Thank you for this piece. My father was a loyal Marriott Rewards member, and major client for years. He had saved 500,000 miles for him and his wife to go to Hawaii. When he found out he was terminal, the second thing he said to me (after telling me how to take care of his NY Giants tickets) was how I needed to figure out how to transfer his Marriott points to his wife. This story made me think of him.
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I am lifetime platinum with Marriott, as a long time business traveler and having joined the program about 15 minutes after its creation. I have appreciated some nice upgrades over my history with them but it can be hit and miss, by property. I am now semi-retired and traveling with my husband more for leisure and while I still book paid stays at Marriott properties I try to use points judiciously. So, the 1 cent rule is important and I find that the points values have declined substantially over the past five years. Unfortunately it will only get worse as the new program from the Starwood merger is unveiled. If I had to start over with a new point program, it certainly would not be this one. Feel the same way about Delta's program: lousy point value and availability now. To anyone hoarding their points, my advice is to use them sooner rather than later.
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I have lifetime platinum status with my airline but my favourite hotel chain where I have been a Royal ambassador for many years does not offer that bonus. As I now prepare to fully retire I will burn my 2MM points and move on.
As I read this, I wondered how many among this crowd were meeting professionals - that is, people who plan conferences, meetings, conventions - and collect reward points for just booking the meeting not even on their own dimes! I wondered how many who collect this company's points are among those now saying they are boycotting Marriott bec they've lowered their commission to those third parties who are angry but may still collect AND use points. Oh the #ethics of points! Who really owns them when the guest rooms or entire meetings are paid for by someone else? I'm offended by it all.
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I worked in a creative agency that did, among other things, corporate events. Certain project managers would run all spending through their own wallets, cards, and loyalty programs, amass literally millions of points, get reimbursed, then take off for the Seychelles or luxury safaris, leveraging literally unearned benefits while their co-workers remained home. They professed not to understand why some were put out. Marriott was among the programs that spiffed meeting planners on a personal level to draw business. No doubt some clients, knowing it or not, spent far more than necessary on Marriott events so their producers could go to the Seychelles.
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Can attest firsthand that none of the Insiders that attended the first TIPPLE event were professional meeting planners. There certainly are more than a couple among the online audience active on the Marriott Rewards Insiders forum, though the overwhelming majority are simply road-warriors, and what I call "points mongers"; folks who learn how to maximize earnings as a hobby/game.
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In the Lori Fleenor photo, who looks like they don't belong?
The socks are amazing but the least of the benefit of the Insiders. If anyone is interested, they came from pupsocks.com. You can get anything printed on them, dogs, cats, people. My screen name is Rowdy which is my dog, but I also have a cat, Jazzabelle which is prominent in the sock photo.
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This is a sweet story, but it should be noted that every big points / miles program has a core of super-enthusiasts, and the value and utility of most programs have been in decline for years. Airline frequent-flyer schemes in particular award fewer miles today for most tickets while hiking the "price" of reward seats, to the point where spending extra to stay loyal to AA or Delta can be foolhardy; the prize you're chasing may not be worth it.
The hotel programs like Marriott and Hilton have been diluted less, but they still ratchet up redemption levels on a regular basis while getting stingier with benefits. This is partly because of a strong economy and less competition (the Marriott-Starwood merger mentioned in the piece is unlikely to yield greater benefits for either bloc of customers), partly because -- thanks mainly to credit card bonuses -- there are more points in circulation than the chains can hope to reasonably redeem. These currencies are naturally inflationary; their value and purchasing power are on a slow, perpetual wane.
Nothing against the "Insiders" who fetishize their loyalty to Marriott, but their super-user profiles are not really examples for everyday travelers to mimic -- let alone most price-conscious ones. The sad fact is that for many people, disloyalty pays better; unless you are on the road 50 nights a year or more (the threshold for Marriott Gold Elite), forget the points and just shop all chains for the lowest room rates.
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Actually, the new benefits afford greater value with the introduction of dynamically priced redemptions. Plus while it's true that every major hospitality loyalty program adjusts redemptions annually, there's plenty of supporting articles on the web from past few years where a good balance of hotels in the MR program got actually cheaper vs. more expensive. I know folks like to attribute it to some greedy corporate legerdemain, when in reality it is very simple supply & demand. In properties/markets where demand outpaces available inventory, redemption prices go up. The new redemption pricing announced will give some relief during periods of lower demand, versus the past one-price-no-matter-what approach.
