Feb 25, 2022, 8:38 am
Last edit by: goodeats21
*** It seems the Free Night Certificate + Points "top-off" redemption went live on April 29 or 30th 2022 - Discussions here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marr...on-thread.html ***
Starting March 29, our new flexible point redemption rates will go into effect. That means free nights will align more closely with nightly rates and availability. For stay dates in 2022, you can expect that nearly all of our hotels will have the same minimum and maximum number of points required for redemption — similarly to how they were previously categorized.
All the ways you earn points will not change — you’ll just have more flexibility when you’re ready to redeem.
Plus, starting at the end of April, you can combine your Free Night Award with up to 15,000 points to access more hotels you’ll love.
Our current redemption process will remain in place through March 28. After that, you will not see hotel categories (1–8) or redemption rates classified as Off-Peak, Standard, or Peak. At the same time, as part of our yearly redemption assessment process (similar to our annual category changes in previous years), the minimum point redemption rates will increase for approximately 200 hotels on March 29 — that’s less than 3% of all hotels. You can explore this list of hotels and decide when and where to maximize your free nights.
With our flexible cancellation policy, you can reserve your redemption stay and still modify your reservation if you find a lower rate in the future.
Want to learn more? Check out all our flexible point redemption rates FAQs.
When there is a redemption points rate drop, this info about how to modify award reservations -- on the website, not the app:
If you click to modify the existing reservation, and select to edit payment, it will adjust the points and keep the same reservation
HT to Schnit
Starting March 29, our new flexible point redemption rates will go into effect. That means free nights will align more closely with nightly rates and availability. For stay dates in 2022, you can expect that nearly all of our hotels will have the same minimum and maximum number of points required for redemption — similarly to how they were previously categorized.
All the ways you earn points will not change — you’ll just have more flexibility when you’re ready to redeem.
Plus, starting at the end of April, you can combine your Free Night Award with up to 15,000 points to access more hotels you’ll love.
Our current redemption process will remain in place through March 28. After that, you will not see hotel categories (1–8) or redemption rates classified as Off-Peak, Standard, or Peak. At the same time, as part of our yearly redemption assessment process (similar to our annual category changes in previous years), the minimum point redemption rates will increase for approximately 200 hotels on March 29 — that’s less than 3% of all hotels. You can explore this list of hotels and decide when and where to maximize your free nights.
With our flexible cancellation policy, you can reserve your redemption stay and still modify your reservation if you find a lower rate in the future.
Want to learn more? Check out all our flexible point redemption rates FAQs.
When there is a redemption points rate drop, this info about how to modify award reservations -- on the website, not the app:
If you click to modify the existing reservation, and select to edit payment, it will adjust the points and keep the same reservation
HT to Schnit
29 Mar 2022 : Introduction of Dynamic award pricing and removal of award chart
Mar 30, 2022, 8:55 am
#226
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Marriott Bonvoy
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Englandshire
Programs: SPG LT Plat, BA G, BD*LG, MG Blue+ ...
Posts: 16,031
Well, this new setup didn’t survive even my simplest of user testing. On the iPad app, it’s throwing out “let’s try that again” messages.
