marriott bonvoy

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Marriott Hotels Change Award Category March 3, Here’s What’s Going Up And Down

by Gary Leff on February 4, 2021

Feb 04 2021

Any time Marriott doesn’t devalue its program that’s a good thing. Annual category creep has worked against you for many years, not just under Bonvoy but years earlier too. However as a result of the pandemic and how long it’s lasted we should see a majority of hotels dropping in category.

Marriott has around 7500 hotels in its portfolio. Only about 100 hotels are dropping in category – after the biggest drop in average daily room rate we’ve seen in history. Rooms cost less and Marriott’s revenue-based program should charge you fewer points. They shouldn’t just be offering ‘low season’ rates as a promotion, they should be offering those year round. And the base category of most hotels should be lower than when the hotel business was at its peak in 2019.

Marriott Tells 100 Night Elites: Stop Emailing Your Ambassador, You Won’t Get A Reply

by Gary Leff on January 15, 2021

Jan 15 2021

When Marriott acquired Starwood they also acquired the Ambassador program which offered a single point of contact for the chain’s top customers, to make reservations, interface with hotels on requests, and act as a concierge more broadly.

First Marriott had mass layoffs of concierges. Now they’ve decided emails to individual concierges can no longer be answered – everything goes into a single customer service pool.

Marriott Brings Back “Elite Guarantees”

by Gary Leff on January 11, 2021

Jan 11 2021

Marriott has continued to promote its elite benefit guarantees despite suspending them during the pandemic. Fortunately the cash guarantee compensation is back for when hotels fail to deliver specific promised benefits.

4.3 Million Marriott Points Per Night At The Ritz-Carlton Maldives (Not A Mistake)

by Gary Leff on January 3, 2021

Jan 03 2021

The Ritz-Carlton Maldives presidential suite runs 4.3 million Marriott points per night, though standard villas are better value. Some hotels offer premium room redemptions for more points, but those are generally going to give you about half a cent per point.

American Express Surveys Possible $750 Marriott Credit Card

by Gary Leff on December 17, 2020

Dec 17 2020

Today the $450 annual fee Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant offers 2 points per dollar (plus 3x at restaurants and airlines and 6 points at Marriotts); Platinum status after $75,000 spent each year; a $300 Marriott credit; Priority Pass Select; and an annual free night up to 50,000 points. They’re evaluating annual fees for this card up to $650 or even $750, but here’s what they’d offer.

They’re surveying a new, lower fee product too.

Marriott Devalues Points For Home & Villa Stays, Reflecting Broader Bonvoy Points Value Reductions

by Gary Leff on December 12, 2020

Dec 12 2020

Marriott has devalued Bonvoy points for booking Homes and Villas redemptions. Marriott has a curated competitor to Airbnb, Bonvoy is one of the key selling points against this behemoth competitor with a huge head start in the space. But Marriott has chosen to erode its advantage.

Put another way, given broader devaluations in the program over the past couple of years, Marriott is just playing catchup adjusting down the value of points for homesharing stays.

Marriott Drops Award Prices To Off Peak At 90% Of Hotels For Stays Through February 28

by Gary Leff on November 30, 2020

Nov 30 2020

Marriott is offering about 90% of their 7500 hotels at off peak redemption prices for bookings made by December 14 and stays through February 28, 2021.

A Marriott spokesperson says “Of the 90% of properties offering solely off-peak rates, about two—thirds of those properties had previously been offering a mix of rates during the promotional stay period.” And that just shows that Bonvoy has been gouging members for redemptions at a majority of its hotels.

Marriott Extends Expiration Of Free Night Awards, Further Pauses Points Expiration

by Gary Leff on October 26, 2020

Oct 26 2020

Marriott announced that Free Night Awards that were originally supposed to expire in 2020 or that will expire before July 31, 2021, will have their expiration date extended to August 1, 2021. In addition Marriott had previously said they wouldn’t expire any points due to account inactivity until February 1, 2021. That’s been extended to August 1, 2021 as well.

Marriott’s Week Of Deals Includes 90% Of Hotels At Off Peak Award Rates

by Gary Leff on October 8, 2020

Oct 08 2020

Marriott has a series of promotions running for a week that starts today under the banner of “Week of Wonders”. There’s a sale on paid rates, a bonus offer for making a home booking, and the biggest in my view is all hotels at off peak rates and over 7000 Marriot properties are participating in this.

Booking category 7 hotels for 50,000 points per night, and category 8 hotels for 70,000 points, especially where fall is normally peak season is an amazing deal.

The J.W. Marriott Phuket Wants Out Of Bonvoy, And They’re Suing

by Gary Leff on July 21, 2020

Jul 21 2020

The J.W. Marriott Phuket, whose ownership group also has the St. Regis Bangkok, believes that Marriott is mismanaging their resort property. The hotel failed to reach budgeted goals between 2013 and 2018 and there hasn’t been a budget agreed to since. Even before the pandemic they were doing less revenue today than they were in 2013.

They want out of the Bonvoy program, and Marriott won’t let them leave.