've ever seen tied to stays is promotions, such as the double points when paying with Visa beginning on the 2nd stay...

It's ok, I'm good on status, now if only Marriott let you eBay your extra nights, I'd be in business...Anyone need 50-100 days or so? :D

Just for the record here. This no comment againts anyone... but Mariott

http://marriott.com/rewards/memspec/hereFasterPop.mi

Do you know how innacurate the info passed the link is...

1)To get the stay for 130,000 pts If your have a Mariott Rewards Visa Card in many places you get 13 points per dollar so its not exactly 13,000 dollars that you spend, but 10,000!
With many 2X points offers it would be less. On the other hand:
If youre doing Residence Inn, TownePlace or Horizons its only 5 points per buck (8 with Mariott Visa) so in that case its 26,000 w/out the card. Much more bucks spent! Its not accurate for another reason, because elites get bonuses!

2) Im not to sure about other programs, but companies tend to write bad stats about other companies, they over do it. Maybe the SPG or Hilton is not that bad, infact they have better beds (SPG) for one thing.

Now you've hit a sore spot.As a Canadian I cannot apply for the Marriott Visa card( I do not have a US address either.) :(

I agree, too many comps means too many people in the program who didn't earn it and far less benefits available for the rest of us!!!

I hope you realize that you are arguing in favor of a system that tends to trap people in their current programs. Maybe you like that, but I certainly don't.

Elite status matches allow for movement, which generally serves the customers -- people like us -- more than the companies offering these programs. For every person who gets a match into your program (thereby diluting your benefits, in your view), there is likely somebody else who is able to leave for another program (thereby offsetting the dilution).

I continue to believe that carefully granted status matches serve everybody's interests and should continue. I have no doubt that they will!

Bruce

Silver is utterly useless.

I disagree.

No one is "trapped" in any program. One makes a free decision whether the current program meets his/her needs. Granted, one gives up some benefits if one changes, until elite status is earned but that can be done relatively easily by very frequent travelers.

Also, FF programs are not perfect markets nor are they zero-sum games. The larger providers and the more lucrative programs will always attract new members more easily.

Since many of us had to "earn" our original status, we are not too excited to see newbies easily granted mid- or upper-level status by challenges or matches. Such schemes are not in my interest. It makes sense to allow expedited access to first tier elite. Above that, it should be earned. YMMV.

My general take is that each program is *probably* best served by guarding its top level closely, even if they allow comps or challenges into the midlevels. That's my take as both a traveler and someone who works on a variety of marketing campaigns, albeit none related to the travel industry.

There is some value in messaging to potentially-lucrative new customers "Here's an incentive to try our product." That's why in many cases I think a midlevel comp is OK - good for the company because it really does lure profitable business, and not a bad experience for existing midlevels because the perks midlevels get aren't all that capacity-controlled. (e.g., They don't put Golds in the Presidential Suite to begin with, and they don't override award availability rules for Golds. We get minor upgrades, which are reasonably abundant, nice customer service, bonus points, and access to the lounge. Adding 0.1% or even a full 1% additional "Gold" room-nights to the global volume of Marriott business due to comps is not a problem for existing Golds.)

But there's also a great deal of value in messaging to existing customers "You are in our highest-volume segment, we reward you with special value-add items, and we aren't going to mass-market your perks to people who aren't volume customers." I think Marriott, in general, does a good job with this: Platinum means real Platinum with very, very few exceptions. I'm not a Plat, probably never will be, and I totally understand why they aren't going to just throw it my way because I make a phone call.

Pinniped, I totally agree. That's a wonderful analysis.

The one thing that's missing from the post of the guy with 2.5M Delta miles who switched to United is the evidence that he is a fickle customer. What guarantee does United have that he will continue to show loyalty to them--after all, he abandoned his preferred carrier! Maybe it's in United's interest to snatch such a valuable customer, but then again maybe all they've snatched is a mooch who will jump ship to somebody else one of these days.

Well, United comped me to their second-highest level, so they didn't risk too much. I had to earn their top level. And I have been loyal to United since 2001. That's quite a while, it seems to me.

Bruce

I'm from the comp school
 

I believe in comps.. I look at them as a no lose situation..

first for me.. I'm top tier in MR, Hh, Hyatt, & SPG.. I've earned it in each one and have never used a comp to get top tier.. In the airlines.. I earned CO plat and after years of declining benefits I decided that I wanted to try out AA.. I knew about the challenge but I thought I'd try (unsuccessfuly) for a ExP (yeah right) or at least Plat comp.. well I got what I expected the challenge to Plat.. and made that in two flights.. then I earned ExP and have been there for my 3rd year in a row now.. however had they not offered the challenge, I would have tried other airlines.. who knows what my results would be but I would have tried others

Comps don't hurt, for AA it got them a new customer who flew 120K miles on them this year (and 120 Q points) so I'm not the most lucrative but I'm not a total cheapo either. In the hotels, I understand your reasoning that it just devalues the status but if a person who is comped doesn't use the status, the benefits don't decrease, if they are being comped.. how are they making rewards more difficult, they most likely don't have any/many points anyway.. if they don't stay, they aren't in the suites, club lounges, club floors etc.

If they stay, then the hotel is getting a new customer who is staying with them primarily most likely... anyone who puts in 75 nights is (odds have it) not some cheapo guy everytime.. yeah there are 75 nighters at the FI's etc.. but in general its not that way. Hey some FI's are expensive.. And if you use your comp and don't use it, its highly unlikely you will be getting another comp any time soon.. it is a use (good for hotel) or lose (for the person comp) deal.

For revenue people.. I'm all for that with one big BUT:

Revenue is not Profit all the time. In NYC why should a person who pays 3 bills a night be getting more credit than another in Omaha paying $75 a night. It may be that the Omaha traveler is bringing in a better margin to the hotel. So unless you can have a formula based on profit, then revenue is not any more of a truer (i know, my English sucks LOL) reflection of a guests value than nights stayed... Another option with a lot of holes is.. go to a point system where full service Marriotts are worth 10 points per night, Mid service 5 points and the low end FI's etc are worth 3 points.. or some allocation of points.. again lots of holes in this as I haven't thought it out but thats an option.

For earning that is how it works
Full service properties (Ren/JW/Marriott) get 10 points to a dollar
Courtyards and I believe SpringHill Suites also get 10 points to a dollar
Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn and I believe TownePlace only get 5 points to a dollar
Corporate apartments get 2.5 points to a dollar.

And the CY I stay in, their rack rate is 209$ a night (compare that to my previous CY that only charged 129$ a night)

And OT...Hello from Herndon! Hope you're ready for the snow ...

Hello in Herndon.. I'm actually in KC till Saturday not much better but still its not snowing or that Icy rain crap

I do realize the point structure at Marriott rewards but I meant (I was probably not very clear though) a point system of some sort like I described for Elite Qualification.. Say I had the following in January 06:

Five full service nights: 20 points
Five mid service: 25 points
six Fairfield's: 18 points..

that would credit me roughly 143 points toward Elite qualification.. and example off the top of my head could be..

plat 7500 points
gold 5000 points
silver 2500 points

now I didn't do any kind of calculation here to see what would be fair.. but this was just an example of how it could work.. totally exclusive of points for redemption.. the closest thing I can compare it too is AA and the Elite Qualifying points vs. Elite qualifying miles (which would be in hotel terms - one night stayed = one night towards elite qual) vs. Miles earned for reward redemption