Marriott Points @ UAL
 

Time for the annual debate on the merits of loyalty accounts. Giving the Marriott Amex a try & wondering if anyone has compiled a list of Marriott hotels we stay at that offer points/stay credits, etc to overnighting flight crews. I’m aware of BOG, SAT, & GEO.

As a follow up, anybody use the Prioroty Pass benefit? My understanding is that airport lounge access requires a boarding pass meaning if you’re nonrev/jumpseating & still waiting for a seat award no soup for you; but if you’re at a connecting airport you can use your inbound boarding pass tor access. Do I have that right?

There are a ton of Marriotts in the systems that will not grant lounge access to crew members despite their having the status…

It’s annoying considering I usually stay at Marriott properties for my commutes….

I would say most Marriotts provide credits for incidentals charged to the room. Some of those will also provide a stay credit if incidentals are charged to the room. (HKG and PVG come to mind) there are few Marriotts that allow for lounge access when staying at the hotel when direct billed. I frequently use the PP when non-revving, Some require a seat assignment, some do not. dont really know until you show and show them your BP. I know that the AMEX lounge requires a seat assignment.

I’ve only run into a handful that don’t allow lounge access. Most don’t give stay credits, but the lounge hasn’t been an issue for most stays. I focus on eating healthy, so I never use the lounge for anything other than breakfast though. That and bidding early start/early finish trips kind of limits trips to a lounge. I use the Bonvoy Amex card and think that it pays for itself with breakfast alone, but I’m also the guy who will get up early for a healthy breakfast rather than eat fast food at the airport or a crew meal.

it seems like a lot more quit lounge access this year. PHX used to give us access, but no more, even if you have the card.

DC too. It’s seems more often than not, I’m declined access at most Marriott properties with lounges.

To your question about priority pass, I use it every trip. Like most airport lounges, though, they don’t like the uniform. Never had an issue with stby tix. Centurion lounges, though, always reject them.

Most of the lounges also explicitly want your outbound boarding pass.

Geneva, Zurich, and Dublin are all currently giving stay credit if you charge something to the room.

‘add Lisbon… these hotels require a purchase to get stay credit…

I haven't been in a few months, but SJU was always good about giving points and stays if you charge to the room.

Lisbon is on the -400, a mythical plane that supposedly is part of the 756 fleet!

Can confirm.... and CUN as well.

or the 787…
speaking of which, TLV gives a stay credit. No lounge access though.

The benefit of having Bonvoy status has definitely been in a steep decline (still not TOTALLY worthless though)

It's not just Bonvoy - it seems like 'status' across all industries is getting watered down.

I have the same card....assuming it is the one that grants platinum with Marriott. After your first year with the card you get the 85000 point certificate. We used that plus 10k points to stay at a St. Regis for a night. It was a fantastic stay and the breakfast was amazing. We got upgraded to a 1200 sq ft suite :) Between that and the $25 Restaurant credit it is a solid card.

Hit and miss on hotel lounge access. I'd wager that more than half have given me lounge access.
I'm also Hyatt Globalist and it's also hit and miss.

That's the result of Trump and Biden printing trillions of dollars and creating historic levels of inflation

when everyone has status, no one has status. Seen the tsa line lately?

Makes me giggle when the precheck line is almost double the ordinary security line.

Correct. Hotel status, airport lounges, other loyalty programs are all overloaded. When they are accessible without spending requirements (besides a credit card annual fee) they are guaranteed to explode.

It's still better to have the status than not but the value declines every year.

The Sapphire Reserve card just increased its annual fee 45%. I'm guessing Amex Platinum and the various hotel/airline branded premium cards will follow soon.

The Sapphire Reserve is essentially just catching up to the Platinum's fee. I'd be surprised if Amex increased it again.

The Reserve card is now $100 more at $795. Amex is saying they plan to do a Platinum card refresh with major changes by the end of the year - I'd be *very* surprised if it didn't include a fee increase. Hell, even $995/yr wouldn't surprise me.

personally, I wouldn’t mind if they increased it to $3K+. Be nice to see fewer people surround the all you can eat buffet and bar at the airport clubs (wearing pajamas and shower shoes).

Sapphire reserve also dumped the restaurant option from PP. However I don’t go anywhere they have the Sapphire lounge or whatever it’s called so I dumped the card.

Can’t speak for the Global scene…but for the Non Global ..SWA kid has it right…..it’s more often than not domestically that Mariott properties aren’t participating. It’s kind of annoying but it’s sort of like industry standard that you don’t get points/stay credit/ or lounge access….Why well…..cause you don’t.


Out of interest if you had the choice of points or stay credit, which would you choose?

Also when the Clear line is longer than the Precheck line. At least Global Entry seems to be maintaining its fast track timing.

Personally I choose stay credit, and don’t understand at all why all hotels don’t give that stay credit when we stay at their property. I believe ALPA has some work to do here.

Perhaps ALPA could require each property to provide a stay credit in future negotiations. Until then, ALPA could suggest the companies provide that credit. When I stay at a property that provides nothing to me, I spend exactly zero at that hotel. If ALPA encouraged its 80k pilots to spend elsewhere perhaps that would be enough of a financial incentive for hotels to give stay credits.

Stay credit at least. It is just insulting to not even get a stay credit. Seriously, what does it really cost the hotel? I love the ones that take it so far that they don't even give you points for spending your own money.

I like points, credit, and bennies as much as the next guy, but how is it an insult when we don’t get credit for money that someone else spends?

Do you really think all those pharmaceutical sales people or all the hotshots with the brand logo dry fit polos you see in the lounge eating their egg whites are spending their own money? Of course not, it’s called an expense account.

Of course We aren’t expensing it……..but what’s the difference?

It’s potentially frustrating at times, but hardly insulting.

The rate United is paying.

Accurate and fair point, yet the fact remains (as has been noted here) that some hotels do it and some don’t……..where there is a will there is a way…….I think that’s the saying.

Insulting was recliner’s language, mine was annoying. For as long as I have been working on the railroad, Im resigned to the fact we don’t get it, I just enjoy and am thankful for the few places that do.

Same here. Great when it’s there and buying a $30 breakfast is no big deal when it’s not.

Do you think NetJets pilots, Chevron or Exxon, or any other corporate pilots spends his or her own money to overnight in hotels? Yesterday they all get stay credit AND points, and they get to use their status at hotels.

I doubt that NetJets pays full fare for any of their pilot stays, so why hasn’t ALPA stepped up and negotiated with the hotels to get us a stay credit at the least??

I think that it probably comes back to the rate. Being that United most likely buys far more rooms than all of those companies combined, we probably pay a much lower rate. A lower rate paid by a company potentially comes with fewer perks for the employee. In the grand scheme of things it’s pretty insignificant considering our compensation (including just over $70 per day in per diem to cover expenses). Just don’t see this even being on ALPA’s radar as an issue.

The NetJets contract basically says the company can't book a rate that would result in no loyalty earnings.

I think this comes down to the credit card. At NetJets you are issued an Amex card (you keep those points too) that is used to pay for your hotel rooms. At an airline it is direct bill. So, that is likely the difference.

I’m confused now…….at Netjets do pay on your own and then you expense everything? Or is it already set up (airline style)?………or does your Amex Card say NetJets on it?