Major Changes In Marriott Rewards

[Cruiser Too]

Doug- I've been following the thread on flyertalk so I can decide how to use my MRP. The Marriott Concierge is an official Marriott rep and has been attempting to answer questions about the new program. From everything I'ver read there, it seems 7 night certificates received with a travel package should be used by Dec. 31, 2009 at the latest. It is possible you could extend that date to Jan. 14, 2010 if you actually purchase (or extent) on Jan. 14, 2009. But I think it's clear that these certificates will be good for one year and no longer be extended after Jan. 15. If you purchase travel packages now and can't use the hotel portion in 2009, then you only receive a small amount of points (10,000 for a category 5?) if you turn the certificate back to Marriott.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=879191

Thanks for your clarification... LAX Mom

 

[Frisbeeace]

One must question however what program the buyer was shown when the salesman made the presentation. The Marriott sales staff always uses the travel packages as a huge selling point and they do quote the number of points needed. If they were shown and told numbers based on the current program that is down right deceptive.

My friend was already an owner but completely unaware of the already announced changes when he signed his contract on Thursday. The selling agent neglected to tell him that a big change in the program were coming. Certainly his attitude was down right deceptive.

 

[Cruiser Too]

My friend was already an owner but completely unaware of the already announced changes when he signed his contract on Thursday. The selling agent neglected to tell him that a big change in the program were coming. Certainly his attitude was down right deceptive.

Marriott HAD a reputation for "honest and low-key" presentations.
I believe this will adversely affected sales at Marriott.
It certainly will for me... and anyone I can convince

 

[gregloucks]

I have an unused cat 6 hotel certif set to expire approx Dec 2008...I will call tomorrow to see how all this change will affect this.

My situation is I have too much vaca already scheduled for 2009 to use this hotel certif. IF I can extend 1-yr to Dec 2009, AND between now and Dec 2009 I can plan/reserve a hotel stay sometime before Dec 2010, then I am ok since this gives us sufficient time to plan. IF not, then this certif is a big fat waste of money (points) and I will not be a very happy camper, to say the least.

I have a similar situation in that I have two certs that I was going to use for an April 2010 trip. I've had a long email conversation with the Marriott Concierge about how I might accomplish this, and he has been extremely helpful. See the excerpt below in which he indicated that I could trade them in against two new MVCI 5-night certificates after the 1-15-09 changeover date. He had previously told me that I could also trade them in against two new 7-night certificates by paying in the points differential, but I would be less comfortable with that advice, as he made that statement in an email when he was being bombarded wth questions/working long hours and made a couple of other errors that he later corrected. So I am thinking I can trade them in against the new certificates after 1-15-09 and then get the expiration date extended to coincide with my April 2010 travel dates when I make the reservations.

"I think I understand what you are looking for now, and I am afraid I added to the confusion with my last response....If you will not be using certificates before 1/14/10 exploring the possibility of exchanging them to the MVCI five night awards appears to be the best plan. Unfortunately, there is no procedure currently for this type of exchange, but because the MVCI 5 night travel packages will cost the exact same as the current travel packages it should be possible. If you need assistance changing your current seven night portion of the travel package to the new 5 night MVCI reward please do not hesitate to contact me once the new reward become available to order January 15th. "

 

[LAX Mom]

I have a similar situation in that I have two certs that I was going to use for an April 2010 trip. I've had a long email conversation with the Marriott Concierge about how I might accomplish this, and he has been extremely helpful. See the excerpt below in which he indicated that I could trade them in against two new MVCI 5-night certificates after the 1-15-09 changeover date.

So basically, after Jan. 15 you will trade 7 night certificates to 5 night certificates that will be good for 1 year, but can be extended? You'll lose 2 nights on each certificate, but it won't cost you any additional points?

 

[gregloucks]

So basically, after Jan. 15 you will trade to 7 night certificates to 5 night certificates that will be good for 1 year, but can be extended? You'll lose 2 nights on each certificate, but it won't cost you any additional points?

Yes, that is what I plan on doing. I hope it works because we have no use for them in 2009 - already way too much travel the books. Ira (MC) seems willing to help if I have a problem making the swap through MCVI Owner Services.

 

[rsackett]

Has anybody seen how many points MVC stays will cost in the new program?

I looked but did not see that info.

Ray

 

[LAX Mom]

I believe the amount of points for MVCI redemption will not change, but they will also not be subject to the "no blackout days". I'm sure it will continue to be difficult to find availablity using points at MVCI properties.

