Premium room awards gone under new Marriott program?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: CT/ Germany - Ich spreche deutsch
Programs: UA 1K, Bonvoy LTTE, HH Dia, HY Expl
Posts: 4,657
Premium room awards gone under new Marriott program?
With Starwood we could pay higher prices for higher category award rooms if the basic award rooms were sold out. Is this no longer possible under the new program? Was trying to book an award night and the agent had no clue what I was asking for after she confirmed that there were no basic room awards available. Most frustrating...I was on hold for over 40 minutes to even get an agent and then she had no clue.
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: LGA/JFK/EWR
Programs: UA 1K1.75MM, Hyatt Globalist, abandoned Marriott LTT (RIP SPG), Hertz PC
Posts: 21,167
IME Marriott attached a cash co-pay to the award (versus adding more points), but I don't have a ton of experience with these.
#3
Join Date: Dec 2010
Programs: AA CK, SPG100 Platinum, Marriott Platinum Premier, Hilton Gold
Posts: 46
Upgrade point values
I've been looking to schedule a beach vacation on points. I'm a little perplexed with what I am seeing. There have been some changes to the base room points as we all knew would occur. What I find perplexing is what has happened to the values of using additional points (eCert upgrades I think??) to reserve a higher category room.
Here's an example: Looking at the Cancun Ritz Carlton for 11/1, for one night.
* Ocean View guest room is 50,000 points OR cash price of $448.
* Ocean Front guest room is 100,000 points OR cash price of $507
50,000 points for $59 worth of value? I can get a second room, wroth $448 for the same 50K points! Having been to this hotel, i would get the ocean view is there is very little difference, but that's beyond the point.
I saw another example in Aruba. A "limited view room" is 200K points for 5 nights. a Garden view room is 200K points + $125 (per stay, not night) OR 475,000 points.
This doesn't pass the smell test. Either there is some kind of bug in the way they calculate these values OR they are trying to STRONGLY discourage us from using points for category upgrades. I called Marriott rewards and the agent was as confused as I was. 275,000 points for $125 worth of value? That doesn't make any sense based on any translation I've ever seen. At first she thought it might have been a seasonal adjustment, but it's not high season and even if it was, the seasonal adjustment would also be in the base rate.
I've tried Marriott's, Ritz Carlton, and JW Marriott properties in multiple countries. Does anyone have any insight?
Thanks!
Brian
Here's an example: Looking at the Cancun Ritz Carlton for 11/1, for one night.
* Ocean View guest room is 50,000 points OR cash price of $448.
* Ocean Front guest room is 100,000 points OR cash price of $507
50,000 points for $59 worth of value? I can get a second room, wroth $448 for the same 50K points! Having been to this hotel, i would get the ocean view is there is very little difference, but that's beyond the point.
I saw another example in Aruba. A "limited view room" is 200K points for 5 nights. a Garden view room is 200K points + $125 (per stay, not night) OR 475,000 points.
This doesn't pass the smell test. Either there is some kind of bug in the way they calculate these values OR they are trying to STRONGLY discourage us from using points for category upgrades. I called Marriott rewards and the agent was as confused as I was. 275,000 points for $125 worth of value? That doesn't make any sense based on any translation I've ever seen. At first she thought it might have been a seasonal adjustment, but it's not high season and even if it was, the seasonal adjustment would also be in the base rate.
I've tried Marriott's, Ritz Carlton, and JW Marriott properties in multiple countries. Does anyone have any insight?
Thanks!
Brian
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2001
Programs: DL 1 million, AA 1 mil, HH lapsed Diamond, Marriott Plat
Posts: 28,190
I see some (Marriott) properties that show premium award pricing and availability online. I hope that is the (near) future for the Starwood-origin properties.
#5
#6
Join Date: Dec 2010
Programs: AA CK, SPG100 Platinum, Marriott Platinum Premier, Hilton Gold
Posts: 46
I sincerely hope this isn't the intention. I thought they wanted to encourage us to burn additional points for a simple category upgrade.
#7
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,453
It depends. Some properties offer all point upgrades, some offer an upgrade for a per night cash fee, some offer both. And I have seen both post August 18. I believe these are at the property's discretion.
#8
Moderator, Marriott Bonvoy & FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: McKinney, TX, USA
Programs: United Silver; AA Plat/2MM; Marriott LT Titanium; Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,727
It looks like Marriott is changing how point upgrades are working. Pre-Merge, it was always based off 1 or more 5K upgrade certs per night. I checked around a few different cities and it looks like Marriott has done away with that system. My guess is since this is new it is very probable that hotels are still trying to figure out how to use it to list upgrades. So I couldn't say if in a month or more out, the RC will still show 50K extra per night for what could be purchased for $50/night.
