Uh Oh: Marriott Hotel Owners Demand More Money For Bonvoy Award Stays - Marriott

Uh Oh: Marriott Hotel Owners Demand More Money For Bonvoy Award Stays

Ben Schlappig — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 23:53:44 +0000

I have to say, I completely understand where the hotel owners are coming from, and it’s almost certainly bad news for members of Marriott Bonvoy’s loyalty program.

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Steve — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 22:36:55 +0000

I must say that domesticly you are mostly correct. I earned lifetime titanium status in marriot and lifetime hilton diamond status the old fashioned way spending 1000s of nights in both chains. In the old days status meant something. Frankly, overseas it still seems to be valuable. Unfortunately, they have cheapened the elite status by making it so easy to earn status with credit cards. The owners just can't afford to take care of all the elites now. However, I think many of the owners don't understand how much businesses they get from elites, but it's quickly getting to where elite status is not of much value. What's a $10 or $20 breakfast credit worth and points are worth maybe .005 cents. I find myself simply looking for the best deal regardless of the hotel franchise. There is no real value left, especially if you are a usa traveler.

Steve — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 22:30:20 +0000

I must say that domesticy you are mostly correct. I earned lifetime titanium status in marriot and lifetime hilton diamond status the old fashioned way spending 1000s of nights in both chains. In the old days status meant something. Frankly, overseas it still seems to be valuable. Unfortunately, they have cheapened the elite status by making it so easy to earn status with credit cards. The owners just can't afford to take care of all the elites now. However, I think many of the owners don't understand how much businesses they get from elites, but it's quickly getting to where elite status is not of much value. What's a $10 or $20 breakfast credit worth and points are worth maybe .005 cents. I find myself simply looking for the best deal regardless of the hotel franchise. There is no real value left, especially if you are a usa traveler.

iamhere — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 06:47:12 +0000

The owners have a choice. They could quit and become an independent hotel but they would have a much harder time to draw traffic. Some of the owners do not allow use of points douring the in season. "It goes without saying that the major hotel groups have really been cashing in on their loyalty programs as of late. That’s also why we’ve seen so many hotels do such a poor job with honoring elite perks, due to the amount of inflation of elite ranks." --> This is incorrect. The reason that the individual hotels are not providing as much elite benefits is because the big brands are not enforcing it and because there are too many elite members.

Stephen — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 18:54:46 +0000

So am I understanding that I used to burn say 25000 for a night and the hotel got $40 and now I burn 50000 for the night and the hotel still gets $40. Yeah, I'm with the hotels on this one then.

Stephen — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 18:51:58 +0000

Not sure that is a problem for a hotel though. They didn't have to buy points for the $$ stay, service that stay etc and now they get money for the point redemption.

J Landon — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 16:39:44 +0000

As a former, still have points to spend,Bonvoy member, I gave up on Marriott last year. Since the locations are franchised, and usually managed by a third party, the redemption was usually for an inferior room, and good luck getting an upgrade upon check in, even if the building is only half booked. The venue may have a Marriott sign out front, but the staff in the building have no ties to that name.Post pandemic, the hospitality industry realized they could charge more for less amenities and still turn rooms over.

tassojunior — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 12:07:33 +0000

This is really more true of IHG, Wyndham, Choice etc who have become points-selling businesses with low award rates. Marriott is expensive for awards in points.

ZTravel — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 11:54:36 +0000

I hope this leads to breaking down these large chains - as a Bonvoy ambassador for the past few years and a lifetime platinum (I think), I don’t count on receiving any of the benefits as the experience isn’t consistent and it really takes away any joy and leads to frustration. Smaller groups, smaller chains, full ownership and consistency is the way to go!

Throwawayname — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 09:36:39 +0000

What's the point of trying to reinvent the wheel? The likes of Capella, Kempinski, and even Anantara already do exactly that sort of thing reasonably well within the GHA ecosystem. They've got some pretty small chains participating in the Alliance so I'm sure that they would be interested in talking about that sort of thing.