Marriott Reduces Award Redemption Rates, Makes It Easier To Earn Status

The hotel industry is struggling at the moment, and we’ve seen major hotel groups extend elite status for members, offer creative promotions, and generally try to engage with member. Well, Marriott Bonvoy has just announced some potentially valuable initiatives for members.

Temporary Marriott Bonvoy perks

With today’s news, Marriott Bonvoy members can expect award redemption rates to be lower over the coming weeks. Furthermore, Marriott is giving more elite nights to all members with status, making it easier to qualify for a higher elite tier, and also making it easier to earn Choice Benefits.

Let’s take a look at the details:

Marriott Bonvoy reducing free night redemption rates

In the fall of 2019, Marriott Bonvoy introduced peak and off-peak redemption rates, creating more variability to award pricing. Here’s a look at Marriott’s current award chart:

While this new limited time promo, Marriott will exclusively have off-peak pricing for all 5,500+ properties:

  • This is valid for bookings between June 15 and June 30, 2020
  • This is valid for stays through July 31, 2020
  • All properties globally will have off-peak pricing

Since peak and off-peak pricing is supposed to be demand driven you’d assume most properties would already be off-peak. However, that’s not necessarily the case, especially in areas that people might be taking road trips to.

This is a nice guarantee for anyone willing to travel soon.

Points redemptions this summer will have off-peak pricing

Marriott Bonvoy 50% bonus elite nights for members

In light of the disruptions to status this year, Marriott is giving all members elite night credits equal to 50% of the elite tier earned in 2019. This isn’t based on how many nights you actually stayed last year, but rather this offers a fixed number of elite nights based on your status. This means:

  • Silver Elite members will get five additional elite nights
  • Gold Elite members will get 13 additional elite nights
  • Platinum Elite members will get 25 additional elite nights
  • Titanium Elite members will get 38 additional elite nights
  • Ambassador Elite members will get 50 additional elite nights

Two more things:

Now, the catch is that Marriott has already extended elite status for members through February 2022, so what exactly is the point of this?

  • This can help you if you want to earn a higher elite tier; for example, if you’re an existing Platinum member with the right Marriott credit cards you’d already be at 55 elite nights for the year, just 20 elite nights Titanium
  • This can help you earn Marriott’s Choice Benefits, which are offered at 50 and 75 elite nights

Elite members will have elite nights credited to their accounts

Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite members can share Platinum status

Marriott Bonvoy’s top tier Ambassador Elite members are getting an additional perk on top of everything else. Ambassador Elite members who earned statues in 2019 and reach 100 elite night this year will be able to share Platinum Elite with a friend, family member, or loved one.

Qualifying members will receive an email with details starting in late July through the end of the year.

Ambassador Elite members can gift Platinum Elite to others

Other previously announced initiatives

In addition to the above (including status extensions), Marriott has already implemented the following initiatives:

  • Marriott Bonvoy® points won’t expire until February 2021 at the earliest
  • Suite Night Award expiration will be extended by one year, so you can use them through December 31, 2021
  • Free Night Award expiration has been extended to January 31, 2021

Bottom line

These are some great promos to see from Marriott Bonvoy. Award redemptions for stays throughout June and July will all price at the off-peak level, while it will be easier for Bonvoy members to qualify for a higher elite tier and/or earn Choice Benefits, thanks to Marriott giving everyone elite nights equal to 50% of their status.

Will you benefit from these new Marriott Bonvoy initiatives?

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Chuck Diamond

You're giving me a new hat, and it's full of bees. Thanks?

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FNT Delta Diamond Guest

@JL: Exactly. I stayed at a hotel as an ambassador in a state that was 100% fully open. No restrictions. Breakfast was a bacon and egg Jimmy Dean sandwich. No alternatives. Not even yogurt. I got a better breakfast at McDonald’s.

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JL Guest

Going to hit 100 solid nights in a week time, but only half way to meet the spending part, another pointless promo for me. Marriott does not seems to care about those who has supporting them during this critical time.

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iamhere Gold

I always find it interesting that so many people are against Marriott's program. Other programs' platinum status is basically equal to their gold status. And they have many more hotels in their group than other brands often making them a convenient choice.

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eponymous coward Guest

I just checked rates over a weekend in July in Phoenix, which is pretty much low season, because it’s not just summer and 115, it’s occasionally monsoons - room rates for cash in the Valley of the Sun In midsummer are traditionally very low, so you have to figure this would be a great place for Marriott to dump some of those 5500 or so hotels for off peak prices, amirite? Someplace with fairly low demand at a time of depressed demand. Seems logical to me. LOLOLOLOLOL Consistent .2-.3 (no, I did not misplace a decimal point, that’s point two to point three) Marriott cents per point. Sweet, Courtyards for $83 cash before taxes or 40,000 points. Where do I sign up? I kid you not, Hilton was offering about double the value in points that Marriott was. Let’s see, an HGI for 24,000 points or that Courtyard for 40,000? And no, the high end Marriott properties sucked for point value too. I casually looked at Vegas and it was garbage too (which makes sense because there might be some vacation demand), but damned if I can figure out what Marriott is up to, other than something that seems a lot less impressive than it should be.

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