Traditionally, Marriott Rewards (the earlier version of Marriott Bonvoy) used to offer a soft landing to the elite members of the programme, meaning that in no circumstance would members drop more than one tier on their status, even if the member did not meet the criteria for the one-down tier. For 2023, Marriott Bonvoy announced a return to this policy, albeit pretty late. They stuck to the policy in 2024 and 2025 as well.
Marriott decides to provide a soft landing for 2026
Marriott has indicated that this policy to offer a soft landing will continue in the 2026 membership year. That means a member who fails to meet the requirements for a particular tier will be granted a tier one level below their current tier, rather than being assessed on their actual business performance over the period in question. You can read about it on Marriott.com.
If you are a Titanium Elite in 2025, you will be a Platinum Elite in 2026 (at the minimum), even if you have stayed zero nights in 2025 with Marriott Hotels. If you were Platinum Elite, you would be at least Gold Elite, and if you were Gold Elite, you would not drop below Silver Elite. Remember that Marriott Choice Benefits are based on elite night earnings.
Bottomline
Marriott Bonvoy has announced that it will offer a Soft Landing to all individuals who hold status with Bonvoy in 2025. That will mean your status in 2026 will not decline more than one level below what it was in 2025. The new status will be reflected only in March 2026.
What do you think of Marriott Bonvoy’s soft landing policy?
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Why are they even deciding it every year? This isn’t how luxury loyalty works.
If it were purely based on revenue in a given period, it’d just be another transaction, not a relation.