Once the rates are eventually loaded, if you select one of the blank dates, or select a date range which includes a blank date, it crashes out with a red dump error :
Once the rates are eventually loaded, if you select one of the blank dates, or select a date range which includes a blank date, it crashes out with a red dump error :
Last edited by Oxon Flyer; Mar 30, 2022 at 9:03 am
Mar 30, 2022, 9:05 am
#227
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Complete massacre at high end (see examples below)
St. Regis Aspen - prior non-peak 5nt = 370k; new rate same 5nt = 449.5k
St. Regis Deer Valley - same dates - formerly 385k/5nt; new rate = 442k /5nt
JW Essex - April - formerly 60k/nt; new rate = 88k/nt
Ren TimesSq - April - formerly 55k/nt; new rate 57k/nt
St. Regis NYC - April - now 108k/nt
JW Wash DC - now 59k/nt on a $423 rate
St. Regis DC - 66k on a $538 rate
various Westins DC - no change
St. Regis Aspen - prior non-peak 5nt = 370k; new rate same 5nt = 449.5k
St. Regis Deer Valley - same dates - formerly 385k/5nt; new rate = 442k /5nt
JW Essex - April - formerly 60k/nt; new rate = 88k/nt
Ren TimesSq - April - formerly 55k/nt; new rate 57k/nt
St. Regis NYC - April - now 108k/nt
JW Wash DC - now 59k/nt on a $423 rate
St. Regis DC - 66k on a $538 rate
various Westins DC - no change
Mar 30, 2022, 9:41 am
#228
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Gold 1MM, AS MVP, UA Silver, WN A-List, Marriott LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 52,569
For my redemption purposes too, this has massacred the value of the program’s rebate currency. Ironically, it’s changes like this that are going to cost Marriott both my high rate business and my low rate business as I will increasingly migrate away from more direct channel bookings for Marriott-affiliated properties when paying the room rate with a bank card/cash.
Something like IHG for boring non-aspirational stays. With bonuses on top of bonuses, it kicks back a lot of points for future boring cash-replacement stays.
Might put more of my traditional business travel with Hyatt, and then my aspirational stays become a mix of Hyatt and VRBO/Booking.com/Airbnb.
Mar 30, 2022, 10:06 am
#229
Join Date: Nov 2007
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Hilton Honors Diamond, Delta Gold
Posts: 4,347
I'm thinking the same thing.
Something like IHG for boring non-aspirational stays. With bonuses on top of bonuses, it kicks back a lot of points for future boring cash-replacement stays.
Might put more of my traditional business travel with Hyatt, and then my aspirational stays become a mix of Hyatt and VRBO/Booking.com/Airbnb.
Something like IHG for boring non-aspirational stays. With bonuses on top of bonuses, it kicks back a lot of points for future boring cash-replacement stays.
Might put more of my traditional business travel with Hyatt, and then my aspirational stays become a mix of Hyatt and VRBO/Booking.com/Airbnb.
I still have a good deal of Marriott points to cycle through which I'm going to try to do by the end of this year for fear of what the points requirement on high end properties will look like come 2023.
Then I'm most likely going to move over to Hyatt as much as possible and hope they don't tank their program any time soon. Given their limited footprint my fall back option will be to book unaffiliated hotels via the Chase travel portal by redeeming my CSR UR points at a rate of 1.5.
Mar 30, 2022, 10:39 am
#230
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 42,199
The mere fact that Marriott is recalculating points needed on existing bookings that were made a long time ago just in itself begs for a lawsuit. It’s no different than booking a revenue room at $150 a night only for the hotel to double or triple the rate at their discretion at any time before check out.
Mar 30, 2022, 10:47 am
#231
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: YVR
Programs: AC SE, HH Gold, Marriott Titanium, National EE, Sixt Platinum, Hertz PC, AVIS PC
Posts: 1,910
The mere fact that Marriott is recalculating points needed on existing bookings that were made a long time ago just in itself begs for a lawsuit. It’s no different than booking a revenue room at $150 a night only for the hotel to double or triple the rate at their discretion at any time before check out.
Ron.
Mar 30, 2022, 12:04 pm
#232
Join Date: Mar 2022
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Hyatt globalist, Marriott gold
Posts: 2
The dynamic pricing kicked in at midnight last night and it is far worse than Marriott published. It was completely misleading. All the category 8 hotels that they said would go up by as much as 20K actually went up 35K, a 41% increase!! Bookings I had or looked at went from 85K per night to 119,500 point per night!
This is the worst devaluation of points on any program I have ever seen!!
Marriott should be held accountable for what they published in there help link about this as it is completely false and many people likely made decisions based on this information.
This is the worst devaluation of points on any program I have ever seen!!
Marriott should be held accountable for what they published in there help link about this as it is completely false and many people likely made decisions based on this information.