Friendship is the nicest reward these folks have earned.
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Wow. I did not know of this. Thanks
I have some one million points, all at my expense.
I have yet to use any awards.
My take is pay for as long as I can and then blow it one day.
I travel a great deal, been to 104 countries and counting.
Just finished my Marriott stay in Bogotá which I recommend.
I was in Amsterdam last week and stayed at downtown Marriott. My advice: don’t.
It’s an aging property, with a horrible lounge, little liquor selection. And staff indifferent.
I need to look up this group for just laughs. And share with them my own personal travel app.
In iTunes, type in “travelsnotes” (all together and don’t forget that s after Travel)
On google, type in NeilsTravels (all together)
May be, these folks can contribute as both apps are forums.
Thanks
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In Amsterdam Renaissance’s lovely. Lifetime Platinum member
It's not amazing what booze or your favorite drug will foster.
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It’s another form of currency and whatever status you get with it, but it’s also just a Marriott.
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Or a Renaissance, or a W, or a Ritz-Carlton, or a St. Regis, or a Westin, or an Edition, or so on, and so on. There's 29 other brands in that program besides just the core Marriott Hotels.
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Wish I had known. I've been a loyal Marriott Rewards member for years...including a Marriott credit card. My work travel was curtailed over the last two years as my wife cared for her dying mother in another city (so I was home with the kids, one of whom was in the midst of his own struggle). Honestly, last year was probably the most stressful year in my life.
This year, Marriott took away my Platinum status and I called to appeal. The lack of empathy was insane; one of the agents suggested that I should have "found a way" to travel more. And I don't know why but it was thing that finally brought me to tears. I needed just a little act of kindness but it was not to be. And now every time I do something I am reminded by Marriott that I lost my status and it hurts just a little bit each time.
I actually am still a big Marriott fan...just a little less than I was a year ago.
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I'm sorry that you went through that experience with the insensitive Marriott representative. I hope that their HQ reads it and reaches out to you. I recently had to call AmEx for a sad reason and they reacted without empathy or care. They didn't do anything wrong business-wise but they certainly didn't do anything right for a customer. At a minimum, Marriott owes you an apology and the restoration of your points.
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That's the thing. Nice folks, good business, and then they do something boneheaded like that. For me, it was when they started jamming individual wifi connections to force guests to pay for hotel wifi. I'd just joined the rewards program when they did that, but I have avoided the hotel ever since. Even though I think they backtracked on the wifi policy, why did they ever think it was a good idea?
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That was never a corporate-wide policy nor practice, but the act of a few hotels which was quickly rescinded. It's important to remember that each of the individual hotels amidst all the brands from Marriott, Starwood, Hilton, Hyatt, Intercontinental, et cetera are actually *not owned* by those corporations. They're owned by various real estate developers/groups, who simply contract with the big hotel brands for everything from styling/decor, to reservations systems access, to collective buying power, to loyalty programs. So on occasion, you get various hotels "going rogue" and doing things a bit differently than others in the chain. Can seem confusing to guests, who expect things to work the same way at every hotel within a brand.
“We have a good time,” she said. “We have more of a good time in person than we do on the forum, and many us have a relationship outside the forum where we talk almost daily.”
This article reminded me of a chapter taken from the Lonely Hearts Chronicles. Not my thing on so many levels, but I thought it was cool how others were able to connect, exchange ideas and intel and develop and maintain friendships. I get a headache being on the computer for any great lengths of time. I cannot imagine the time these folks invest in gathering and sharing intel.
To each his/her own. The theme shirts were pretty eye catching and unique, but the purple haze lounge is probably where I would draw the line - too reminiscent of my college days in the 1970s. Extremely interesting article. Thanks NYT! As always, this publication has something for everyone.
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This is just the tip of the iceberg. FlyerTalk, One Mile At A Time, The Points Guy. They and dozens more provide forums for those maximizing loyalty points and frequent flyer miles. There are endless discussions on getting the best redemptions to fly first class and stay in exclusive hotel properties for pennies on the dollar. And then there's the Manufactured Spend crowd. A legion of die-hards unto their own.
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