Apparently, they decided to finally crack down after just grandfathering me into my pre-COVID status for the last 5 years. Finally bumped back down to my lifetime status. I doubt I will ever get back up to where I was again.

Other than the extra points on stays (and the occasional lounge access) i don't see any real benefit of titanium or ambassador over good or silver.
Am I missing something other than "bragging rights"?

You had the status for the last 5 years? I think I had it max 1-2 years post COVID.

I am 2 nights away from Platinum for life. Once I knock that out, I will get rid of my Marriott credit card and get something different. I'll never get higher than Platinum and I'm good with that. But I hated it when I went from Platinum to Gold (which is where I have been the last 2 years, but hit Plat again last year).

Scruffy said:

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Other than the extra points on stays (and the occasional lounge access) i don't see any real benefit of titanium or ambassador over good or silver.
Am I missing something other than "bragging rights"?

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I've got Lifetime Platinum Elite and I use the heck out of the late checkout until 4pm.

Sometimes I get room upgrades which can be nice.
I got a ridiculously large room at the Daytona Autograph Collection last Saturday.
https://www.thedaytona.com/

As far as the higher tiers - Titanium and Ambassador
https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/member-benefits.mi

Quote:

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48-Hour Guarantee
Book by 3 p.m., 48 hours prior to arrival, and we'll always have a room available to you.

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75% Bonus Points instead of 50% for Platinum.

And also benefits with Hertz and United Airlines.

HollywoodBQ said:

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Scruffy said:

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Other than the extra points on stays (and the occasional lounge access) i don't see any real benefit of titanium or ambassador over good or silver.
Am I missing something other than "bragging rights"?

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I've got Lifetime Platinum Elite and I use the heck out of the late checkout until 4pm.

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this.

when we go to gaylord near our house, we'll arrive mid morning, and check out at 4pm. That makes a '1night' stay ~30 hours, and our departure day can be spent by the pool nearly all day.

I literally have to haggle and negotiate everytime for 4pm and this is at courtyards, basic marriotts, springhill, not at resorts. Im lifetime titanium but goodness there really are no perks left at Marriott if you have to fight for them every stay.

hmmm, I've never had to put any effort into this other than the phone call request.

I do it on the app when I need it when you check in on app. Then it always says, confirm with front desk. I do that and then the negotiating begins. Im very nice about it, but I had a sassy dude yell at me at a fairfield inn the other day that he wouldnt do it and it was up to his discretion and availability. Same happened at a random Moxy in PHX, I never got confirmed for a late checkout and went down that morning to nicely ask/confirm and she very rudely told me "thats because she didnt accept the request". So bizarre… Internationally, never have a problem. Stateside it is just terrible customer service not abiding by Bonvoy T&C's..

I agree that the "benefits" vary by property with the budget hotels being more stingy and the nicer properties being more generous.

The most recent place I got hassled was Towne Place Suites in College Station (of all places). I asked for late checkout until 4pm and the lady at the front desk said something like it was up to the property's discretion.

I always double check the late checkout the morning of my departure. They usually have to re-issue me updated keys that will work past noon.

Anyway, this lady in College Station didn't want to give it to me and I said, I don't like to do this but, I am lifetime whatever status, could you please let me checkout at 4pm?

It was a silly conversation considering that on the Game Day weekend, the hotel had been completely full but on a Monday (when I was asking for late checkout) everybody was gone and there were only 4 cars in the parking lot. It wasn't like they were going to sell out that night.

Lucky for me, the manager in the back office overheard the conversation and told the lady at the front desk to allow it.

Contrast that with last weekend's trip to Florida.

• Thursday night, stayed at Southbank in Jacksonville and they issued my keys correctly with late checkout.
• Friday night, stayed at Daytona next to the speedway and they gave me a ridiculous room upgrade. I could have slept about 20 college students in that room (It was bigger than the room in NOLA where we slept 18 before the 1992 LSU game).
• Saturday night, stayed at Hotel Duval in Tallahassee and they gave me an amazing breakfast and offered me more food and multiple bottles of Orange Juice and Fiji water.

In fairness to some of the Towne Place, Spring Hill, Fairfield, Courtyard, etc. properties, when I've stopped in really small towns, often times, they've been over the top friendly and once they see my status, they're even nicer than they already were.

Coachella (Indio), CA, Moses Lake, WA, Waller (too tired to keep driving from B/CS), TX, Terre Haute, IN, Davenport, IA, etc.