 

[Armada]

The amount of points for award stays at MVCI properties will not change, but the availability will probably be even less than in the past. The units that might be available for award use are either those that Marriott owns or from weeks that owners have turned in for points. With the current point deflation, exchanging your week for points(and paying the fee involved) isn't very smart and probably far fewer owners will use this option in the future. No weeks traded for points means far fewer weeks available for MVCI awards.

 

[Big Matt]

I think there will be a lot more weeks available for rent and exchange for points due to the large number of foreclosures that are now beginning to pile up on the Home Owners Associations across all properties. Hopefully this will be a temporary event that only lasts another year or so.

The amount of points for award stays at MVCI properties will not change, but the availability will probably be even less than in the past. The units that might be available for award use are either those that Marriott owns or from weeks that owners have turned in for points. With the current point deflation, exchanging your week for points(and paying the fee involved) isn't very smart and probably far fewer owners will use this option in the future. No weeks traded for points means far fewer weeks available for MVCI awards.

 

[JoeMO]

Elite Status

I got an answer to my question about the difference between platinum and platinum elite. All reward levels are elite is the answer. Platinum elite is just another name for Platinum.

I also found out that there is a Platinum Premium status that Marriott sometimes awards to it special Platinum members. The rewards representative didn't have anymore information about it.

I also found that there is a Platinum Lifetime award level. This is when you are awarded the Platinum level for life. All you have to do to get it is be a member for 12 years, have 1,000 stays and had 1,000,000 points awarded.

Just thought you might want to know.

 

[Cruiser Too]

"POINTS" Aaaagh... !!!!

THIS is exactly why I don't own timeshares that are "points" based.
All my timeshares are "Weeks" based.

Big Brother (In this case, Marriott) can and eventually will,
tinker with number of "points" to access something.

ie:
It may currently take x number of "points" to stay at a resort.
Tomorrow, it may take x + y number of "points" to stay at the same resort.

Big Brother will do what's best for...... Big Brother !!!

 

[musical2]

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.

****************************************************
"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"
*******************************************

Bart

 

[KathyPet]

If you put lipstick on a pig it's still a pig. Typical Marriott answer defending what is obviously (from the comments I read on the Marriott feedback forum) extremely unpopular changes to the rewards program and a obvious devaluation of points earned from trading in MVCI weeks

 

[Cruiser Too]

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.

****************************************************
"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.

Can we have an informal survey ?

How many members were part of this "extensive research" ???

 

[Frisbeeace]

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.

Jim M.
Correspondence Counselor
Marriott Vacation Club International
owner.services@vacationclub.com"
*******************************************

This is not accurate as we are experiencing 2 different and simultaneous devaluation processes here: first the increase shown in the MR schedule and also the more subtle process due to category creep that an uncertain number of properties will experience (as it happened last year with more than 500 hotels). So, the 7 night Cat. 7 award went up a 40% only if such hotel remains at cat.7 but a 60% if it becomes a Cat. 8 property. Be aware that 14 out of 24 hotels currently cat. 7 will be upgraded to cat. 8 so the 60% increase applies to 58% of the properties. Outrageous.

I trust that 70% of the awards are staying at the same point value but they are certainly those which are foolish and inefficient ways to burn points. Any experienced member knows that, out of the whole MR catalogue, only hotel stays and travel packages are reasonable choices. The only exception being stays at MVCI which curiously remain at same point levels... because owners like me keep trading in our weeks for the same miserable fixed amount points and Marriott refuses to adjust our revenue even though they sell our nights at higher prices each year. So Marriott pays peanuts for our nights and plays generous with other members on our dime.

 

[Icarus]

That guy is taking lessons from timeshare salesmen.

-David

 

[Danette]

5th Travel Package?

In response to a question asked about the changes I received a response from Marriott that said (in part)

"With the changes to the Marriott Rewards program, a new 5th Travel Package will be available for only owners of Marriott Vacation Club International."

Any idea what she (Rosemarie Raptcheff, Correspondence Counselor, Marriott Vacation Club International) is talking about? I have not heard back.

Thanks,

Danette

 

[thinze3]

MVCI owners will have the option to purchase a 5 night travel package that includes airline miles vs. the standard 7 nights and miles package available to all Marriott Rewards members.


