Dec 30, 2015, 10:18 am
Last edit by: rustykettel
Ten (10) Elite Nights are given for each meeting held in a participating hotel under the "Rewarding Events" program. See below for non-participating brands. Information about the Rewarding Events program may be found at https://www.marriott.com/meeting-eve...els/rewards.mi
The 10 elite nights per meeting are independent of any hotel rooms booked in conjunction with the meeting. In fact, no hotel rooms have to be booked as part of the meeting in order to receive credit for 10 elite nights.
Although the Rewarding Events webpage refers to room nights for meeting participants, the most important section is the one that states 10 Elite Nights, regardless if you or your guest is paying for it
In general, a written contract is required (or should be obtained). In many cases, the meeting is booked through a central Marriott group sales office instead of directly with a hotel. If booked through a central Marriott group sales office, there is a three-page contract that makes reference to the Rewarding Events program on page 2 of the agreement. A MR member number should be included in this area of the contract by the group sales office.
FAQs:
Q: What brands participate in the Rewarding Events program?
A: AC Hotels by Marriott, Aloft, Autograph Collection, Courtyard by Marriott, Delta Hotels by Marriott, EDITION, Element, Fairfield by Marriott, Four Points by Marriott, Gaylord Hotels, JW Marriott, LeMéridien, The Luxury Collection, Marriott Hotels, Marriott Vacation Club, Moxy Hotels, Protea Hotels by Marriott, Renaissance Hotels, The Ritz-Carlton, Sheraton, St. Regis, Tribute Portfolio, W Hotels, & Westin.
Residence Inn by Marriott, TownePlace Suites, & Marriott Executive Apartments do not participate in the program.
Q: How do I find a hotel that participates?
A: Click on the link to the Rewarding Events page and then in the "Plan" section of the page click on the "Find a Hotel" box. Enter the city you'd like to have your meeting in, purpose of event (Business) and then check the "I need meeting/event space" box. Enter the size of your meeting (2 attendees should work) and then click the "Find" box. Leave the start date and end date blank. A list of potential hotels will be shown. The smallest meeting room is not usually shown online --- you may need to call each hotel to find out which one has a boardroom or other small meeting room. Once you've found a small meeting room, then request a quote online.
Q: How quickly will Marriott respond with a quote?
A: Usually within a day or two --- and usually via email. The email should contain a telephone number of the group sales contact. Give them a call and tell them you'd like to follow up on the quote and you're interested in booking the smallest room available for a 2 person meeting for an hour. If they quote a price that's higher than you want to pay, ask them if they can get approval for a lower priced meeting (e.g., a recent quote was for $75 for an 8 hour use of a CY boardroom). They accepted a counter of $50 for a one-hour meeting in the room (plus service charge plus local sales tax). Urban hotels may charge significantly higher rates for meeting space than a smaller, less congested city.
Q: Is a contract required?
A: The terms of the program suggest "yes" --- although there are reports that 10 elite nights have been granted without contracts. A best practice would be to obtain a contract.
Q: How long do points and EQNs take to post after the event is over?
A: Generally, this takes 3+ business days. According to Marriott, it can take 15 business days. If you do not see anything post after 15 business days, contact the hotel before contacting Marriott customer support. The hotel has to be the one to post it.
You will get an e-mail with a subject line Your Rewarding Events Award has Posted: EVENT NAME
Q: Will the hotel know what I am talking about when I say points and elite night credits?
A: Probably not. They may know about the rewarding events points being 3x per dollar spent, but not always. Usually they know of only the Marriott system (Group Posting Tool) where they input how much you spent and when. This is done after the event and is usually authorized by the sales or general manager.
Q: The contract doesn't say anything about points, will I still earn them?
A: YMMV but so far all the electronic contracts from the website state it, but some fail to read it. The paper contracts usually talk about points, but some reports that they don't, but still post. Remember this is a Marriott Rewards benefit that the hotels don't seem to be footing the bill for.
