Marriott Bonvoy - is the biggest also the best?
Originally published 7 June 2023, replacing our 2022
Guide to Bonvoy
Last updated 2 September, 2023.
This guide is based upon Marriott Bonvoy
Terms & Conditions dated September 2023.
Introduction to Marriott Bonvoy
Since its creation in 2019 from the merger of Marriott Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) and Ritz-Carlton Rewards, there have been many changes to the Marriott Bonvoy program. In this review, we look at:
- the locations and categories of properties available and
- how the loyalty program works,
- membership tiers,
- how to earn and use points both for tier status and free nights
- key features of the program and strategies on how to use them to your advantage
- answer your most commonly asked questions.
Contents - All about Marriott Bonvoy
What is Bonvoy?
Marriott Bonvoy is the loyalty/rewards program of Marriott. With over 7,800 properties and 30 brands following the takeover of Starwood, it
is now the largest hotel chain in the world.
The programs of Marriott Rewards, Ritz-Carlton Rewards and SPG were combined late in 2018 and despite some initial scepticism of members
and teething problems, at launch the resultant Bonvoy program mostly combined the best features of the earlier programs..
If you had a Marriott Rewards login or an SPG login (Starwood login or Starwood Preferred Guest login), they are now Bonvoy accounts (with
new membership numbers, so now you have a Marriott Bonvoy
Login.
If you had accounts in more than one program, you are encouraged to merge what were Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and SPG accounts into a single
account.
Under Bonvoy's T&C's each member is allowed to hold only one account.
How does the Marriott rewards program work ?
Marriott Bonvoy is free to join. Members earn points from their stays which can be exchanged for free stays (or other benefits). There are also “elite” membership tiers that have additional benefits for members who have a lot of stays at Marriott properties.
Until January 2023, properties are assigned to “categories” which have different amounts of points required in exchange for a “reward night”.
In late 2019, peak and off-peak pricing was introduced and applied to rooms of all properties regardless of category.
Most properties participate in the program, however there are a number of exceptions (T&C 1.2 a) including, but not only, the following:
- The Ritz-Carlton, Millennia Singapore
- The Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties
- Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach participates in the Loyalty Program, but only as follows:
-
Earn Points or Miles
-
Redeem Points
- Members receive benefits except for the following:
- Complimentary Enhanced Room Upgrades,
- Late Checkout,
- Suite Night Awards, and
- Your24TM.
- The following partner properties:
○ Hotel Ritz-London - London, UK
○ Bulgari Hotels and Resorts - all locations
Marriott Hotel brands and and their positioning
Marriott’s brands cover the spectrum of types of stays, from long-term stays, basic hotels through to uber luxurious properties. The table
below provides an idea of where each of their brands sits within the marketplace. Properties are located in major cities or resort
locations.
With such a large portfolio of properties (more than 7,800 !), there is something to suit almost everyone.
Table 1 - Marriott brands and approximate alignment with some competitor brands (* franchise brand)
| Company | Luxury | Premium | Mid-scale | Economy |
| Accor |
|
|
||
| Best Western Hotels |
|
|
|
|
| Centara Hotels & Resorts |
|
|
||
| Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts |
|
|||
| Hilton Worldwide | Waldorf Astoria, Conrad Hotels |
Hilton, DoubleTree, Canopy by Hilton, Curio Collection |
Embassy Suites by Hilton |
Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites |
| Hyatt Hotels Corporation | Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt | Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Hotels, Andaz | Hyatt Place, Hyatt House Hotels, Hyatt Centric | |
| InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) | Six Senses, InterContinental, Regent | Crowne Plaza, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants |
Hotel Indigo, EVEN Hotels, Staybridge Suites, Holiday Inn Select, HUALUXE Hotels & Resorts |
Holiday Inn |
| Meliá Hotels International | Gran Meliá, ME by Meliá, Paradisus | Meliá, Innside | ||
| Marriott International |
Ritz-Carlton, Bulgari Hotels, Edition Hotels, JW Marriott Hotels, St. Regis, Luxury Collection |
Renaissance Hotels, Marriott, Autograph Collection, Delta, Marriott Executive Apartment, Gaylord Hotels, W Hotels, Design Hotels, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Le Méridien, Sheraton, Tribute Portfolio. Elegant Hotels |
AC Hotels, Fairfield Inn by Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott, SpringHill Suites, Residence Inn by
Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft Hotels, Element Hotels |
MOXY Hotels, Protea Hotels, TownePlace Suites |
| Millennium & Copthorne Hotels |
Grand Millennium Hotels |
Millennium Hotels, Grand Copthorne Hotels |
Copthorne Hotels, M Hotels |
Source: extract from wikipedia.org
Geographic Spread of Marriott Hotels & Resorts
As at 31 March 2023, the majority of properties are in North America (71%), followed by Asia (12%) and Europe (9%). Marriott is less well represented in the regions of Latin America/Caribbean (4%), Middle East & Africa (3%) and Oceania (1%).The majority of properties are in North America (72%), followed by Asia (11%) and Europe (9%).
