Marriott Rewards has extended its 2009 elite rollover nights offer for the current year. This means nights earned in 2010 above your elite qualification threshold will rollover to 2011. The total points threshold for Marriott Rewards lifetime elite status has also been reduced. Lifetime elite is an exclusive feature to Marriott Rewards as far as I know. Readers please inform me if this privilege is offered by any other hotel loyalty programs.

Elite Rollover Nights from 2010 to 2011

Standard qualification for Marriott Rewards elite membership:

• Silver = 10 nights in the calendar year, Jan 1 – Dec 31.

• Gold = 50 nights in the calendar year

• Platinum = 75 nights in the calendar year

Elite rollover nights for 2011 means a member who earns 67 nights in 2010 earns Marriott Rewards Gold status for all of 2011. The 17 nights over the 50 night Gold membership threshold are rolled over for 2011 credit. The Marriott Rewards Gold elite member starts 2011 with 17 elite qualifying nights.

Rollover nights only apply to the subsequent year.  FlyerTalk member Schuepbach stayed 226 nights in 2009. His rollover of 151 nights to 2010 already qualifies him for Platinum elite for the 2011 membership year. The 151 nights rolled over from 2009 to 2010 are still 76 nights over the Platinum threshold, but unfortunately the rollover nights from 2009 can’t be rolled over again to 2011 for Platinum elite membership in 2012.  Confused yet? It really isn’t that complicated for most Marriott Rewards members who actually stay most of their nights at home.

Marriott Rewards Reduces Points Threshold for Lifetime Elite Membership

Marriott Rewards offers lifetime elite status to their longtime loyal frequent guests who meet three criteria for years of Marriott Rewards membership, total nights earned, and total points earned. Members have the opportunity to earn lifetime Silver, Gold, or Platinum membership after 12 years of Marriott Rewards membership. All three criteria must be met to earn the corresponding lifetime elite membership level. The lifetime points threshold has just been reduced from 3,000,000 to 2,000,000 points for Lifetime Platinum elite. The information was posted on the MarriottRewardsInsiders forum. You must sign in to the community forum using your Marriott Rewards membership account to access the link. MarriottRewardsInsiders.com link

Marriott Rewards Lifetime Elite Qualification Criteria

1.       12 or more years as a Marriott Rewards member and at least one year of earned membership at the corresponding lifetime level. (20 years as a Gold member, but never having achieved a year as Platinum elite means you can only earn Lifetime Gold, even if the nights and points thresholds for lifetime Platinum are met.)

2.       Lifetime Silver requires 600 nights. Lifetime Gold = 800 nights. Lifetime Platinum = 1,000 nights.

All qualified nights count towards lifetime status including credit card nights, rollover nights, and Nights Count Double promotion nights.

3.       Lifetime Silver requires 1,200,000 points. Lifetime Gold = 1,600,000 points. Lifetime Platinum = 2,000,000 points. (These levels were reduced in 2010 from 1.5M Silver, 2.0M Gold, and 3.0M Platinum. Hotel stay points, promotion bonuses, credit card points, partner activity points all count.)

For Marriott Rewards Lifetime Platinum status a member must have 12 years membership with at least one membership year as a Marriott Rewards Platinum elite; 1,000+ qualified hotel nights; and earned 2,000,000 points.

Lifetime Gold requires 12 years membership with at least one year of earned Gold elite; 800 hotel nights; and 1,600,000 points.

Lifetime Silver requires 12 years membership with at least one year earned Silver elite; 600 hotel nights; and 1,200,000 lifetime earned points.

The reduction in points from 3,000,000 to 2,000,000 for Platinum elites is a fair move in my opinion for members who rely primarily on hotel stays for earning points and not associated Marriott Rewards cobranded credit card spending.