SPG Gold - what is the big deal?
I am a Marriott Gold and am generally treated quite well in Marriott & Renaissance properties, particularly in Europe & Asia, which is where most of my stays are.
I had no status on SPG and now with the merger, I got my SPG status upgraded to Gold. But there seems to be no substantial advantage of SPG Gold over SPG kettle . True you get a few extra points, but the marginal value of that to me is peanuts. The most important Marriott Gold benefit for me is free breakfast / lounge access, but it seems that that does not apply to SPG hotels. So why should I get excited about my newly minted SPG Gold status and start booking SPG properties now? What am I missing? |
You're not missing much. Gold gets you late checkout, 50% more points, and room upgrades. Platinum is the real meat of the SPG program, and that's where breakfast, lounge access, and suite upgrades come in.
Marriott - big jump from basic to Gold, nothing major at Platinum. SPG - nothing major at Gold, big jump from Gold to Platinum. If you really want to learn more about Gold status, see this thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...what-they.html |
The main appeal of SPG Gold is to allow for higher points earnings via SPG at *woods, Delta crossover, and late checkout.
If you value the free breakfast and club access, MR Gold is considerably better than SPG Gold. |
Originally Posted by Visconti
(Post 27255452)
The main appeal of SPG Gold is to allow for higher points earnings via the Amex SPG at *woods ...
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Originally Posted by mahasamatman
(Post 27255459)
Status has no bearing on Amex earning.
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To be fair, if your Marriott stays were primarily US, I don't think you'd notice the level of difference that you do in Europe/Asia
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Originally Posted by UA-NYC
(Post 27257408)
To be fair, if your Marriott stays were primarily US, I don't think you'd notice the level of difference that you do in Europe/Asia
How is this a EU-USA difference :confused: |
Originally Posted by howsands
(Post 27255412)
What am I missing?
SPG Gold is lame. Worse than most other hotel mid-tier elite levels. The dirty "secret" most SPG apologists ignore. If you can do 25 stays at *wood then shift those 25 nights and earn Platinum in both programs. |
SPG Gold guaranteed 4pm late checkout is way more than "nothing" to me. Marriott had no such thing before this past May.
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Originally Posted by howsands
(Post 27255412)
I am a Marriott Gold and am generally treated quite well in Marriott & Renaissance properties, particularly in Europe & Asia, which is where most of my stays are.
I had no status on SPG and now with the merger, I got my SPG status upgraded to Gold. But there seems to be no substantial advantage of SPG Gold over SPG kettle . True you get a few extra points, but the marginal value of that to me is peanuts. The most important Marriott Gold benefit for me is free breakfast / lounge access, but it seems that that does not apply to SPG hotels. So why should I get excited about my newly minted SPG Gold status and start booking SPG properties now? What am I missing? Rewards and SPG both use the same terms (Gold and Platinum), but the benefits are quite different. With Rewards, the difference between Gold and Platinum is limited. The biggest benefit -- the lounge/breakfast benefit at five Marriott full-service brands -- is the same for Gold and Platinum. Gold is genuinely valuable. With SPG, there's a huge difference between Gold and Platinum. Gold provides a welcome gift and is better than not having status at all. Platinum is another story. As loyal SPG members on this board keep reminding us, Starwood properties often treat SPG Platinum guests (especially at higher Platinum tiers) as VIPs, with suite upgrades and other recognition. I've been SPG Gold for a number of years. I've found the benefits to be inconsistent. I've only received a meaningful upgrade once. A Sheraton and a Westin gave me lounge access, even though it's not a published benefit. A week apart, one Aloft gave me a welcome dessert and vouchers for breakfast, while another ignored my Gold status entirely (until I asked about the next day and received one free beer in the lobby bar). Gold is not particularly valuable. Where members with linked accounts can really benefit now is that it's much easier to qualify for SPG Gold. With as few as ten 1-night stays, you're SPG Gold. With an SPG AmEx credit card, it's even easier. Then you're Rewards Gold too! The downside of splitting stays across the two programs is that it becomes harder to re-qualify if you're not someone who has a significant number of hotel nights each year. |
Originally Posted by photaco
(Post 27257501)
SPG Gold guaranteed 4pm late checkout is way more than "nothing" to me. Marriott had no such thing before this past May.
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Originally Posted by cfischer
(Post 27257454)
:confused: free breakfast and lounge access vs. nothing?
How is this a EU-USA difference :confused: |
Originally Posted by Segments
(Post 27257470)
SPG Gold is lame. Worse than most other hotel mid-tier elite levels. The dirty "secret" most SPG apologists ignore.
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Originally Posted by Segments
(Post 27257470)
SPG Gold is lame. Worse than most other hotel mid-tier elite levels.
My rankings pretty much interleave the programs: MR base < MR Silver < SPG base < SPG Gold < MR Gold < MR Platinum < SPG Platinum < SPG Platinum50 < SPG Platinum75+ (One could also point out that Marriott Platinum really serves no purpose. It's only marginally better than Gold.)
Originally Posted by UA-NYC
(Post 27257680)
The other side of the coin you're ignoring is that SPG Gold is free for a good amount of folks (via a CC)
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Originally Posted by UA-NYC
(Post 27257680)
The other side of the coin you're ignoring is that SPG Gold is free for a good amount of folks (via a CC), or even if you're getting it the hard way (staying), it can easily be done in 10-15 nights, vs. the 50 needed for MR Gold.
As to getting status the hard way, SPG loyalists keep reminding us how hard it is to be loyal due to the limited footprint. So which is it? Easier due to less nights needed or harder because *wood properties aren't everywhere? Pick one. |
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