nineworldseries

I'm pretty much done with Marriott at this point unless there are no other options where I'm staying. Back in the days of the cert promos, Marriott was my first choice. I'm not going to requalify for gold this year, and my business is going mainly to Hyatt and Starwood.

nacho

I think Marriott shouldn't have called this Megabonus? What's so mega about this promo?

For road warriors 25/35/40/55k points is nothing for them, they have tons of pts anyway;
For leisure travellers, double points promo is so little, 25k pts after 15 nights? Would I try to pursue that by staying at Marriott? I seriously doubt that.

Yes the pts don't expire but they devaluate over time.

sdsearch

Not all road warriors are on high budgets. I stay at hotels 3 nights a week, but it's paid out of my own pocket on my own tight budget, and I can't afford to pay more than about $100 including taxes (so about max $85ish before taxes) most nights. (It helps that I'm always staying in suburban locations where rates are not as sky-high as in many city centers. But then I often actually pay around only $75ish before taxes, so for me the MegaBonus is proportionally even more sigfnicant!)

I know many other people who, while doing work-reimbursed travel, have tight restrictions on acceptable room rates. Maybe they're a little bit higher than mine, but you have to be paying a lot more than my $85/night example before the MegaBonus 50k for 25 nights starts to be insignificant.

On those rates (mostly Fairfields or deeply LNFd other brands), points are not earned so quickly without MegaBonus (I usually get the 50k version, I'm going to try for 55k this time).

Furthermore, free night certfificates don't help a single bit with lifetime status. Gold Liftetime status at Marriot requires not only 500 lifetime nights (not so hard if you're Plat every year, that's less than a decade) but also tons (1.6 million) lifetime points.

Without using the best promo, it's not possible when staying at cheap rates to get anywhere close to 1.6 milllion lifetime points after reaching 500 lifetime nights. ($85/night x 10 points + 5 elite + 5 credit card = 1700 points * 500 nights = 850k points. Or $75/night = 750k ponts about 500 nights. But add in 50k bonus points for every 25 nights, and then for 500 nights that's an extra 1 million points. Thus on cheap hotel rates, the many-night versions of MegaBonus can dwarf the "regular" earnings you get from the stay (assuming you only stay at Marriott up to the point of maxing out each MegaBonus, which is pretty much true in my case).

Obviously, this math only works on the many-nights version of MegaBonus (which give a flat number of points based on nights, regardless of rate). The few-nights version of the latest (two rounds of) Marriott bonuses are double points, which are extremely related to rate (but also related to brand, as a few brands like Residence Inn earn only half the points per dollar spent).

Now, obviously, I didn't factor in the Plat welcome bonus. But if staying at Fairfields for 3-night stays, 200 welcome points per stay doesn't add up very fast. (If hotel hopping at full-service Marriott brands, yet paying these same rates, then it's a bit more signficant -- 1500 welcome points for 3 1-night stays.)

wethereyet

MB points over the years really add up. Where it helps is the bonuses also add to the LT totals as well for those trying to reach it.

If they took the offers to zero, it would definitely be a reason to move everything to another chain. Marriott is offering what is the min they can offer and know they won't lose any biz to other chains. Until another chain gives a much better offering, the Megabonus will never increase. Next time it will happen is the next travel crash due to bad recession, etc.

sdsearch

If a cert is cat 1-4, what's the difference between having a cert and having the number of points needed for a cat 4? (Same question for cat 1-5.) All I can see is (a) the certs expire but the points don't, and (b) the certs have no savings if used for cat 3 or lower, but you save on points if you actually redeem for cat 3 or lower.

Now, in the past earning the certs needed a lot fewer stays than earning the equivalent number of points. But if you were doing enough stays to earn either, I don't understand what the value is in the cat 1-4 certs over the number of points needed for a cat 4 night, or in the cat 1-5 certs over the number of points needed for a cat 5 night.

In other words, I don't see any benefit to (category-limited) certs over points on the usage side, I see it only on the earning side (if, as in the past, you can earn one with a lot fewer nights than the equivalent number of points).

Now, if these were category-unlimited certs like over at iHG (but there you only earn them one a year from credit card as far I know, never in stay-based promos), then it might be a bit more valuable. But I've never heard of Marriott giving any mere mortals category-unlimited certs.

AA Novice

+1

Marriott has just about seen the last of me. I will only be staying at a Marriott property if its the cheapest or only option where I am going.

dank0014

Have we ever looked ourselves in the mirror and just ask if we have just become so greedy with these things? I'm happy for what they are giving me. They provide a base program, and to me, these promotions are just considering the icing on the cake to provide an extra boost. Marriott by no means treats me as well as I get treated at Hyatt, but I get what I expect from them and sometimes more. This to me is just someone "more" from Marriott.

allset2travel

Not too excited about this promo. Think I will sign up for a Hyatt Diamond challenge.

nobbyclark

You can never have enough points.

wethereyet

I used to think that. Had 3M in account at peak.

I'd rather sleep in my own bed. Can't get the time away from family and friends back. Life is short.

Grab what freebies they give and if none go to anyone who will. Hotel and airline merry go round. Yee hah. Lol

MileageGoblin

How is it greedy? MR has been following the industry trend to constantly devalue instead of separating from the pack by retaining promotion awards. This isn't Hilton which is owned by Blackstone who is just fleecing that company.

And this promotion does practically nothing to boost discretionary spend in the Fall. The only people that will make out on this are the people that travel for business and would have traveled regardless. People like me who travel constantly on their own dime won't book that extra reservation with cash. I'll probably just burn some Certs since the bonus points aren't worthwhile to pay cash.

FlyerTom111

I got 35+15 but it says I am already registered. Did anyone else automatically get enrolled?

pbiflyer

I got a rock. No new promotion according to the Marriott website for me.
Just as well, will be spending more time are Starwood properties anyway.

swag

1. Points don't expire. Certs do.
2. Points can be upgraded, e.g., you can combine 20K Megabonus points with 10K other points to get a night at a cat 6. You can't add points to a cert to get a higher category.
3. Points cost less if using a lower category hotel. If you want to stay at a cat 2, you can use 10K Megabonus points and have 10 left over (or stay 2 nights). If you use a cat 4 Megabonus cert at a cat 2 hotel, there's no refund.
4. Points count towards lifetime status. Certs don't.

VickiSoCal

I absolutely prefer points to certs. BUT I felt it was a little insulting to the higher end customers to give them 50K points for 25 nights, when someone could get the equivalent in certs for 4 nights.

As for incentives to stay an extra night or two, they are still there. If I look at the calendar for fall and the husband as 23 nights booked for work, sure I'm going to look at how to work in an extra 2 on personal travel, or swinging something planned for another chain.