Marriott has the toughest criteria for a published, top tier status. Bonvoy Ambassador requires 100 nights in their hotels and minimum spend of $23,000. Or does it?
A carry-over from Starwood, members receive an agent specifically assigned to them to take care of all of their stay needs, including making requests and customizing things with hotels and assisting with any arrangements. The promise was that this person “gets to know you over time” and “provide the personal touches that make each trip special.”
Compared to Titanium (75 night, no spend requirement) status, Ambassadors also receive:
- Your24: Subject to availability, arrange in advance to check in at your preferred time and have a check-out time 24 hours later.
- Higher priority for upgrades at least in theory, although upgrades can be hit and miss at best at many U.S. hotels.
As I’ve covered extensively, Marriott hotels seem to be running the asylum. They more or less do as they wish, whether it’s violating brand standards or ignoring benefits. There is seemingly little consequence, since the chain doesn’t want to anger owners in the CEO’s quest for net rooms growth.
This is cheeky and sketchy and brilliant at the same time. For $20 extra per night the Renaissance Dallas Hotel will sell you 30% extra spending credit towards Ambassador status.
So Ambassador doesn’t really cost 100 nights and $23,000 spend with Marriott. Instead, it costs $17,692.31 booked under this rate plan.
Credit: Renaissance Dallas Hotel
I haven’t seen this from other hotels. I’m not sure how the accounting would even work, since they’re being charged fees by Marriott based on revenue. Are they just reporting higher revenue to Marriott, paying higher fees, and keeping the difference? Will this catch on?
It’s a sneaky way to game Marriott for extra revenue, but it may mean extra revenue for Marriott too (and Marriott seemingly will do most anything for extra revenue, so the question here is whether they consider their cut big enough).
Still, it’s interesting that it’s possible to earn Ambassador status at a 23% discount to its published revenue requirement – so for even less than before they raised the spend threshold from $20,000 to $23,000!
So where’s the info about the loophole???
Still not worth it! I’d trade my ambassador status for some extra in flight snacks in a second
Interestingly, this is a Marriott corporate-managed property. So, someone who is an actual Marriott corporate employee (as opposed to an employee of a franchisee) approved this rate promotion. It may be worth checking the special rate packages at other Marriott-managed properties.
I’m curious how this is handled on the folio. If they just inflate your spending, is it possible guests traveling for work could commit fraud by turning in a folio showing a higher rate than they actually paid?
Didn’t a Hyatt property in China get in huge trouble for something similar to this?
So the loopholebid $5k OFF, not Ambassador for $5k.
Nope, I’ll just stick with my lowly lifetime titanium
Poor, poor me.
I agree with most of these comments. I had ambassador staus for one year. I saw very little difference from life time platinum ststus. It was always hit and miss with upgrades. Many hotels would not allow the 24 hr clock. It was not worth the effort to achieve.
The title is very clickbait and I fell for it. It gives the impression the loophole is to get ambassador for $5300, not $5300 off. Also you still need the nights requirement (though you can get a fair way with promos and credit cards I guess). If you were spending $413/nt here you’d reach the spend requirement in ~55 nights anyway without the loophole
I dont see any difference between platinum and titanium. As a matter if fact, the service has gotten worse over the last 5 yrs. My friend who’s ambassador thinks the whole status is a hoax to get you to spend more. And the club lounges in America are appalling compared to the ones in Asia, Africa, or middle-east. Why is that?
@Stuart Alan Richards and @Monir Hoque:
I’ve been Ambassador for several years. I get upgraded to a suite about 75% of the time. I would say the only advantages of Ambassador are:
1) If someone goes wrong with the points posting or I have a special request, I have a dedicated customer service agent. If I didn’t have Ambassador service, who knows how responsive Marriott customer service would be. I remember pre-ambassador status waiting a week for a response from Marriott.
2) While I’ve stayed at plenty of bad properties that have lied and cheated, I’d say about 75% of the properties at least make an effort with an Ambassador. Whether that’s waiving a reservation cancellation fee, waiving a parking charge or recovering from a service failure. I doubt they would care as much about a Platinum or even a Titanium. Again, in my experience, there are still plenty of bad properties.
Having been Platinum, titanium and ambassador with in the last 3 years I’ve seen a difference. But then I stay at hotels both on and off the beaten path.
