wannabeupintheair

I had 100+ nights in 2011, can I expect an Ambassador to be assigned on or after 1st March, 12.
OR its starts from next year after completing 100+ nights in 2012?

Starwood Lurker

I'm told that all members who qualified in 2011 will be contacted before March 1st, 2012.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

dkang

Today I called SPG to ask about my stay/night metric for 2011 and the CSR told me I had an ambassador already assigned.

airplanepeanuts

165 nights a year? Why even keep a residence lol. I would just spend the other half of the year at Intercontinental and just be ambassador at both

FF_Consultant

So question...

Do you lose your ambassador automatically if you stay fewer than 100 nights in a year? E.g., I've had this perk for a while and I definitely expect to clear 100 nights this year (will have requalled for plat on both stays and nights by March 15th), however, I don't know if this perk is automatically removed if you don't have one?

Personally, I have noticed a dramatic uptick in my suite upgrade status since I had am ambassador. I have an 80% hit rate for upgrades and have also regularly (once per month) been upgraded to suites that are well beyond the normal range of suites (e.g., presidential suite or named suite in some properties).

I also enjoy that most hotels deliver fruit plates, extra water, chocolates, and other perks as a result of having an ambassador. Finally, she is great in last minute situations for both cancellations and new bookings helping me get into or out of properties with little to no additional cost.

I also received a number of perks with the FRN promotion last year due to the Ambassador (e.g., working with a property to get me into that property on FRN).

Overall -- a definite increase in my loyalty. One piece of feedback for Starwood -- stop making so many of the emails that come from her 'canned' emails. It's more effective if you give her guidelines and she drafts them herself. There are regularly mistakes in the canned emails the Ambassador distributes.

Starwood Lurker

It can be if 1) you do not meet the criteria under which the service was originally granted or 2) you do not meet the 100-night requirement.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

Puckman

Question for the Lurker. Is the January e-statement the true count towards our 2011 night total? My January statement had me at 103 nights and 53 stays for 2011, but when I chatted with SPG.com e-support earlier today, they said i only stayed 87 nights last year. I'm trying to figure out what number to believe to see if I qualified or not. Thanks!

Starwood Lurker

The e-statement is the more correct resource, IMHO. But, when I get back into the office next week, I can take a look if you send me your SPG account number.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

Vulcan

I found the article on this in today's WSJ quite amazing. It stated that the number of SPG members that stay 100 nights or more a year are in the low tens of thousands! So more than 10,000 people each spend >100 nights per year. Hard to fathom.

Additional tidbit was that 2% or guests are responsible for 30% of earnings EBITADA. I guess those are the people that spend > 100 nights.

Puckman

Thanks so much William! I'll follow up with you next week on this issue if I'm still getting conflicting messages after I call the Plat desk later tonight.

Flying Lawyer

A total 1.000.000 nights (10.000 * 100) will not make 30% of earnings. If the figure of 10.000 guests is correct, this is in theory roundabout 3 rooms per nights per hotel occupied by this group of guests (close to 1000 hotels, about 360 nights a year).

In practice the number of rooms occupied by this group of guests in a single hotel will be by far higher in the US (there is a by far higher density of Starwood hotels and by far more platinum members than in Europe) and certainly by far higher in the typical hardcore hotel user destinations like New York City.

JonathanIT

This statement is completely not true IME.

GUWonder

Thanks for pointing out the above.

20,000-40,000 SPG customers staying at hotel(s) for a bit more than 3 months a year isn't a big surprise. Contract workers, consultants and salespersons on longer term or 50+% travel assignments are often closer to work/client sites for long enough or often enough that 100 nights would seem to be just about right for those with 50+% travel workdays.

I'd love to see a breakdown of what proportion of such 100+/night customers pay rates under $100/night, 101-$150/night, $150-$200/night and $201+/night.

fljbrs

That makes sense....but probably none of us in the Ambassador program know the criteria under which the service was originally granted...so how can we know what to do to keep our Ambassador if not meeting 100+ nights? The truth is I never met 100 nights in a calendar year, but i've had an Ambassador since the program began, and it would be a great dissapointing losing him without even knowing what I did "right" then and what I could do "wrong" now....

Starwood Lurker

My apologies, but I don't think that is ever going to be made transparent.

Folks now have the capability to earn their way into having an Ambassador and that is all I can address here.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]