Dec 22, 2018, 4:05 pm
Last edit by: rustykettel
As of January 1, 2020 the 10 night credit per meeting has ended. Events will only earn points after Jan 1. Room blocks will still earn night credits per T&C.
Rewarding Events offers pointsand nights for events/meetings booked at 25 brands of Marriott hotels
Marriott Rewarding Events
Participating brands:
Ritz Carlton, St. Regis, JW Marriott, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, EDITION, Marriott Hotels, Sheraton, Marriott Vacation Club, Delta Hotels by Marriott, Le Meridian, Westin, The Autograph Collection, Renaissance, Tribute Portfolio, Gaylord Hotels, Courtyard by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton, Springhill Suites by Marriott, Protea Hotels by Marriott, Fairfield by Marriott, AC Hotels by Marriott, Aloft, Moxy Hotels, Element
Non-participating brands:
TownePlace Suites, Residence Inn, Marriott Executive Appartments, and Design Hotels
How to Book a Rewarding Event
There is an online interface to get quotes for meetings. Or you can call the sales office of each hotel you are interested in directly for a quote.
Rewarding Events Online Booking
Rewards
2 points per $1 USD or 1 mile per $1 USD spent per qualifying event (base members can earn up to 60,000 points; while Platinum Premier Elite members can earn up to 105,000 points per qualifying event).
Get 10 Elite Qualifying Nights for the first meeting — and achieve Silver Elite status automatically.
Earn one Elite Qualifying Night for every additional 20 room nights booked — up to 20 Elite Qualifying Nights per contract.
Note: Money spent on events reportedly does not count towards the $20,000 spend needed for Ambassador status.
Changes from Old Program
10 elite nights are earned only for the first meeting every year. Previously, it was 10 elite nights per meeting.
FAQ
Do I have to show up? - Maybe. Some people have no-showed at events and still had them post. Others have had no-shows that did not post.
What is a good rate? - Around $100 is considered a good rate for a meeting that lasts an hour or two.
What should I ask for if book a meeting just for the 10 elite nights? - It is recommended to ask for a meeting room for 2 people for 30 minutes or an hour. You can say it is for an interview. No audio/visual or catering is needed, and the meeting time is flexible.
Which hotels have the lowest rates for meetings? - Typically, the lower priced brands like Fairfield, Courtyard, etc., have small meeting rooms that can be less expensive. But it depends on the location.
Rewarding Events offers points
Marriott Rewarding Events
Participating brands:
Ritz Carlton, St. Regis, JW Marriott, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, EDITION, Marriott Hotels, Sheraton, Marriott Vacation Club, Delta Hotels by Marriott, Le Meridian, Westin, The Autograph Collection, Renaissance, Tribute Portfolio, Gaylord Hotels, Courtyard by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton, Springhill Suites by Marriott, Protea Hotels by Marriott, Fairfield by Marriott, AC Hotels by Marriott, Aloft, Moxy Hotels, Element
Non-participating brands:
TownePlace Suites, Residence Inn, Marriott Executive Appartments, and Design Hotels
How to Book a Rewarding Event
There is an online interface to get quotes for meetings. Or you can call the sales office of each hotel you are interested in directly for a quote.
Rewarding Events Online Booking
Rewards
2 points per $1 USD or 1 mile per $1 USD spent per qualifying event (base members can earn up to 60,000 points; while Platinum Premier Elite members can earn up to 105,000 points per qualifying event).
Earn one Elite Qualifying Night for every additional 20 room nights booked — up to 20 Elite Qualifying Nights per contract.
Note: Money spent on events reportedly does not count towards the $20,000 spend needed for Ambassador status.
Changes from Old Program
FAQ
Do I have to show up? - Maybe. Some people have no-showed at events and still had them post. Others have had no-shows that did not post.
What is a good rate? - Around $100 is considered a good rate for a meeting that lasts an hour or two.
What should I ask for if book a meeting just for the 10 elite nights? - It is recommended to ask for a meeting room for 2 people for 30 minutes or an hour. You can say it is for an interview. No audio/visual or catering is needed, and the meeting time is flexible.
Which hotels have the lowest rates for meetings? - Typically, the lower priced brands like Fairfield, Courtyard, etc., have small meeting rooms that can be less expensive. But it depends on the location.
