“Cingular (now AT&T) rollover meets Marriott rewards”
This new Marriott offering ensures you stay Elite Platinum through 2011 without having to worry about racking up the required nights in 2010. Silver and Gold members have a similar offer. I’m not sure we can call this a promotion as there doesn’t seem to be an expiration date. Perhaps it will be a permanent offering going forward. Expect the other hotel chains to follow suit with similar offerings – they have to.
The Sell:
| You asked for it; we’ve created it. We’re breaking new ground to help you achieve – and increase – your Elite status. Introducing Elite Rollover Nights! After you’ve stayed enough nights to earn Elite status in 2009, we’ll roll over all additional nights to 2010 (for example, Silver member nights in excess of 10, Gold member nights in excess of 50 and Platinum members nights in excess of 75). That means you can start earning next year’s status this year! It’s the only rollover night enhancement we know of – anywhere. And we’ve designed it exclusively for you. Plus, get a head start with Double Nights. Between May 11 and June 26, every night you stay counts twice! If you’re not registered, you can sign up now. So get rolling! Reserve at any of more than 3,000 Marriott hotels worldwide. Since every night this year counts, it’s easier to maintain your status – and achieve the next level in 2010. No need to do anything extra: your Elite Rollover Nights will be automatically posted to your 2010 account. |
This is a great offering with a promotion thrown in as well. Make sure you sign up so it’s even easier to get Platinum Status through 2010.
George asks:
Point Man – I recently booked a trip using Marriott points and am looking to upgrade my room. I’ve offered to pay cash for the upgrade but they declined. Assuming there are vacancies, any ideas?
George, I recall a few instances when I was upgraded due to my Platinum status with the Marriott even when I used points to book the room. It’s always at the hotel’s discretion on whether they want to upgrade you if you haven’t actually paid for the top floor suite. I have not come across any way to pay additional money on top of points to get a better room. In my experience point-based airlines also follow the same rule - if you use frequent flyer points to book a flight, you cannot pay to get upgrade. You need to spend the points to get the first class seat. I don’t believe hotels are setup to handle that type of transaction.
I do recall staying at the W in Montreal and getting upgraded from an already amazing room to the "WOW" suite (and quickly understanding why it was given that title). The reason? Construction from the building next door kept me up all night. I politely explained the poor circumstances to the front desk manager and was quickly upgraded.
Your best bet is to be polite and friendly - perhaps pay the front desk manager a compliment while he/she is checking you in. If it isn’t a busy weekend, you might get a free upgrade since rooms are a fixed cost. I suppose you could complain about your room, but without proper justification that would be lying :-)
Any readers have better suggestions - feel free to comment. Great questions - keep them coming.
We know they’ve already devalued the Marriott points by raising the required points for stays at various higher-end Marriott hotels, but signing up only takes a few minutes if you’re already a member. There’s no point in missing out on extra points.
Sign up here.
Details From the Promotion:
- Register by March 31 to Earn up to 50,000 MegaBonusSM Points
- You’re not dreaming. This is real and a really good opportunity to earn thousands of extra Marriott Rewards® points. Just register for the MegaBonus promotion and receive 35,000 bonus points when you stay 20 paid nights at Marriott hotels. Plus, you’ll receive an extra 15,000 bonus points when you stay a total of 25 paid nights - for a grand total of 50,000 bonus points toward the vacation of your dreams.
- Stay: At any of more than 2,900 participating Marriott brand hotels between February 1 and April 30, 2009.
- Earn: 35,000 Marriott Rewards bonus points when you stay 20 paid nights. Earn an additional 15,000 bonus points when you stay 25 paid nights. You can receive up to 50,000 bonus points overall.
Happy New Year :-)
If you’re a Marriott Rewards member, you may have recently received an email titled "Introducing No Blackout Dates" with a link to this promotion. In mid-September, we posted an article referencing a leaked Marriott promotion that was the precursor to this promotion. It looks like most of the original promotion items are true, but there are a few additional changes which actually makes this bad news for Marriott Rewards members. Before you get all excited about new benefits like, "Redeem 4 nights and get the 5th night free!" and "Enjoy a 50% Platinum Elite Bonus" take a behind the scenes look at what they have done to the points required for stays.
