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I’ve been an elite member of the Marriott hotel program for almost 15 years now.
There are 6 status levels in the Marriott Bonvoy program. Between January 1 and December 31 of each year, you must stay at Marriott Bonvoy hotels to earn elite nights. Each night spent in a hotel is equivalent to one elite night. This will determine your status according to the following scale:
At first, I was a Gold member (25 nights a year) thanks to my American Express Platinum Card® which offers this status automatically, then Platinum (50 nights a year).
I’ve now been a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite member (75 nights per year) for several years by focusing my stays at Marriott Bonvoy hotels.
It will be difficult to achieve the supreme status of Ambassador (which requires 100 nights per year and USD 23,000 spent in the Group’s hotels during the year)! Only business travellers can really aim for this status.
That being said, I’m very satisfied with my current Titanium status, and I’ll tell you why it helps us save money when we travel.
Available from Platinum status upwards, free breakfasts are surely the best benefit, especially when travelling as a family! At check-in, you can choose between receiving 500 or 1,000 bonus points or getting complimentary breakfast. In my opinion, breakfast offers a better value.
This complimentary daily meal for the member and one guest is available at Marriott, JW Marriott, Delta Hotels, Autograph Collection, Renaissance, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, Sheraton, Le Méridien, Westin, Four Points, Aloft, Protea Hotels, and Tribute Portfolio properties.
Every day, I estimate I save between CAD 20 and CAD 40 per person on food. For a family of 4, this can represent more than CAD 150 per day of travel!
On past trips, in certain hotels such as The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort hotel in Puerto Rico, it added up to around CAD 50 per person.
These are often large buffets that allow us to “hold on” until the end of the day! So, in addition to breakfast, we often save on a restaurant meal at lunchtime.
Some Marriott Bonvoy hotels offer lounges, called Lounge or M Club. These lounges are often where you’ll have breakfast (if the hotel doesn’t have a restaurant).
This is also where you’ll find drinks and snacks throughout the day, as well as evening buffets.
This is another great way to save on meals during your stay!
Travelling as a family, we’re rarely out of the hotel after 7 p.m., so it’s convenient for us to stop by the lounge before heading back to our room.
Platinum or Titanium status gives you access to a range of annual benefits.
As soon as you reach Platinum status, Marriott Bonvoy offers you a gift to choose from:
Generally speaking, the obvious choice is the five free suite upgrades. This way, you are guaranteed – subject to availability – an upgrade to a suite for 5 nights in the year. However, as you’ll see later, there are some limitations to this… but it’s definitely possible to receive even more upgrades throughout the year!
If you have obtained Marriott Bonvoy’s Titanium Elite status (75 elite nights), Marriott Bonvoy asks you to make a choice of additional benefits:
Once, I had chosen 10 upgrades (choice of 5 + 5 upgrades) to use during the year.
But by December, I still had upgrades available. Then I exchanged them during our stay in Cape Town.
However, I’ve almost always received an upgrade just by negotiating through the chat feature on the Marriott Bonvoy app.
That’s why, the following year, I chose the free night, which is much more valuable to me.
Having a status also means benefiting from free internet in all hotels. This is usually something that is accessible to most members of the Marriott Bonvoy program.
However, here we’re talking about high-speed Internet, which is much more convenient for us.
For example, at the Courtyard Siem Reap Resort, I had a better internet connection than in Montreal (400 Mbps in both directions).
The standard internet was also good (100 Mbps), but this gives you an idea of the difference.
As a Titanium or Ambassador Elite member, you can enjoy status matching with Aeroplan and automatically receive Aeroplan 25K status. This benefit is available simply by linking your Marriott Bonvoy and Aeroplan accounts here.
You’ll enjoy:
This status match will be valid for at least 12 months, covering the current year and the entire following year. After this period, you’ll need to qualify for Aeroplan 25K status on your own, according to Aeroplan’s requirements. So, make sure to plan carefully when you request this status match.
As a Titanium member, it is possible to apply to United for a status match in order to become a Silver member of the MileagePlus program. It’s not extraordinary, but still good to have:
To do this, go to this page and click on “Join RewardsPlus”.
After registering with your Marriott Bonvoy account and your United MileagePlus account, you will be able to link your two accounts.
It will tell you it may take 7 to 10 days to be activated. In reality, you’ll get your status in less than 48 hours!
As a Titanium member, I earn 75% more Marriott Bonvoy points. This means that for every US dollar I spend at a Marriott Bonvoy hotel, I earn:
This represents a total of 22.5 Marriott Bonvoy points per US dollar spent.
Knowing that I value the Marriott Bonvoy point at 0.9 cent CAD or about 0.7 cent US, this represents a return of about 15% on my Marriott Bonvoy expenses (0.7 X 22.5)!
Here is an example with a paid stay at the Toronto Marriott City Centre Hotel.
It cost CAD 233.86 (taxes included). I paid with my Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card which earned me 5 points per dollar, for a total of 1,169 points.
As for Marriott, being a Titanium member, I got:
So a total of 2,634 points earned with Marriott Bonvoy.
Added together with the 1,169 points earned on my Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Cardthat’s 3,803 Marriott Bonvoy points worth $34.23, a return of almost 15%.
And remember: charge all your Marriott Bonvoy hotel expenses (such as restaurant or parking) to your room bill to benefit from the points offered by your status.
We often find a welcome gift in our room, with a signed note from the hotel. Whether it’s chocolates, fruit, a locally-made snack or or even a full meal basket with wine.
Those extras are always appreciated!
And then, there’s all the intangibles. These services are provided by concierges who have recognized your status and who will do everything to please or surprise you.
The little touches for children of elite members (free ice cream every day or teddy bears on arrival) or a little welcome sign.
