Marriott just announced that they have decided on a new name for their loyalty program — Marriott Bonvoy. This program will be the combination of Marriott Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest, and Ritz-Carlton Rewards. While I definitely think they needed to consolidate accounts and have everything flow more seamlessly, I am not quite on board with the name of the new program. Personally, I just think keeping it as Marriott Rewards would have been more than fine and it would have saved Marriott a huge re-branding headache. The new name for the program launch February 13th and hopefully their technology is ready for it.
New Elite Status Names
In addition to the new program name, there will also be new names for all elite status levels. Note that there is nothing else changing to the requirements or benefits, simply a [poor] name change.
- Marriott Platinum Premier Elite status (75+ nights) will be renamed to Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite
- Marriott Platinum Premier Elite with Ambassador status (100+ nights and $20,000+ spend) will be renamed to Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite
While I like that they changed the names since having Platinum, Platinum Premier, and Platinum Premier with Ambassador can get confusing, I wished they picked slightly better names. The names are definitely on par or maybe even worse than when Hyatt rebranded their status levels.
Hopefully this integration will also be the date when members accounts will show their higher status levels earned. For folks that earned status via the legacy Starwood requirements or Lifetime Elite Platinum Premier status by combining their SPG + Marriott numbers, accounts have still not been updated. Hopefully this update happens soon!
What You Need to Do Now
On February 13th, both the SPG and Ritz-Carlton apps will be deactivated. If you currently are using one of these apps and not the Marriott app, now is a good time to link your accounts and start using Marriott. The Marriott app will not changed, just rebranded with the new program name.
Also, if you have earned Marriott Platinum (or higher) status, make sure to select your Choice Benefit.
Overall…
I am happy to finally see one program. It has been needed since August, so it has been a lot time coming. I’m glad they didn’t announce any other changes, although we will have to see what the new program brings!
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Well, Hyatt finally lost top honors for worst name. I’m sure that the consolidation will be seamless for the customers, as nobody does IT like Marriott.