Source: Marriott Bonvoy hotel locations (summarised)
where you can find more specific details prior to booking.
Popular searches for Marriott Hotels
- Marriott hotels in the Caribbean
- Marriott hotels in Hawaii
- Marriott hotels in Florida
- Marriott hotels in London
- Marriott hotels in Manhattan
- Marriott hotels in Napa Valley
- Marriott hotels in Costa Rica
- Marriott hotels in New York
- Marriott hotels in Cancun
- Ritz Carlton London
- Marriott Marquis
- Marriott Aruba
- Marriott Las Vegas
If you wish to earn points with your selection, or to utilise the Marriott Best Rate Guarantee, you must book direct with Marriott or through a Travel Agent (but not an OTA such as Expedia, Agoda, booking.com etc).
Marriott Bonvoy Elite Membership Tiers & Benefits
As well as general membership, there are 5 tiers of Elite Membership (and 2 more if you include lifetime versions of status).
Assessment is based solely on stays made during a calendar year.
To achieve or renew Elite membership status, the following number of Elite Night Credits must be earned through (i) nights stayed at Participating Properties or (ii) Marriott Bonvoy Events between January 1 and December 31 of any given year (T&C 4.2.b):
i. Marriott Bonvoy - Silver Elite: 10 to 24 Qualifying Nights
ii. Marriott Bonvoy - Gold Elite: 25 to 49 Qualifying Nights
iii. Marriott Bonvoy - Platinum Elite: 50 to 74 Qualifying Nights
iv. Marriott Bonvoy - Titanium Elite: 75 Qualifying Nights and higher.
Note that:
- Free night award stays do count towards tier status. (T&C 4.2.c)
-
Qualifying charges without a personal overnight stay (eg from dining in a restaurant at a participating property without a stay) will
not earn
credit towards Tier Status (T&C 4.2.d) but may earn points (T&C 2.1.b.ii)
Once tier status is earned, you are upgraded immediately. The new tier status lasts from the date of upgrade to the end of the following calendar year. You must requalify in that following calendar year, or your tier status will be downgraded one level (eg Gold to Silver) for the following year.
This is a significant benefit, as one quiet year will not lead to you losing status entirely.
Table 4 – benefits by Marriott Bonvoy status level
| Benefit | Marriott Bonvoy Member | Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status | Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status | Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status | Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite status | Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite status |
| Complimentary Internet access (* enhanced) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Member rates |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Mobile check in / services |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Ultimate reservation guarantee |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Points bonus | 10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 75% | |
| Late check out (s.t. availability) | 2 pm | 4 pm | 4 pm | 4 pm | ||
| Dedicated elite support |
|
|
||||
| In hotel welcome gift (varies by brand) | Points | Points, Breakfast offer or amenity | Points, Breakfast offer or amenity | Points, Breakfast offer or amenity | ||
| Enhanced room upgrade (s.t. availability) |
|
Includes select suites | Includes select suites | Includes select suites | ||
| Lounge access |
|
|
|
|||
| Guaranteed room type |
|
|
|
|||
| Annual choice benefit | 5 suite nights or gift awarded upon attaining status | 5 suite nights or gift awarded upon attaining status | ||||
| 48 hour guarantee |
|
|
||||
| Ambassador Service |
|
|||||
| Your24 |
|
.
The “sweet spot” tier of the program is Platinum status. At this level, complimentary breakfast and room upgrades are available. Levels
below this (the mid-tiers) are less compelling than other chains (eg Hilton Honors has complimentary breakfast for its Gold members –
Marriott Bonvoy does not).
Member Rates
All member have access to special member rates. These are a discount of at least 2% on weekdays and up to 5% on weekends. The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, and EDITION offer 2% all days of the week.
