Has this always been the case? I called the elite line to reserve a two night stay using my mega-bonus certificates and wasn't allowed because they weren't accepting award stays.

I seem to recall being allowed to do this in the past...

In the hotel's eyes a cert is the same as points.

I don't see this anywhere in the T&C's..

My experience is that if the hotel isn't showing availabilty for points they won't be available for cert either. I tried calling for a bunch of different dates. It turned out that when the website showed points availability the certs were accepted.

You recall incorrectly. No award nights = no cert nights, it is that simple.

When someone orders a points award, they are really just ordering a cert. That cert can then be applied to an award reservation. When you get a free-night (through a CC, Mega-bonus, etc.), you get a cert that can be applied to an award reservation.

That is how I've always looked at it.

Doesn't mention the need for points availability.

The way you book it is to book a points room and then attach a cert, so why would you think it wasn't based on points availability?

1. You don't need points to make an award reservation. You need award availability to make an award reservation.

2. When making an award reservation, if you have a certificate that covers the award stay then the web site will ask you if you want to use your e-certificate.

3. If you don't have an e-certificate, but you do have enough points in your MR acct to cover the award stay, then the requisite number of points will automatically be deducted for the e-certificate and attached to the reservation.

4. If you do not have an e-certificate nor enough points for the award at the time of booking, then the reservation will be made without an e-certificate, and will be noted as such online, but not in your reservation confirmation (which is a shortcoming IMO). Once you have the requisite points you can return to Marriott.com and request the e-certificate for your award reservation and your points will be deducted and the e-certificate attached to your award reservation.

5. According to the web site you need an e-certificate for your award reservation 2 days before the stay. IMO, anyone waiting until 2 days before their stay to request a certificate is asking for trouble so please do not come back here and complain that your reservation got messed up because you waited until 2 days before your reservation to request a certificate, and that's what the rules say so why was Marriott mean to you. Oh and you fail to mention to us until post #535 in your rant thread, that your award reservation is in Sydney where it is actually 1 day before your stay. You laugh, and you do so because you know it's true.

aaupgrade --

Where is the thread link (post #535 in his rant thread) that you mention above. I would like to read more about his "misfortune."

LOL I guess I forgot to put the joke tags on that post, but I thought the wink emoticon would have covered that.

It all comes out of the same bucket. Rooms yield management allows for only a certain amount of award/certificate/promo rooms. It works much like airlines that have a designated number of lowest fare tickets per flight, etc.

Really, it shouldn't be this hard. I have tried 3 different Cat 4 hotels to try and get my certificates from last summer to attach, but it just keeps trying to deduct from my balance of points and gives no option to use the certs.

I'm new to Marriott, zero points. I got a "free night at a Cat 4 property" certificate e-mailed to me as a Marriott cc bonus. Could not use it online, and had to call Marriott reservations to attach the cert to the reservation I made online for the Montreal airport Marriott.