Does the existing RewardsPlus program come at the detriment of Platinum (or Gold, for that matter) in the current program?

The fact that half of the posters on this board feel this way, and half feel the opposite, is a pretty good indication that they got the balance correct.

And you expect this to change with the introduction of the new Marriott program?

The average Marriott customer would pay nowhere near that amount for Gold status. $15K is three quarters of the way to Ambassador status in the new program. The vast majority of Marriott properties are available for less than $100 per night and have no lounge anyway. I understand that not everyone stays in those properties, but when you’re trying to figure out what UA and Marriott may to do in terms of a status match, it’s good to know how your profile stacks up against others. These numbers suggest that you’re a serious outlier in the Marriott program, so — while I’m sure they appreciate your business — your experience is unlikely to be representative.

I don’t know if the Marriott Rewards credit card is available to Canadian residents, but keep in mind that many US members only need 35 nights to reach New MR Platinum — $3500 or so, even without booking any meetings.

Certainly you can (although what’s the hurry?). With the demise of the rollover night, though, it does require at least one meeting. Or you can “suffer” for an additional four nights at New Gold before your New Platinum status kicks in (if a credit card holder)

Not only do the vast majority of MR Gold/New Platinum members spend nowhere near that, most UA Gold members spend more than $2K. Here, you’re benefitting from the PQD waiver for non-US residents — which is very much the sort of diluting of benefits you’re decrying in other situations. :D

It very much is, at least if you want to sit down. And again, you’re benefitting from being Canadian — many UA Gold members get lounge access on 0% of their flights (US members who don’t fly internationally).

None of those three things are guaranteed. There are plenty of lounges closed on weekends, in addition to the fact that the majority of properties don’t have a lounge at all. There are a couple of brands that exclude Late Check Out, and the Breakfast guarantee is applicable only to about 2/3 of the brands.

If that’s the way the programs operated, yes. It’s not.

Again, your point of view is extremely colored by your rather unusual travel profile.

I’m sure both Marriott and UA would be happy with that situation, so I’m not exactly sure what’s eating you up. :)

It would be insanity for either an airline or a hotel chain to tailor their program for people who meet your profile. No offense intended; it’s just that this further proves my point. You’re an outlier. :) You’ll likely always be on the short end of one stick and very much on the long end of another, just because you do things that most people don’t do and therefore that most programs don’t consider.

This, 100%.

Would you keep the same position if Marriott had named their new tiers Bronze / Silver / Gold / Platinum? New Marriott Platinum is basically Marriott Gold. It’s not immediately apparent to me that New Platinum is much different than current Gold. It’s clear that matched status will not grant Suite Night Awards (although I’m not sure those will be that useful — they’re not guaranteed, so they’re a lot like RPUs). And nobody really knows how suite upgrades will be prioritized, but, again, the vast majority of Marriott properties have few / no suites.

That’s certainly your prerogative. I don’t consider it the least bit unlikely that this is how things shake out. Personally, I can’t imagine 50K of PQM — especially in mileage run form — in order to get new Marriott Platinum status — but, then, I mostly stay at non-suite, non-lounge properties at $80-$110 per night. :)

As a lifetime UA Gold, and within a month (or less) of being a lifetime Marriott New Platinum Premier, I don’t have any skin in the game. However, I’m a big fan of the partnership, from the extra miles on Marriott -> United transfers to the new bonus miles for linked hotel stays, and I hope they continue to find ways to improve it.

There’s no such thing as “objectively awesome.” :D

Every UA plane has E+ seats. The CRJ-200 only has four (of 50), and the legroom isn’t that different on them. Every other plane has a meaningful E+ cabin.

The "objective" measure I use in my case is if I can extend my legs up fully horizontally. If we want to put this into a measure I'd say the pitch should be 40 inches or more. Another benefit of E+ seating is access to a power outlet.

There are only a smattering of E+ seats in the fleet that offer 40” of pitch, and they’re all situations where there’s no seat immediately in front of the passenger. E+ is 34-36” in most cases; exit rows may be closer to 38”.

In-seat power is not available in all planes (although, in planes where it is available, it’s universal within E+).

The exit row seat on the CRJ-200 is not sold as E+. I think it does offer a bit more legroom, but all seats on the CRJ-200 are pretty awful.

No question (although it helps to peruse the “Where to sit on a XXX” threads :).

Being August now, has anyone seen this happen? My Marriott account is still showing Gold. Got my RewardsPlus renewal email in February as a 1K.