Marriott Bonvoy Events program between Aug 18, 2018 and end of 2019
Dec 27, 2018, 11:11 am
#751
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: South Florida
Programs: AA LTG (EXP), Hilton Silver (Dia), Marriott LTP (PP), SPG LTG (P) > MPG LTPP
Posts: 11,329
Just had a meeting. The 10 nights will put me into platinum. However the event scheduler said she cant post the event for 10days, saying the system wont let her. Is this correct? I need this to post by dec 31 to make the nights count for 2018 right? Anyone have any technical guidance i can provide her to make sure she posts the event in time?
Thanks
Thanks
Dec 27, 2018, 11:14 am
#752
Join Date: Oct 2016
Programs: Aeroplan
Posts: 98
TLDR
Used former Marriott T&C loophole to book five hotel events (prior to SPG/Marriott system integration) with the intent of receiving 50 elite qualifying nights (10 nights per event). We'd effectively be buying Platinum Elite status for another year. Some of the hotels in question took longer than expected to post our events via the reward 'group posting tool' causing us to miss the August 18, 2018 (Marriott/SPG integration) and posting our events after the updated T&Cs. After it was all said and done, nearly five months elapsed (countless emails, calls, etc.) and we were given 300K Marriott points and Platinum Elite for another year!
Story Time
As some of you may know, before August 18, 2018 (migration date between SPG and Marriott) Marriott used to have a loop hole in their terms and conditions that allowed rewards members the ability to be awarded 10 elite qualifying nights per each event they had at a participating hotel (only certain brands were eligible).
(FYI: After August 18, 2018 Marriott changed their terms to only allow one event to receive 10 elite qualifying nights per year, effectively killing this loophole/hack.)
Back to the story...
To clarify, you did not have to book hotel rooms with your event, and your event could be something as simple as booking a conference room for a few hours at a cheap hotel ($75-$100+ per event). Furthermore, you didn't even have to actually show up for your event! The trick was to setup events (preferably at different hotels) for the number of elite qualifying nights your were going to be short for the status you wanted, confirm that the contract they sent you looked good (included your rewards number, contained the wording 'event is eligible for 10 elite qualifying nights', etc.), pay for it, show up/or not, and within about 2 weeks you'd be awarded 10 elite qualifying nights (again, per event).
We're both location independent (IT and project management consultants) and have been traveling full time since 2016, so because of our unique lifestyle we decided it would be worth buying Marriott Platinum Elite for 2019.
Needless to say, things didn't go quite as planned:
We're sure everyone can use their imagination at how many emails, phone calls, "we'll call you back" promises we endured but in the end the outcome was this:
Has anyone had something similar happen to them?
Happy churning and award travel!
Used former Marriott T&C loophole to book five hotel events (prior to SPG/Marriott system integration) with the intent of receiving 50 elite qualifying nights (10 nights per event). We'd effectively be buying Platinum Elite status for another year. Some of the hotels in question took longer than expected to post our events via the reward 'group posting tool' causing us to miss the August 18, 2018 (Marriott/SPG integration) and posting our events after the updated T&Cs. After it was all said and done, nearly five months elapsed (countless emails, calls, etc.) and we were given 300K Marriott points and Platinum Elite for another year!
Story Time
As some of you may know, before August 18, 2018 (migration date between SPG and Marriott) Marriott used to have a loop hole in their terms and conditions that allowed rewards members the ability to be awarded 10 elite qualifying nights per each event they had at a participating hotel (only certain brands were eligible).
(FYI: After August 18, 2018 Marriott changed their terms to only allow one event to receive 10 elite qualifying nights per year, effectively killing this loophole/hack.)
Back to the story...
To clarify, you did not have to book hotel rooms with your event, and your event could be something as simple as booking a conference room for a few hours at a cheap hotel ($75-$100+ per event). Furthermore, you didn't even have to actually show up for your event! The trick was to setup events (preferably at different hotels) for the number of elite qualifying nights your were going to be short for the status you wanted, confirm that the contract they sent you looked good (included your rewards number, contained the wording 'event is eligible for 10 elite qualifying nights', etc.), pay for it, show up/or not, and within about 2 weeks you'd be awarded 10 elite qualifying nights (again, per event).
We're both location independent (IT and project management consultants) and have been traveling full time since 2016, so because of our unique lifestyle we decided it would be worth buying Marriott Platinum Elite for 2019.
Needless to say, things didn't go quite as planned:
- We setup five events (at different hotels) for late July, 2018, (all in we'd effectively pay ~$500 for Marriott Platinum Elite Status...again, we'd run the math and it was worth it to us).
