Update 1/30/20: This change is being applied retroactively. So even if you booked a meeting/event in 2019 before these changes were announced you’ll still not get the credit. This is a poor way to run a loyalty program as presumably a lot of people wouldn’t have booked with Marriott if this was the case. Sure you’ll ‘catch’ people gaming the system, but at the same time people that actually book these meetings and events are caught up in this change. Hat tip to VFTW
Update: Official terms have now been updated
Hat tip to US Credit Card Guide
Original post: Marriott has offered 10 elite night credits for meetings and events, up until 2018 this could be done an unlimited number of times and then this was changed to one set of 10 elite night credits annually. On January 1st, 2020 this benefit will be removed entirely and you’ll no longer earn 10 elite night credits after your first meeting/event for the year. You’ll still continue to earn 1 elite night credit for every 20 room nights actualized up to a maximum of 20 elite nights per contract. This was an easy way some people were meeting elite night qualification requirements for relatively cheap so it’s not surprising to see this change. Apologies for previously stating this would not be the case.
Hat tip to VFTW (confirmed by memo posted by US Credit Card Guide)
Bonvoyed!!
Thats why I always make my contracts retroactively revocable, nothing to lose!
I did this in late December to make 50 on the nose and nothing retroactively has happened to me. I am still Platinum for 2020.
Thought about using this at the end of last year to hit Titanium, but just decided to burn some points to “stay” at a Category 1 for a week instead. Too bad for those who actually have meetings at Marriott on a regular.
Will wonders never cease?
Did TPG retroactively take back their award yet? Or maybe they’ll just proactively give them another award later this year.
Love it. Capitalism wins. The strong beat the weak. Marriott is shafting all the idiots. Take it without crying.
Woah, they really love their customers /s
As a titanium elite staying at a Ritz Carlton in an upgraded room, now as I type, all due to meetings in 2018, this feels like the last breath being choked out of any Marriott positives pre-merger. RIP
Had never used the meeting credit but always kept it in mind if I needed <=10 extra nights. Honestly just another reason to ditch Marriott. Been a disaster since the merger as we all know.
I personally believe that Marriott, RAT, AA, and all others are snooping social media to find there loopholes because they don’t invest in having a robust software to avoid loopholes (and this is not really difficult to do).
Also, I get a leery feeling that TPG and other have banks as sponsors and yet, their authors snoop around reddit to get their information and not sure if it is passed on to the banks (appears they are getting paid for this?)?
Then again, it is already to late and damage has been done.
BTW, I was not doing this meeting elite shortcut stuff.
Of course they are. Can you blame them?
How does anyone ever meet these levels organically I have spent 16 nights at Marriott this year and even with the 15 night start I am only at 31 nights. So unless you travel like every week for business you are never making a meaningful level.
Once you accept that rewards programs are exclusively aimed at business travelers, you will be happier for it.
Except Hilton where I am Diamond and have never spent a night in a Hilton. My first ever stay is next month.
They really are at this point. Totally makes sense to focus on one hotel/airline to rack up status and miles on the company’s dime so you can coast and travel in style when you’re on your own
It doesn’t make me happier to consider that because then I think about how inconsistent and lackluster the benefit application can be (I’m thinking mostly of Bonvoy Titanium when I write this.) It’s just obvious that organic travelers are getting screwed.
It’s actually not that hard to get to 50. More than that is a cliff unless you really travel.
Yep, I’m retired and I got 51 last year – that includes the 15 nights from the CC and the free night they award you – that also counts. I now have 9 years at 50 or more. Just one more year and I’m at lifetime elite.
No way I could get to 75 though.
There are quite a few business travelers that stay over 10 nights a month many that even spend over 20 nights a month in hotels
If that were me I think I would just stay at home on vacations.
I’d imagine it’s quite rare. We’ve gotten 60 nights (+15 from card) each of the last few years with zero business travel, but it’s not easy. Basically very frequent weekend trips + several weeklong trips. Certainly helps that I have flexible WFH + unlimited PTO, it would otherwise be more difficult.
Was it unethical to use this 10-night meeting credit? I used it this year, but I hadn’t heard of it before that, so only got to take advantage once.
Why would it be unethical? They are offering it so they must have wanted you to use it.
Same, and no to answer your question. I set up a “meeting” where I sat at a table and ate mints for an hour. It wasn’t free!
Were the mints free? Were they good? These are the questions we need answered.
Marriott did not need to “snoop” social media (this year) in this particular case. For years, Marriott has had official representatives in the Marriott forum on FlyerTalk, where the thread (pre-2018 merger) about the meetings was titled “Platinum status for $800 and 0 stays”. Can you get any less obvious about a loophole than that?
And yet, what you earned for meetings never changed until the merger when 10 elite night credits per meeting went from unlimited to once a year, and now it’s changing again to never. So I don’t think any “snooping” was necessary in this case, it was just two stages of re-evaluation of something that was well known at Marriott already.
Marriott shut down almost every method of earning elite nights faster a year and a half ago (including rollover nights, multiple 15 elite night credits a year if you held multiple cards) and this is just part of it.
So given that bigger picture of Marriott elite night credit history, I don’t see that much resemblance between this and RAT or AA shutdowns, this is more similar to ongoing devaluations than to RAT or AA shutdowns in my opinion.
And so why your theory about “snooping” might be valid for other cases, I don’t think it applies in the same way in this case.
Only cost $300 for me.
To your point about TPG… he is a 100% total in their pocket shill for Amex… and probably a few of the big loyalty players including Marriott.
Cannot and I do not blame him.. but he really shouldn’t play the line of honest broker or reviewer in the articles and videos. That is simply not ethical.. the text disclaimers do not make it so when the content is biased. He is simply an advertising conduit plain and simple. His review of the recent Centurion card changes is beyond laughable…amuse yourself with it if bored.
I only end up on TPG when I Google on how best to use a particular program’s points or miles… for example.. best use of turkish airlines or etihad etc.. as a reference site. I don’t want to feed the beast otherwise.
I found it amusing when I had Marriott emails in September asking me to vote for Bonvoy in the “TPG awards” … showed how the points nonsense has come full circle.