To move to the next status or tier, is it X amount of rooms in a year from the stay of the first room to the last, or is it X amount of rooms between 01/01 and 12/31?

I think its the latter - calendar year. I get the credit card so it helps. I used to have Gold status every year before they merged, went Platinum briefly, and then now back to Gold. Sadly my stays do not count anymore due to the rate I stay, so I am stuck at Gold until my credit card nights accumulate enough to give me lifetime Platinum (I'm at lifetown Gold right now).

Wheatables02 said:

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To move to the next status or tier, is it X amount of rooms in a year from the stay of the first room to the last, or is it X amount of rooms between 01/01 and 12/31?

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From their website;

https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/member-benefits/gold.mi

"only 25 eligible nights in a calendar year"

I'll go platinum probably in early November. How long does the status qualify you for? Does it reset on 1/1, or do you get the full next calendar year like with my airline status?

Never mind. Found it.

Marriott Bonvoy: Once you earn elite status, it will be valid for the rest of the calendar year in which you've earned it and an additional 14 months after that. So, for example, if you earn Gold status in 2019, it will be valid until February 28, 2021.

AggieOO said:

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Never mind. Found it.

Marriott Bonvoy: Once you earn elite status, it will be valid for the rest of the calendar year in which you've earned it and an additional 14 months after that. So, for example, if you earn Gold status in 2019, it will be valid until February 28, 2021.

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Great things about Platinum:

auto access to club/concierge lounge (except at Ritz)
free breakfast if the don't have club lounge or it's closed at breakfast (e.g. some are closed on weekends)
extra points
guaranteed late check out, and they've always let us check in early
they always upgrade if something is available

Pro Tip: get a Bonvoy credit card, which gets you 6x points per dollar, and you get a "credit" for your 50-night minimum of 15 nights (I.e. they give you 15 elite night credits, so you only need 35 to keep the status from year to year). We have racked up a ton of points and had free stays at the Ritz Ranch Mirage, Ritz Dove Mountain, Ritz Honolulu, etc. Great thing is you book 4 nights on points and get a 5th night free. Just something to consider

Austintm said:

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AggieOO said:

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Never mind. Found it.

Marriott Bonvoy: Once you earn elite status, it will be valid for the rest of the calendar year in which you've earned it and an additional 14 months after that. So, for example, if you earn Gold status in 2019, it will be valid until February 28, 2021.

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Great things about Platinum:

auto access to club/concierge lounge (except at Ritz)
free breakfast if the don't have club lounge or it's closed at breakfast (e.g. some are closed on weekends)
extra points
guaranteed late check out, and they've always let us check in early
they always upgrade if something is available

Pro Tip: get a Bonvoy credit card, which gets you 6x points per dollar, and you get a "credit" for your 50-night minimum of 15 nights (I.e. they give you 15 elite night credits, so you only need 35 to keep the status from year to year). We have racked up a ton of points and had free stays at the Ritz Ranch Mirage, Ritz Dove Mountain, Ritz Honolulu, etc. Great thing is you book 4 nights on points and get a 5th night free. Just something to consider

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Super pro tip - get you and your wife a bonvoy card.

The amex card gives you automatic gold status (which also btw has free upgrades when available.. not just platinum).

It's $500 annual fee, but you get $300 statement credit on Marriott purchases (rooms and room charges) so it's really only $200.

Also, the bonvoy cards are 6x per dollar is just on marriott spend, not all spend. It's 2x per dollar outside marriott (with the amex being 3x on restaurants and flights).

Wife and I racked up a good 250k points this year by both signing up for cards and adding each other as a user (another 10k bonus sometimes)

62strat said:

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Austintm said:

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AggieOO said:

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Never mind. Found it.

Marriott Bonvoy: Once you earn elite status, it will be valid for the rest of the calendar year in which you've earned it and an additional 14 months after that. So, for example, if you earn Gold status in 2019, it will be valid until February 28, 2021.

---

Great things about Platinum:

auto access to club/concierge lounge (except at Ritz)
free breakfast if the don't have club lounge or it's closed at breakfast (e.g. some are closed on weekends)
extra points
guaranteed late check out, and they've always let us check in early
they always upgrade if something is available

Pro Tip: get a Bonvoy credit card, which gets you 6x points per dollar, and you get a "credit" for your 50-night minimum of 15 nights (I.e. they give you 15 elite night credits, so you only need 35 to keep the status from year to year). We have racked up a ton of points and had free stays at the Ritz Ranch Mirage, Ritz Dove Mountain, Ritz Honolulu, etc. Great thing is you book 4 nights on points and get a 5th night free. Just something to consider

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Super pro tip - get you and your wife a bonvoy card.

The amex card gives you automatic gold status (which also btw has free upgrades when available.. not just platinum).

It's $500 annual fee, but you get $300 statement credit on Marriott purchases (rooms and room charges) so it's really only $200.

Also, the bonvoy cards are 6x per dollar is just on marriott spend, not all spend. It's 2x per dollar outside marriott (with the amex being 3x on restaurants and flights).

Wife and I racked up a good 250k points this year by both signing up for cards and adding each other as a user (another 10k bonus sometimes)

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This
And, yes, it is just 6x on Marriott which is why when I travel for business and, almost exclusively, for pleasure I stay at a Marriott property and use the card

"and they've always let us check in early

they always upgrade if something is available"



as they say on the internet "YMMV" Your mileage may vary.

it is not a benefit of status to let you check in early. only Ambassador status gives you '24 hour' check in.
If you check in on the mobile app and indicate your arrival time, they should note that but are not required to.

if the room is ready, its ready for anyone who shows, but the hotel letting you check in early is not a status matter.

and the upgrade policies vary WIDELY throughout the world.........the key words here are 'available' and 'what is an upgrade' I've been told a room farther from the elevator is an 'upgrade'.

read the site Bonvoyed.com for some pretty funny episodes.

