Marriott Bonvoy is one of the best hotel loyalty programs in our opinion. Marriott Bonvoy points are very valuable and used properly can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. On my recent trip to Europe, I used these starpoints for a 5 night stay at the 5 star hotel: The Westin Dragonara Resort, Malta.
Points and miles do a lot of the work. But to add a certain touch of exclusivity, the status achieved in a loyalty program is important! This ensures that you will have one of the best rooms available and some small advantages as you will discover below.
Thus, I am a Marriott Bonvoy Gold member. I obtained this status, not by my stays in Marriott hotels, but simply by a credit card that offered me this status: the American Express Platinum Card. I have explained the multiple advantages of this card on this page.
Here are the many benefits of Marriott Bonvoy Gold status:
The hotel is located in San Julian, very close to Valletta.
Secure parking is free and very close to the entrance which is very convenient! We were greeted by Daniela – Guest Relations Manager – who made sure that everything went smoothly throughout our stay.
Upon seeing the Marriott Bonvoy Gold Status, she informs me that we have been upgraded to a room on one of the “executive” floors (7th and 8th floors)… which will give us access to the executive lounge on the top floor which I will describe later.
The room 703 that was assigned to us is located at the end of the corridor… which will give us a very nice view of the sea and the hotel pool.
The bathroom is very good.
We were very happy with Alexandra during our 5 night stay at the Westin Dragonara Resort Malta:
However, I had informed the hotel at the time of booking that I had a child in the room several months before. I had reminded them 1 week before our arrival of the need to have a cot ready in our room.
At check-in, I reminded myself of this necessity: the reception confirmed that the bed would be brought to me as soon as I entered the room. 30 minutes later and despite 2 calls to room service, still no bed.
It took almost an hour to get the bed… followed by sheets / comforter provided by another service. A bad point that I pointed out to the management.
As this was a relaxing stay during which we mixed visits to the island with rest by the sea and the pool, we enjoyed the outdoor areas at all times of the day.
Here are some views from the “beach”.
The hotel has 3 swimming pools: 2 outdoor (including one for children), and one indoor. There was always room for deckchairs. As for the outdoor terraces, they are very nice, especially for having a drink while watching the sun go down.
And something very interesting that I haven’t often noticed: the possibility to order from your deckchair… via whatsapp. Since Wi-Fi-free for Marriott Bonvoy members-is available throughout the hotel and outdoor areas, it’s very convenient.
In fact, you can chat on whatsapp at any time with a person at the reception. I think it’s an interesting concept!
Thanks to the upgrade obtained at check-in, we had access to the executive lounge on the top floor. This one proposes – free of charge – lunches (from 7am to 10am), snacks throughout the day, and mignardises with alcohol at will in the evening from 6 to 8pm.
I might as well tell you that we took advantage of it and it saved us a lot of money!
Here are some pictures of the living room which offers a beautiful sea view:
And dishes available in the evening from 6 to 8 pm:
It was tolerated (as in most hotels with a lounge) to bring food back to the room (anyway, the lounge being forbidden to small children between 6 and 8 pm, we were obliged to do so to enjoy this!)
As for the lunches, it was very pleasant to have them on the terrace with a sea view.
For 40,000 starpoints for 5 nights, we had a near perfect stay at The Westin Dragonara Resort, Malta, saving over $2000.
The hotel offers high level services in a magnificent setting. The only downside was that the room service was slow to respond to our expectations (especially regarding the baby bed).
In any case, I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone who would go to Malta, especially with starpoints!
Savings are here:
