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I held Ambassador status with Marriott pretty much since the program was introduced with Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG). Through the years, the program significantly weakened and the dedicated agents (known as Ambassadors) were taken away from Marriott’s top-tier elites during the pandemic in 2021. I made the conscious decision to drop to Titanium Elite for 2023 and I don’t think I’m going to push for Ambassador for next year either.
I never saw much value from my personal Ambassador. I’ve read stories of gifts, perks in hotel rooms, and much more. I had several through the years and aside from a bottle of wine with a charcuterie board on one visit and a cake on another occasion, I never saw anything. My Ambassadors were supposed to be there to serve as dedicated concierges, but they were slow to reply and I found I could get done what I needed online or by calling myself.
Being an Ambassador with Marriott Bonvoy® requires the following:
- 100 nights or more per year (paid or award stays count)
- Spending $23,000 with Marriott hotels each year (taxes and fees do not count)
Marriott describes the service as follows:
Personal Ambassadors will assist with tailoring and personalizing Member experiences with Marriott Bonvoy® and its portfolio of 30 hotel brands and over 8,000 properties worldwide. This includes helping Ambassador Elite Members to plan a trip, book or change a Reservation, book Hotel services and amenities, and/or assist with any Account or Stay related questions. Personal Ambassadors will also work with Hotels to facilitate any specific requests on the behalf of Members.”
In late 2022, Marriott announced it would restore personalized Ambassadors in mid-2023. It looks like they’re going to meet that timeline. One Mile at a Time provided the copy from the email qualified Ambassador Elites will be receiving. It reads:
We have big news — your personal Ambassador will be reaching out to you next month. We hope you’re as excited as we are! Our team has been working behind the scenes to make sure that everything is ready for this new, customized service.
Starting in June, your Ambassador will reach out to get to know you and unlock exceptional travel experiences with personal touches.
As we prepare for this next milestone, we encourage you to take a moment to personalize your profile with your travel preferences. This first step is essential for getting the most out of your travels and experiences.
We’re thrilled to offer you this exclusive relationship in addition to continued access to our Anytime Ambassador team members, who can assist you with urgent or time-sensitive requests. We look forward to sharing the adventures ahead!”
While it’s good to see Marriott bringing back a perk that used to be given to Ambassadors, it still does not provide enough incremental value for me to strive for this level and spend that much money.
Anthony’s Take: I’ll stick with Titanium coupled with Hyatt Globalist and a few Hilton stays here and there to take advantage of the Gold status I have through The Platinum Card from American Express. It will be interesting to see how this pans out for Ambassadors and if the program improves with less Ambassadors due to the recent increase of cost from $20,000 to $23,000 annually.
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
