A LoyaltyLobby reader sent me a question by email about a issue that many readers must be contemplating. Does it make sense to stay past the elite qualification criteria with one hotel loyalty program or qualify with second?
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You can access Marriott Rewards here.
READ MORE: Marriott Rewards Rate & Bonus Points And Miles Promotions
Here’s the email from the reader:
Since Marriott got rid of rollover nights, do you see a reason to continue staying at Marriott properties after the 75 nights have been achieved? Curious to know your thoughts.
There are few things to consider:
1. Have you reached your lifetime Platinum nights or is this something that you ever plan on doing. Lifetime Platinum status requires 750 nights and 2 million points. The points can be earned from all sources.
2. Marriott uses some sort of rolling qualification criteria if you have qualified for Platinum status for many years and don’t have the nights in one year. They are unlikely to drop your status. They kept me Platinum for few years after staying 100+ nights with Marriott for few years in a row.
3. Marriott Rewards has Platinum Premier status too for those that stay in excess of 100+ nights. It is unclear what the qualification criteria and benefits are.
I am personally huge proponent of having status with number of programs if possible. None of the airlines or hotels have presence everywhere.
Depending where the reader’s business usually takes him, I would probably look into Hilton Honors. They would match the status upfront and offer fast track to keep it. I wrote about this earlier this week (read more here).
Conclusion
When you travel a lot, it is easy to get bored with same hotels and/or airlines. If you can get status with more than one program, it opens up more opportunities to explore and enjoy the benefits.
I hope that Marriott Rewards made the right choice when they discontinued the rollover nights. Now they are no longer incentivizing people to stay over their elite qualification criteria.