The 10 elite nights per meeting are independent of any hotel rooms booked in conjunction with the meeting. In fact, no hotel rooms have to be booked as part of the meeting in order to receive credit for 10 elite nights.
Although the Rewarding Events webpage refers to room nights for meeting participants, the most important section is the one that states 10 Elite Nights, regardless if you or your guest is paying for it
In general, a written contract is required (or should be obtained). In many cases, the meeting is booked through a central Marriott group sales office instead of directly with a hotel. If booked through a central Marriott group sales office, there is a three-page contract that makes reference to the Rewarding Events program on page 2 of the agreement. A MR member number should be included in this area of the contract by the group sales office.
FAQs:
Q: What brands participate in the Rewarding Events program?
A: AC Hotels by Marriott, Aloft, Autograph Collection, Courtyard by Marriott, Delta Hotels by Marriott, EDITION, Element, Fairfield by Marriott, Four Points by Marriott, Gaylord Hotels, JW Marriott, LeMéridien, The Luxury Collection, Marriott Hotels, Marriott Vacation Club, Moxy Hotels, Protea Hotels by Marriott, Renaissance Hotels, The Ritz-Carlton, Sheraton, St. Regis, Tribute Portfolio, W Hotels, & Westin.
Residence Inn by Marriott, TownePlace Suites, & Marriott Executive Apartments do not participate in the program.
Q: How do I find a hotel that participates?
A: Click on the link to the Rewarding Events page and then in the "Plan" section of the page click on the "Find a Hotel" box. Enter the city you'd like to have your meeting in, purpose of event (Business) and then check the "I need meeting/event space" box. Enter the size of your meeting (2 attendees should work) and then click the "Find" box. Leave the start date and end date blank. A list of potential hotels will be shown. The smallest meeting room is not usually shown online --- you may need to call each hotel to find out which one has a boardroom or other small meeting room. Once you've found a small meeting room, then request a quote online.
Q: How quickly will Marriott respond with a quote?
A: Usually within a day or two --- and usually via email. The email should contain a telephone number of the group sales contact. Give them a call and tell them you'd like to follow up on the quote and you're interested in booking the smallest room available for a 2 person meeting for an hour. If they quote a price that's higher than you want to pay, ask them if they can get approval for a lower priced meeting (e.g., a recent quote was for $75 for an 8 hour use of a CY boardroom). They accepted a counter of $50 for a one-hour meeting in the room (plus service charge plus local sales tax). Urban hotels may charge significantly higher rates for meeting space than a smaller, less congested city.
Q: Is a contract required?
A: The terms of the program suggest "yes" --- although there are reports that 10 elite nights have been granted without contracts. A best practice would be to obtain a contract.
Q: How long do points and EQNs take to post after the event is over?
A: Generally, this takes 3+ business days. According to Marriott, it can take 15 business days. If you do not see anything post after 15 business days, contact the hotel before contacting Marriott customer support. The hotel has to be the one to post it.
You will get an e-mail with a subject line Your Rewarding Events Award has Posted: EVENT NAME
Q: Will the hotel know what I am talking about when I say points and elite night credits?
A: Probably not. They may know about the rewarding events points being 3x per dollar spent, but not always. Usually they know of only the Marriott system (Group Posting Tool) where they input how much you spent and when. This is done after the event and is usually authorized by the sales or general manager.
Q: The contract doesn't say anything about points, will I still earn them?
A: YMMV but so far all the electronic contracts from the website state it, but some fail to read it. The paper contracts usually talk about points, but some reports that they don't, but still post. Remember this is a Marriott Rewards benefit that the hotels don't seem to be footing the bill for.
Platinum Status in Eight Days and $800 - No Stays Required
Oct 22, 2017, 7:30 am
#1741
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
Some have had issues getting the correct credit after the event. Not having anything in writing could make it tough to collect should they not want to properly post the event. Is there anything online about the 10-night credit for your event? Maybe they will send you the paperwork, but the kinda defeats the purpose of online bookings.
