Deals: Maximising Marriott Bonvoy's Recent Loyalty Update
Keywords: Hotel deals - Marriott Bonvoy - Loyalty deals
A summary of Marriott Bonvoy's loyalty updates and promotions and how to maximise them.
Introduction
Fulfilling requirements to maintain a prestigious status of a hotel loyalty programme in the midst of the pandemic where travelling is restricted is extremely challenging. As such, various hotel chains have introduced a number of promotions to simplify this challenge.
Marriott Bonvoy is a combined loyalty program comprising of 30 brands and over 7000 properties worldwide. It is often touted as "a brand for everyone" due to the diverse portfolios of the participating hotels ranging from the opulent Ritz-Carlton to the more affordable Aloft. In Singapore, there are ten different hotels that are currently participating in this program with two additional hotels coming up next month.
In January 2021, Marriott Bonvoy announced the revision of elite status qualifying requirements and upcoming promotions to encourage people to stay in their hotels. We feel that these revision and promotions are extremely generous and worth considering for those who are aiming for status requalification or even a status upgrade!
1. Complimentary Elite Night Credits
To kickstart the membership qualifying year, Marriott Bonvoy announced that they will be depositing 50% of the Elite Night Credits (ENCs) based on the member's 2020 earned Elite status. Below is a summary of how many nights you will receive depending on your earned membership tier in 2020:
Silver Elite: 5 ENCs
Gold Elite: 13 ENCs
Platinium Elite: 25 ENCs
Titanium Elite: 38 ENCs
Ambassador Elite: 50 ENCs
What this means is that you will be halfway through your requalification journey by simply doing nothing! No action will be required and members can expect the complimentary Elite Night Credits to be deposited into their account sometime in February 2021.
On top of this, for those who are aiming or dreaming to achieve Ambassador Elite status, they will be pleased to know that the US$20000 minimum spending has been reduced to US$14000.
The St. Regis Singapore, part of the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program.
2. Double Earnings for Elite Night Credits and Points
To further ease the earning process, Marriott Bonvoy will be awarding double earnings for Elite night credits and points for stays between February 16 2021 and April 27 2021. This promotion is applicable for stays of two consecutive nights or more. Traditionally, double earnings of Elite night credits or points are targeted offers, meaning not everyone will be entitled to it and so this news is very much welcomed by the Marriott Bonvoy community. Furthermore, as this promotion was announced well in advance, plans for longer stays can be made to maximise this deal.
Members will have to register for this promotion before commencing their stays. They will need to do so either via the Marriott Bonvoy app or website.
Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza hotel, part of the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program.
3. Discounted Rates for Points Redemption
For those who are looking to utilise their hard earned points on hotel stays, now is a good time to do so. For stays booked by February 21 2021, members can enjoy points savings of up to 40%. This promotion can be stacked with the "fifth night free award" where the fifth night of a stay will be free if five or more nights are booked in a single stay. Here is a list of hotels in Singapore and their nightly rates for you to consider.
The St. Regis Singapore (Category 6): 35,000 points
JW Marriott Hotel Singapore (Category 6): 35,000 points
W Singapore - Sentosa Cove (Category 6): 35,000 points
The Vagabond Club Singapore (Category 5): 35,000 points
Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel (Category 5): 27,000 points
The Warehouse Hotel Singapore (Category 5): 27,000 points
Sheraton Towers Singapore (Category 5): 27,000 points
Four Points by Sheraton Singapore (Category 5): 27,000 points
Courtyard Singapore Novena (Category 5): 27,000 points
The Westin Singapore (Category 5): 26,500 points
Promotions selection page of the booking process.
To book using points, members will need to select "Marriott Bonvoy Points" at the time of booking.
JW Marriott Singapore South Beach, part of the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program.
4. Extension of Points and Suite Night Awards Validity
Marriott Bonvoy will be extending the validity of both points and Suite Night Awards (SNAs) that is due to expire this year. For points, its expiration will be paused until August 1 2021 after which the normal 24 months countdown will start starting from the most recent stay. Likewise, SNAs due to expire on December 31 2020 was extended to December 31 2021 giving ample time for members to utilise their credits.
Sheraton Towers Singapore, part of the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program.
Concluding remarks: These recent updates to the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program provide an opportunity for members to chase that elusive Elite status that would under normal circumstances be unachievable. Given that Singapore is recovering well from the pandemic and that there are many excellent staycation deals, now will be the best time to capitalise. One strategy that may be worth considering is to redeem a 5 nights stay using points (paying only four) so that members can enjoy a discounted rate as well as 10 Elite Night Credits awarded for that stay.