The Member Rate is applied to the Participating Property's lowest applicable available public rates for non-premium rooms. It will not apply to groups of ten (10) or more guest rooms.
Earning Marriott Bonvoy points
How many Bonvoy points are earned from a stay?
To achieve or renew Elite membership status, the following number of Elite Night Credits must be earned through (i) nights stayed at Participating Properties or (ii) Marriott Bonvoy Events between January 1 and December 31 of any given year (T&C 4.2.b):
i. Marriott Bonvoy - Silver Elite: 10 to 24 Qualifying Nights
ii. Marriott Bonvoy - Gold Elite: 25 to 49 Qualifying Nights
iii. Marriott Bonvoy - Platinum Elite: 50 to 74 Qualifying Nights
iv. Marriott Bonvoy - Titanium Elite: 75 Qualifying Nights and higher.
Note that:
- Free night award stays do count towards tier status. (T&C 4.2.c)
-
Qualifying charges without a personal overnight stay (eg from dining in a restaurant at a participating property without a stay) will
not earn
credit towards Tier Status (T&C 4.2.d) but may earn points (T&C 2.1.b.ii)
Once tier status is earned, you are upgraded immediately. The new tier status lasts from the date of upgrade to the end of the following calendar year. You must requalify in that following calendar year, or your tier status will be downgraded one level (eg Gold to Silver) for the following year.
This is a significant benefit, as one quiet year will not lead to you losing status entirely.
Table 4 – benefits by Marriott Bonvoy status level
| Benefit |
Marriott Bonvoy Member |
Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status |
Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status |
Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status |
Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite status |
Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite status |
| Complimentary Internet access (* enhanced) |
* |
* |
* |
* |
||
| Member rates |
||||||
| Mobile check in / services |
||||||
| Ultimate reservation guarantee |
||||||
| Points bonus |
10% |
25% |
50% |
75% |
75% |
|
| Late check out (s.t. availability) |
2 pm |
4 pm |
4 pm |
4 pm |
||
| Dedicated elite support |
||||||
| In hotel welcome gift (varies by brand) |
Points |
Points, Breakfast offer or amenity |
Points, Breakfast offer or amenity |
Points, Breakfast offer or amenity |
||
| Enhanced room upgrade (s.t. availability) |
Includes select suites |
Includes select suites |
Includes select suites |
|||
| Lounge access |
||||||
| Guaranteed room type |
||||||
| Annual choice benefit |
5 suite nights or gift awarded upon attaining status |
5 suite nights or gift awarded upon attaining status |
||||
| 48 hour guarantee |
||||||
| Ambassador Service |
||||||
| Your24 |
The “sweet spot” tier of the program is Platinum status. At this level, complimentary breakfast and room upgrades are available. Levels below this (the mid-tiers) are less compelling than other chains (eg Hilton Honors has complimentary breakfast for its Gold members – Marriott Bonvoy does not).
Member Rates
All members have access to special member rates. These are a discount of at least 2% on weekdays and up to 5% on weekends. The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, and EDITION offer 2% all days of the week.
The Member Rate is applied to the Participating Property's lowest applicable available public rates for non-premium rooms. It will not apply to groups of ten (10) or more guest rooms.
Earning Marriott Bonvoy points
How many Bonvoy points are earned from a stay?
The main way to earn points is through Qualifying Stays at Marriott properties. This may be for your own and up to 2 additional rooms, (T&C 2.1.b) provided that:
- all rooms have identical check-in and check-out dates
- the member stays in one of the rooms (or home or villa in the same city) for the duration of the stay
- the member pays for all rooms with either cash or as an award stay.
Stays at most brands will earn 10 Bonvoy points per USD spent (see table 5 below). Marriott Homes & Villas is one brand which earns only 5 points per USD spent.
Points can also be gained through in-house spending (T&C 2.1.b) during a stay (some other programs only reward you for the room rate), Bonvoy tours, selected flight partners, car hire, cruises and credit cards.
Points may be earned on charges for food and beverages without a stay, as long as the charges are more than USD 10 and are not associated with a banquet or an event. (T&C 2.1.b.ii)
Table 5 – points earning rates - Bonvoy points per dollar spent
For
most properties, the earning rate is 10 points per USD (or equivalent) spent. Exceptions are:
- For Element, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites and Homes & Villas by Marriott International- 5 points per USD
- For Marriott Executive Apartments - 2.5 points per USD
- Tier bonus only applies to Food & Beverage spending if it is part of a member stay
- United Airlines Rewards Plus (Titanium & Ambassador only) earn both miles & Bonvoy points
- Emirates World Rewards members earn 1 Skywards mile per USD spent + Bonvoy points
To earn points (and tier status) from a stay, you must book though Marriott reservations or a Travel Agent. If you use an online travel agency (Expedia etc), bookings will not earn recognition. Reservations can also be made by dedicated Bonvoy telephone numbers - handy if you have queries about particular properties.
