This week, our whining wednesday is about marriott benefits And the unfortunate but very real inflation in hotel room rewards over the past few years has often doubled the number of points required.
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While some modest inflation, or increase in the cost of perks, is understandable and expected, Marriott took it to the extreme, especially for its luxury hotels.
When I was talking to John the other day, we were comparing prices for several hotels in Thailand that used to have ample redemption opportunities, but now there’s no point in using points or certificates anymore.
For example, in Bangkok, the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit and St. Regis have always been the best options for burning a certificate worth 35,000 points, but that’s no longer the case.
Prices now rise to 59,000 points at the St. Regis and 50,000 points at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit.
Hong Kong is another example where I would have loved to burn 35,000 certificates at the Renaissance or Sheraton Hotel & Towers, but as far as pricing goes, this one too has become a nightmare.
This is a really big concern. That’s because when you compare the revenue price to the point booking rate, not only does the price go up to the point where there’s little point in using points, but it also makes it nearly impossible to take advantage of those free nights. Appropriate hotel certificate.
Sure, you have the option to add up to 15,000 points per certificate, but is it really worth it?Currently, only 85,000 certificates on the Bonvoy Brilliant card are worth anything.
Self-propelled artillery veterans like us still remember that this program offered very attractive rates for award stays. Of course, that was a long time ago, but I can’t help but think about it from time to time.
Marriott Rewards has significantly increased its point requirements for rewards over the past 18 months, making it almost suicidal for members to use their points for rooms at desirable hotels. It’s rare to find great deals these days, but I was lucky enough to get 128k for 5 nights at RYSE in Seoul in September.
Most of the time, I spend more Marriott points on the airline program of my choice (especially ANA) and book award tickets. This is because I feel that some (but not all) mile redemptions still have value.
On an asset level, I’m still treated very well as a titanium, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to see real value in the program. This should be a concern not only for customers, but also for Marriott itself.
conclusion
Over the past year and a half, it’s been extremely difficult to find a Marriott property with desirable status that hasn’t seen a significant increase in point requirements. Prices in major cities are rising, and his two examples of Hong Kong and Bangkok are just a small scratch on the surface.
We find this particularly alarming as it significantly reduces the value of the 35,000 and 40,000 worth of free night vouchers that members often have on hand through credit card and re-qualification choices.
Have you recently taken advantage of a decent and worthwhile offer at a nice hotel?