Marriott Bonvoy has announced two initiatives aimed at getting members travelling again.
For a limited time, more than 5,500 properties worldwide will exclusively offer off-peak redemption rates. Elite members will also receive free elite nights equivalent to 50% of their current tier.
Marriott Bonvoyโs off-peak promotion
Marriott Bonvoy introduced peak and off-peak redemption rates in 2019, which meant that hotels could charge three different prices depending on when you were staying.
| Category | Off-Peak | Standard | Peak |
| 1 | 5,000 | 7,500 | 10,000 |
| 2 | 10,000 | 12,500 | 15,000 |
| 3 | 15,000 | 17,500 | 20,000 |
| 4 | 20,000 | 25,000 | 30,000 |
| 5 | 30,000 | 35,000 | 40,000 |
| 6 | 40,000 | 50,000 | 60,000 |
| 7 | 50,000 | 60,000 | 70,000 |
| 8 | 70,000 | 85,000 | 100,000 |
| โ ๏ธ Unlike other programs, Marriottโs peak and off-peak dates are not fixed. Thatโs to say, a given date could be peak at the time you booked it, but change to off-peak by the time you stayed. You wonโt get an automatic refund of the difference if your dates reduce in price, so youโll have to monitor and rebook as necessary. On the plus side, you wonโt be charged more if your off-peak date later becomes peak. |
For bookings made between 15-30 June 2020 and stayed by 31 July 2020, Marriott will exclusively charge off-peak prices at more than 5,500 properties. Note that this is not all properties, as some blogs are reporting. Iโm still seeing standard/peak rates at selected hotels for this period.
Itโs a great promotion, but the bigger issue for us in Singapore is where we can realistically go by 31 July 2020. Weโve just started Phase 2 of the post Circuit Breaker measures, but I think weโre still a long way from Phase 3, much less leisure travel.
If nothing else, this could mean some cheaper staycation options. Hereโs the list of Marriott properties in Singapore, their cost in points and cash rates for a random weekend in July.
| Property | Points Cost | Lowest Cash Rate |
| Vagabond Club | 27,500 (PointsBreak offer) |
S$262++ |
| Four Points by Sheraton Riverview | 30,000 (Off-peak) |
S$144++ |
| Courtyard Singapore Novena | 30,000 (Off-peak) |
S$207++ |
| The Warehouse Hotel | 30,000 (Off-peak) |
S$256++ |
| Le Meridien Sentosa | 30,000 (Off-peak) |
S$288++ |
| The Westin Singapore | 30,000 (Off-peak) |
S$332++ |
| Sheraton Towers Singapore | 35,000 (Standard) |
S$162++ |
| Singapore Marriott Tangs Plaza | 35,000 (Standard) |
S$264++ |
| W Sentosa Cove | 40,000 (Off-peak) |
S$361++ |
| JW Marriott Hotel South Beach | 40,000 (Off-peak) |
S$390++ |
| St Regis Singapore | 50,000 (Standard) |
S$390++ |
| Iโm comparing points cost (refundable) to the lowest cash rate (may include non-refundable rates) because Marriottโs global Covid-19 policy allows all reservations to be cancelled with no charge up to 24 hours before arrival, with no penalty. | ||
But given the cash rates, is it worth using points?
Marriott Bonvoy is currently selling points at its lowest cost ever- 0.78 US cents (1.08 SG cents) each. If you take that as your valuation, then the only property worth redeeming would maybe be The Westin Singapore (S$390 cash rate, vs S$324 with points).
Thatโs not even taking into account the deluge of cheap deals weโre likely to see once staycations are permitted again. Given this, Iโm personally not in the market to redeem points locally.
Marriott Bonvoy giving free elite nights
Marriott Bonvoy has already extended elite status for all members until February 2022, so requalification for status in 2020 is no longer an issue.
However, if you wish to upgrade to a higher tier or earn Marriott Choice Benefits, Marriott is automatically awarding a bonus credit equal to 50% of the elite nights required for your 2019 tier. In other words:
- Silver members get five bonus elite nights
- Gold members get 13 bonus elite nights
- Platinum members get 25 bonus elite nights
- Titanium members get 38 bonus elite nights
- Ambassador members get 50 bonus elite nights
These elite nights will be deposited into your account by the end of July. View from the Wing has confirmed with Marriott that these elite nights will count towards lifetime status.
Marriott is also allowing Ambassador members to nominate a friend or family member for Platinum status. Qualifying members will receive an email with the details from late July onwards.
Conclusion
These are two nice promotions from Marriott, but unfortunately I donโt think theyโll be very useful for us in Singapore.
Itโs one thing if you live in the USA or some place where domestic travel can make a quick return, but the equation is pretty different here. Iโm certainly not going to make sufficient staycations to level up to the next elite tier, and even with the off-peak redemption rates, cash prices are likely to be more lucrative.
Does anyone see any potential use cases for members in Singapore?
Small correction: โMarriott is automatically awarding a bonus credit equal to 50% of the elite nights required for your current tier.โ Theyโre actually giving a bonus credit equal to 50% of the elite nights required for the tier we achieved in 2019, not our current tier. Iโve achieved Platinum this year but was Gold last year, so Iโll get 13 bonus nights, not 25.
thanks for pointing this out!
Wonder if can stack the platinum challenge and the free elite nights ๐