Oct 22, 2017, 11:06 am
#1742
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Pacific Wonderland
Programs: ʙᴏɴᴠo̱ʏ Au, IHG Au, HH Dia, Nexus, Pilot FlyingJ Preferred
Posts: 5,336
When you do a One-Stop Booking reservation (through Marriott's website for meeting space and choose the Reserve Now instead of Request Quote), that is a contract. You have to agree to the terms & conditions including cancellation policy to book. You'll receive a confirmation from the Marriott corporate group (Quick Group Omaha), and usually a follow up from the hotel's event coordinator. Some hotels will send you a food & beverage order (sometimes requesting that you return it signed, others it's advisory) or a credit card authorization. Make sure your Marriott Rewards number is there or add it manually and mention it to the event coordinator. Other hotels will use the online booking information & credit card only.
Don't get hung up on not having a piece of paper saying you'll get 10 nights for a meeting! Focus on having the hotel enter your event in the Group Posting Tool. If it doesn't post automatically within a reasonable period, talk to the event coordinator, make sure they have your MR# and say you're missing points, not nights, for the event. Marriott will take care of the 10 nights when your event posts as an event, the hotel doesn't do it directly.
Oct 22, 2017, 12:40 pm
#1743
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1MM, Marriott LTP, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Explorist, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,003
Online booking through Marriott absolutely works for the 10 nights/each meeting.
When you do a One-Stop Booking reservation (through Marriott's website for meeting space and choose the Reserve Now instead of Request Quote), that is a contract. You have to agree to the terms & conditions including cancellation policy to book. You'll receive a confirmation from the Marriott corporate group (Quick Group Omaha), and usually a follow up from the hotel's event coordinator. Some hotels will send you a food & beverage order (sometimes requesting that you return it signed, others it's advisory) or a credit card authorization. Make sure your Marriott Rewards number is there or add it manually and mention it to the event coordinator. Other hotels will use the online booking information & credit card only.
Don't get hung up on not having a piece of paper saying you'll get 10 nights for a meeting! Focus on having the hotel enter your event in the Group Posting Tool. If it doesn't post automatically within a reasonable period, talk to the event coordinator, make sure they have your MR# and say you're missing points, not nights, for the event. Marriott will take care of the 10 nights when your event posts as an event, the hotel doesn't do it directly.
When you do a One-Stop Booking reservation (through Marriott's website for meeting space and choose the Reserve Now instead of Request Quote), that is a contract. You have to agree to the terms & conditions including cancellation policy to book. You'll receive a confirmation from the Marriott corporate group (Quick Group Omaha), and usually a follow up from the hotel's event coordinator. Some hotels will send you a food & beverage order (sometimes requesting that you return it signed, others it's advisory) or a credit card authorization. Make sure your Marriott Rewards number is there or add it manually and mention it to the event coordinator. Other hotels will use the online booking information & credit card only.
Don't get hung up on not having a piece of paper saying you'll get 10 nights for a meeting! Focus on having the hotel enter your event in the Group Posting Tool. If it doesn't post automatically within a reasonable period, talk to the event coordinator, make sure they have your MR# and say you're missing points, not nights, for the event. Marriott will take care of the 10 nights when your event posts as an event, the hotel doesn't do it directly.
I was presented with an electronic contract at booking and then received an email confirmation with the contract terms. It doesn't say anything about the 10 nights for a meeting but I will watch out for the posting and follow up if they don't properly use the Group Posting Tool.
This year, I need 8 more nights to re-qualify for Platinum. But, in the future, I might actually book conference rooms at Marriott properties for more meetings as I run my own start-up and currently use Regus for conference rooms. $150 for a 4 hour meeting seems very reasonable.
Oct 22, 2017, 8:13 pm
#1744
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 37
so its possible to book a meeting room with just 1 person? would it be weird to do it at the same hotel over and over again?
