Marriott Rewards Guests To Get Jump On 2012 Vip Status

Did you wind up spending more nights in Marriott hotels than necessary to earn or keep your 2012 Marriott Rewards elite status? Well I have some good news for you.

TWITTER: Follow Hotel Check-In's BarbDeLollis for loyalty news @barbdelollis Marriott Rewards chief Ed French tells Hotel Check-In that Marriott's again reviving its automatic-rollover policy. That means that Marriott's computers will automatically apply the extra nights towards members' 2012 accounts.

Marriott began offering this program during the recession, when many customers failed to earn or maintain status because they traveled less for their jobs.

With the rollover-night deal, frequent guests will have an easier time earning perk-rich VIP status next year - even if they travel less for whatever reason.

The move comes as travel picks up, and more Marriott Rewards members are increasing their overnight stays - a good sign for the hotel giant.

"We're seeing people staying more - and they're more loyal, so it's a good business decision," French says.

It's also an extra incentive to keep valuable customers in Marriott, Courtyard, J.W. Marriott and other Marriott-brand hotels instead of Starwood, Hilton or Hyatt-brand hotels.

I asked French if Marriott's going to keep this policy in place.

"We're're not ever saying we're going to do it forever, but we are going to do it one more year," he says. "Our goal is that we don't want people to earn 50 nights for gold (status) or 75 for platinum status, and then use another hotel company." About a year ago, Marriott Rewards' computers automatically rolled over nearly 20 million nights for about 1.5 million members.

Hotel tracker Lin Humphrey, a marketing PhD student who specializes in mobile marketing and social media firm strategy, says Marriott's smart to make "an investment in their most loyal customers" in a time of increasing competition and increasingly price-conscious consumers.

Readers: What do you think about this program?

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