Marriott Bonvoy will eliminate award charts and introduce dynamic award pricing as of March 2022. The exact date this policy would go live was learned in February 2022.
You have just a couple of days left to lock in redemptions before prices change at some properties, and this is a reminder that this change is imminent. If you are considering any last minute bookings, let's recap all the details.
Marriott Bonvoy dynamic award pricing launches March 29
Marriott Bonvoy's new award pricing will be in effect on March 29, 2022, though it will take about a day for all properties to be updated.
As a reminder.
With this system, award redemption rates will more closely align with the cash cost of a stay, and occupancy will also be factored in
For stays in 2022, roughly 97% of hotels will continue to be priced between the current minimum and maximum number of points required
For stays in 2022 at approximately 200 hotels (3% of the portfolio), the maximum points redemption rates will be higher than they currently are
For stays in 2023 and beyond, there will no longer be a minimum or maximum number of points required at a particular hotel
St. Regis Bora Bora redemption rates may be going up
How much will Marriott Bonvoy award pricing be increasing?
We now have a sense of how much we can expect prices to increase in 2022. How high should rates go for the roughly 200 hotels that will no longer be consistently priced?
Some of those hotels will be increasing in cost by a maximum of up to 5,000 points per night
Some of those hotels will be increasing in cost by a maximum of up to 30,000 points per night
Of these hotels, roughly 40 hotels may charge more than 100,000 points per night (the current maximum for Category 8 properties)
The list of hotels that will be increasing by up to 30,000 points per night is the biggest increase we are seeing.
Asia The Ritz-Carlton, Koh Samui
Asia The Ritz-Carlton, Nikko
Caribbean The Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa
Caribbean The Westin St. John Resort Villas
Europe Cristallo, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Cortina d’Ampezzo
Europe Five Seas Hotel Cannes, a Member of Design Hotels
Europe Paris Marriott Champs Elysees Hotel
Europe Renaissance Paris Arc de Triomphe Hotel
Europe Renaissance Paris Vendome Hotel
Europe The Bodrum EDITION
Europe The Pantheon Iconic Rome Hotel, Autograph Collection
Mexico Casa Maat at JW Marriott Los Cabos Beach Resort & Spa
Mexico Solaz, a Luxury Collection Resort, Los Cabos
Middle East The Jaffa, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Tel Aviv
Middle East The Ritz-Carlton Jeddah
Middle East The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Wadi Desert
United States Beaver Creek Lodge, Autograph Collection
United States Bethany Beach Ocean Suites Residence Inn
United States Grand Bohemian Hotel Asheville, Autograph Collection
United States Grand Bohemian Hotel Charleston, Autograph Collection
United States Hotel Park City, Autograph Collection
United States JW Marriott Essex House New York
United States JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort
United States Key West Marriott Beachside Hotel
United States Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Autograph Collection
United States Playa Largo Resort & Spa, Autograph Collection
United States The Cavalier Virginia Beach, Autograph Collection
United States The Cloudveil, Autograph Collection
United States The Lodge at Sonoma Resort, Autograph Collection
United States The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara
United States The Ritz-Carlton Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
United States The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale
United States The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay
United States The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel
United States The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota
United States The Saint Hotel Key West, Autograph Collection
United States The West Hollywood EDITION
United States The Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas
United States The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka’anapali
United States The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas
United States The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, Avon, Vail Valley
United States Wailea Beach Resort – Marriott, Maui
The full list of 200 hotels that are adopting flexible points pricing can be found here.
Bordum EDITION redemption rates may be going up
Top off Marriott Bonvoy free night awards as of April 2022
In October 2021, Marriott announced that it will be possible for Marriott Bonvoy free night awards to be topped off with up to 15,000 Bonvoy points to stay at a more expensive property.
If you have a free night certificate valid at a property costing up to 50,000 points, you could redeem it for a stay at a property costing up to 65,000 points. You were only allowed to stay at properties within the points price range of the certificate, with no option to pay the points difference to stay at a more expensive property.
It will be possible to top off free night awards by late April 2022, though there is no exact date yet.
It’ll soon be possible to top off free night awards
My take on these latest Marriott Bonvoy updates
The band-aid was mostly ripped off several months back.
The fact that award redemption rates will increase by 30,000 points per night for the rest of the year is good news. That is still a major devaluation, but it could have been worse. Who knows what the future holds.
Price increases for the remainder of 2022 could have been worse
Bottom line
Marriott Bonvoy's dynamic award pricing will launch on March 29, 2022, so this is a great time to lock in last minute redemptions.
Hotels will no longer be priced based on an award chart. You won't pay more than the current maximum number of points for the rest of the year. For the other 3% of properties, you will pay up to an additional 30,000 points per night, and around 40 properties will have pricing that can be over 100K points per night.
As of April 2022, you will be able to use points to supplement a free night certificate.
What do you think about the Marriott Bonvoy devaluation?
Meet Ben Schlappig, OMAAT Founder
