Want to take advantage of Marriott STARS benefits, including a space available room upgrade, complimentary breakfast, a hotel credit, and more? Contact Ford ([email protected]) for more details. He may even be able to help if you already have a stay booked. This is valid for paid stays at BVLGARI, EDITION, Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, and St. Regis.
Ritz-Carlton Reserve is perhaps the most luxurious brand participating in the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio. This is actually a fairly new addition, because Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties only started participating in the Bonvoy program in 2022. In this post I wanted to take a look at how exactly this works, including how you can earn and redeem points at these properties, and what kind of elite perks are offered.
In this post:
What is Ritz-Carlton Reserve?
For those not familiar, Ritz-Carlton Reserve is a collection of seven spectacular resorts. What’s the difference between Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties and standard Ritz-Carlton resorts?
Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties have anywhere from 50 to 115 rooms, so they’re truly intimate properties with personalized service. Meanwhile some of Ritz-Carlton’s resorts are basically luxury factories, many with 300+ rooms. So the properties are in completely different leagues, and will offer a vastly different experience than what you’d find at your average Ritz-Carlton.
Currently Ritz-Carlton Reserve has seven locations:
- Dorado Beach is a 115-room Ritz-Carlton Reserve property in Dorado, Puerto Rico
- Higashiyama is a 50-room room Ritz-Carlton Reserve property in Niseko, Japan
- Mandapa is a 60-room Ritz-Carlton Reserve property in Bali, Indonesia
- Nujuma is a 63-room Ritz-Carlton Reserve property in Red Sea, Saudi Arabia
- Phulay Bay is a 54-room Ritz-Carlton Reserve property in Krabi, Thailand
- Rissai Valley is an 87-room Ritz-Carlton Reserve property in Jiuzhaigou, China
- Zadun is a 115-room Ritz-Carlton Reserve property in Los Cabos, Mexico
I’ve reviewed Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve (in Puerto Rico) and Zadun, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve (in Los Cabos), so check out those reviews. Both hotels were amazing.
Marriott Bonvoy perks at Ritz-Carlton Reserve
The Ritz-Carlton Reserve brand participates in the Marriott Bonvoy program, though with a modified set of perks (then again, it’s not like Marriott Bonvoy has consistent perks across brands, so I suppose that’s not that different). This means that you can earn and redeem points, and take advantage of elite perks, at Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties.
Let’s go over the details of what you can expect when it comes to Marriott Bonvoy recognition at Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties (note that BVLGARI properties don’t participate in Marriott Bonvoy, despite being bookable through Marriott channels).
Earn points at Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties
Marriott Bonvoy members can earn points at Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties at the same rate they would at other Marriott properties:
- Earn 10x points per dollar spent at Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties
- Receive elite points bonuses of 10-75%, depending on your status — Silver members earn 10% bonus points, Gold members earn 25% bonus points, Platinum members earn 50% bonus points, and Titanium and Ambassador members earn 75% bonus points
- If you’re paying with a Marriott co-branded credit card, you’ll earn bonus points for Marriott spending; most co-branded cards offer 6x Bonvoy points per dollar spent
Members will also earn one elite night for every night stayed, and those nights will also count toward lifetime status. Furthermore, all spending will count toward the revenue requirement for earning Marriott’s top Ambassador status (which requires $23,000 in qualifying spending annually).
In some ways, I’d view the ability to earn Marriott Bonvoy points for Ritz-Carlton Reserve stays as being the equivalent of a discount. For example, a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium member paying with a co-branded credit card would earn a minimum of 23x Bonvoy points per dollar spent, which is an excellent return.
Redeem points at Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties
It’s also possible to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points for stays at Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties. Nowadays Marriott Bonvoy has dynamic award pricing, meaning that pricing can vary considerably over time (and even change for stays over the past dates).
Generally you can expect that properties will cost anywhere from 80,000 to 240,000 points per night, though sometimes it’ll fall outside of that range. For context, I value Bonvoy points at ~0.7 cents each.
Marriott Bonvoy’s fifth night free feature also applies at Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties. Cash + Points bookings are also possible, though I find that these typically aren’t a great value.
Elite benefits at Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties
Marriott Bonvoy members can take advantage of select elite benefits at Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties. Below is a chart showing what members can expect.
A few specific things to note:
- Not surprisingly, elite members don’t receive complimentary breakfast, just as is the case with Ritz-Carlton properties
- There’s not even any sort of a room upgrade perk for elite members, though anecdotally, some elite members do report receiving upgrades
- It’s unique that Ambassador members receive a $150 resort credit at Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties, as that’s the only brand where a perk like that applies
Book Ritz-Carlton Reserve with Marriott STARS
Assuming you’re not redeeming points, the best way to book a stay at a Ritz-Carlton Reserve property is through a travel advisor who is affiliated with the Marriott STARS program. When booking through a Marriott STARS travel advisor, you’ll receive the following additional perks:
- Complimentary full or continental breakfast daily for up to two people per room
- Hotel credit valued at 100USD once per stay
- Room upgrade, subject to availability at check-in
- Complimentary basic Wi-Fi daily
- In-person welcome
- Personalized welcome amenity and note
Note that in order to be eligible for Marriott STARS perks, you’ll generally have to book the flexible or standard rate, which should be among the lowest rates available. Often there are even promotional STARS rates, though that won’t always be the case. You can’t get Marriott STARS benefits when redeeming points.
You can still earn Marriott Bonvoy points and take advantage of any Bonvoy elite benefits when booking through the Marriott STARS program, so you’re getting the best of both worlds. Ford and his team are happy to help with Marriott STARS bookings for Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties, and can be reached at [email protected].
Bottom line
The Ritz-Carlton Reserve brand participates in the Marriott Bonvoy program, which is potentially pretty lucrative. This is without a doubt Marriott Bonvoy’s most luxurious brand, and these properties are incredible.
Earnings rates are the same as at most other full service Marriott brands, so that’s probably the most exciting part of the partnership. You can also redeem points, though with Marriott Bonvoy’s dynamic award pricing, that can be quite expensive. There are also elite perks, though they’re different than at other Marriott brands.
If you’re not redeeming points, the best play with Ritz-Carlton Reserve is to book through a Marriott STARS travel advisor, so you can take advantage of both those perks, as well as the elite perks.
What do you make of Ritz-Carlton Reserve belonging to Marriott Bonvoy?
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