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The merger between Marriott Rewards and SPG certainly hasn’t been the smoothest (by some margin…). That said, before the merger, SPG and Marriott both had a Status Challenge, which made it relatively easy to earn Platinum status (with benefits such as breakfast, lounge access and room upgrade) – and one of the positive aspects of the merger is that a status challenge is still available. With 6,700+ hotels now under the Marriott badge, earning elite status could be very useful…

New Status Challenge

The new Marriott Rewards Status Challenge is now unlocked. As before, you can get Gold Status or Platinum Status as part of a Fast Track offer. With benefits such as guaranteed lounge access, upgrades to suites and more, Platinum status is certainly the most attractive in this case.

As before, the status challenge for Marriott Rewards Gold or Platinum status has to be completed over a period of three months. It therefore, probably, makes sense to choose a time frame when you already have quite a lot of travel planned.

For Gold Status, you must spend 8 nights in those three months. If you’re aiming for Platinum Status,  you will need 16 nights at Marriott hotels during the qualifying period.

Registration

You have to register for the status challenge before any stays, if you want them to count towards the challenge.

With SPG you could apply for the status challenge online, but Marriott Rewards is a bit different. According to GSTP, you must call your local call center to request the status challenge.

Interestingly, the Status Challenge does not seem to require any other hotel status – the UK Call Center can be reached on 020 7012 7312.