Your reaction will be somewhere between, “Who cares,” and “Congratulations!”. I am going with the latter. Here’s why: Chasing status year to year is exhausting. It dictates how I travel and sometimes where I travel. Chasing status gives me anxiety. What will I do if I don’t qualify? I can’t wait a year to have my perks restored.
By attaining Lifetime Platinum with Marriott, I no longer have to worry about such things. For the rest of my days, I will have free breakfast, and more importantly, 4PM checkout. I will also have an easier time of doing a status match with another chain, should the opportunity arise. To that end, I can shift my attention to achieving status with other brands.
Ironically, the result of achieving lifetime status will result in me staying less often at Marriotts. With their constant devaluations and inability to readily earn points, Marriott has provided little incentive to post the same number of stays like years past.
Now, my best use of Marriot will be to maximize the multiple stay certs I receive from credit cards (see 2022 What I Spent (And Received) in Annual Fees) for grand events like New Years in Hong Kong (see Courtyard by Marriott Hong Kong: New Year’s Cert Rescue Story) or Carnival (see How to Book Trinidad’s Carnival Last Second for Free*). Beyond that, my hotel strategy is to bounce around from brand to brand, hoping that my mishmash of points covers the bill.
Interesting are you sure you will always get a “free breakfast” for life? I am a Lifetime Titanium with 4538 room nights and I have seen “breakfastless” mornings at a Marriott !! Titanium today is what PLT was years ago.
In theory, but it’s the late and early checkout leverage that I need.
By attaining Lifetime Titanium with Marriott, I no longer have to worry about Platinums.
Good job.
Dom ” I love it!”
Oh you guys should hang out… somewhere else.