PHLGovFlyer

I've mentioned previously that the combined company has an opportunity to re-align the elite levels along with the corresponding lifetime elite levels in a way that should make most people (including Marriott) reasonably happy:

MR could rename and re-categorize the elite levels for the combined MR and SPG programs. So for example all of the existing "Gold" members from the MR and SPG programs could be re-categorized for both current (ongoing) elite level and lifetime elite level. MR creates something like these "new" elite levels for the new combined program:

1. New Gold - 25 nights per year to qualify annually.

• 25% bonus points
• Upgrade to an enhanced room at check-in (corner room, higher floor, or better view)
• Lifetime Gold requires 250 nights (historic total of MR and SPG nights) and 1.2 Million points (historic total of MR points plus SPG points at 3:1)

2. New Platinum - 50 nights per year to qualify annually.

• 50% bonus points
• At legacy SPG properties an upgrade to best available room at check-in — including a Standard Suite
• At legacy MR properties an upgrade to an enhanced room at check-in (corner room, higher floor, better view, or suite)
• Concierge lounge access or full breakfast if no lounge
• SNAs?
• Welcome gift
• Lifetime Platinum requires 500 nights (historic total of MR and SPG nights) and 1.6 Million points (historic total of MR points plus SPG points at 3:1)

3. Sapphire - 75 nights per year to qualify annually.

• 75% bonus points
• All other benefits of Platinum as above
• More SNAs?
• Lifetime Sapphire requires 750 nights (historic total of MR and SPG nights) and 2 Million points (historic total of MR points plus SPG points at 3:1)

4. Diamond - 100 nights per year to qualify annually.

• 100% bonus points
• All other benefits of Sapphire as above
• Ambassador (or whatever equivalent MR develops)
• Lifetime Diamond requires 1000 nights (historic total of MR and SPG nights) and 2.4 Million points (historic total of MR points plus SPG points at 3:1)

So a current SPG Gold that stayed 27 nights would become a "New Gold". A current MR Gold that stayed 53 nights would become a "New Platinum", as would a current SPG plat that stayed 53 nights. A current MR Plat with 77 nights would become Sapphire as would a current SPG Plat75 with 77 nights, etc.

With this scheme MR would eliminate a lot of the potential howling about previous annual or lifetime elite levels achieved (and about insistence on metal equivalency). They'd simply award renamed elite status levels to the members of the combined programs that roughly provide what they currently receive under the legacy separate annual and lifetime programs.

I realize that there may be issues with legacy Starwood points accounting for lifetime calculations, but if needed, that metric could simply be dropped from the lifetime qualification standards.

n.b. there would be other minor benefits associated with each level that I haven't listed for brevity e.g. better internet speed for higher level elites.

MaxFlying

As a reference point, 500th night was 27th December, LTP posted a few minutes ago on 4th January!

UA-NYC

Probably one of the best proposals I've seen to date ^ nice thinking!

Starpoints go back ~15 years (I know poster X-ON has identified issues before that, but sorry my man you're likely an outlier!) so Marriott should be able to retroactively make the conversion.

Still think lounge over-crowding is an issue, and much like what happened w/airline lounges after the mergers, the "network effect" will make lounges on average a lot more busy. So maybe LTP "New Plats" keep it but new "New Plats" don't or something.

Your point proposal also has point inflation for Sapphire/Diamond, given that currently MR Plat only has a 50% bonus. Could also lead to more point tiers & hotel realignment.

3544quebec

I don't like mixing my precious metals with my gemstones

yeunganson

I think this system will disproportion favor those who happened to be both SPG and Mariott frequent members in pre-merger. SPG also had requirements that you have to be 10 years of Platinum status before you can get lifetime. Your method using nights also favors long stays against those road warriors that spread their stays around with different hotels. So they should account for those with qualifying either with stays or nights - and not just nights.

So it seems better to equalize the membership if they allow users to choose either use the Marriott or SPG (but not both) as qualifications towards their life-time status for their pre-merger years. A loyal Marriott member that happened to choose SPG as a back up chain shouldn't be rewarded as more than a loyal Marriott member that chose Hilton as a backup when Marriott is unavailable.

As for minimum points threshold, people churn credit cards all the time. It's not a good measurement on revenue. They can have a field - the amount of $USD spent in SPG/Marriott since a member, then say min lifetime spend of $USD 250,000 for diamond or something.

