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Travel patterns change and some years frequent travelers end up spending less time on the road. When this happens they generally need to do a mattress run (where they just book hotel nights solely for the purpose of earning credit for nights) or they lose their current status. Well, not for Marriott Bonvoy® elites who did not requalify in 2024. Marriott is granting soft landings for these members.
If you’re not familiar with the term “soft landing,” it’s something that loyalty programs have offered on and off for some time. Elite members that do not meet the qualification requirements for the next year are dropped one level for the following year. In the case of Marriott Bonvoy®, soft landings will be as follows:
- Titanium Elite = Platinum Elite
- Platinum Elite = Gold Elite
- Gold Elite = Silver Elite
Marriott outlines this as follows:
In January 2024, all Members will have their 2023 loyalty activity evaluated as follows:
- Members who achieved their existing Elite status again in 2023 will have their current status renewed through February 2025.
- Members who did not re-achieve their existing Elite status in 2023 will be offered one tier below their current status through February 2025. Members will see their new status in March 2024 and can enjoy their existing status through February 2024.
- Members who achieved a higher Elite status during 2023 already have a status expiration date of February 2025.”
Anthony’s Take: I’m generally not a fan of soft landings as I feel that status should be earned, but it’s good to see that they are not offering soft landings to Titanium. It’s fairly easy to earn the lower status levels just for holding various credit cards, so there isn’t really an issue since Marriott freely gives them away.
(H/T: Traveling for Miles.)
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1 comment
I personally think this is a good idea but knowing Marriott and Bonvoy I wonder why they would do anything so uncharacteristically generous.