Using Marriott card to get Gold Elite Status?

[Anonymous]

Just my 2 cents here... I have been both silver and gold with Marriott rewards and I can't say I was treated much differently. In fact I generally get the gold perks with my silver membership as long as the hotel isn't that busy. It kinda seems like the places we stay are shocked to even see a silver member so we get treated pretty well.

Here's a link to the official benefits to compare: http://www.marriott.com/marriott-rewards/member-benefits.mi

[Anonymous]

For what it's worth, I personally had the Marriott Premier card previously and was permitted to upgrade to the Ritz-Carlton Card. Only limitation you'll run into though is because the card isn't a full 12 months old yet, Chase will not legally be permitted to PC you because of the higher annual fee. You could either reapply or wait after a year. Hope this helps a little.

[nitrov]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Just my 2 cents here... I have been both silver and gold with Marriott rewards and I can't say I was treated much differently. In fact I generally get the gold perks with my silver membership as long as the hotel isn't that busy. It kinda seems like the places we stay are shocked to even see a silver member so we get treated pretty well.

Here's a link to the official benefits to compare: http://www.marriott.com/marriott-rewards/member-benefits.mi

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Wow, that's good to know! I went to a Hilton property with a friend of mine who had Platinum or something status and we got treated like royalty. I got HHonors Gold when I had my Amex Platinum and I don't think they could've cared less lol. I wasn't sure if Marriott was similar when it came to silver vs. gold benefits and how they actually treat the guest when they go to check-in to the hotel. I appreciate that! At least if I'm stuck with the Marriott card I know it won't be that bad 

[nitrov]

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@Anonymous wrote:

For what it's worth, I personally had the Marriott Premier card previously and was permitted to upgrade to the Ritz-Carlton Card. Only limitation you'll run into though is because the card isn't a full 12 months old yet, Chase will not legally be permitted to PC you because of the higher annual fee. You could either reapply or wait after a year. Hope this helps a little.

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That's also very good to know. I assume when you upgraded you weren't able to get any signup bonus though, correct? I really like the idea of getting the 2 free nights with the card after spending the $4k. I'm almost positive that they'll give me a hard time getting the Ritz card right now, so if push comes to shove I may just end up keeping the Marriott if I have to...can't imagine it would be worthwhile to have both for anything besides the signup bonus. 

I'll prob still go through with my plan to app for Ritz anyway, and just cross my fingers and hope for the best. 

[nitrov]

ok, app submitted! got the pending response, so we'll see what happens. I'll call the automated status line tomorrow to see if says 2 weeks/30 days...or the dreaded 7-10 days. 

[nitrov]

I got the app confirmed email which says 30 days, called the status line and it says 2 weeks...so hopefully that's a good sign. I have no self control so I called tonight

[sillykitty1]

So may I ask, if you don't stay at Marriott's that frequently, why is Gold status important to you?

I have Marriott Plat status, and it's really nothing special.  Mostly I value the extra points that come with status.  but again if you're not staying often, the points won't add up to much.  The concierge access is nice, but at 90% of Marriott's it's nothing special.  Room upgrades are few and far between even at Plat, I wouldn't count on any with Gold.  

[nitrov]

I don't stay at that many Marriott properties now, but it's only because I frequently go pretty far out of my way to stay at IHG properties. I'm traveling more for work now, especially to Atlanta, and Marriott is one of the most convenient properties for me to stay at. If there's not a big difference than maybe I'm just better off with Marriott card over Ritz. You said you only have the Ritz card, right?

[sillykitty1]

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@nitrov wrote:
I don't stay at that many Marriott properties now, but it's only because I frequently go pretty far out of my way to stay at IHG properties. I'm traveling more for work now, especially to Atlanta, and Marriott is one of the most convenient properties for me to stay at. If there's not a big difference than maybe I'm just better off with Marriott card over Ritz. You said you only have the Ritz card, right?

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I have both the Marriott and the Ritz.  The Marriott is more valuable to me.  The 15 elite nights credit is a safety net for me if my travel ever tapers off, to still get status.  And I value the cat 5 cert slightly more then the Ritz Club upgrade.  That is pure personal preference.  I don't always have use for my cat 5 cert, but I have even less use for the Ritz certs.  For me, I don't spend much time in the hotel room for vacation, so I'm very unlikely to choose a Ritz over other Marriott brands, and pay that price premium for Ritz luxury. 

[nitrov]

Hmmm, now you're making me reconsider!