TABLE 1: Changes in Required Points (Each cell represents the INCREASE or DECREASE in points required, NOT the total points)
| CATEGORY | 1 night | 2 nights | 3 nights | 4 nights | 5 nights | 6 nights | 7 nights |
| 1 | 0 | 1000 | 2500 | 5000 | 0 | 2500 | 12500 |
| 2 | 0 | 1000 | 3000 | 5000 | -3000 | 0 | 15000 |
| 3 | 0 | 2000 | 4000 | 8000 | -3000 | 2000 | 23000 |
| 4 | 0 | 2000 | 5000 | 10000 | -3000 | 5000 | 35000 |
| 5 | 0 | 4000 | 10000 | 20000 | 5000 | 20000 | 60000 |
| 6 | 0 | 5000 | 12000 | 25000 | 10000 | 30000 | 80000 |
| 7 | 0 | 5000 | 15000 | 30000 | 10000 | 35000 | 95000 |
As an example, you will now need 25,000 more points to stay 4 nights at a Category 6 hotel at an increase of 26% over the original required points of 95,000 points for a total of 120,000 points! To stay 7 nights at a Category 7 hotel will require an additional 95000 points - that’s an increase in required points of over 63%!!!
Looks like Marriott is going the airline route and devaluing their points as well. Shame on Marriott for trying to pull a fast one. MTP advises you to use those reward points this year if you can help it because on January 15th 2009, they will be worth a lot less.
All that gold is not glitter.
It started with an update to the Marriott website which was inadvertently placed on their rewards page. Someone posted the update to the FlyerTalk forums:
Marriott Rewards has announced enhancements to the program beginning January 15, 2009.
- No blackout dates on points redemptions for standard rooms
- Increase of Platinum member elite bonus from 30% to 50%
- 4th night free on a 3 night hotel redemption using points
90 minutes later, the update was removed from the Marriott website and within 30 minutes of the removal a post was made to the same thread:
"Earlier today, information about possible changes to the Marriott Rewards program was mistakenly published on Marriott.com.
Based upon your feedback regarding blackout dates and capacity controls, we are evaluating potential program enhancements. We have nothing to announce at this time. We’re sorry for any confusion this might have caused and we’ll be sure to provide advanced notice of any future changes.
Marriott Concierge Team"
If this program is eventually implemented, it would be a huge contrast to the negative trend in airline point programs and a bright spot in an otherwise terrible environment for travelers. Higher ticket prices, increased airline fees, and the "cost reduction" changes to frequent flyer programs may be having a detrimental effect on hotel profitability. As prices increase and the economy continues to implode, clients, companies, and travelers will naturally look for ways to cut expenses. Unfortunately for us, airlines have a lock on travel (we’re a captive audience), but travelers have more flexibility in moving to lower cost lodging, even if it means losing out on points. It would be smart for hotel chains to look at the big picture and be proactive about targeting and retaining their best customers. Kudos to Marriott for looking ahead. Hopefully they execute…
At MTP we stress that points are just the icing on the cake, not the cake itself. These days there is not much to look forward to when traveling. Spend your time on the road wisely so you have more time with family and loved ones - that’s the cake.
There’s not much to say other than register especially if you’re already staying at a Marriott hotel between July 1st and August 31st, 2008. You’ll earn 10,000 Marriott Rewards points for every third paid stay you make at Marriott.
Term and Conditions:
- Marriott Rewards members who register for this promotion will earn 10,000 bonus points every third paid stay, when their first paid stay and subsequent paid stays are made between July 1 and August 31, 2008, at a participating Marriott property – up to a maximum 30,000 points.
- Registration is required.
- Registration ends June 30, 2008.
- This offer is not transferable.
- Nights spent while redeeming an award are not eligible for credit.
- A stay is defined as consecutive nights spent at the same hotel, regardless of check-in/check-out activity.
- Only one room per hotel is counted towards a member’s nights or stay.
- Members electing to earn miles are not eligible for this promotion.