- Two of the five hotels posted their respective 10 elite qualifying nights within 10 days of our event dates.
- One hotel posted its nights about three weeks after the event and after August 18th, 2018 (when Marriott changed their terms and closed the loophole!) so when Marriott's systems saw the event post after August 18th, as far as they were concerned the event took place after the new terms had gone into effect. In other words, Marriott had assigned the third event as our one and only 10 EQN event for the year and we'd not be receiving credit for the two remaining events!
- The remaining two hotels took months to post our events! One posted in early November, the other in early December!
We're sure everyone can use their imagination at how many emails, phone calls, "we'll call you back" promises we endured but in the end the outcome was this:
- Hotel number four realized they'd screwed up and since Marriott's systems would no longer give us 10 nights for our event (Marriott claimed the 'one event per year' was hard coded) the hotel double posted our event and gave us 100K Marriott points per each event (200K total)!
- Hotel number five also realized they'd screwed up and there was nothing Marriott could/would do so they too gave us 100K Marriott points for our event!
- As a last ditch effort (we had called many times before), nearly five months after this fiasco started, we called Marriott directly (yet again). We explained the situation and how the hotels had dragged their feet causing the terms to change mid-way and now we'd miss Platinum Elite for 2019. Thankfully even after being transferred a few times, our Platinum Elite status was graciously extended for another year!
Has anyone had something similar happen to them?
Happy churning and award travel!
I booked 2 meeting events, just before Aug 18th.
First 10 EQNs posted before, but the other 10 never posted.
I spent what must have been hours on the phone with Marriot over the month of September. Hotel kept saying they had no way to grant the nights, and Marriott kept saying the hotel had to do it.
After having a case open for over 5 weeks, and having Marriott call the hotel repeatedly, the hotel told them that because of all the trouble, they would grant me Platinum status for 2019, which is basically the reason why i was getting the EQNs for.
I asked Marriott to validate, write down, and make sure that this was possible. So, now im hoping that next week the hotel will come through with their promise.
Funnily enough, last week, the 10 missing EQNs miraculously showed on my account. So i called Marriott right away, and asked them if there was a way for the hotel to come out now and say that because the 10 nights have finally posted, they wont honour their commitment.
The agent was very adamant in that the hotel promised the status, and Marriott has it written on the open case, so the hotel has to do it.
All in all, I should be reporting back next week with a positive outcome.
Dec 27, 2018, 12:50 pm
#753
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,399
With the ten nights that posted so late, how many nights this year will you have by NYE? It sounds like you stopped staying or meeting in anticipation of the hotel's promise of status and now are short of the required nights.
Dec 27, 2018, 1:09 pm
#754
Join Date: Oct 2016
Programs: Aeroplan
Posts: 98
Reason why I called Marriott right away last week, in case i would have had to figure out what to do. And as i mentioned before, he was very adamant that because the hotel made a promise, and it is written under Marriott's case, it has to be done. So, at this point i can only hope that the issue will be resolved without any problems or push back from the hotel.
Dec 27, 2018, 1:47 pm
#755
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: BGO
Programs: Bonvoy Titanium and LTP, Hilton Gold, SK Diamond, Finnair Gold, BA Silver
Posts: 403
10 of my 30 missing Rewarding Events nights also randomly posted within the past few days. There is still hope apparently! Now if the last 20 miraculously appears as well I will get to 82 nights for the year. Worth it to chase this again?
Edited to add that I now have a total of 30 RE nights for the year, with 5 "events" booked and done prior to the merger.
Edited to add that I now have a total of 30 RE nights for the year, with 5 "events" booked and done prior to the merger.
Dec 27, 2018, 3:03 pm
#756
Join Date: Oct 2016
Programs: Aeroplan
Posts: 98
10 of my 30 missing Rewarding Events nights also randomly posted within the past few days. There is still hope apparently! Now if the last 20 miraculously appears as well I will get to 82 nights for the year. Worth it to chase this again?
Edited to add that I now have a total of 30 RE nights for the year, with 5 "events" booked and done prior to the merger.
Edited to add that I now have a total of 30 RE nights for the year, with 5 "events" booked and done prior to the merger.
Hmmmm, maybe it is then Marriott's system assigning those missing nights before year's end.
Dec 28, 2018, 11:18 am
#757
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: BAEC, Mileage Plus, Aeroplan, SPG
Posts: 62
Well.. my missing 10 nights magically posted last week after I had given up all hope - especially with the exchanges I had with the bone headed sales manager and GM at the Courtyard Winnipeg airport.
Luckily I had factored 1 event going wrong, so wasn't really concerned as I had already qualified for plat for next year. The extra 10 nights put me in at 71 nights.. so decided to do a quick mattress run as luckily in YYC there are a few cat 1 hotels. 30K for 5 nights credit is not bad as i figured I'm basically spending 30K points for 5 suite night awards for next year.
Luckily I had factored 1 event going wrong, so wasn't really concerned as I had already qualified for plat for next year. The extra 10 nights put me in at 71 nights.. so decided to do a quick mattress run as luckily in YYC there are a few cat 1 hotels. 30K for 5 nights credit is not bad as i figured I'm basically spending 30K points for 5 suite night awards for next year.
Dec 28, 2018, 3:09 pm
#758
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: Delta Diamond, Marriott Ambassador & Lifetime Titanium, Hertz President's Circle, United Silver
Posts: 6,334
Yes, I'll be 5 away from 50, and mainly because of the outcome of the case I didn't complete the missing ones. Without those 10 i was at 35, so I wouldn't not have added those 15 nights organically without any trips planned.
Reason why I called Marriott right away last week, in case i would have had to figure out what to do. And as i mentioned before, he was very adamant that because the hotel made a promise, and it is written under Marriott's case, it has to be done. So, at this point i can only hope that the issue will be resolved without any problems or push back from the hotel.
Reason why I called Marriott right away last week, in case i would have had to figure out what to do. And as i mentioned before, he was very adamant that because the hotel made a promise, and it is written under Marriott's case, it has to be done. So, at this point i can only hope that the issue will be resolved without any problems or push back from the hotel.
Dec 28, 2018, 5:58 pm
#759
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: South Florida
Programs: AA LTG (EXP), Hilton Silver (Dia), Marriott LTP (PP), SPG LTG (P) > MPG LTPP
Posts: 11,329
Not a wise choice. Since the T&Cs say member must stay and pay, it's determined not possible to be in two places at once. Yes, there are some justifications for doing this and it just might post, but it may also get pulled and your status could drop as a result with no option for a plan C.
Dec 31, 2018, 11:11 am
#760
Join Date: Oct 2016
Programs: Aeroplan
Posts: 98
I called Marriott last week and was told the hotel has to fulfill their promise as it is written on the 'case'.
Dec 31, 2018, 1:47 pm
#761
Join Date: Nov 2017
Programs: United 1K
Posts: 131
That's going to be a tall order. They need to know how to use the Group Posting Tool. The manuals as far as I know are in English.
If you know mainland Chinese people, you know the future is the century of China and there isn't real reason to learn good English when all the major western companies like to kowtow and learn Chinese instead.
If you know mainland Chinese people, you know the future is the century of China and there isn't real reason to learn good English when all the major western companies like to kowtow and learn Chinese instead.
Jan 2, 2019, 7:45 am
#762
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 152
Just wanted to update. I received an email this morning. Unfortunately I can't see the nights as it is rolled over to 2019. I plan to call later today to ensure I maintained my status for 2019 with this event and a few hotel nights I had over the weekend.
"Marriott Rewards or The Ritz-Carlton Rewards Member:
THANK YOU FOR HOSTING YOUR RECENT MEETING OR EVENT WITH US.
This message confirms the following was posted to your account:
PROPERTY NAME: FIS HOUSTON N/THE WOODLANDS
EVENT DATES: 12/13/2018 - 12/13/2018
REFERENCE NUMBER: 678XXXX
DATE POSTED: 01/02/2019
BASE POINTS EARNED: 200
ELITE POINTS EARNED: 150
PURCHASED BONUS POINTS: 0
PURCHASED DOUBLE & TRIPLE POINTS: 0
TOTAL EARNED & PURCHASED POINTS: 350
ELITE QUALIFYING NIGHTS: 10.00
This meeting or event will count toward your qualification for Elite membership.
Questions or Comments?
Please do not respond to this e-mail. It is automatically generated and intended for confirmation purposes only. If you have questions about this message or about your account, contact Marriott Rewards Guest Services at MarriottRewards.com or call 800-450-4442 in the US and Canada; outside of the US and Canada contact your local Customer Support office by visiting MarriottRewards.com.
Congratulations on a successful event. Now it's your turn - enjoy the rewards of a job well done."
"Marriott Rewards or The Ritz-Carlton Rewards Member:
THANK YOU FOR HOSTING YOUR RECENT MEETING OR EVENT WITH US.
