I understand there are all kinds of travel. Some business trips last for a single night stay and others last for weeks. My business trips are infrequent, but typically two to three weeks. I understand that the arrival gift is something you are supposed to receive ON ARRIVAL, but it seems counterintuitive that longer stays don't receive some kind of acknowledgement.
Someone could stay seven nights at seven different hotels, causing higher expense to the hotels for the turnover and receive 500 points each time for an arrival gift, but if I stay for three weeks straight at one hotel I receive 500 points once.
I'm just thinking that it would make more sense to award long stays with an "arrival" gift every X number of days...
I recall there was a megabonus a few years back that was based on STAYS and not nights and I had a similar issue.
I lived at a Marriott Executive Apartment for two years a while back and a benefit that they provided was a free one-way airport transfer when you stayed over 6 months. Not every six months, but just once, regardless of whether your stay was 6 months or 6 years.
I enjoy the perks I receive as a Platinum member, but it seems bizarre how Marriott sometimes seems to encourage short stays. At least to me it seems like they DO NOT encourage long stays.
Am I the only one who feels this way? Maybe if I had many short business trips I wouldn't consider this an issue, but two or three 3 week trips each year makes me look at long term stays more closely. I've honestly considered checking out of my "business" hotel on the weekends and checking into the Courtyard down the street just to work the point system in the manner it appears it is meant to be used. I find it to be too much of a hassle and never actually follow through with my schemes though.