Awards redemptions do not earn points. (T&C 2.1.c)
Credit Cards can earn Marriott Bonvoy points
(T&C 6)
Points from credit cards can be earned directly from eligible purchases (via a co-branded hotel credit card) or you may be able
to transfer points from a card at a set transfer rate that may vary across different countries of issue.
Note: You should do your research or obtain advice to determine appropriateness to your circumstances before applying for any credit product.
If you live in the US, you can use a dedicated Marriott credit card (with varying qualification criteria). Each Bonvoy credit card may have a differing annual fee, points earning rates and they often have a welcome bonus for new applications (including 15 elite night credits in one instance). If you are a cardholder of one of these cards, they can provide a way of building your points balance.
In the US, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the UAE and in the UK, there are dedicated Bonvoy credit cards - including Marriott Bonvoy American Express in the UK and a choice of 4 dedicated cards in the US. Do your research or obtain advice before applying for any credit product.
In Australia, there are no dedicated Bonvoy credit cards available.
For American Express cardholders, AMEX Membership Rewards points can also be transferred to Marriott Bonvoy points. Conversion
rates vary by jurisdiction (and perhaps card eg Australian Gold Amex points convert to Bonvoy points at the rate of 3 for 2 ) so check with
your local program's terms and conditions.
Double dipping for Marriott Bonvoy points !
A significant benefit of the Bonvoy program is Your World Rewards feature. This provides the ability to “double dip” with two
airline programs (where you meet their qualification criteria).
Bonvoy offers a crossover benefit where from a stay you earn points for Bonvoy AND miles with either Emirates or United
Airlines.
You can also earn miles on the respective airline program AND Bonvoy from flights. If either of the airline programs suit you (and you have
the minimum tier status required), this can be a great way to accelerate your points building.
Buying Marriott Bonvoy Points
(T&C 2.9)
All members can buy Marriott points (or another member may buy and gift them) through their points-buying service managed by points.com.
- The usual rate is USD 12.50 per thousand, with a minimum transaction of 1,000 points;
-
You may purchase up to a maximum of 100,000 points in any calendar year (although this limit may temporarily increase
during promotions).
Note that to be eligible to buy points, you must have already been a member for 30 days.
Points purchased are "bonus points", not base points and do not help you qualify for elite tier status.
Marriott Bonvoy Points Promotions
Marriott Bonvoy has regular promotions. I
don't recommend buying speculatively, or hoarding them, but if you buy during promotions for an intended stay, they can really slash the
cost. Especially if used in combination with the PointSavers
or Cash+Points feature
of the program.
Retaining Marriott Bonvoy points
Bonvoy points expire after 24 months if there has been no activity in the member's account (T&C 1.6.d). The account may be closed and all points forfeited after 5 years of inactivity. Fortunately, the program allows for a wide view of "activity":
- paid stays by the member
- redeeming points for stays
- redeeming points for other purposes such as "experiences"
- purchasing points - minimum amount is 1,000 points at a total cost of USD12.50
- converting points to or from miles of an airline rewards program. For some airlines this satisfies their "activity" requirements at the same time.
A member giving or receiving bonvoy points as a gift or transfer does not count as activity.
Redeeming Marriott Bonvoy points
Using points for free nights is made easier by the “no black-out nights policy” for members, which means that participating properties have
standard rooms available every day for Award Redemptions (T&C 3.2.n), subject to:
- Bulgari properties do not participate I Marriott Bonvoy at all
- Marriott Executive Apartments® and ExecuStay®.do not offer points redemptions (only earning)
- All brands may limit the number of standard rooms available for redemption on a limited number of days. Prior to February 2020, this limitation did not apply to legacy SPG brands.