This message confirms the following was posted to your account:
PROPERTY NAME: FIS HOUSTON N/THE WOODLANDS
EVENT DATES: 12/13/2018 - 12/13/2018
REFERENCE NUMBER: 678XXXX
DATE POSTED: 01/02/2019
BASE POINTS EARNED: 200
ELITE POINTS EARNED: 150
PURCHASED BONUS POINTS: 0
PURCHASED DOUBLE & TRIPLE POINTS: 0
TOTAL EARNED & PURCHASED POINTS: 350
ELITE QUALIFYING NIGHTS: 10.00
This meeting or event will count toward your qualification for Elite membership.
Questions or Comments?
Please do not respond to this e-mail. It is automatically generated and intended for confirmation purposes only. If you have questions about this message or about your account, contact Marriott Rewards Guest Services at MarriottRewards.com or call 800-450-4442 in the US and Canada; outside of the US and Canada contact your local Customer Support office by visiting MarriottRewards.com.
Congratulations on a successful event. Now it's your turn - enjoy the rewards of a job well done."
Last edited by Tmstewar2; Jan 2, 2019 at 12:46 pm
Jan 2, 2019, 10:55 am
#763
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: Delta Diamond, Marriott Ambassador & Lifetime Titanium, Hertz President's Circle, United Silver
Posts: 6,334
Just wanted to update. I received an email this morning. Unfortunately I can't see the nights as it is rolled over to 2019. I plan to call later today to ensure I maintained my status for 2019 with this event and a few hotel nights I had over the weekend.
"Marriott Rewards or The Ritz-Carlton Rewards Member:
THANK YOU FOR HOSTING YOUR RECENT MEETING OR EVENT WITH US.
This message confirms the following was posted to your account:
PROPERTY NAME: FIS HOUSTON N/THE WOODLANDS
EVENT DATES: 12/13/2018 - 12/13/2018
REFERENCE NUMBER: 678XXXX
DATE POSTED: 01/02/2019
BASE POINTS EARNED: 200
ELITE POINTS EARNED: 150
PURCHASED BONUS POINTS: 0
PURCHASED DOUBLE & TRIPLE POINTS: 0
TOTAL EARNED & PURCHASED POINTS: 350
ELITE QUALIFYING NIGHTS: 10.00
This meeting or event will count toward your qualification for Elite membership.
Questions or Comments?
Please do not respond to this e-mail. It is automatically generated and intended for confirmation purposes only. If you have questions about this message or about your account, contact Marriott Rewards Guest Services at MarriottRewards.com or call 800-450-4442 in the US and Canada; outside of the US and Canada contact your local Customer Support office by visiting MarriottRewards.com.
Congratulations on a successful event. Now it's your turn - enjoy the rewards of a job well done."
"Marriott Rewards or The Ritz-Carlton Rewards Member:
THANK YOU FOR HOSTING YOUR RECENT MEETING OR EVENT WITH US.
This message confirms the following was posted to your account:
PROPERTY NAME: FIS HOUSTON N/THE WOODLANDS
EVENT DATES: 12/13/2018 - 12/13/2018
REFERENCE NUMBER: 678XXXX
DATE POSTED: 01/02/2019
BASE POINTS EARNED: 200
ELITE POINTS EARNED: 150
PURCHASED BONUS POINTS: 0
PURCHASED DOUBLE & TRIPLE POINTS: 0
TOTAL EARNED & PURCHASED POINTS: 350
ELITE QUALIFYING NIGHTS: 10.00
This meeting or event will count toward your qualification for Elite membership.
Questions or Comments?
Please do not respond to this e-mail. It is automatically generated and intended for confirmation purposes only. If you have questions about this message or about your account, contact Marriott Rewards Guest Services at MarriottRewards.com or call 800-450-4442 in the US and Canada; outside of the US and Canada contact your local Customer Support office by visiting MarriottRewards.com.
Congratulations on a successful event. Now it's your turn - enjoy the rewards of a job well done."
Last edited by hockeyinsider; Jan 2, 2019 at 3:07 pm Reason: removed info
Jan 2, 2019, 11:05 am
#764
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Sweden
Programs: Marriott Platinum - LT Gold
Posts: 688
Jan 2, 2019, 11:14 am
#765
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: Delta Diamond, Marriott Ambassador & Lifetime Titanium, Hertz President's Circle, United Silver
Posts: 6,334