Terry

 

[winger]

well did not want to be left holding the bag...so, we bit the bullet and gave up our newport coast villa thanksgiving stay in 2009 (will use for a future exchange) in order to use up our cat 6...we upgraded the 6 to a 7 and are staying 7 days at the JW in santa monica (calif) in august 2009. we figure that is a decent 'exchange' in terms of vacation time!

 

[MacDaddy]

I bought our unit from the developer, before I knew about TUG and the advantages of resale (though, that being said, we bought pre-construction and also got a Marriott vendor's discount, so we didn't get too badly hosed). Since then, we've attended some other Marriott presentations and there is no question that the opportunity to exchange your week for points is a big part of the sales pitch; at one presentation we attended at Summit Watch, the entire pitch was built on buying a discounted deal they were offering at one of the Orlando properties in order to use it as points trader. We never really considered it (by then, I knew about TUG and resale). I will say, though, that the salespeople never suggested that the points cost of the hotel and other awards were set in stone, and I think that anyone who believes that they are entitled to have the point cost of hotel stays frozen at the going rate when they purchased their unit expects entirely too much. By the way, since most (all?) Marriott timeshare deeds are fee simple and can be inherited arguably eternally, would you argue that the hotel stay point costs for Marriott owners should be frozen forever? In my view, Marriott is giving you exactly what you purchased from them - a a set number of points if you exchange your week. That doesn't mean you have to like it - it just means that each owner has to decide what that devaluation means to them. There is no question that those who bought for the sole purpose of points exchange have been hurt by this change, but IMO the increase is not unfair, though it is unfortunate.

Your stays at the timeshare accrue to the nights.

Is this true? I know that I have never received MRP credits for nights I've stayed in my unit or units I've exchanged into - have I been swindled?

 

[IngridN]

The way I look at it, my timeshare if I elect to trade for points, has value to Marriott, therefore, if the reward points sturcture is adjusted, so should the points I receive in exchange for my unit. For example, prior to Marriott changing the rental program, my lowly Shadow Ridge gold unit rented for about $3,200 and I received 50% less some fees, for the week for a 2 bedroom unit. At an exchange of 75K pts per year, it took me about 3 trades for points to be able to stay for example, at the Champs de Lysee Marriott. So Marriott could receive $9.6K for my spending a week at a very expensive hotel (probably the lousiest view). So, some of you are saying that I should expect to pay more for that hotel room and I certainly do. However, Marriott is also raising the rates it charges for my SR or any other unit I trade for points. So tell me again why I should expect NO adjustment to the points I receive and should expect continued devaluation of the awards program. Don't recall the exact numbers, but at current values, it will take me about 4.5 trades for points to stay at that same hotel. I also recall from that initial presentation how we were paying for tomorrow's vacations with today's $ and what a value proposition that was.

We also had a "buy for points" presentation at our last one in Aruba :hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical: . Don't recall his response to how this was such a fabulous, not to be turned down deal, given the certainty of devaluation of points. There were a few times in the presentation I really wanted to let him have it especially when he insulted me for my philosophy of spending prudently vs. his of charge it and pay for it tomorrow.

Don't get me wrong, I love my Marriotts and would do it again, however, I would not buy from the developer. One last thought...many of the point values of current purchases have been raised so tell me again why mine shouldn't be?

Ingrid

 

[sandesurf]

In no way am I trying to "argue", but we always knew the points were just a "benefit" that could expire, even completely. Yes, they pushed the points as being very valuable at our sales presentation, but when questioned, we learned that Marriott could change or stop the program at any time. I guess I always just assumed that it would be terminated, at some point, so we spent those initial points A.S.A.P. and have always done so. Yes, we've had some fantastic point stays over the past 13 years, and are grateful for them. Our timeshares are still a value to us, just not the points,(as much).

 

[Mila78]

Hi everyone. I am ashamed to say that I got hosed my Marriott in purchasing my SurfWatch unit last year. As others have said, that was before I knew about TUG and resale. While I love being in the Marriott resort system, i am so ashamed at what i paid now!!!! and i totally got pulled in because of the points. now i am so depressed that one of the main reasons for me buying is drastically changing.... well, at least we still have trading power with marriott.

 

[Latravel]

Mila78-
You should not be ashamed! Most people buy from Marriott. I bought my units from Marriott and I knew about and followed TUG. The news about the changes in the points program is disappointing but I say, use all those thousands of incentive points you received when you bought your unit and plan yourself an amazing once in a lifetime vacation. When you see how much those category 7 hotels are costing if you had to pay cash, you'll feel better about the points program. I did!