jfulcher

#1 MR has NO upgrade privilege (sure they put you on club floor when available - but woo - I've gotten many suites with HH and none with MR and they still let me use the lounge when I take the points as my choice with HH).
#2 the HGI equivalent (CY) has no free breakfast.

So you really can't look against the fact that you lose those when comparing.

ntamayo

Correct me if I'm wrong, but looks like the only "sweet spot" for the new award redemption (i.e. point savings) is going to be the Cat 2-4 properties for 5 nights:If so, then indeed.

jts424

It's disappointing when a brand like MR tries to dupe it's members while devaluing the points we accumulate while spending our time and money at their properties. It appears that the only net gain is the Cat 5, 2-4 nights.

Here is a good breakdown of the change in points, by category and # of nights

mikeef

Thanks for the update.

What I found most interesting about the original posting is that MC managed to point out all of the positive features of the change and not bullet point any of the negative ones. By doing so, it definitely makes it look like Marriott is trying to put lipstick on a pig.

Mike

rdchen

If your definition of UG is a suite, then based on the T&Cs, neither programs offer "UG", the suite UG is purely at the discretion of each property. As for getting both the pts & lounge access, you might want to check out this thread - Lounge Access for Diamonds.

VA1379

For me, this is a real mixed bag. I use points for travel packages, but I also use them for short stays (1-2 nights) at lower end properties with high room rates. The travel packages have lost some value, but they are still a good deal, especially since they allow me to diversify my miles and get F and C tickets outside of * alliance.

As some have mentioned, the real test will come in terms of award availability at peak times. Some properties are excluded from this new policy, and I think some of them are overrated (the properties in HI and the JW in Santa Monica) as award options already. I consider these three properties to be poor choices for award redemptions, but a lot of people must redeem at these places or they would not have gotten on the exclusion list.

The only real benefit from this change would be if I could get a week at a category 6 or 7 property in Boston under the new rules when rooms are going for $599+. If that is possible, then I would consider the extra points worthwhile to get the room at peak time. Otherwise, this change will be a minus.

krobbins

When I saw the initial email, I thought all the enhancements mentioned like no blackout dates etc. were for PLATs only and thought, okay, these enhancements for those of us who are consistently brand loyal looked like a nice little gift. I should have known it was too good to be true and the FT community would find the fine print right away.

I know they didn't ask me about the enhancements I would like to see. I wonder who in the world they did ask... random people at the mall?

LKO

Marriott Concierge-

I have a few questions about the new program.

If I currently have a reservation (7 nights) for March 2009 and a certificate attached to the reservation from a travel package, what happens if I need to change the hotel or dates after Jan. 15?

Will I be able to use the certificate at another category 5 property or will it require an increase in points for a 7 night stay?

Also, what about Marriott Vacation Club properties? Will they still be available for points and is there an increase in the amount needed for a stay at MVCI?

Last question, is there any change in the amount (.0125 per point) Marriott charges to purchase reward points?

Thanks!

fwfdan

I actually was expecting worse this year - hotel prices have been going up and since number of points is tied to what is spent more points are generated on each stay (albeit more revenue too!). Then these are redeemed for what is a more expensive room at an old rate (static redemption level)....

If I were to design a frequent traveler (hotel or air) program these days I would tie it to revenue - but would also tie the redemption to money off the best available rate.... would not be popular, but reflects fixed value to the customer and to the company.

Big Mo

As a number of people have pointed out, the title of this thread is, at best, extremely deceptive. Can we get a moderator to clarify the title by inserting something about the devaluation . . . or at least by putting the word "enhancements" in quotes?

ExtonUS

Well at least they soften the blow for plats, but as a gold I see nothing good here. At least we got our 6 nights in Paris booked under the old rate.

flyinghome

I saw this mentioned in one post but no one has addressed it yet. Will they also be changing a number of other hotel levels? Are there level 5's now going to be level 6's for example.
That would also further reduce the point vaule.

frisbeeace

This is an outrageous devaluation much more explicit than last year's when 535 properties were upgraded in category.

A 7 night stay at a cat 6 hotel requires 62% more points, 63% at a cat 7 and 87% if the hotel is now a cat. 8. Thatīs a major hit for us.

Whatīs worse is that Marriott timeshare owners like me keep getting the same fixed amount of points despite of the increasing rates of their nights. So, the trade-for-points option has become almost useless now, which is their main selling tool for many overseas properties. Marriott rents my nights at higher prices each year, refuses to acknoledge that by adjusting my income in terms of points and puts the carrot further away devaluating my points. No time now to sell my properties but will do asap and will not refer any more friends to them. What a scam!

CPRich

Nope. You didn't factor in the free 5th night. See post 21 for the correct math and linkage to increase/decreases by level/nights.

Marriott Concierge

When I saw the number of posts that came in this morning I kind of wished I had called my boss and told him that my health had been "enhanced" by a flu bug and I would not be able to come in today.

Many of you have taken exception to my use of the word enhancement, because, for many of you, this is not a positive change. I appreciate your candor and I promise I will not use this word again to describe this change. And I will happily Edit the title of my original post. Also my string pullers told me to tell you, “I am not a puppet.”

As I promised I will not try to make you feel better about the changes, I would like to make this more transparent and answer some of the questions that have been raised.

This change to hotel rewards does not affect any other rewards on the rewards schedule. Points to Miles rewards are the same. Ritz-Carlton hotels are considered a partner reward and are also not changing.

These nights will all have to be pre-approved by Marriott Corporate. The exact number will vary slightly from one hotel to another, but a rough estimate is about 11 nights a year. On these nights hotels will be required to release as many standard rooms for point redemption as they currently do for non-blackout dates.

The positive aspect to this change is that more standard rooms will be available on more nights. Other than the nights just discussed above standard rewards will be available until the last standard room is booked.

We are not tired of offering reward rooms; however, tfred is correct in his assumption that these are the highest redemption properties. The category of a hotel has always been based on past point redemption. Hotels with a large amount of redemption have to be reimbursed at a higher rate, or reward redemption would have a negative impact on their bottom line. If they were going to open more rooms for reward redemption they needed to be paid more per night requiring some point inflation.

There will still be point savers. I do not have exact point amounts for them yet. Availability will be determined the same way it currently is. Hotels decide when they will offer them. Because they will be reimbursed at a higher rate there may be more availability, but that is just my opinion.

This is pretty close; it is actually just under 10%.

Hotels are required to follow the same established rules regarding capacity controls you are all already familiar with until January 15th.

Hopper awards will be phased out with this change.

There really is no impact on MVCI properties. Their rewards are separate from the standard hotel rewards and will continue to be that way. There will be no changes to redemption at MVCI properties.

As things currently stand, if you rebook it will be with new rate codes and therefore require the new rewards. I will look into seeing what customer service exceptions may be available under these circumstances though.

Ira