Being a Platinum or Titanium member gives you some leverage when you try to negotiate with a hotel. Negotiate? Let me explain.
For frequent travellers, the Marriott Bonvoy mobile app is a gem. This feature is really well designed, as it connects you directly with the hotel through a chat.
So, 48 hours before your arrival, you can start talking to the hotel.
But beware! Since mid-July 2025, upgrades have been given automatically by a new technology and process, based on certain factors. We’ll know more when we have more data and feedback. So the following steps may no longer be totally relevant.
Chatting with the hotel reception is fast and effective. Here’s how I do it, and I usually have a high success rate.
Before negotiation
Negotiation
After negotiation
And other before-and-after examples:
Or these two examples in 2 luxury hotels in Kuala Lumpur:
48 hours before your arrival, check the availability of rooms in the hotel by searching for available rooms for your dates.
Start your conversation with the hotel by letting them know you’re excited to experience this new property. Say, for example, that you’re used to staying at the city’s JW Marriott, but this time you’ve decided to try out the Renaissance.
24 hours before arrival, come back. I generally advise you to do this in the evening (hotel time): in the morning, the employees are particularly busy with check-ins and check-outs.
In the evening, they have more free time. You’re less likely to run into someone who’s reluctant or overwhelmed.
Go right ahead:
I noticed that you have several suites available for booking. Would it be possible to offer an upgrade to one of them for a Platinum / Titanium member? I’m really looking forward to having the best possible experience at this new hotel.
Generally, you will get 3 types of answers:
Usually, in this second round of bargaining, it works. The hotel has finalized its room allocation and would prefer to take back your “classic” room, which is easier to sell at the last minute than a higher-priced suite.
If there’s no positive response, you can try again 12 hours later: you’ll be dealing with a different employee.
If you still get a negative response, don’t be discouraged and try again when you check in at the hotel.
We always book the cheapest room and regularly obtain a superior room or suite.
But of course, all this will depend on:
In short, being an Elite member of a loyalty program like Marriott Bonvoy is something we chase every year. Often around November and December, many members are looking for ways to achieve or renew Platinum status.
The Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card represents a good “boost” with its 15 elite nights. But there are still 35 nights to accumulate in the year, which is practically unattainable for the “average traveller” and because you don’t ONLY stay in Marriott hotels!
However, there are several ways to obtain Marriott Bonvoy status.
Silver status can be obtained very easily simply by holding the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card or Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card.
These are cards I keep in my wallet, year after year, because they also offer an Annual Free Night Award worth 35,000 points when the membership is renewed.
The easiest way to obtain Marriott Bonvoy Gold status automatically: by subscribing to American Express Platinum Card®. Once activated, simply ask American Express to register your Gold status with Marriott Bonvoy.
This is one of the many advantages offered to American Express Platinum Card® holders.
The other method is to subscribe to the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card or the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card which offers 15 elite nights per year, and then stay 10 nights at Marriott Bonvoy hotels during the year.
If you’ve already started getting U.S. credit cards, there’s an interesting option. With both a U.S. PERSONAL credit card and a U.S. CORPORATE credit card from Marriott Bonvoy, you can get up to 40 Elite nights (15 Elite nights with the U.S. version of Marriott Bonvoy Corporate and 25 Elite nights with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express card).
Unfortunately, this doesn’t work in Canada.
Generally, a Marriott Bonvoy member already has the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card or Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card, which ensures that they start the year with 15 elite night credits and Silver status.
That leaves 35 nights to go before Platinum status is achieved. If you’re traveling, this is your chance to choose Marriott hotels over other hotels.
For a number of years now, Marriott Bonvoy has been offering a promotion from February to April that doubles the number of elite nights for each overnight stay. This is particularly effective in boosting your status.
Target entry-level hotels for your stays to renew your status at a lower price. Some even go so far as to plan holidays in Egypt, South Africa or in different regions of Asia to combine leisure… and renewing their elite status!
To help you with this, see our card geographically listing Marriott Bonvoy hotels by category.
Or take part in the Marriott Bonvoy Status Challenge.
You can ask Marriott Bonvoy to enter you in a qualifying challenge for Platinum status. You will need to call Marriott Bonvoy customer service at 1-801-468-4000.
Once you’ve registered, you’ll need to complete this Marriott Bonvoy challenge by staying at Marriott Bonvoy hotels for 16 nights within a 90-day period. Please note: only paid nights count (and not those obtained with points).
Tip: apply for the challenge at the beginning of the month. The 90-day countdown usually starts at the beginning of the month following your request. This gives you precious extra days or even weeks to get your status!
Obtaining Marriott Bonvoy status is an undeniable advantage when you plan to travel to Marriott Bonvoy hotels during the validity period.
For us, as part of our 5-month round-the-world family trip, having Titanium status was definitely our most valuable asset for saving money and travelling in greater comfort.
Yes, it’s totally free! Here’s the page to sign up for the Marriott Bonvoy program.
There are about thirty of them! Check out our complete guide to these 30 Marriott brands, including the features of each:
The founders were John Willard Marriott and his wife Alice Marriott, who opened their first hotel in January 1957 in Arlington, Virginia.
Today, the president of Marriott International is Anthony Capuano.
Marriott Bonvoy offers five levels of Elite status to reward member loyalty. The longer you stay at different Marriott hotels and brands, the higher your status and the more exclusive benefits you enjoy, such as free upgrades, late checkouts and lounge access.
The program starts with Silver Elite (10 nights stay in a year), Gold Elite (25 nights stay in a year), Platinum Elite (50 nights stay in a year), Titanium Elite (75 nights stay in a year) and finally Ambassador Elite (100 nights stay + 23,000 USD eligible expenses).
Savings are here (if you don’t see the sign-up form, please click here):
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