Did Marriott “Bonvoy” the Dynamic Award Chart? FlyerTalk Weighs In

After the hotelier rolled out the new program on March 29, 2022, FlyerTalkers testing the new awards were not surprised to find many of their pre-transition awards going up in price for new bookings.

“Complete Massacre at the High End”

Across the board, FlyerTalkers found the prices of future awards increasing significantly compared to their previous awards. Forum members found the hotels at the highest end were most affected by the shifts.

FlyerTalker Boraxo called the change a “Complete massacre at [the] high end,” citing a variety of price increases per night. Some of the increased they noted include the St. Regis Aspen going from 74,000 points per night to 89,900 per night, the J.W. Marriott Essex House in New York going up to 88,000 per night from 60,000 per night, and the St. Regis Deer Valley going up to 88,400 per night from 77,000 per night.

“I just checked some of my [Free Night Awards] and Award Nights and the price skyrocketed by 45% across the board,” writes FlyerTaker Intl359Widget.  “It’s safe to say that I won’t be going out of my way to reward Marriott with my money if it’s more difficult to redeem my points for what we deem good value.”

Although the community overall considers the move a downgrade, not all award prices increased. FlyerTalker yoonny posts the Tambo del Inka, a Luxury Collection Resort and Spa in Peru decreased in price from 60,000 points per night down to 44,000 points per night. At the W Amsterdam, FlyerTalker RK23 says the price reduced from 70,000 points per night to between 67,000 to 69,000 points per night.

In Vancouver, FlyerTalker az22 notes a variety of price changes at Marriott properties. While prices usually hovered around 50,000 points per night, the Westin dropped to 45,000 points per night, while higher-end properties like the JW Marriott increased to 53,000 points per night, and the Marriott Pinnacle increased to 58,000 per night.

FlyerTalker soy sums up the changes by writing: “Legacy Marriott has gone from ‘it does what it says on the box’ to a ‘better read the small print’ type company, while Starwood was probably not sustainable in its former guise.”

New Award Scheme Based on Cash Hotel Prices per Night

When Marriott announced the change, the company said hotels would be independently priced based on cash prices. In addition, Marriott noted 97% of participating hotels “will continue to range between their current off-peak and peak redemption rates for stays throughout 2022.” How much the points price will change is yet to be seen.

What are your thoughts on the new Marriott Bonvoy? Share your thoughts on the FlyerTalk forums!