Why Breakfast Became the Battleground for Elite Status It's also worth checking whether the benefit applies automatically at booking or requires a specific rate code. Many disappointed travelers discover too late that their elite status didn't carry over because they booked through a third-party site rather than directly with the brand. For a deeper dive into these nuances, browse compare the best hotel loyalty programs before your next s How to Track Changes Before They Hurt You Staying ahead of devaluations requires active monitoring rather than passive point accumulation. Following dedicated hotel loyalty program news outlets, forums, and brand press releases can give you a critical head start before changes take effect, often allowing you to book award stays at the old, cheaper rate before a devaluation deadline hits. Hotel points have never held fixed value. Unlike currency, they're a promotional tool controlled entirely by the issuing brand, which means the goalposts move whenever a company decides its liabilities have grown too large or its redemption costs too generous. Award charts get revised, peak and off-peak pricing gets introduced, and dynamic pricing models replace predictable fixed-award charts almost overnight. For travelers weighing Marriott against luxury-first alternatives like the Four Seasons or Fairmont programs, it's worth remembering that status-chasing through credit cards is a distinctly Marriott strength. Those other programs reward loyalty differently, often through direct relationship-building with hotel staff rather than algorithmic spend thresholds. It's also worth comparing elite status perks separately from points value, since status benefits like free breakfast, room upgrades, and late checkout often hold their worth better than point redemptions do.