Oct 22, 2017, 11:47 pm
#1745
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Newton Centre, MA, USA
Programs: DL 2MM Gold, AA Plat Pro; Hilton Lifetime Diamond, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium (via SPG), IHG Plat
Posts: 2,192
Yes, you can do this. But, I always book it for two. Really the hotels seems to be on to this and not care. I've not shown up for any of my bookings and not had any problems. (Knock on wood.)
Oct 23, 2017, 4:09 pm
#1746
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: Delta Diamond, Marriott Ambassador & Lifetime Titanium, Hertz President's Circle, United Silver
Posts: 6,334
I've booked 4 legit meetings at Marriott since late summer. I've racked up 40 hotel nights because of this benefit. In my experience, none of the contracts have ever included it, but they always include the language about bonus points based on spend. Does anyone know if these count toward lifetime status?
Oct 23, 2017, 5:08 pm
#1747
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Pacific Wonderland
Programs: ʙᴏɴᴠo̱ʏ Au, IHG Au, HH Dia, Nexus, Pilot FlyingJ Preferred
Posts: 5,336
I've booked 4 legit meetings at Marriott since late summer. I've racked up 40 hotel nights because of this benefit. In my experience, none of the contracts have ever included it, but they always include the language about bonus points based on spend. Does anyone know if these count toward lifetime status?
Oct 26, 2017, 7:22 pm
#1748
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PM, MM, NR; HH Diamond, Bonvoy LT Gold, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Diamond, others
Posts: 12,159
Yes, it's weird. I had a manager notice a couple of years ago; I told him what I was doing, and he booked more for me at a slight discount (at something like 4-5 AM so it's not like they impacted real business).
Oct 26, 2017, 9:39 pm
#1749
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: BZN
Programs: AA:LT Platinum DL:LT Gold UA:1P MAR:LT Titanium
Posts: 8,291
Yes, one person is fine - what do they care? Two people also works great for a $50 quote. If you're concerned about appearing like you are really going to meet, say it's a 30 minute interview or strategy session or similar. But there's no reason to worry about any of that... you shouldn't even bother showing up. Just book a $50 meeting, sign the contract, and make sure they use the Posting Tool to post your revenue... that will in turn generate the points and 10 EQNs.
Last edited by mooper; Oct 30, 2017 at 5:09 am Reason: typo fix
Oct 27, 2017, 2:24 pm
#1750
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Upper U.S.
Programs: AA EXP x 1.5, DL GM, JB, HH GLD
Posts: 145
Well, I'm giving this a whirl. Just put in a request at three local hotels. I picked ones that had multiple meeting rooms, in hopes that there would be a small one among them. Submitted the request, and we'll see what happens. Thanks for all the info.
Oct 29, 2017, 7:23 am
#1751
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2002
Programs: UALifetimePremierGold, Marriott LifetimeTitanium
Posts: 71,107
Cheers.
Oct 30, 2017, 7:37 pm
#1752
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: Delta Diamond, Marriott Ambassador & Lifetime Titanium, Hertz President's Circle, United Silver
Posts: 6,334
Isn't lifetime only for the lifetime of the program? There's no guarantee that lifetime platinum will be transferred to the new program.
Oct 30, 2017, 7:39 pm
#1753
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: Delta Diamond, Marriott Ambassador & Lifetime Titanium, Hertz President's Circle, United Silver
Posts: 6,334
What's the best rate that everyone has gotten?
Oct 30, 2017, 7:41 pm
#1754
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Join Date: Apr 2017
Programs: HH-D; MR-P/LTP; SPG-P
Posts: 849
Oct 30, 2017, 7:57 pm
#1755
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: Delta Diamond, Marriott Ambassador & Lifetime Titanium, Hertz President's Circle, United Silver
Posts: 6,334
I certainly wouldn't chase lifetime platinum status assuming it will be 100% the same in the new, combined program. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a new, defined top-level above platinum because there are simply too many golds and platinums. For example, the number of elites on a Friday night at the Renaissance in downtown Toledo -- hardly a major business city -- was 3 pages long.