-
The following properties still do not participate in the “policy” and so may have black-out periods:
- Boscolo Exedra Nice, Autograph Collection
- Carlo IV, The Dedica Anthology, Autograph Collection
- JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn® Resort & Spa, Scottsdale, AZ
- Marriott Vacation Club and Marriott Grand Residence Club – all properties
- Rome Marriott Grand Hotel Flora, Rome, Italy
- Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, Hawaii
- Wailea Beach Resort – Marriott - Maui, Hawaii
- Hotel Cala di Volpe, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Costa Smeralda, Italy
- Hotel Pitrizza, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Costa Smeralda, Italy
- Hotel Romazzino, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Costa Smeralda, Italy
- Homes & Villas by Marriott International
- North Island, a Luxury Collection Resort, Seychelles
You should only use points to make your booking where the cost is less than the cash price required. For redemptions, our estimated Marriott Bonvoy points value is USD 8 per thousand (US 0.8 cents each). If you are getting less than this, you are better to pay the cash price.
When to redeem points for a booking
You should only use points to make your booking where the cost is less than the cash price required. For redemptions, our estimated Marriott Bonvoy points value is USD 8 per thousand (US 0.8 cents each). If you are getting less than this, you are better to pay the cash price.
Given Marriott's use of dynamic pricing where both cash and points redemption amounts may change daily, a better approach is to use a tool that also updates daily and identifies whether cash or points redemptions offer the best value. Awayz by Odynn does exactly that.
Take
Care To Check After Making Your Booking
Another important point to note is that effective from 14 June 2023, Bonvoy's T&C's 3.2.b has been amended to make it the member's responsibility to ensure that when an awards stay is selected that the correct amount of points are deducted and the award certificate issued is also correct.
Worse yet, if there is an error made "...and a Member does not have sufficient Points and/or Free Night Award(s) to cover the entire Award Redemption Stay, the reservation may be cancelled or changed to the best paid rate available".
So a member is punished for Marriott's systems making a mistake?!
Does Marriott have so little confidence in its own systems that it feels the need to transfer responsibility to the Bonvoy member? Is this an appropriate attitude to have for a publicly listed company?
I am somewhat stunned by this change. Hopefully Marriott will come to their senses, rather than reinforce the impression of member-last service levels.
PointSavers Awards
(T&C 3.5)
PointSavers Awards offer point savings of up to 20% on standard Award
Redemption rates and are available for limited periods of time. Members can redeem their points for discounted
stays at participating PointSavers Properties
when and where available. When available, the discount in number of points required can be very attractive. You may even
like to buy more
Bonvoy points
to maximise this benefit.
Now that all Marriott properties have moved onto Bonvoy dynamic pricing, we anticipate that the table as below, will be replaced simply by offers priced at a discounted amount of points for particular dates.
Cash-and-Points
An alternative to paying fully with either points or cash uses Bonvoy's cash + points feature. This allows you to make a redemption using a mix of cash and points components, both of which can change daily. An important feature of this benefit is that as you pay the Cash + Points upfront, you lock in both the booking and its cost.
However, if you later alter the booking, you will be required to adjust your payment to reflect the amount of cash and points prevailing at the time of your change. (T&C 3.3.f)
Note that cash + points redemptions:
- do not earn Bonvoy points on the cash portion
- do not qualify for the pay for 4, stay for 5 benefit.
- do earn tier points, counting towards your tier status assessment (as do other award stays).
Stay for 5, pay for 4
A very attractive feature of the program is the “stay for 5, pay for 4” benefit for stays purchased with points. This was previously the Bonvoy 5th night free benefit (effectively a 20% discount on a 5 night award stay) but with the introduction of peak/off-peak pricing, it is the cheapest night, rather than the fifth night that is now free. So while the benefit may be a discount of less than 20% now, in practice this will only affect stays that straddle different peak/off-peak periods.
This can apply to an Award Redemption booking or even a PointSavers
booking (but not a points+cash redemption). This would make a very good use of your points for that well-earned break!
Points Transfers to other Members
(T&C 2.8)
Marriott Bonvoy allows you to share points with other members. .You can transfer a minimum of 10,000 points in a single transaction, up to a total of 100,000 points per calendar year. Note that both parties must have been members for at last 30 days with qualifying activity (or 90 days without activity) prior to any exchange being available.
This "pooling" of points is an attractive new feature, providing flexibility and the ability to reach your desired award night stays sooner.
To request a transfer of points, just contact Member Support .
Points Transfers to Airline Miles (& vice versa)
Should you need additional frequent flyer miles, you can exchange Bonvoy points for airline miles with over 40 airline loyalty programs. The exchange rate for most airlines is 3,000 points to 1,000 miles. Exceptions are Jetblue (6,000 points to 1,000 miles), Air New Zealand (200 points to 1 mile) and United whose RewardsPlus bonus means you'll get 3,000 points to 1,100 miles.
You can transfer 3,000 to 240,000 points per day. Aim to make transfers of a minimum 60,000 points each time.
Bonus points for transfers to Airline Partners
- If you transfer 60,000 points or more in a single transaction, Bonvoy will provide a bonus 5,000 points for every 60,000 points (an 8.3% bonus). So try to get to 60,000 points prior to any transfer.
- You get a 10% mileage bonus when you transfer your hotel points to United MileagePlus award miles (3,000 points to 1,100 miles).
Other uses for points
Other than hotel stays, Bonvoy points can also be used for:
- room upgrades,
- in-house spending (food and beverages, resort activities such as spa, golf etc)
- travel packages,
- cruises
- TSA Precheck applications (in the USA),
- airport lounge access and
- retail gift cards.
Additionally, Marriott offers a variety of experiences (“Marriott Moments”)
that members can use points to purchase, from tickets to sporting events to backstage concert passes. These experiences are very difficult
to access normally, so this feature (now starting to be copied by competitors) can be a very good use of your points.
To use points to book a room online, ensure that you select the box for “use points”. But what if you don’t have quite enough points to make the booking you desire?
How to top up your Marriott Bonvoy points for a dream redemption
- You can buy Marriott points (or another member may buy and gift them) through their points-buying service managed by points.com.
- Use Cash + points
- Transfer points from another Bonvoy member.
How to best redeem Marriott Bonvoy points or cash for stays
Smart use of the bonvoy program features can save you hundreds, without even needing to rely on purchasing points during promotional periods.
To decide which is the best strategy to use to book your desired property at the lowest price, first find the cheapest price you and (noting that this booking may be non-cancellable/non-refundable).
Then compare this price against the cash equivalent of the points redemption. These are shown (in USD) on the booking page. you will then need to compare cash prices based on a valuation of Bonvoy points.
Or.....use a tool like Awayz by Odynn (advertiser) which does all this (and more) using valuations refreshed daily for you.
Rules of thumb for the best points strategies are that:
- Stay for 5, pay for 4 is always the cheapest, if your stay is for a multiple of 5 nights
- Points Saver when available for your preferred property is generally the second best strategy. Followed by
- The comparison of cash price against points based on current valuation will reveal the next best option..
Observations and Comments - Marriott Bonvoy
-
Some of the very aspirational properties that are quite pricey in points terms, but some simple activity strategies can prevent points from
expiring while you save them for that (very) special trip. For the properties at which I have stayed, I have preferred the Starwood
brands over the Marriott ones in the same category, so I would tend to favour the SPG hotels where there is a choice.
-
The stay for 5, pay for 4 benefit remains a good feature of the program, as does the cash + points feature. The no black-out days policy
appears attractive on paper, but in practice the number of nights made available can be limited by each property (across all brands).. Some
properties have been known to deliberately restrict what they regard as a "standard" room so that they can limit supply that way too.
-
Marriott Moments is also a great feature and one that Hilton and also Hyatt are copying. Imitation is the sincerest form of
flattery.
- The program's range of properties and (either city or resort) locations is unsurpassed.
Overall, Marriott Bonvoy is a solid program with a great range of options. But some competitors could be a better fit, depending upon a
traveller’s particular patterns.
For the greatest flexibility (especially if you want the option to stay anywhere in the world) Marriott Bonvoy is a very solid
choice, but may be more expensive than other choices for specific traveller types.
Its special features mean it remains attractive, but the regular devaluation of points have significantly reduced its "stand-out" attraction relative to other programs.
How to join Marriott Bonvoy
You can complete this form to open
a Marriott Bonvoy account.
Or….you can be introduced via the refer-a-friend scheme & both receive 2,000 bonus points on your first 5 stays made
within the first 365 days after you join. Email
me to request more details.
If you already have earned elite tier status with another program, you could request a Bonvoy status match. This is explained, together with a table showing what you can reasonably expect from a status-match from your current program, in the What is the Best Hotel Loyalty program study. To proceed to request the status-match, you can use the information (and hints) provided there.
If you are an owner of a business, you will gain even more benefits by utilising Marriott Bonvoy Events. There is no need to register separately for this program.