CPRich

"enabled" or "caused"? Was there something prohibiting you from additional stays that an Ambassador eliminated?

I used my Ambassador 2-3 times. I've moved back and forth with and without one since the program started and can't really recall much of a difference. I worte to her instead of the PLT desk/property manager, but it's just a different email address. Most of the time I got back "I contacted the property and the manager said....", which just meant an extra communication step.

Marriott15

In my opinon i think people that stay 100 nights plus and spend 200k are mainly business travelers! I can easily get the 100 nights but the 20K is tough only being allowed $200 per stay. Average hotel stay is $175. I may have to push for 114 now!

kaizen7

With this 100 nights AND $20k spending, I guess more people will be unhappy as there will be many who can achieve one but not the other.

100 nights with spending below $20k
and
people who spends in excess of $20k but short on nights count

perhaps marriot can amend the requirements to higher nights count Or higher spending limit

say 200 nights or $25k spending

Marriott determine at which $ level a member become "worthy" for an ambassador.

then count the night from that value based on the average of low-mid tier of their offering

Or .... just make ambassador service a separate tier
purely based on $ only

just like singapore airlines krisflyer and PPS club

yosithezet

parkums

stant

Im going on my second year with an ambassador. Thus far mine has done nothing for me the normal platinum help desk folk wouldnt already do. The one time I needed a bit of special help, I got it quicker through reaching out to William here on flyertalk than going through my ambassador. I've gotten some 'ambassador' welcome gifts, like fruit, wine and dessert, but on two occasions (that I caught) the property tried billing me for these amenities. I asked a week ago for my ambassador to reach out to a property to guarantee I can get provisioned for adjoining rooms with a connecting door as I'll be bringing my son's friend along with on a trip we take and dont want a minor I'm responsible for getting blocked into a room half a mile away in a sprawling property - and she still hasnt gotten back to me yet.

Abassador status isnt all that it's cracked up to be.

C17PSGR

That's my sense. For example, a son was arriving first and I wanted him to be able to check in with my credit card. I emailed my ambassador and she sent me the credit card form to fill out and told me where to fax it. I certainly saved me 15 minutes from calling the hotel, getting the form, and looking numbers up. I did that once or twice in 2017 so I've saved 30 minutes. Plus, I asked my ambassador to ping the hotel where I was heading with a GF a couple of times. She told me she had contacted them, that they were fairly busy, and would do what they could. I didn't get the upgrades.

A lot of folks on here rave about their ambassador as if it is a huge perk so I'm trying to figure out what I should be looking for.

And I wish they had given the 100 night level a completely different name! I don't think the FD people know the levels now so don't understand how they will distinguish between a Plat Premier with Ambassador vs. a Plat.

yosithezet

stant

if it's a prepaid stay then there should be absolutely no problem doing this - even for a spg preferred member. just call the property and ask to have the person added to the booking. once it's paid for they dont really care who checks in and stays in the room.

Keyser

they definitely missed an opportunity & are going to alienate a number of members who stay well over 100 nights with spg but can't reach the $20k requirement....

taking my example....i end up spending over 150 nights a year in hotels....the majority of this has always been with spg but my room rates have almost always been around the $150 average rate....the reason for this is because most of the places i travel to have hotels in this price range....& i'm talking about good hotels like st. regis, luxury collection & high end westins....i do well over 100 nights a year with spg but won't reach the $20k spend limit....

now i have 8 people who work directly under me at my firm....6 of them travel extensively with me & are all in the 100+ nights per year range....now with this new $20k requirement, i really have no incentive to stay over 75 nights a year with starriott....in fact, i don't have much incentive to stay over 50 nights, given the difference between 50 & 75 nights is negligible....so in effect, since my team always stays where i stay, starriott is potentially losing out on at least 50+ nights per guest from my team (an average of about 350 - 400 nights a year)....this is a drop in the bucket for them but i am sure there are tons of others like me who can easily achieve the 100 night threshold but will simply stop after their 50th or 75th night....combine those potential 50+ nights they are losing out on from each one of these members & all of a sudden its a huge loss for them....

so once again, they have definitely missed an opportunity here....but not quite the way you imagine it....

brittex

Keyser

This is my situation exactly. Roughly 150 nights in places where the going rate for hotels is 125-170 per night. It seems that switching to a night based program with another chain is a better bet for our staff

Keyser

i agree....my team travels much more than others at my firm but over 50% of the firm's strength also has a considerable amount of travel throughout the year....so we are talking about another 50+ people doing between 25 - 75 nights a year....they all turn to me for travel advice since i'm considered the local points & miles expert at my firm & they stay at places i recommend....having already made ltp with spg, i'll be ltp (or ltpp, if marriott decides to do the right thing) in the new program....if its ltp that that gives me zero incentive to stay 50+ nights with starriott....if its ltpp then i'll probably end up doing 75 nights in order to get the 10 suite nights....but there is no reason for me to stay any further nights with them....this means that 50% of my business (& in turn my firm's business) will now go to another chain....

C17PSGR

Well ... I'm not sure the $20,000 is as difficult as it sounds. I travel on a mix of rates, including government rates and in countries and cities where room rates are reasonable, and its unusual to pay $200 a night for me. That being said, I spent $30-35k on Marriott/SPG properties last year. Certainly some of that was taxes but it also included the occasional holiday in which kicking in food, bar, spa, certainly exceeded an average of $200 per night.

As for the Ambassador ...I'm still trying to figure out why its a significant value to me.

Keyser

its extremely difficult when you regularly travel to cities where the best spg / marriott hotels are in the $100 - $150 range....i had a stay at a luxury collection property earlier this month where the rate was under $100 a night....another at a high end westin which was $125 a night....today i checked into a sheraton for a 8 night stay & the rate is $160 a night....at this rate i'll need 150+ nights to get to $20k spend for the year....

C17PSGR

Perhaps. I generally book hotels in the $100-150 range for work but the food and vacations throw me over the top.

I like a concrete level as much as the next Fter, but that being said, I'm not sure I understand the big benefit as I've had an ambassador - albeit as a charter member on the Marriott side -- for a couple of years and the I've only used my ambassador a handful of times for things that saved me from calling the hotel.