My last upgrade was in San angelo. I got a balcony...overlooking a parking lot, and it was 105 degrees.

Bonvoy isn't really what it was before SPG merger, or SPG isn't, or Marriott wasn't. Or something.

Got both myself and P2 up to plat status on cards and stays and liquidated all our points between this year and last year.

SNA in Europe get you god tier level upgrades. Was given a Exec. Suite at the Vienna Ritz in 2018 which was two bedrooms two bath and club access for a base room award spend as a Gold on Amex Plat status only.

In London at Grosvenor House got a Park suite, which is about 1400 sq. ft. overlooking Hyde park. Did 5 nights on 4 deal there on a basic room spend and SNA

Got a Exec Suite in Paris at Prince De Galles, 3 nights, again on a basic room using a SNA.

They get so few Plats in Europe that they will treat you like gods, but in the US you are lucky to get a ham sandwich.

Moving all my stays and focus over to Hyatt now. Very little appealing about Bonvoy to me at this point. Most of the rooms we stayed in are now 80k a night base. We did Gritti Palace in 2017 for today's equivalent of 40k. It's now 95k.

Seems tough to accumulate Hyatt points, no? What's your strategy?

Mustang1 said:

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Seems tough to accumulate Hyatt points, no? What's your strategy?

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UR convert to Hyatt.

With millions of AA miles converting UR to airlines isnt super valuable to me.

in my experiences the merger really killed a lot of the stuff that made SPG great. I'm pretty much sticking with Hilton exclusively now, but still keep my SPG/marriot account active as a back up of sorts in case there's a huge discrepancy in prices between the two brands.

SNA? UR?

Single night awards? no idea on UR

Suite Nite Awards

Ultimate Rewards = Chase cards points program.

Jock 07 said:

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in my experiences the merger really killed a lot of the stuff that made SPG great. I'm pretty much sticking with Hilton exclusively now, but still keep my SPG/marriot account active as a back up of sorts in case there's a huge discrepancy in prices between the two brands.

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Agree it's not as good as it used to be. On the flip side, you now have a lot more choices for hotels in the program

culdeus said:

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Bonvoy isn't really what it was before SPG merger, or SPG isn't, or Marriott wasn't. Or something.

Got both myself and P2 up to plat status on cards and stays and liquidated all our points between this year and last year.

SNA in Europe get you god tier level upgrades. Was given a Exec. Suite at the Vienna Ritz in 2018 which was two bedrooms two bath and club access for a base room award spend as a Gold on Amex Plat status only.

In London at Grosvenor House got a Park suite, which is about 1400 sq. ft. overlooking Hyde park. Did 5 nights on 4 deal there on a basic room spend and SNA

Got a Exec Suite in Paris at Prince De Galles, 3 nights, again on a basic room using a SNA.

They get so few Plats in Europe that they will treat you like gods, but in the US you are lucky to get a ham sandwich.

Moving all my stays and focus over to Hyatt now. Very little appealing about Bonvoy to me at this point. Most of the rooms we stayed in are now 80k a night base. We did Gritti Palace in 2017 for today's equivalent of 40k. It's now 95k.

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I'm curious about this. We did Gritti this summer (got it at the pre-Cat 8 rates) so 60k/night and used an SNA to get into the Serenissima suite. In the old SPG program, top tier hotels cost 35k per night. Using the x3 multiplier used to convert SPG points to Marriott points, that's 105,000. Equivalent to the current Category 8 peak award prices. We got significant savings by booking the Gritti post-integration.

In the past, I was primarily a credit card points earner using the SPG AmEx, that has been totally destroyed by the merger. I keep it in my wallet for the annual free night and the 15 night elite credit, but pretty much never swipe it. In the past 12 month or so my travel pattern has significantly increased, so I'm earning more points by staying at Marriott's than I was before, and the earning rate at Marriott's for top tier elites is greater than it has been. As a Titanium I am earning 17.5 points/$, at OMAAT's valuation of $0.007 per point that's a return of 14% on property. During a double points promotion, I'm earning closer to 19.25% back. That's not including the 1k bonus per stay and / or any other promotions. As long as I can keep using the points I'm earning - I think I'll end up staying loyal to Marriott.

However, on property, recognition is certainly less than it was under the former SPG. I rarely get suite upgrades without asking or using a certificate, the make a green choice program has been slashed, and the breakfast benefit is abused by so many properties.

culdeus said:

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Very little appealing about Bonvoy to me at this point. Most of the rooms we stayed in are now 80k a night base. We did Gritti Palace in 2017 for today's equivalent of 40k. It's now 95k.

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While I agree that the Marriott merger has eroded a lot of what made SPG great, this is flat out incorrect. I've been a SPG loyalist and lifetime platinum (and now titanium) since 2004 and Gritti Palace has been a SPG category 7 property (highest) for as long as I can remember. Category 7 required 30k to 35k SPG points a night which is equivalent to 90k to 105k Bonvoy points today. Last year during the transition, there was a period of time when Marriott didn't have a category to cover the highest end SPG properties so you could redeem for the Gritti for 60k Bonvoy points a night which was an amazing deal but it was never available for anything close to 40k.