Obviously a lot of Marriott hotels have huge conference facilities, so Marriott makes it pretty easy to book events of all sizes. This can range from renting out an entire hotel, to just renting a small conference room at a hotel for a morning.
Marriott Meetings 10 Elite Night Trick
Not surprisingly, Marriott lets you earn points and elite nights for hosting meetings (since this can be big business for them), but it’s not at the usual rates. Through the Marriott Bonvoy Events program you can currently earn:
- 10 elite nights for your first meeting every calendar year
- One elite night for every 20 eligible room nights you book, up to to 20 elite nights per event (which would equate to 400 rooms)
- Two points per dollar spent on qualifying event charges, up to 60,000 points per event (plus elite bonuses)
So the first part of that has presented a pretty incredible opportunity to earn elite nights. Hosting a single meeting every year would earn 10 elite nights, and in many cases those meetings could be cheap. For example, I looked up Tempe (I’m thinking of launching a new airline based there), and online you can book a meeting for just $200.
However, I’ve heard of people booking meetings for significantly less than that, in many cases under $130. That’s a heck of a deal when you consider what you’re paying per elite night.
Personally I’ve never booked one of these meetings because I’ve never had a need (I always qualified for the status I needed), though it is always something I thought of in the back of my mind.
Marriott Cutting 10 Elite Nights For Meetings
I guess this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, but LoyaltyLobby reports that beginning January 1, 2020, Marriott will no longer offer 10 elite nights for the first event held each calendar year.
Members will continue to earn one elite night for every 20 room nights booked, up to 20 elite nights per contract. Obviously that isn’t nearly as lucrative.
Bottom Line
You still have until the end of 2019 to plan a meeting at a Marriott property to earn 10 elite nights, which might be the most efficient “mattress run” you’ll find. Starting in 2020, unfortunately, this trick will be dead, and it will only make sense to book a meeting with Marriott if you… actually plan to have a meeting. *Gasp*
It was nice while it lasted, though I figured sooner or later it was going to disappear.
Are you sad to see the Marriott Bonvoy meetings opportunity disappear?
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