frenchft

In my case, as living full time in hotels :
1. upgrade.
2. late check out.
3. my 24.
4. ambassador follow up.

I don't care about the lounge neither the breakfast.

CJKatl

My two are the additional points, which get free vacations faster, and the convenience of lounge access. Being able to run into the lounge for a fast cup of coffee, cold bottle of water or two minute breakfast is a big benefit. As someone who usually checks in late and leaves by eight in the morning UGs do not matter, nor would My-24.

frenchft

you are right I have forget the points ))
as someone not earning with credit card, I value the points but very disappointed with the new credit for make a green choice and welcome bonus... 33% less than before.

JBord

Totally agree on lounge access for the reasons you described. That's my typical work day when I'm traveling as well. But it's also not that much different when I'm on vacation. Everyone's different, but when I'm on vacation, I like to be out exploring and enjoying, not sitting around in a hotel. The only difference is I tend to get a later start and spend a little more time at breakfast. So while upgrades are nice, they don't matter much to me.

jjj325

With over 4000 nights in hotels, Bonus points are nice, but not the biggest value. I like first upgrades on Vacations. A Suite for me and the wife on the beach is always great!!! On business travel, suites are less important, but that being said I have been traveling to Pittsburgh lately. The Renaissance has rooms on the top floor with rooftop patios. It is nice to enjoy a cigar and glass of wine when the weather is beautiful as it has been lately. Would not get this room as a Gold. Next would be late checkout again used primarily on vacations. OP must be from starwoord as Marriott didn't have Ambassadors. I see I am now PP with Ambassador, but haven't got an ambassador yet. I had a few times when I hit the 100 nights at Starwood.

frenchft

Indeed, from SPG and focusing as often as possible on SPG properties rather than marriott ones.
I value suite for one simple reason : I work a lot remotely and I smoke, so having the bedroom without smoke is mandatory for me and miss frenchft.
I think I value less suite on vacations as we go outside much more and I don't work that much (and smoke) inside the room

Interesting as everybody has different lifestyle and preferences.

cmatthews11

Glad you're enjoying time in my hometown... I have a strong bias towards Pittsburgh

TravelinSperry

1. Guaranteed 4pm Late checkout
2. Breakfast
3. Lounge Access
4. Upgrade
5. Bonus points
6. Your24 (excellent benefit, but only used 1-2x p/yr).
7. SNAs/Choice benefit
8. Dedicated Plat phone #
9. Ambassador (worthless).

gaspasser

frenchft

Status gained by CC are a pledge.
I hate my hotel stays in the US to be honest, poor upgrades and overcrowded lounges.
Too many people get status because of CC match.

JBord

Forgot the 4 pm checkout. I rarely use it, but a life saver those 2-3 times per year when you need it.

Interesting, I tend to dislike (but not hate) my hotel stays in Europe. North and South America are fine. And I love them in Asia. But the lounges can be overcrowded in the mornings.

I'm not sure about the CC comment though. Maybe this was the case at SPG? The Marriott card left people 35 stays short of lounge access, although they could gain a few more through spend. I doubt many people were getting lounge access without spending a significant number of nights at Marriotts. I will admit that's just a logical guess and I may be wrong.

frenchft

- Platinum amex > gold SPG = gold marriott
- Ritz Carlton reward (first year and 10k spend with the card to renew each year the status) > gold marriott = gold spg
- hilton = lot of cards gives diamonds status
etc etc
and I don't talk about the too easy challenges for gold or platinum (like 4 stays in 3 months...)

frenchft

I really love EMEA, Europe and Asia stays for different reasons but in the US especially F&B, it's really far from "European standards". The lounge with Tacos, Fajitas, Pizza, pasta with industrial cheese and sauce, etc etc are really not what I expect. The average US customer is very happy when B&J ice cream is served or they are some pop corn around... Different culture / different approach of food I guess.

Not a complain or anything, just a fact based on my personal taste. This applies to US airlines... It's really to far from what I call food (even in premium cabin, international and domestic) but I guess they do their best to accommodate the taste of the average US traveller.

frenchft

Was talking with some hotel GM and ALL of them, whatever the category and price range told me that the biggest expectation from guest and the biggest number of complains they can get was related to breakfast, always surprised me. But I guess that for some people hotel stay means = breakfast and that it play a key role in their level of satisfaction.

bhrubin

For me, it's easy:

1. Ambassador status and Ambassador contact--too many Marriott people too often dismiss what having the Ambassador STATUS does to elevate your hotel experiences, let alone whatever your Ambassador can do to make your stays and follow up easier or better)

2. Suite upgrades--when traveling with my husband, there's almost nothing better than getting upgraded to a lovely suite, and often a speciality suite that really makes the stay more special; when traveling alone for work, this is often wasted on me except for certain hotels that know me well, upgrading me to a suite they know has excellent air con or that has blackout shades or less street noise. ALSO, I like my bedroom to be COLD (less than 66 F/19 C), so having a warmer living room for my husband is very helpful!

3. Better VIP treatment throughout hotel stay--this may be because I'm Plat100 Ambassador level, so unsure how this continues via Marriott

4. 4 pm checkout--I use this as much as possible.

5. Your24--I love when I can check in early and still leave at 4 pm. I feel like I get much more value from my stay dollar/points. I hope the new Your24 as an Ambassador only perk means that it gets applied even more often for me.

6. Breakfast--when traveling with my husband, he prefers to dine in the restaurant (or lounge); I always prefer room service, so I don't always get the benefit even where it's offered; but I love the hotels that (rarely) allow me to use room service for this benefit!

7. Lounge--I could care less about a lounge, but my husband loves them.

8. Points bonus--it's nice, but I earn so many points anyway, this isn't a massive draw, though it's nice to convert into air miles to premium class awards!