So, if that works out to be true, essentially the current SPG Platinum will be the new Platinum, and the current Marriott Platinum will be the higher tier. That will satisfy the current SPG Plats who won't suddenly find themselves Gold for being under 75 nights. Hopefully the Platinum continues the same benefits and doesn't get watered down.
The 10 points across the board has been scratching my head, though. Currently only the flagship brands get that across the board and the middle/upper brands (plus Ritz-Carlton) get it on room rates. So that would effectively double the rate for Residence Inn and Towneplace Suites, which I usually avoid for that very reason on revenue stays because there's usually a nearby Marriott (in which I mean the brand, i.e. Marriott Marquis Times Square) nearby for about the same price and I can usually make up for the minimal difference with snacks from the lounge.
Thanks for posting this; now we just need to find out what's going on with the cards and what possibilities exist for those of us who want to earn status through elite night credits and/or spend from our cards because we can't possibly actually stay 50-75 nights a year.
That sounds like revenue-based pricing to me. The points-based system is why I'm loving Marriott currently. Sure, I'll spend 45,000 points a night for a $1200/night room but not for a $200-300/night room! If the value's not there and they water down the current Gold/Plat perks, there's not much incentive for loyalty and I'd probably end up going the Amex Travel portal route. I know these are rumors at this point, but Marriott, there are reasons many people throw spend on the Marriott and Starwood cards!
@Anonymous exactly. I think my moaning about these rumors is spread out through at least 3 threads at this point, but a devaluation of Marriott Gold and revenue based redemptions has me really concerned. I mean the entire way I pay for everything is based on this gravy train of Marriott Gold and 3:1 transfers. And free breakfast alone has more than made up for my Platinum + AU fees the past couple of years.
Family getaways and vacations have to revolve around school schedules. We can’t just take a vacation in the middle of October. It’s February vacation week, Passover/Spring Break, Summer or the holidays. Period. Those are the times when I have been getting insane 7-8 cents per point hotel rooms. If this gets tied to a 0.7 to 1.0 cent revenue base, this completely changes everything and while I can still get great value for airfare from rewards there isn’t much of an option for hotels other than going the “whoever gives me the best value” route through a traveler portal like Amex or hotels.com. And with the abysmal earning rate that the Chase Marriott cards have, there’s not even much room to rack up points - really the only reason I don’t have the R-C card.
Family getaways and vacations have to revolve around school schedules. We can’t just take a vacation in the middle of October. It’s February vacation week, Passover/Spring Break, Summer or the holidays. Period. Those are the times when I have been getting insane 7-8 cents per point hotel rooms. If this gets tied to a 0.7 to 1.0 cent revenue base, this completely changes everything and while I can still get great value for airfare from rewards there isn’t much of an option for hotels other than going the “whoever gives me the best value” route through a traveler portal like Amex or hotels.com. And with the abysmal earning rate that the Chase Marriott cards have, there’s not even much room to rack up points - really the only reason I don’t have the R-C card.
@Anonymous wrote:Ugh, I've gotten so spoiled getting Marriott lounge access just for having the Amex Platinum. This ends up being a devaluation for the Amex Platinum AND Marriott if lounge access is restricted to the Platinum 75 level. Perhaps the new "super premium" Amex card will give us access (oh joy, just what I've always wanted, to pay two high annual fees for something I used to be able to get with one...).
I'm also skeptical when it comes to dynamic pricing. I avoid Hilton because their prices are stupidly unpredictable at times (I know there's value to be had, and I believe the new Aspire card is awfully tempting), but perhaps my real problem is with how low each point is worth individually. It makes it difficult to rack up points with credit card spend alone (I don't pay for hotel stays with cash enough to get any points to speak of from stays). However, Delta is my airline of choice, but I like a lot of things about their points program (no expiration and it's easier to accumulate Delta Skymiles than, say, AAdvantage miles). That being said, every time I try to pick out a flight, I cringe while I wait to see how many miles it'll be. Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised, and sometimes I am most definitely not. I'm definitely going to miss the predictability that came with the Marriott pricing structure. But here's hoping that certain redemptions will surprise us.
And any bets on how long it'll be before Hyatt announces it's going revenue-based? I think at that point I'm just going to throw all of my hotel co-branded cards into a bonfire.
Yea hotel cards are becoming less and less useful. I think its absurd they are making these changes on short notice like this. I have trips coming up. At least give us the rest of 2018, as it is I have a trip planned late august and if my status becomes worthless I will probably ditch marriott as my hotel provider on that trip. No incentive to stay there if loyalty doesn't matter. I can go to Hilton with my gold status or just stay with hyatt on paid stays.
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@K-in-Boston wrote:
@Anonymousexactly. I think my moaning about these rumors is spread out through at least 3 threads at this point, but a devaluation of Marriott Gold and revenue based redemptions has me really concerned. I mean the entire way I pay for everything is based on this gravy train of Marriott Gold and 3:1 transfers. And free breakfast alone has more than made up for my Platinum + AU fees the past couple of years.
Family getaways and vacations have to revolve around school schedules. We can’t just take a vacation in the middle of October. It’s February vacation week, Passover/Spring Break, Summer or the holidays. Period. Those are the times when I have been getting insane 7-8 cents per point hotel rooms. If this gets tied to a 0.7 to 1.0 cent revenue base, this completely changes everything and while I can still get great value for airfare from rewards there isn’t much of an option for hotels other than going the “whoever gives me the best value” route through a traveler portal like Amex or hotels.com. And with the abysmal earning rate that the Chase Marriott cards have, there’s not even much room to rack up points - really the only reason I don’t have the R-C card.
yea if the points are based strictly on revenue I don't see the point anymore. I had a good run with marriott over the last 4 or 5 years, but maybe its time to move on.