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About a year ago, I shared how I earned Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador status, which is the program’s top tier elite status. I actually had the status pre-pandemic for several years (dating back to the Starwood Preferred Guest days), though given how Marriott Bonvoy has evolved, I was curious to see what the experience is like nowadays.
For context, Bonvoy Ambassador status requires earning 100 qualifying nights and having $23,000 in spending in a calendar year. It’s the only status tier that has a spending requirement. Meanwhile Bonvoy Titanium status requires 75 qualifying nights, and Bonvoy Platinum status requires 50 qualifying nights.
So, did I notice a big difference with Ambassador status over Titanium status? In this post I’d like to share some thoughts… the short answer is “not really,” with a few things worth noting. In no particular order…
My personal Marriott Ambassador, Mike, is awesome
One of the main benefits of Bonvoy Ambassador status is that you get a personalized Ambassador, who looks after you. Back when I had Ambassador status pre-pandemic, I had an awesome point of contact, Mike. So when I once again earned Ambassador status, I requested to have him again. Fortunately that request was granted.
Mike is phenomenal. He’s genuinely nice, competent, helpful, and proactive. He’s as useful as an Ambassador could possibly be. For example, if I have an issue that needs to be resolved, like a stay not posting correctly, he takes care of it with ease. I never have to follow up with him, and he’ll also often write me nice welcome notes when I’m staying at hotels, which put a smile on my face.
But here’s the issue — Mike isn’t actually staying with me (or taking care of me) at individual Marriotts. So while he helps me with everything I could need help with, it’s up to individual Marriotts to deliver on the experience (and when some Marriott managers think that elites are “gross,” well…).
I’m not a needy guest. I’m not someone who always celebrates a special occasion, who demands special treatment, or who asks my Ambassador to make all kinds of arrangements for me at hotels.
If you go into Facebook groups dedicated to elite members, you might find some air condition obsessed, hashtag Ambassador members bragging about how they get upgrades weeks in advance to huge suites (IYKYK). I think those people are just much pushier than I am, and then they pass off those experiences as the norm. Like, if you exhaust your Ambassador and the hotel enough, they’ll probably just give in. But that’s not what I’m going for, and certainly not the norm.
Let me also mention that I’m really lucky to have Mike as my assigned Ambassador. I know there are lots of people who almost never hear from their Ambassadors, and where it takes days to get a response from them. Around the middle of the year, my Ambassador was inexplicably changed to someone else, and I didn’t once hear from that person. Fortunately I was able to switch back to Mike.
I am receiving more welcome amenities as an Ambassador
As a Bonvoy Ambassador member, I’m definitely noticing that I’m receiving more welcome amenities than I did before. We’re not just talking about welcome amenities at luxury hotels (where that’s an expectation), but I also mean at random hotels.
As a matter of fact, I get welcome amenities a majority of the time, including at limited service hotels. I do think this is one thing that Marriott tries to do for Ambassador members. That being said, more often than not, these amenities fall into the “why bother” category.
Ambassador treatment in the United States sucks
I avoid staying at hotels in the United States as much as possible, given that it often feels like hotels think they’re exclusively in the lodging business, and not in the hospitality industry (there are exceptions for non-Marriott brands, like Four Seasons).
If you ask me, Bonvoy Titanium treatment is generally lackluster in the United States, and I’ve found almost zero difference as a Bonvoy Ambassador member. Sure, at check-in I’ll often be thanked for my status, and I often get a bag of chips or candy bar in my room, but that’s it.
No real effort is actually made to provide upgrades, and more often than not, I’m just upgraded from a dumpster view room to a partial dumpster view room. The guaranteed perks, like the welcome amenity, guaranteed late check-out, lounge access, etc., are consistent for Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador members.
In the past year, I did get one good domestic upgrade, at the St. Regis Longboat Key (which is a lovely hotel, by the way). All too often I end up getting upgrades when I’m alone at an airport hotel for a night, so it was really nice to get an upgrade on a stay that actually mattered to me, where I was with family.
Ambassador is more valuable outside the United States, but…
As I say when it comes to any hotel elite status, the further from the United States you get, the better the elite treatment is. That’s true of Ambassador status as well. When I travel far away, I definitely feel more appreciated.
That being said, I don’t think I’ve received a single upgrade this year outside the United States that I wouldn’t have received as a Bonvoy Titanium member. Admittedly I can’t say that with certainty, but I haven’t really received any “amazing” upgrades.
I typically get an executive room or maybe a junior suite, but significant suite upgrades have been few and far between, assuming I’m not using Nightly Upgrade Awards (which give no priority based on relative status).
My single Ambassador Your24 request was honored!
One of the few published incremental elite perks of Bonvoy Ambassador status is access to the Your24 program, which allows an eligible member to request a specific check-in time, and then stay for up to 24 hours.
The catch is that it’s at the hotel’s discretion, and you probably won’t be surprised to learn that a lot of hotels aren’t great at honoring that perk. This year, I requested to use the Your24 benefit once, at the Courtyard Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. I was pleasantly surprised to see that honored for an early check-in.
However, the hotel didn’t actually end up being full, so I suspect I would’ve received early check-in anyway. Either way, it was nice to have that assurance when coming off a long haul flight.
Bottom line
Somehow I ended up back on the Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador hamster wheel. Unfortunately as you’d expect from the Bonvoy program, the value of the status really is incremental, if you ask me.
On the plus side, my Ambassador, Mike, is incredibly helpful and kind, and he’s by far the best aspect of this status. I’m also noticing an increase in welcome amenities, even if it’s just a bag of chips.
However, when it comes to actual on-property treatment, I can’t say that I’m noticing a big difference compared to Titanium status. In the United States, upgrades are generally minimal, as is the case with lower elite tiers. Meanwhile outside the United States, they typically try a little harder, but I also found that to be the case as a Titanium member.
I actually have Ambassador status for another year now, so I’m hoping to travel to some more interesting international destinations, where there might be more of a difference in terms of service. We’ll see. Either way, I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to earn this status. But if you’re going to earn it anyway, well…
What’s your take on the value of Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador status?
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