When I hear of people who don’t notice a difference it seems they stay at hotels almost exclusively for business and therefore are close to convention centers, if the hotel itself isn’t the convention center. In these situations, yes, my status usually seemed to mean nothing at all. Though being ambassador did seem to help, unless you have 10 at the hotel at the same time with 50 titanium and 100 platinum. Only so many suites to go around.
But staying off season or away from such things always meant I was upgraded, treated differently and 99.9% of the time got what I wanted. Often without asking.
They just gave it to me. It was like they were reading my thoughts.
I also have gotten used to messaging the hotel ahead of time. Getting chummy with the staff and when I get there they all love me.
Except for that . 1% at an Element hotel I’d stayed at quite a few times previously. I asked for a late checkout and they would not budge off the 10am time. I flew in to watch a hockey game locally. I was going to get hammered and driven back to the hotel. I asked before I arrived for a late checkout. No. I asked when I arrived. No. I asked that night before going to bed. No. I called the number on the back of my card. They’d look into it. Called back. No. So I stayed in my room until 2pm. The manager came to kick me out at 10am promptly. I said $#@& off. 11am. No! 12pm. No! 1pm. No! We are charging you for another night! No!
After I left I noticed the new night added. I called the concierge line and they ended up getting it removed.
I went back to the hotel two months later. The manager and I locked eyes. She wanted to rip my throat out. Haha. I just smiled and waved and called out, “Hey, Sheryl!” Like as if we were long lost buddies from college. She tipped her head and ducked into her office. Not sure, but we might be friends now.
@John M – That’s an awesome story. Nothing like a power hungry hard-ass hotel manager at an “Element” Hotel, classic. You need to take Shirley out for a drink next time for this to come full circle.
@John M… how was the hockey game? Did your team win? Hiw hammered did you get?
-Nate R.
Staying at an Element quite a few times. Cover story of going to a hockey game and a bar to get hammered. Wanting to stay late. My question is: how was the side action?
Worth every penny you pay to become.Ambassador
what other top tier guarantees a fight for late check out,powdered eggs in the vile M lounge and an exclusive guarantee to pay resort and destination fees worldwide like every other peon
Ambassador sucker status lol
Goodness, this is . . . irrelevant.
I stay 50~70 nites every year, but mostly F.Inn, Courtyard, Springhill (JW recently in NORLNS was excellent!).
Even with a few special events, I doubt we will ever exceed $10~12K spend.
Oh darn.
FNT Delta Diamond, if you’re getting 75 percent suite upgrades, you’re blessed.
I’ve been an Ambassador for several years as well. My spending with Marriott is significantly above the Ambassador threshold. Virtually all luxury properties. In the US, I’ve NEVER had an upgrade at a luxury property. NEVER. Outside the US, it’s been very property-management-dependent.
In pre-COVID years, a person either had a great personal ambassador or a rotten personal ambassador. I had a rotten personal ambassador. Zero communication. Post-COVID, my initial personal ambassador was an absolute gem. I was ready to depart Marriott completely and this personal ambassador saved my relationship. But, that person left the ambassador group and I have a replacement. My replacement goes through the motions but doesn’t “do it.” On a recent stay, I had a “you gotta be (stinkin’) kidding me” issue. I’m done.
I had ambassador status for 4 years – 2 under SPG and 2 under Marriott. It was absolutely worthless under Marriott.
In fact, I’m puzzled why anyone bothers with Marriott. They are now dead last of my hotel chain choices.
@GS Guy – i keep Titanium for the guaranteed 4pm late checkout. It’s the only benefit I seem to have no issue getting.
I would never find spending enough fir Ambassador worth it.
I think we can all agree nobody cares a out the substance of the article anymore.
What we all need to know is the link to the @John M and Sheryl Love ( hate) Saga Blog!
Kudos chap. I may have taken the same belligerent approach with hotel managers myself on the ( sparingly) odd occasion as well.
@GS Guy: Because some are too invested in Marriott with millions of points. Others travel to markets where Marriott is the only realistic option.
Marriott is trash. Last choice of hotels and Ambassador status was worth nothing.
Marriott is absolute garbage now. Yet another customer-centric brand (Starwood) ruined by a merger.
Very happy as a Globalist now with Lifetime Platinum in my back pocket if Hyatt isn’t an option for some reason. I expect nothing from Marriott Platinum and they frequently meet my expectations.