Mar 30, 2022, 12:23 pm
#233
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: BOS
Programs: DL DM 2MM, Marriott LT Titanium, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 15,188
Well the vast majority of hotels that I have bookings at or would use points at have gone up, and in some cases significantly. I see one that dropped by a whopping 3k points for a 3nt stay, meanwhile others went up by 30k.
Nobody should be surprised here... we all knew that Marriott doesn't care about what members think of the program, especially elites. They're focused on making their franchise owners happy.
I expect the same will continue... a few rare situations you'll be able to get a lower rate, and the majority will have increases that are often significant. So if you want to stay at that FFI or CY in the middle of nowhere, you might make out well... but anything that used to be Cat 6 or higher, kiss your points goodbye.
Nobody should be surprised here... we all knew that Marriott doesn't care about what members think of the program, especially elites. They're focused on making their franchise owners happy.
I expect the same will continue... a few rare situations you'll be able to get a lower rate, and the majority will have increases that are often significant. So if you want to stay at that FFI or CY in the middle of nowhere, you might make out well... but anything that used to be Cat 6 or higher, kiss your points goodbye.
Mar 30, 2022, 12:31 pm
#234
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 42,199
I don't think they're doing this. If you've made a booking and locked it in with the points already.. the points cost isn't changing. If you've done a points advance booking, yes, you may now need more points.. but this is specified in the terms of that type of booking.
Ron.
Ron.
Mar 30, 2022, 12:45 pm
#235
Join Date: Apr 2011
Programs: Marriott Ambassador, AA ExecPlat, Amtrak Select Exec, former WN apologist
Posts: 1,425
The dynamic pricing kicked in at midnight last night and it is far worse than Marriott published. It was completely misleading. All the category 8 hotels that they said would go up by as much as 20K actually went up 35K, a 41% increase!! Bookings I had or looked at went from 85K per night to 119,500 point per night!
This is the worst devaluation of points on any program I have ever seen!!
Marriott should be held accountable for what they published in there help link about this as it is completely false and many people likely made decisions based on this information.
This is the worst devaluation of points on any program I have ever seen!!
Marriott should be held accountable for what they published in there help link about this as it is completely false and many people likely made decisions based on this information.
Mar 30, 2022, 12:51 pm
#237
Join Date: Jan 2020
Programs: Marriott Titanium (Lifetime Gold), Caesars Diamond
Posts: 1,401
The dynamic pricing kicked in at midnight last night and it is far worse than Marriott published. It was completely misleading. All the category 8 hotels that they said would go up by as much as 20K actually went up 35K, a 41% increase!! Bookings I had or looked at went from 85K per night to 119,500 point per night!
This is the worst devaluation of points on any program I have ever seen!!
Marriott should be held accountable for what they published in there help link about this as it is completely false and many people likely made decisions based on this information.
This is the worst devaluation of points on any program I have ever seen!!
Marriott should be held accountable for what they published in there help link about this as it is completely false and many people likely made decisions based on this information.
Misleading maybe, but not sure it was "false". The "up to 20k" language applied to the maximum points rate, not the rate for a given night. So in your example, even though YOU were booked at 85k, the "maximum peak rate" for the property was 100k, which now increased to 119,500 (less than a 20k increase).
Mar 30, 2022, 1:00 pm
#238
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 7,903
After reading the CEO's comments over the past year and seeing these kind of changes, I wonder why they ever bought Starwood. Their business philosophies couldn't be more different.
Mar 30, 2022, 1:06 pm
#239
Join Date: Jan 2020
Programs: Marriott Titanium (Lifetime Gold), Caesars Diamond
Posts: 1,401
I’m too lazy to look at their past financials but SPG had a ton of aspirational properties and an extremely loyal and lucrative customer base even with a small property footprint. Sort of similar to what Hyatt is today.
Mar 30, 2022, 1:09 pm
#240
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 42,199
The past couple years have not been the Starwood way either - this is not a Starwood vs Marriott program, this is the output of having two idiot CEOs in a row helming a merged organization that should never have been allowed to merge in the first place.