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Many readers have asked what to expect on August 18th with regard to Marriott Merger Day, and we have been advising everyone to expect all-out pandemonium. It turns out that reality may include slightly more controlled chaos than we would have anticipated. A source has shared with us a timeline for how Marriott expects hopes thinks maybe prays the 18th will progress with regard to outages. Of course, this timeline doesn’t mean that things will happen according to plan. You know what they say about the best-laid plans.
As you can see in the image above, some of the items aren’t quite at exact time points, but they do have a timeline in mind for the way things will work. I would not get yourself too emotionally attached to this timeline. It clearly says that all times are estimations and subject to change, and I think it is very likely that these approximations will not be met. But here are Marriott’s timeline goals for August 18th — all times in Eastern time and are only estimates:
- 12am (midnight): SPG.com and SPG app go down
- 6am: Limited loyalty info available on the Marriott app and Marriott.com
- 9:30am: SPG.com and Marriott.com available again for cash reservations only and members will need to update their Ritz-Carlton and Marriott apps (SPG still unavailable)
- 2pm: Marriott.com and SPG.com available (presumably expected to be functional for award bookings) and members will need to update SPG app
- 4pm: GMs will be notified to put out the promo materials for the new program
In short, they expect functionality to be resorted by 2pm and to be rolling out the red carpet on changes by 4pm Eastern on Saturday. It bears repeating that expectations should be set to “none” and that calling to try to book your over water bungalow in Bora Bora will probably be an exercise in futility, but it would be impressive if Marriott could pull off such a smooth transition. Personally, I highly doubt that award booking will go back online on Saturday and I’m equally doubtful that elite status will be properly transitioned before Sunday, but it is at the very least good to see that Marriott has some rather specific goals with regard to the timeline.
You can rest assured that we will be gathering more information as possible and will intend to update with developments as they roll out this weekend. For more on the transition, see Crunch time! Final pre-Marriott/SPG merger checklist and the links from that post to our full transition guide.
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[…] Here’s Marriott’s timeline for August 18th merger day […]
[…] agents unable to access their systems intermittently as well. According to a report published on Frequent Miler, paid bookings may be available again as early as 9:30am Eastern Time, with awards back online […]
Have they provided any info on where to go to book properties with points tomorrow afternoon? Marriott.com, spg.com? Or what number to call to book them?
It will all be the same thing. SPG.com will just become Marriott’s site with an SPG skin. You can theoretically book on either site or via the phone — but I would put all the money in my pocket that booking won’t work at all tomorrow. I doubt things are going to go as smoothly as planned.
(Note: I only have $1 in my pocket).
Oh yeah, I have low expectations as well, just want to know which avenue to book through once it starts working.
Nick, so will the points be automatically combined tomorrow by the time I’m able to log into my new account?
My understanding is that you will have to click a link to combine accounts, otherwise they’ll remain separate.
Do you see this link anywhere in your account? I can’t seem to find it anywhere.
[…] Here’s Marriott’s timeline for August 18th merger day by Frequent Miler. This seems ambitious. […]
I have what’s probably a dumb question. How do I choose which program to use after the 18th? I have SPG points and Marriot points. I know the SPG points will triple. But I prefer using the Marriott website. Should I transfer the SPG points to the Marriott account after the 18th?
Also, I have a SPG personal card and will be getting the business card in Oct. I assume that I can still give them the Marriott member # when I applied for the card or do I still need to give them the SPG member #?
You will be given a new member number.
What happens if need to change reservation date on an attached 7 night stay. Does the new price apply or do you keep the old price? Can you change categories and look for a new reservation in such category?
You will not be able to upgrade certificates after the merger.
Looking forward to finding out the value of the Ritz Free Night certificates from credit card sign up bonus. Hoping for 60k/nite
Meh. So this wasn’t provided to all members?
I look forward to laughing out loud when this rolls out
I have no vested interest. 206 mr points and 516 SPG points are all that I have left in there in case of a messy union.