It kinda sounds like your answer is suggesting "I'm going to have a crappier tier under the new program because I was qualifying for platinum on the basis of 25 stays" in which case, yeah, you're probably right, you'll be worse off under the new program.

[QUOTE=remymartin;30084152]Two reasons:
1) Because the amount of suites is constant at the brand / properties I plan to stay at whereas in a new combined programme the amount of upgrade eligible elites will drastically increase

For the remainder, of 2018 and 2019, there will be inflation in the numbers of elites at higher levels since there are so many ways to qualify.

For those of us who qualify by actually spending 30-40 percent of our nights at Starriott properties, we'll be competing for upgrades with Bob, who flies back to the division HQ and visits a customer once a month but is amazed that he is a platinum. If Bob is smart, he'll continue to stay at legacy SPG properties twice a month so he requalifies as a plat for 2019. Then there is the watering down of the Plat Premier program to 75 nights. Overall, there will be a higher proportion of elites.

Hopefully, by 2020, the elite pool at plat and above will drop when Bob's twice a month trips only qualify him for gold.

Total lurker here...

Followed a lot of the site over the years for my wife, who is almost exclusively SPG. I handle her points and such, as she just never cares until it's time to redeem! She is LT gold, 6 years Plat.

Been quiet until now...this new program sounds like it's gonna suck for her. Shame...she was well on her way to LT Plat.

Have to agree, someone who is lifetime Gold and was working towards lifetime Platinum I see myself now shifting away and maintaining status elsewhere

I think you're focusing too much on the names of the levels and not the nights required. New Plat is basically just old MR Gold. So while there will be some SPG folks that qualified for 2019 Plat based on 25 stays that won't be able to qualify that way for 2020, you're also losing the SPG Golds that matched to MR Gold, who are currently getting essentially the same benefits that new Plats will be getting.

[QUOTE=C17PSGR;30085304]There's going to be the exact same number of elites that there are now. There's no inflation.

Platinum premier isn't getting "watered down". People who stay 75 nights are going to get the same benefits they get now (i.e. what platinum gets for 75 nights).

I'll confess I get a bit confused on how the levels link up beyond my personal situation ... and I realize there are some people who don't spend a lot of time on the road that are losing perks such as going for a 2 PM checkout rather than 4 PM. I also realize the old Marriott Gold will now be Plat.

But for 2018/2019, there will be a significant numbers of people who will still be Plat even though they just take a couple of trips a month. For 2020, things will be better.

Starwood is to Marriott as butter is to lard, but in a few days time none of this will matter any more. Nobody will ever convince me that Marriott or Hilton was better than SPG, so let me hold on to my fond memories like the sad panda I am.

[QUOTE=pvn;30085880]Platinum premier will be significantly watered down. Currently, it is an unpublished level that requires multiple years of consistent 100+ nights a year. The benefits can be inconsistent but it often results in great suites, wine and food in the room, handwritten notes from General Managers with cell phone numbers to call if there is a problem.

Now, Platinum Premier is just what Platinum used to be and there will be 2-3 times the number of Platinum Premiers. So yes, it will be significantly watered down.

[QUOTE=pvn;30085880]Actually, you might even say the numbers are dropping... Given that some of the MR Plats are also SPG Plats, they will not be adding to the masses, but only counting as one instead of two. That and the fact that they will have a much larger number of properties to choose from, I would not expect to see a major change in activity. There may be some "exploring" going on in the beginning to see if the grass is greener. I suspect it will all balance out.

Yes, but this is irrelevant. You're comparing two different things that happen to have the same name. You should be comparing the "new" platinum premier with the "old" platinum.

[QUOTE=RogerD408;30086046]And those "unworthy":D 25 stayers PLT lite SPG will be moved back to Gold culling the PLTs number even more.
Furthermore, I believe people's staying pattern wont change much other than those "exploring" Marriott offering.

I will continue to stay at my usual hotels if I visit those cities I frequently visit, but then might explore other legacy Marriott when I visit new places.

In some cities, there are some possibility of increasing number of PLT - PLTP staying in certain hotels due to the different levels of offering between legacy SPG and legacy Marriott..

I can think of Singapore. Marriott current offering for Singapore is 1 Courtyard, 1 Marriott and 1 JW Marriott. (Ritz Carlton SG is not participating)
So high spender Marriotters might move to St Regis SG if they want to stay at Luxury segment hotels as there are no other competing hotel from Marriott side.
JW SG regulars might try Westin SG and vice versa, but those 2 hotels are on different area, so business people who need easy access to Downtown area will most likely continue to stay at Westin SG.

Respectfully disagree. That might be true if I was an "old" platinum but I'm not. I'm going from being "old" platinum premier (sometimes inconsistent but often exceptional) to being a "new" platinum premier with almost certain reduced benefits since it will be more routine. For me, I'm effectively dropping a tier.

[QUOTE=kaizen7;30086307]The numbers won't drop for 2019. That two quick trip a month SPG "old" plat will still be a "new" plat in 2019. In 2020, it will be different.

Then there's all this mumbo jumbo lifetime stuff (I'm well over 2000+ nights lifetime and several million points so I haven't paid much attention) that seems to be offering a lot of ways to combine nights, etc. to get to a higher level.

So 2019 isn't going to be pretty for Starriott's best customers. And that's assuming that legacy Starwood properties implement a system that allows them to distinguish between Plats and Plat Premiers because that currently doesn't show in Lightspeed.

And, I get that I'll continue to stay at the JW Singapore while legacy SPGers will stay at the Westin or StR and that brand "explorers" will probably offset each other ... but its my sense that the total numbers of post August 18 Plat and Plat Premiers will be significantly more than the pre August 18. Of course, the number of post August Plat Premiers will be much higher. Currently, if I stay at the JW Singapore, I can be fairly confident that I'll get a suite upgrade as a Plat Premier not to mention potentially room service showing up with something unexpected. After August 18, I'll be less certain.

You are still mixing apples and oranges - your comparison for legacy Plat Premier (unpublished MR level) should really be 100 night Ambassador going forward, as that is probably a close equivalent w/your number of nights and spend.

Meanwhile SPG Plat 75s did lose an actual benefit (Your24).

Perhaps ... except that currently a legacy Marriott property will know that they have 1-2 Plat Premiers. Some good GM's and Rooms Managers will be on the lookout for that on advance. As a practical matter, its extremely rare (1 time in the past 200-300 nights) that someone in a legacy Marriott property will notice the M0 ambassador code. And in the legacy SPG world, there is no indication in Lightspeed that allows the hotel to distinguish between Bob -- the two night a month plat -- and someone who does 100+ nights. Of course, there is always the chance that the ambassador will contact the property but that's another thread :)


the property doesn't know whether someone has an Ambassador unless