Marriott Bonvoy Moments launches Singapore F1 Paddock Club & Sky Suites packages

The 2024 Singapore F1 Grand Prix is set to take place from 20-22 September 2024, and in the run-up to the event, Marriott Bonvoy (sponsors of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas team) has launched its 2024 hospitality packages.

These are now open for bidding on Marriott Bonvoy Moments, with 24 different packages available (there were actually 30, but six of them – for grandstand tickets without hospitality – have already been fully redeemed). Packages include access to the Paddock Club or Sky Suites, where fine wining and dining (especially in the former) is guaranteed. 

I personally redeemed a Paddock Club package last year, and let me tell you: once you’ve visited the Paddock Club, you can never go back to Sky Suites. In fact, compared to the fixed-price KrisFlyer Experiences Sky Suite packages (which should be launching any day now), the Bonvoy packages offer considerably better value.

Marriott Bonvoy Moments Singapore F1 packages

Singapore F1 Packages

The following packages are now available on the Marriott Bonvoy Moments platform. 

For those who are new to this, there’s two main types of hospitality on offer: Paddock Club and Sky Suites. If you see “Ritz-Carlton Silver Arrows Lounge” or “VIP Hospitality” listed in the package description,  it means you have Paddock Club access. 

Unfortunately, this year all Paddock Club packages come with hotel stays, whether you need it or not. That invariably means higher bids, and if you don’t want the hotel stay, your only options are the Sky Suite packages. Having been to both, let me tell you the difference is night and day (more on that later)!

Here’s the key things to note:

• All packages consists of 2x tickets
• All hotel accommodation is at the JW Marriott Singapore South Beach
• Flights and airport transfers are not included
• All participants must be at least 12 years old to attend
• Winning bids are strictly non-refundable
• Each Bonvoy member may win up to 3x Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team auction packages per race across the 2024 season

Bidding closes between 21 to 23 August 2024, and the end date differs depending on package.

How bidding works

Bidding on the Marriott Bonvoy Moments platform is in increments of 2,500 points. 

When placing a bid, there are two fields to fill:

• One-time bid
• Max bid amount

The first field is mandatory- you need to beat the existing bid by at least 2,500 points. 

The second field is optional, and lets you indicate the highest you’re willing to go. For example:

• The current highest bid of 100,000 points is held by Person A, who has indicated a willingness to go up to 105,000 points
• Person B places a one-time bid of 102,500 points, with a max bid amount of 115,000 points
• Person B now holds the highest bid, at 107,500 points (Person A’s highest bid + 2,500 points)
• Person C now places a one-time bid of 110,000 points (and does not indicate a max bid amount)
• Person B’s bid automatically increases to 112,500 points, in order to best Person C’s bid by 2,500 points

Basically, so long as no one is willing to go above 115,000 points, Person B will win this auction (if max bids tie, the person who placed the max bid first wins).

Obviously, the final cost of packages will no doubt be Practice < Qualifying < Race Day, so go for the Practice packages if you don’t really care about the race. 

And as with any online auction, it’s going to be all quiet at the start, before getting crazy in the last hour. Expect plenty of bid sniping, “troll bids” (single-increment bids which have seemingly no purpose other than to trigger another member’s maximum bid), and all kinds of shenanigans.

Needless to say, the prices you see now are in no way reflective of the final prices!

My experience at the Ritz-Carlton Silver Arrows Lounge

Last year, I won a package for Paddock Club hospitality at the Ritz-Carlton Silver Arrows Lounge on Practice Day for 440,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I know next to nothing about racing beyond “car go fast good”. But then again, I doubt most people in the hospitality suites do. I, like them, was there to stuff myself silly on the positively mindblowing assortment of gourmet food and beverages. 

In fact, the food in the Ritz-Carlton lounge itself was very mediocre- the real attraction is outside the lounge, where you’d find:

• Cedric Grolet
• Clare Smyth
• COMO
• Dani Garcia
• Nobu
• Paradiso
• Pavyllon by Yannick Alleno

Even though I’d visited the Sky Suites the year before, nothing could have prepared me for this. It was Michelin-starred food left and right, served in portions that let you sample a bit of everything. While the drivers were on the track manging tyres and engine temperatures, I was on a similar mission to pace myself and manage stomach space. And to think that people buy packages with Paddock Club access for the entire three days!

I have way too many photos from that night to show in one post (I’ve included a link here if you want to view them), but one of the funniest things was how there seemed to be a mandate from high to put caviar on everything. 

I mean, I think we’re in last days of Rome territory when they’re putting caviar in bubble tea. 

There was also a segment of the evening where you could walk the pit lane, which was quite a cool experience (though again, I’m sure F1 die-hards would appreciate it a lot more than me). Anyone with a Paddock Club pass can walk the pit lane, though only those with team hospitality passes (like the ones issued by Marriott Bonvoy) can cross the stanchions and get closer to the team’s garage. 

That’s not to mention the entertainment line-up (did you know there’s a race going on?), and all in all it was an unforgettable evening.

At one point, The MileLioness asked me how Lewis Hamilton was doing. “Great,” I said, with a mouthful of caviar. “He’ll need to really focus on maximising his soft tyres on the straight stretches while managing his coolant and hyperdrive levels in order to warp ahead of the other ships”.

Well, there’s a reason I have a Class 3A licence…

It’s even better value than KrisFlyer Experiences

Another thing I wanted to point out is that even if these Marriott Bonvoy packages may seem expensive, they’re still better value than KrisFlyer Experiences.

Since 2022, KrisFlyer Experiences has been offering F1 packages in the KrisFlyer Sky Suite (2022, 2023). These packages generally go live around this time, so you should expect to see them soon.

Here’s last years prices:

Now, here’s the way I think about it: I paid 440,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, which are the equivalent of 440,000 AMEX Membership Rewards points, which are the equivalent of 275,000 KrisFlyer miles.

That’s for two people, mind you, and a KrisFlyer Experiences Sky Suite for practice would cost 260,000 KrisFlyer miles. For 15,000 more miles, you get the Paddock Club and all its caviar-fuelled glory. There’s just no comparison here.

Of course, I don’t know whether that will still hold this year, since all Paddock Club packages now include hotel stays which will invariably inflate the price. Still, it might be worth looking at the Sky Suite packages via Bonvoy, because they’re still cheaper than KrisFlyer Experiences (based on 2023 pricing) unless the bids go above 416,000 points.

Conclusion

Marriott Bonvoy Moments has launched its 2024 Singapore F1 Grand Prix packages, with bidding open for roughly another month.

My winning bid for a Paddock Club package last year on Practice Day was 440,000 points,  but you should expect the bids to be higher this year since all Paddock Club packages now include hotel stays.

It’s up for debate as to whether these packages are “worth it”, but what I can tell you is that you’ll have an unforgettable evening either way, even if it does end up adding to your spare tyre.

Anyone planning to bid for these?