5th night free....for $ ?
 

Is the 5th night free deal only valid when paying with Rewards? Somewhere I read that even cash paying customers can get a 5th night free.
thanks

4th night free possibly, but that's a benefit of the Citi Prestige card, not anything related to paid Marriott stays

Some properties do offer fifth, fourth or even third night free for paid bookings. It is property and rate specific and you need to check with each.

During off season times, I've seen a number of Caribbean properties offer a 'pay for 4, get 5th free' rate. I just checked the St. Kitts Resort and a search for 5 paid nights in October shows they have just such a rate (and it also includes a $25 daily resort credit too.)

some history >
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/star...s-stickey.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/star...l-working.html

I have seen on occasion that the "pay for 4, get 5th free" or similar where you get the last night free also changes the nature of the booking from "cancel-able 2-3 nights prior to arrival" to non cancel-able. So, if you are not yet 100% certain, you can't go with the promotion.

But in general, yes, the 5th Night Free you see posted/advertised is related to awards.

There may be specific property promotions, off-season promotions, short-term promotions, etc. But in general it's a feature of the Rewards program.

Starwood had (and may still have at those properties, IDK) such a program. They were promotion/rate codes: Z3R was buy two, get one free; Z4R was buy three, get one free, etc. IME those rates were sometimes, but far from always, good deals.

Using certificates?
 

Hi guys, I have 4 free night certs. When I try to book a 5 night stay, the system tries to charge me for the 5th night. Is that accurate? Thanks

Unfortunately, to get a 5th night free you will have to actually order that specific award. Just having 4 nights linked together with 4 different 1-night certs isn't the same as ordering that 5th Night Free award.

Ah bummer. Thanks for the info

Also, it's no longer "5th Night Free."

When off-peak, standard, and peak were introduced in 2019, Marriott Bonvoy renamed “5th Night Free” to “Stay for 5, Pay for 4."

For a stay of 5 to 9 nights, the lowest-point night is free. For a stay of 10 to 14 nights, the two lowest-point nights are free. And so on, in multiples of five nights.

I wouldn't call a "specific award." It's just how the points are charged on stays of 5 nights or longer.

IMO It's still better to use up these certs than redeem points at a 20% discount. If you have a credit card anniversary before the stay you may get another cert in time as well.

What is meant by ordering the specific reward? I didn't see that as an option when booking.