Marriott Rewards Platinum Elite Status Has Its Benefits

I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Marriott Rewards. I received Marriott Points to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

If you have ever traveled at all, you know that even the best laid plans are apt to go awry. I know many people who just despise traveling. They are always the ones who get stuck on “well it was supposed to happen like this” instead of just rolling with it and making the best of a unplanned situation.

If you remember, back at the end of April I was chosen to participate in an Epic RV Blogger Road Trip, where 16 bloggers drove RVs 2,000 miles from Chicago to Salt Lake City. While my family and I had thought this was going to be an amazing “trip of a life time”, it actually turned out to be the worst trip we’ve ever taken due to extremely poor planning by the organizer. While I am used to “rolling with it” on my own, it was a much different story when I had 4 other family members along for the ride. 

Luckily, even though Marriott had nothing to do with our original schedule, in the end, they became the highlight of our trip. When it was announced last minute that our scheduled accommodations for the last evening of our trip had never been booked, it was Marriott Rewards® that came to the rescue! While I was excited to be a Marriott Rewards Ambassador from day one of this program, I’m pretty sure my entire family jumped for joy when, with the help of Marriott Rewards, I was able to book us a room to rest our weary heads after a 14 hour drive.

While we thought just having a hotel room with 2 beds and a hot shower was going to be fantastic, little did we know how much better it was about to get. Due to my gifted Platinum Elite membership status, upon checkin we were given un upgrade to a 2 bedroom suite! While I chatted with the friendly front desk clerk, she also explained that I could choose a welcome amenity, would be receiving free wi-fi, free hot breakfast in the morning along with a late checkout – all because of the Platinum Elite membership.

[row] [column size=’1/2′]Voted “Program of the Year” 6 years in a row, Marriott Rewards is free to join. The program rewards members with points to redeem for hotel stays, flights, exclusive events and shopping.  Members can also redeem points for frequent flyer miles, cruises, car rentals, merchandise and more.[/column] [column size=’1/2′]Plus, members can earn and redeem points at 3,700 hotels in 14 distinctive brands in 70+ countries around the world.  It’s no wonder Marriott Rewards has been named best hotel rewards program by the readers of About.com, Business Traveler, Global Traveler, Executive Travel and BusinessWeek magazines.[/column] [/row]

HOT DOG! I all of a sudden felt like royalty. I wanted to cry at all of these small little thoughtful amenities that really made a huge difference in the experience me and my family were having. Marriott had no idea, but they had just given our sad travel week a very happy ending.

Speaking of providing happiness, Marriott Rewards wants to celebrate its 30th birthday by throwing your special someone a surprise party he or she will never forget. Does someone in your life deserve to be celebrated this year? Marriott Rewards is looking for the most memorable ideas you can come up with, so go to yearofsurprises.com and nominate your loved one today for a surprise party. This would be the perfect excuse to wish for a memorable weekend away. Nominate your husband or best friend – even better tell them you wouldn’t hate being nominated yourself! 

The third round of nominations for Year of Surprises takes place August 1 to August 31.

Nominations will be reviewed based on creativity/uniqueness of entry, overall appeal of nomination essay, and feasibility of the surprise party. Three winners will be awarded and announced in March and parties will be scheduled each month throughout the year.

There will be a total of three nomination periods throughout 2014. The third and final round is during the month of August. Limit one (1) entry per person/email address per nomination period. Please see the “Nominate” section at yearofsurprises.com for the nomination entry form and requirements.

[infobox]You do not need to be a Marriott Rewards member to submit a nomination, but if your nomination is chosen, you and the nominee will need to enroll. See the Year Of Surprises Official Rules for more information.[/infobox]

I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Marriott Rewards. I received Marriott Points to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.