But I'm guessing that in general, upgrades will tend to cost more points than they used to.
But I'm guessing that in general, upgrades will tend to cost more points than they used to.
#9
Join Date: Dec 2010
Programs: AA CK, SPG100 Platinum, Marriott Platinum Premier, Hilton Gold
Posts: 46
It looks like Marriott is changing how point upgrades are working. Pre-Merge, it was always based off 1 or more 5K upgrade certs per night. I checked around a few different cities and it looks like Marriott has done away with that system. My guess is since this is new it is very probable that hotels are still trying to figure out how to use it to list upgrades. So I couldn't say if in a month or more out, the RC will still show 50K extra per night for what could be purchased for $50/night.
But I'm guessing that in general, upgrades will tend to cost more points than they used to.
But I'm guessing that in general, upgrades will tend to cost more points than they used to.
In the case of the RC, I'd simply bring another couple and give them a free room before I'd spend 50K points for move up one category. And in my last experience at that hotel, as a platinum premier, they upgraded me two categories for my status with no additional cost. .
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Toronto
Programs: UA 1K, AC MM E75, Marriott LT Ti, IHG Dia Amb, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 15,521
Agree. With Starwood, it wasn't unusual to spend an extra 1500 pts (4500 Marriott pts) for a category upgrade if base room wasn't available. With Marriott, it's a whole order of magnitude larger.
#11
Join Date: Dec 2010
Programs: AA CK, SPG100 Platinum, Marriott Platinum Premier, Hilton Gold
Posts: 46
It didn't used to be -- They went up drastically on the 18th. A club level room at a RC that I like was 75-85K/night the week before the 18th, I think 125K afterwards, though that is hardly the worst example. The ones I gave earlier are worse. Double the points for a $59 difference in price?!
#12
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Houston
Programs: UA 1K and Million Miler, *A Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hertz Five Star,
Posts: 1,301
I've been looking to schedule a beach vacation on points. I'm a little perplexed with what I am seeing. There have been some changes to the base room points as we all knew would occur. What I find perplexing is what has happened to the values of using additional points (eCert upgrades I think??) to reserve a higher category room.
Here's an example: Looking at the Cancun Ritz Carlton for 11/1, for one night.
* Ocean View guest room is 50,000 points OR cash price of $448.
* Ocean Front guest room is 100,000 points OR cash price of $507
50,000 points for $59 worth of value? I can get a second room, wroth $448 for the same 50K points! Having been to this hotel, i would get the ocean view is there is very little difference, but that's beyond the point.
I saw another example in Aruba. A "limited view room" is 200K points for 5 nights. a Garden view room is 200K points + $125 (per stay, not night) OR 475,000 points.
This doesn't pass the smell test. Either there is some kind of bug in the way they calculate these values OR they are trying to STRONGLY discourage us from using points for category upgrades. I called Marriott rewards and the agent was as confused as I was. 275,000 points for $125 worth of value? That doesn't make any sense based on any translation I've ever seen. At first she thought it might have been a seasonal adjustment, but it's not high season and even if it was, the seasonal adjustment would also be in the base rate.
I've tried Marriott's, Ritz Carlton, and JW Marriott properties in multiple countries. Does anyone have any insight?
Thanks!
Brian
Here's an example: Looking at the Cancun Ritz Carlton for 11/1, for one night.
* Ocean View guest room is 50,000 points OR cash price of $448.
* Ocean Front guest room is 100,000 points OR cash price of $507
50,000 points for $59 worth of value? I can get a second room, wroth $448 for the same 50K points! Having been to this hotel, i would get the ocean view is there is very little difference, but that's beyond the point.
I saw another example in Aruba. A "limited view room" is 200K points for 5 nights. a Garden view room is 200K points + $125 (per stay, not night) OR 475,000 points.
This doesn't pass the smell test. Either there is some kind of bug in the way they calculate these values OR they are trying to STRONGLY discourage us from using points for category upgrades. I called Marriott rewards and the agent was as confused as I was. 275,000 points for $125 worth of value? That doesn't make any sense based on any translation I've ever seen. At first she thought it might have been a seasonal adjustment, but it's not high season and even if it was, the seasonal adjustment would also be in the base rate.
I've tried Marriott's, Ritz Carlton, and JW Marriott properties in multiple countries. Does anyone have any insight?
Thanks!
Brian