I wrote to MVCI to tell them about my displeasure with the new point structure for rewards. This is the response I received back. It really tows the company line.
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"Thank you for contacting Marriott Vacation Club International.
We appreciate your taking the time to share with us your thoughts regarding the changes that were made in the Marriott Rewards® program.
Many of the enhancements made to the program were done so based on the suggestions and feedback provided by our members and owners. Changes were made so that we could offer more flexibility by eliminating blackout dates, having a larger number of redemption options, eliminating StayAnytime Rewards, creating a premier tier of select hotels, and having an increased value in the use of your Marriott Rewards® points.
After conducting extensive research and speaking with several thousand Marriott Rewards members, Marriott found that most of the members in the Marriott Rewards program expressed that the fact that there would no longer be blackout dates far outweighs the increase in Marriott Rewards point prices.
Although the 7 night Category 7 award (the highest point value under the current Marriott Rewards schedule) is going up by 40% (150,000 to 210,000 points), approximately 70% of the awards are staying at the same point value or decreasing slightly, and the average point increase is only 5% when weighted on how owners redeem points.
Of the members who told us they didn't like the point increases, these members informed us that they liked not having blackout dates, having more award availability, platinum bonus increase and having the 5th night free in total much more than they disliked the point increase.
About 10% of our awards historically have been Stay Anytime awards, while only 2% of our awards are for 7 nights. Most Marriott Rewards members were more concerned about having the peace of mind in knowing that the dates they wanted to reserve would not be blacked out, than they were about the number of Marriott Rewards points they would need to redeem.
Marriott strives to help you make the most of all your vacation opportunities and create a lifetime of vacation memories. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us via the e-mail address listed below or via our website at
www.My-VacationClub.com.
Best regards,
Jim M.
Correspondence Counselor
Marriott Vacation Club International
owner.services@vacationclub.com"
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Bart