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 American Express Platinum Card® which offers this status automatically, then Platinum (50 nights a year).
I’ve been a Titanium (75 nights a year) for a few years now, by concentrating my stays in Marriott Bonvoy hotels.
It will be difficult to reach the supreme status of Ambassador (which requires 100 nights per year and US$ 20,000 spent in the group’s hotels during the year)! Only business travellers can really aim for this status.
In any case, I’m very happy with my Titanium status today, 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 with the family!
They are available at Marriott, JW Marriott, Delta Hotels, Autograph Collection, Renaissance, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, Sheraton, Le Méridien, Westin, Four Points, Aloft, Protea Hotel and Tribute Portfolio hotels.
At check-in, you have to decide between 500 or 1,000 points or free breakfast. In my opinion, breakfast offers a better value.
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 enjoy 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.
Where we can also save money on more meals!
Travelling as a family, it’s rare for us to be out of the hotel after 7pm: so it’s a good idea for us to pass through the lounge before returning to the 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:
Usually the obvious choice is Five free upgrades in a row. This way, you are guaranteed – subject to availability – an upgrade to a suite for 5 nights in the year. However, you’ll see that there are ways to stretch the limits as to how far you can go… and that it’s entirely possible to get even more upgrades during 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:
Last year, I chose 10 upgrades (choice of 5 + 5 upgrades) to use during the year.
But by December, I still had upgrades available. I then exchanged them during our stay in Cape Town.
Nevertheless, I almost always got an upgrade simply by negotiating via the Marriott Bonvoy app chat.
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, I had a better Internet connection than in Montreal (400 Mbps in both directions).
Traditional internet was good too (100 Mbps), but that gives you an idea of the difference.
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 allowed me to earn 5 points per dollar, or 1,169 points.
And on the Marriott Bonvoy side, being a Titanium member, I got:
So a total of 2,634 points on the Marriott Bonvoy side.
Added together with the 1,169 points earned on my Marriott Bonvoy® Enterprise American Express®* Card, that’s 3,803 Marriott Bonvoy points worth an estimated $34.23, a return of nearly 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 a full-fledged packed lunch 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. It’s really well-thought, in that it puts you directly in touch with the hotel through a chat feature.
So, 48 hours before your arrival, you can start talking to the hotel.
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 examples of before and after:
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 the communication with the hotel by saying that you are looking forward to discovering this new hotel for you. Say for example that you usually go down to the JW Marriott in the city, but this time you decided to try 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 just saw that you have several suites available for booking: would it be possible, for a Platinum / Titanium member, to offer the upgrade in one of them? I’m really looking forward to having the best possible experience in this new hotel for me.
Generally, you will get 3 types of answers:
Usually, in this second round of bargaining, it works. The hotel has closed the room allocation and will prefer to get your “classic” room back, 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:
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 travel to Marriott hotels!
However, there are several methods of obtaining status with Marriott Bonvoy.
Silver status can be achieved very easily simply by holding the Marriott Bonvoy®* American Express®* Card or the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card.
These are cards I keep in my wallet, year after year, as they also offer a free night certificate worth 35,000 points on renewal.
The easiest way to achieve Gold status with Marriott Bonvoy is to subscribe 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 sign up for the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card or the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card, which offer 15 elite nights per year, and then stay 10 nights at Marriott Bonvoy hotels within a year.
If you’ve already started getting American credit cards, there’s an interesting option. With both a U.S. PERSONAL credit card and a U.S. BUSINESS credit card from Marriott Bonvoy, you can earn 30 Elite nights (15 Elite nights per card).
Unfortunately, this doesn’t work in Canada.
Typically, a Marriott Bonvoy member already has the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card or the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card, which ensures they start the year with 15 elite nights and Silver status.
That leaves 35 nights to go before Platinum status is achieved. If you are travelling, this is an opportunity to choose to stay in Marriott hotels rather than other hotels.
For several years now, Marriott Bonvoy has been offering a promotion at the beginning of the year that doubles the number of elite nights for every night stayed. This is particularly effective in boosting its 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 pleasure… and renewal of status!
To help you with this, see our card geographically listing Marriott Bonvoy hotels by category.
Or take part in the Marriott Bonvoy 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 is certainly 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.
Savings are here:
