Marriott Bonvoy Brings Back the Ambassador Program
Marriott Bonvoy revealed earlier this week that the Ambassador program is making a comeback. Marriott inherited the Ambassador program when it acquired Starwood but in 2021 it ended the personalized service.
The personal Ambassadors are coming back in June 2023. No exact date has been set, but Personal Ambassadors will begin reaching out to Ambassador Elite Members next month, so make sure to update your Member Preferences in the Marriott Bonvoy profile. After assignment, Personal Ambassadors will communicate their availability and working hours as part of their introduction.
Until then, Ambassador Elite Members will continue to be assisted by Anytime Ambassadors, which don’t provide nearly as good of a service.
Here’s how Marriott describes Personal Ambassadors:
Personal Ambassadors will assist with tailoring and personalizing Member experiences with Marriott Bonvoy® and its portfolio of 30 hotel brands and over 8,000 properties worldwide. This includes helping Ambassador Elite Members to plan a trip, book or change a Reservation, book Hotel services and amenities, and/or assist with any Account or Stay related questions. Personal Ambassadors will also work with Hotels to facilitate any specific requests on the behalf of Members.
Earning Ambassador Elite Status
But how can you actually earn Ambassador Elite Status in 2023? Well, it’s not that easy.
Effective January 1, 2023, Members will need to meet the new requirements which include $23,000 or more in annual qualifying spend and 100+ Elite Night Credits.
The Elite Nights requirement might be achievable for frequent travelers and Marriott loyalists, but the spending requirement is quite high.
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Don’t bother Marriott! Ambassador for many years now but def going out of my way this year to avoid requalifying. Not worth it. Half of the hotels think it’s lower than Titanium! No upgrades, no additional points, and the personal ambassador pre-Covid was more of an overhead!
Think about it. Would Marriott actually restore a benefit that has value? The personal ambassadors were hit or miss. When I first achieved Ambassador status, I had not received so much as a welcome email from my personal ambassador. A few months in, I had my first request. I emailed. No response. Crickets chirped. I left a voicemail. No response. Crickets chirped. I dealt with the issue myself. Roughly five months later, I finally received an email asking whether I was able to resolve the matter on my own. Go fish. For me, it was clear from the very beginning, that benefit was yet another hollow benefit. I wonder whether the Marriott family regrets what has become of their name?