Squirrel Master said:
Hilton just announced that everyone is getting a free year on their status levels. So if you earned status in 2019, were now expecting you'd lose it at end of 2020 since no one is traveling, you're getting an extra year of your same earned status for 2021. Pretty big for me. I'd also expect Marriott to follow suit.
This is about the only way things will be "devalued". Most groups will probably give extensions, which will just mean more people as a whole have status, so unless you have had top status for a while, new people won't get as much benefits/upgrades. I doubt hotels really give a ***** The one I usually stay at for work sells out constantly each week and has like 12 suites so you're never going to get upgraded anyways. Sure on occasion for pleasure trips i'll get some slight upgrades, but the point multipliers are about all that are really nice.
United is the one to keep a close eye on. Their change in status qualification was done intentionally so that less people would qualify for higher status'. Knowing how they work, it wouldn't shock me if they just ran math and lowered the qualifications to still hit the targeted amount of people in each group they want. It's a much different thing for airlines than it is hotels in my opinion. They'll all do something, but its no guarantee that the airlines will do what the hotels do.