5 Star Elite SPG Platinum yearly reset?

[YYJMSP]

For those of you have been SPG Platinum via the SVN 5 Star Elite route, do you normally get some kind of notification that you didn't achieve SPG Platinum status (assuming you didn't actually stay 25 times or 50 nights the previous year), and then it all resets properly on Mar 1st?

I got an email yesterday from SPG titled "A Platinum Status Update":

It's the time of year when we review all elite member accounts for renewal. Based on our current data, it looks like you might be short the necessary stays or nights to renew your Platinum status.

Please take a moment and check your account to make sure all your 2011 stays have posted. Remember: Platinum status typically requires 25 eligible stays or 50 eligible nights in a calendar year. If you find discrepancies or have questions, call your local SPG® Customer Contact Center.

Platinum or Gold, all of our elite members will enjoy exciting new benefits starting March 1, 2012, including a welcome gift at check-in for Gold members: a choice of bonus Starpoints®, in-room Internet access or a drink on us. That's in addition to three Starpoints for every eligible U.S. dollar elite members spend and much more. Visit spg.com/morepowertoyou for all member benefits.

As always, thank you for traveling with us. We'll contact you again in March to confirm your status — and we look forward to your next stay.​

Given this is our first year getting SPG Platinum this way (we normally get it via the stays/nights route), I'm wondering if this is normal.

I've fired off a note on MSC just to verify I don't need to do anything and that all is right with the world. I may fire off a note to SPG as well.

I'm also thinking that this confirms that the new SPG Platinum Lifetime status is not what we have, and SVO just does a yearly status update.

 

[jarta]

YYJMSP, ... Seems like you might have 2 SPG Platinum accounts that are not linked.

SPG Platinum is included for SVN 5 Star Elites and needs no renewal. As long as you have sufficient StarOptions at the resorts you own, you are SVN 5 Star Elite and you retain SPG Platinum.

I'd call SPG's Platinum Desk, give them the SPG Platinum number on the email message you received, tell SPG Platinum you are now SVN 5 Star Elite and find out if your current SPG Platinum number can be switched to SPG Platinum due to SVN 5 Star Elite for record-keeping purposes or whether you might have (or might have to create) a new SPG Platinum number due to being 5 Star Elite. GLTY. ... eom

 

[DavidnRobin]

Is it true that all 5* have PFL status? I did not think that this is necessarily the case.

 

[jarta]

David, ... It's not SPG "Platinum for Life" (PFL) for SVN 5 Star Elites. It's SPG Platinum for as long as 5 Star Elite status is continually maintained. From the 5 Star Elite Privileges pages on mystarcentral:

"Automatic Starwood Preferred Guest® Platinum Membership

Enjoy additional hotel privileges, such as a welcome amenity delivered upon arrival, complimentary health club access and greater Starpoints® earning potential at participating hotels. Earn three Starpoints for every U.S. dollar spent—a 50% bonus over Preferred Members. Enjoy automatic upgrades to the best available room, including select standard suites. Platinum Members are also eligible for late check-outs up to 4 p.m. except at resorts and convention locations, where late check-out is based on availability. For further information regarding the Starwood Preferred Guest Program® please visit SPG.com. Some restrictions may apply.

Return to SVN Elite Privileges"

The most prominent "restrictions" are that an upgraded available room is not always available and the hotel or resort must be Level 4 or above for the room upgrade to apply, and some Starwood hotels and resorts have limited participation in SPG and give no or limited upgrades. For example, SVO timeshare resorts give no upgrades. ... eom

 

[Henry M.]

I have not received any e-mails regarding my SPG Platinum status associated with my 5* status. I have never gotten an e-mail like the one you quoted. I just get my platinum card every year.

 

[YYJMSP]

YYJMSP, ... Seems like you might have 2 SPG Platinum accounts that are not linked.

I only have the one SPG account, and it's been marked "SVN Elite" for years. I've been SPG Platinum through hotel stays for years, and this last year was the first in which I didn't stay enough to requalify; however, we became SVN 5 Star Elite (with the associated SPG Platinum status), so I didn't bother making sure I hit the 25/50 stays/nights...

SPG Platinum is included for SVN 5 Star Elites and needs no renewal. As long as you have sufficient StarOptions at the resorts you own, you are SVN 5 Star Elite and you retain SPG Platinum.

I queried on MSC, and they responded back with:

We are sorry about any confusion that has been caused. As a Five Stay Elite member, the primary owner does get the benefit of having a Platinum Level status with Starwood Preferred Guest. This status will not change as long as you are an owner with Starwood Vacation Ownership at the Five Star Elite Level. For the 2012 use year, that benefit will not change and you will remain at the Platinum Level. Again, we apologize for the confusion. ​

I was slightly concerned with the "For the 2012 use year, that benefit will not change", but I'll leave that for another day.

