The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore is the only Ritz-Carlton in the world that does not participate in the Marriott Bonvoy programme.
The property can be booked through the Marriott website — which means it benefits from Marriott’s massive distribution network — but Marriott Bonvoy members cannot earn or redeem points at this hotel, nor enjoy any Bonvoy elite benefits.
This omission catches many members off-guard, and a customary scan of its TripAdvisor page reveals dozens of complaints over the years. Now, you can argue that people simply need to get better at reading — and I’d heartily agree — but you have to admit, if you book a hotel through the Marriott Bonvoy website, it’s not unreasonable to assume that…you know…it participates in Marriott Bonvoy.
In any case, this confusion will soon be a thing of the past.
Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore joining Marriott Bonvoy from December 2026
A little bird told me that during a recent visit to Colony, he was informed by the staff that the Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore would be joining the Marriott Bonvoy programme soon.
I couldn’t find any official news about this online, but it did match something I’d been hearing for a while. So I dropped the reservations team an email, and to my surprise, they confirmed it.
We are delighted to share that The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore will be part of the Marriott Bonvoy™ program from 1 December 2026. Guests will be able to earn and redeem Marriott Bonvoy points on eligible stays and enjoy access to a world of travel experiences and member benefits.
-Ritz-Carlton Singapore
There you have it. From 1 December 2026, Marriott Bonvoy members will be able to earn and redeem points on stays at the Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore, while enjoying the fifth night free on award redemptions (I can’t find any information on how much award nights will cost, which isn’t surprising since no official announcement has been made yet).
Nights stayed will also count towards Marriott Bonvoy elite qualification, as well as the various ongoing global promotions.
In terms of benefits, however, it’s important to temper your expectations, because the Ritz-Carlton brand is exempt from honouring certain Marriott Bonvoy elite privileges.
- Ambassador, Titanium and Platinum members do not receive complimentary breakfast at Ritz-Carlton properties
- Ambassador, Titanium and Platinum members do not receive club lounge access at Ritz-Carlton properties
However, elite members will be able to enjoy benefits such as room upgrades and guaranteed 4 p.m late check-out (unless the Ritz-Carlton Singapore somehow manages to designate itself a resort or conference property, which I doubt).
Where room upgrades are concerned, it’s worth noting that back in May 2025, Marriott expanded its upgrade policy to include suites for Platinum members at the Ritz-Carlton (this was previously restricted to Titanium and Ambassador members only). How often this is actually granted, I don’t know, but don’t hold out hope for club access rooms — they’re explicitly excluded.
If you want additional perks such as breakfast, you’ll need to book your stay through a programme like AMEX Fine Hotels & Resorts or Marriott STARS — which obviously rules out award stays.
With the Ritz Singapore’s “capitulation”, the only Marriott-affiliated brand that doesn’t participate in Bonvoy will be Bulgari.
Why wasn’t the Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore participating in Bonvoy to begin with?
The Ritz-Carlton Singapore opened in 1996, and back then, Ritz-Carlton didn’t have the sort of loyalty programme that awarded points. In the words of The Economist, it considered such programmes beneath its lordly notice.
But in September 2010, Ritz-Carlton launched Ritz-Carlton Rewards, which allowed members to receive points and elite benefits for stays. This ran as a parallel programme alongside Marriott Rewards.
Hotels were given the option of whether they wanted to participate in the programme, and while most did, the Ritz-Carlton Osaka and Ritz-Carlton Singapore opted out. The Osaka hotel eventually changed its mind, but Singapore didn’t. When Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest merged to form Marriott Bonvoy, that opt-out arrangement was grandfathered in.
From what I understand, Marriott has been trying hard to bring this property into the fold, but owners Pontiac Land Group (who also own the Capella Hotel Group) have held firm — until now, anyway.
To be fair, the hotel has always been upfront about this. When I stayed in 2023, virtually every email from the hotel carried this disclaimer, to the point they might as well have made it their signature!
Bonvoy participation aside, I’ve always felt that this hotel had something of an Emperor’s New Clothes vibe about it. Yes, its club lounge offers an excellent experience, and its signature octagonal windows form the perfect backdrop for a million derivative Instagram posts, with mistakenly-attributed inspirational quotes and varying degrees of bare flesh.
But that aside, it feels rather past its prime, and if you’re not a club lounge guest, the service experience can range from just okay to completely indifferent. I was rather unimpressed with my stay in early 2023, which you can read about below.
Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore Review: Memorably unmemorable
Conclusion
The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore will be joining Marriott Bonvoy in December 2026, which removes one of the more baffling footnotes in the Bonvoy portfolio, and spares future guests the indignity of discovering it upon check-in.
Members will finally be able to earn points, rack up elite nights, and redeem stays at one of Marina Bay’s prime hotels, though since this is a Ritz-Carlton, they shouldn’t expect breakfast or lounge access (and the hotel could use a renovation to justify its rates).
And all it took was 30 years…
Good news for points chasers, but may as well put lipstick on a pig. Severely underwhelming service, long queues, aged rooms don’t qualify it to be called luxury.
just to correct that the nightly upgrade award policy got changed a while ago and it has been able to be applied on ritz carlton properties. I have tried a few times on various rc properties and it worked pretty well.
oh yes- brainfart, sorry. was still thinking of the legacy SNAs