Marriott Concierge

We have the list of new hotel categories for 2012 for you, which are effective for all reservations made after March 15, 2012.

Based upon your feedback in years past, we are releasing the full list of changes for 2012 (categories 1-8). You’ll find each hotel moving downward or upward by one category level within this PDF. To give you a sense of the impact of these changes with respect to the overall portfolio of brands and properties, 3% of hotels are decreasing by one category (100 hotels) and 15% are increasing by one category (526 hotels).

Again, these changes will go in to effect starting Thursday, March 15, 2012 so any reservations made prior to March 15 will be honored at the current category. If you have an existing redemption reservation at a hotel that is decreasing in category, you may call Marriott Rewards® Customer Support at 801-468-4000 to adjust the reservation after March 15.

Thanks and safe travels!
Andy & the Marriott Rewards team

illinidad

In case you're wondering how a JW could actually move down a category....from the PDF:

Marriott Rewards has 8 hotel categories which are determined by prior
year redemption volume at each hotel and are not determined by brand, rate, amenities, location, or services offered.

VickiSoCal

I didn't think the St. Pancras would stay a 7 for long!

yoonny

Thanks for the heads up. We will b!*ch and moan about the properties moving up but you are forgiven as long as this type of notice is given to us in advance. Good work.

satori

^ Glad to see you post the full list of hotel category reassignments this year before the changes go into effect.

I can spend more time analyzing the hotel rewards this year rather than spend hours on social media rants harrassing Marriott Rewards for intransparency with its members like I did the past three years.

Thank you. I think it is the right thing to do for Marriott Rewards members.

dw

A big ^ for releasing the entire list this year. Thank you!

Thisisit123

Grosvenor House also moved from a Category 7 to a Cat. 8, along with the London Marriott Marble Arch. Meaning all Marriotts and Rens in Central London will be Cat. 8 after March 15.

In general the 2012 Hotel Category changes is a pretty big devaluation of MR Points.

qwest01

I do not agree. As is stated in the PDF - the category of a hotel is driven by the number of points redemption nights in the previous year. Thus a hotel that is in demand for points redemptions will rise up the categories and those in less demand will drop down. This is simply the laws of supply and demand in operation. If the demand for points redemption nights at a hotel goes up then they increase the category next year to reflect that increased demand. The supply of rooms cannot increase unless they build more rooms at the hotel. The only alternative that I see would be to restrict demand with non-availability or blackout dates.

GetawaysRus

This clearly degrades the value of the annual free night that comes along with the Marriott Premier credit card. Some of the hotels that one could have stayed at in the past using the free night cert. would no longer be possibilities.

swag

All five cat 5 full service properties in downtown New Orleans move to cat 6. That one hurts.

I do thank you for releasing this list in advance.

SacTownGuy

I disagree. If 3% go down and 15% go up then it's a further devaluation of our Marriott Pesos in my opinion. Not a big deal but I do think it is a clear devaluation. You have less options with the same number of points.

Old Hickory

Is this regardless of stay date?

nacho

+1 It's great that we have time to 'react' before the change.

dw

Definitely. There are several cat 5 properties in big cities which represented good redemption values that are moving up to category 6 (i.e. the last remaining cat 5 central Boston property (Courtyard Tremont), the Courtyard in San Francisco, the Ren in Hong Kong, etc.).

It's also getting harder to use the Cat 4 certs from the Megabonus promotions. One of the great redemption opportunities, the Courtyard Philadelphia Downtown, is now moving to Cat 5.

nova08

It does seem to be a rather large gap between the two. Also there are a number of properties in large US cities that are moving up (hotels in Philly, Minneapolis, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, San Diego, San Fran, NYC are all moving up), many of the Hawaii properties are moving up, there are a number of Fairfields and CY's moving up (odd to think that I can stay at the EWR Renaissance as a Cat 4 or the Fairfield EWR as a Cat 4)