First of all I am Caesars Diamond Plus or Diamond Elite (based on the year) from gambling with them. Both Caesars and MGM have moved to make their programs more focused on gambling or casino spend instead of status matches (Caesars cut back Wyndham match for example). Both companies are basically minting money with the LV strip casinos winning over a Billion a month. Frankly neither one needs a status match as they have high occupancy and want to cater to gamblers or others that will spend on their property instead of people looking for a cheap deal with a status match. This give MGM access to Marriott’s reservation system and customer base although they frankly don’t need Marriott as much as Marriott (or any hotel chain) needs them. For Marriott it greatly expands LV options for booking and I’m sure they get some percentage of the hotel stay. These are not Marriott managed properties so under a different reimbursement plan than their typical franchise model but they obviously will benefit from bookings at MGM properties. The value of the status match back to Marriott for MGM Rewards customers doesn’t cost Marriott much and is an incentive for typically higher net worth individuals (to be at the levels of MGM Rewards where there is a match) to stay with Marriott. If MGM gave away status matches it would cost them more from a bottom line perspective so not only don’t they need the guests as much as Marriott the cost would be more.

Again, disappointed I won’t have my Gold MGM status after this month but I have a similar (or higher status with Caesars so I’ll just stay with them where I get comped rooms, no resort fees, free parking, comped meals, free gambling junkets, etc. I enjoy the MGM properties in LV but will be staying with Caesars during my visits and directing most of my action their way. However, I recognize from a business perspective this makes more sense to both parties than the prior Hyatt relationship.

MGM got all it wanted: access to Marriott Elite status for its MGM elites while Marriott elites got zip… nada. Being that I live so close by in California that I often drive to Vegas, I will no longer patronize MGM properties since it means paying exorbitant daily service fees and daily parking fees, values I once received for my Hyatt Globalist status.

Whoever set up these new systems sure did a great job of screwing Marriott high elites: just one more chink of many that shows Marriott does not care about its most loyal customers. This Marriott leadership is going to kill the Marriott as we knew it, all to save on breakfast fees and cheap out by cutting every corner that it could…. sickening.

This partnership really makes no sense for either side. I can’t imagine to many gamblers are going to pay 100,000 Bonvoy points to stay the Aria… and then pay $60/night in resort fees, especially cause the MGM comps will still work for gamblers.