I'd call SPG's Platinum Desk, give them the SPG Platinum number on the email message you received, tell SPG Platinum you are now SVN 5 Star Elite and find out if your current SPG Platinum number can be switched to SPG Platinum due to SVN 5 Star Elite for record-keeping purposes or whether you might have (or might have to create) a new SPG Platinum number due to being 5 Star Elite. GLTY. ... eom

I contacted SPG, and they verified that "your account is flagged" and that "the email you received would have been an automatic email based on the normal Platinum qualifications." and "As long you continue to own the amount of properties that you do, you're status will stay in tact. In other word's, ignore the email."

Annoying...

 

[jarta]

YYJMSP, ... "I only have the one SPG account, and it's been marked "SVN Elite" for years."

The only SVN Elites who get the automatic SPG Platinum are 5 Star Elites. "SVN Elite" means nothing to SPG if you are not 5 Star Elite.

I still think you possibly could have had 2 SPG accounts. One created long ago for hotel visits and another created last year due to your achievement of 5 Star Elite status.

But, if you are happy that they are now linked or combined, be happy, not still annoyed? Life's too short not to enjoy. Enjoy the continued SPG Platinum benefits.

(Hint: if you ever want to verify your SPG Platinum status, just call the SPG Platinum reservation number and, when you give the agent your SPG number, you will hear "Thank you for being SPG Platinum" if the computer screen says you are.) ... eom

 

[YYJMSP]

So, all's not quite right in the world...

Being the kinda person that I am, I had SPG look in to it more deeply. They came back with:

Hi. I think you got this message because when the distribution list was pulled, you were not noted as being SVN Five Star Elite. You are currently classified as SVOE, whose comp level is Gold, so it is possible for these SVO members to be Platinum and be downgraded to Gold if they do not have a sufficient number of stays/nights to retain it.

Provided that SVO does what they need to do on their end to classify you as a SVN Five Star Elite, you won't be downgraded to Gold. If, however, they don't get that done before March 1, 2012, you might be downgraded briefly until they get the SVN Five Star Elite status code attached to your account profile. ​

So, back to SVO to get it fixed...

 

[YYJMSP]

Fixed

In case any one is curious, your SPG account should have a notation on the "external marketing tab" in their system that the agents can pull up.

For 5 Star Elites:

"it says SVOM now and then when we hover over it is says SVO Multi Week Purchase - 5 star elite"​

So it appears they never updated the status when we bought our last couple of units...

 

[Pedro]

In case any one is curious, your SPG account should have a notation on the "external marketing tab" in their system that the agents can pull up.

For 5 Star Elites:

"it says SVOM now and then when we hover over it is says SVO Multi Week Purchase - 5 star elite"​

So it appears they never updated the status when we bought our last couple of units...

I had the same thing happen four or five years ago - the one year I didn't qualify for Platinum through stays/nights. All it took was one phone call to get everything straightened out.

 

[YYJMSP]

I had the same thing happen four or five years ago - the one year I didn't qualify for Platinum through stays/nights. All it took was one phone call to get everything straightened out.

#)$!*$()#@$

My SPG account status changed to Gold Preferred Guest today , two weeks after it was supposedly fixed.

The SPG online chat person says that it still says the right things ("SVOM", etc) and they can't do anything else, and to contact SVO.

Time to call all the twits at SVO tomorrow and get it fixed again...

 

[Ken555]

#)$!*$()#@$

My SPG account status changed to Gold Preferred Guest today , two weeks after it was supposedly fixed.

The SPG online chat person says that it still says the right things ("SVOM", etc) and they can't do anything else, and to contact SVO.

Time to call all the twits at SVO tomorrow and get it fixed again...

And how much did 5* status cost you again?

Seriously, it's rather unbelievable that even SVN would be this incompetent toward their best customers.

 

[YYJMSP]

And how much did 5* status cost you again?

I think I've drank just under $175K of kool-aid so far over the last 7 years...

Seriously, it's rather unbelievable that even SVN would be this incompetent toward their best customers.

I talked to my rep at SVO, and about an hour later I got an e-mail from SPG congratulating me on achieving SPG Platinum, valid to Feb 28, 2014.

I guess I'll check back in 2 years and see if they got it right this time...

 

[gregb]

My guess is that since you previously were earning Platinum via hotel stays, they never fully connected your *wood ownership to your Platinum account. Now that they have done so (hopefully), it will be OK in the future.