PHLGovFlyer

There are a lot of little tweaks that could be made like adjusting the points bonus amounts by level, adjusting lounge access for lifetime levels, etc. The key is that all current and lifetime members retain the elite benefits that they already have and nobody gets a huge bump up in benefits unjustly.

It would actually be a cleaner break from both of the legacy programs if the combined company went with something like Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Diamond for the elite levels. That way no one gets to complain about metal equivalency.

IMO qualifying stays doesn't make much sense from a lifetime qualification standpoint. My opinion is that lifetime qualifications are intended to award extremely long and significant customer loyalty, not just the number of times a customer has checked in and out.

That is one way to set up lifetime qualifications, but it would essentially penalize those customers that have been loyal to both legacy programs.

Why would the combined company NOT want to differentiate between a customer who chose MR and SPG versus one who chose MR and Hilton?

I think the best answer would be to have a combination of nights and points requirements to achieve lifetime status. A minimum number of years of membership or a minimum number of years of elite membership would also be a good addition. The problem is with long term SPG members potentially being short-changed in their lifetime points calculations.

SNA_Flyer

And just think of all the people that actually paid for the experience would feel? One reason why I would never, ever pay for a club room at any US hotel.

dannybhoy

In addition to your sentence that I've bolded, non-US based SPG (and MR!) members lose out on the points doping of the respective brand credit cards. Do either SPG or Marriott track backs-on-mattresses points versus credit card points?

Jaenks

If Marriott will keep the points requirement it should apply only for members with US residence. Manufactured spending(credit cards) make possibility for them,but not for others.I think that they should drop the points requirement. Credit card owners benefit is to have those millions of points for spending, it is already huge advantage compairing with those who do not have a credit cards.

X-ON

I 100% agree with the assessment that a LT frequent stay program benefiting the use of a cc product only available in certain markets would only make sense if you have limited growth ambitions outside these markets.
Hence I would assume if MR have such ambitions the new program would have a geographically more neutral variables to determine LT status, one that comes to mind is base nights (bib nights) and base points (bib related points) if this is technically feasible given how the system at SPG and MR are set up is another question...

schley

With all due respect to the frequency you have given your opinion on this subject, your opinion is just one like anyone else on FT, so while predicting future program structure is a hobby for us all, we all are just guessing.

PHLGovFlyer

Of course. I never said I wasn't.

BTA

My Lifetime Platinum status posted today, 11 days after my last stay in 2017 posted, which was my 10th year as platinum.

Tonight I checked in to the Sheraton LAX. I saw in the app I was upgraded to an Executive suite. Pretty common at this property in my experience. When I got to the desk, the agent told me she couldn't upgrade me, but my room is on the club floor. For a short stay by myself before a morning flight, I don't need the extra space, but this was kind of disappointing for my first stay as Lifetime Platinum. I didn't pay for a suite, so I don't really expect it, but in my 535+ nights with SPG, this is the first time I remember losing an upgrade that appeared to be granted to me.

hhoope01

I was surprised to receive an email, yesterday, that I had achieved Lifetime Gold status (been LT Plat with Marriott for more than a decade). I have been sitting at just under 250 night for most of last year (didn't stay much at Starwood hotels the last few years). It seems my AMEX CC nights put me over the 250 nights. Didn't think those were supposed to count toward LT status.

mooper

I meant to post similarly a week ago, but you beat me to the punch. I like your outline, and would suggest a few tweaks:

1) Keep Silver/Gold/Platinum tier names, and add Diamond. Would not devalue current LT Plats down to perks akin to Gold.

2) Diamond gets suite upgrades.

3) Stick with the nights requirements (both annual and LT) that you've laid out, but boost the point requirements significantly in light of the 3:1 transfer ratio. Someone who spent $800K lifetime on an Amex SPG, even with zero MR points and no stays at SPG, would already meet LT Diamond using the 2.4MIL points you proposed. I'd boost LT Point requirements for Silver/Gold/Plat/Diamond to 2MIL/3MIL/4MIL/5MIL.

4) Add "Years of Membership" requirement back in, but counting only the longer tenure someone has in either program (e.g., if you were a MR member for 6 years and SPG for 11, you'd have 11 years of membership). LT Silver/Gold/Platinum/Diamond would require 6/8/10/12 years of membership (not status). This helps, but not completely eliminate, the ability to rapidly buy LT status through various means ($50 meetings to earn 10 nights, etc.)