Marriott Bonvoy Offering Soft Landings for Elite Status in 2024

As first noted by Loyalty Lobby, Marriott Bonvoy is once again offering its soft landing policy for elite status in 2024. If you do not achieve the requirements for elite status by the end of 2023 (for the 2024 program year), you’ll automatically be downgraded 1 elite tier rank until 2025.

What Is a Soft Landing?

In most cases, Marriott Bonvoy elite status requires you to earn a specific number of nights over a year. If you fail to earn the required amount of nights, you won’t earn that elite tier. In order to still capture your loyalty as a member, Marriott Bonvoy is allowing you to fall back only 1 rank if you don’t earn your same elite status again.

For example, if you’re currently a Marriott Titanium Elite member but fail to stay the 75 nights required for Titanium Elite, you’ll fall back 1 level to Platinum Elite. Until February 2025, you’ll enjoy the benefits of Platinum Elite and will have the opportunity to again earn the 75 nights required for Titanium Elite. Should you not earn enough nights for Platinum Elite (50), you’ll fall back 1 level to Gold Elite, and so on, until you no longer have status.

Here is how the soft landing would work for the 2024 membership year for those who fail to earn status in 2023:

• If you fail to earn Ambassador Elite, you’ll fall to Titanium Elite
• If you fail to earn Titanium Elite, you’ll fall to Platinum Elite
• If you fail to earn Platinum Elite, you’ll fall to Gold Elite
• If you fail to earn Gold Elite, you’ll fall to Silver Elite

Marriott Bonvoy does this so it can still retain some loyalty from you as a member. If the program simply dropped you to no status at all, you might as well consider moving your loyalty to another hotel chain entirely, so Marriott Bonvoy gives you the benefit of the doubt and offers you something if you’re willing to stay.

While this soft landing policy only impacts you if you don’t earn the requirements by the end of the year, there’s still plenty of time to complete more nights towards your next elite rank. You have close to 4 months left in the year, which should be plenty of time in most circumstances for you to keep up your chosen elite status level.

Final Thoughts

This soft landing policy is great for road warriors who may not be able to stay enough nights this year to retain their current Marriott Bonvoy elite status levels. Rather than have no status next year, you’ll still be able to enjoy some benefits, just with the tier lower than where you’re at now.