- All Marriott Rewards program terms and conditions apply.
- Visit MarriottRewards.com, call 1-888-MARRIOTT, or call your local Marriott Rewards Guest Services office for complete details.
I don’t know why Marriott and other hotels do not automatically sign up frequent travelers for these promotions. Just imagine what a nice surprise it would be to see bonus points on your point statements without having to go through the tedious process of registering every quarter for the special promotion. Perhaps they are testing to see if you still care.
Not to be outdone by Hyatt, it looks like Marriott Platinum Elite members are eligible for a special one-year complimentary membership to Clear.
Off the Website:
The Clear Card allows you to access a fast lane through airport security at 17 major airports nationwide. As the number of participating airports grows, so does the value of Clear. The first time you breeze through security without the unpredictable, long lines, you’ll marvel at the time you save.
Enrollment in Clear is easy and, for Marriott Platinum Rewards members, complimentary. Start the process online by clicking join now on the left, then bring two forms of government-issued I.D. to any Clear enrollment station, where an attendant will confirm your I.D.s, capture iris and fingerprint images, and take your photograph.
After that, we’ll mail you your card and you’ll be free and clear, ready to speed through airport security, whether you’re on your way to your next Marriott stay, or anywhere else.
While it is not accepted everywhere, it appears to be rolling out to more and more airports each month.
Airports Accepting the Clear card:
- Albany (ALB)
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (CVG)
- Denver (DEN)
- Indianapolis (IND)
- Jacksonville (JAX)*
- New York JFK Terminals 1, 4 and 7 (JFK)
- New York LaGuardia Central Terminal (LGA)
- Newark Terminal B2 (EWR)
- Little Rock (LIT)
- Oakland (OAK)
- Orlando (MCO)
- Reno-Tahoe (RNO)*
- San Francisco (SFO)
- San José (SJC)
- Washington Dulles (IAD)
- Washington Reagan (DCA)
- Westchester (HPN)
Just enter “Marriott” followed immediately by your Marriott Rewards number in the discount field on the payment information page at the end of the enrollment process and receive your complimentary first year of membership.
Less time in a security line can only be a good thing.
We all need More Than Points to keep our sanity, but maximize points while you have to be away from your family by signing up for Marriott’s Spring Megabonus Promotion.
Rewards differ based various (unknown) factors. As a Platinum member, my reward promotion was:
Stay and Earn
Receive 5,000 Marriott Rewards MegaBonus points for every other paid stay you make, beginning with your second stay – up to a total of 25,000 points.
A co-worker with Gold status received:
Stay and Earn
Receive 30,000 Marriott Rewards MegaBonus points when you stay a total of 20 paid nights at Marriott, then an additional 20,000 points when you stay a total of 25 paid nights – up to a total of 50,000 points.
Looks like the Gold member got the better deal than me!
Promotion runs from February 15th through May 15th so don’t forget to sign up and maximize your point earnings. Stay warm.
I’m slightly spoiled with my ubiquitous wireless access thanks to my EVDO connection. If you haven’t jumped on the EVDO train and you travel every week, I suggest you bring it up in the next company meeting. Sitting in the airport waiting for your plane to arrive doesn’t have quite the same sting if you can busy yourself with news, sports, YouTube, email, and everything else available with a wireless connection.
For those of you without EVDO connections, HotelChatter just completed their assessment of the best hotel chains of 2007 for free WiFi.
It looks like Marriott came ahead thanks to the free WiFi offered in their less expensive properties (Courtyard, Residence Inn, etc.). Personally, I’d rather have a nice bed than free wireless. Marriott is obviously targeting a different customer segment with their free WiFi. The only other properties I recognized as possibilities for the business traveler, besides the Marriott, were The W and The Omni and their free WiFi was limited to the lobby areas. That really just narrows it down to the Marriott low end properties for business travelers. If you’re staying at the W or the Omni and you’re on a business trip – you’re not likely traveling on a weekly basis and paying $9.95 / night isn’t really a big expense.
As a Marriott Platinum Member, I usually enjoy free internet access regardless of the Marriott. I’m sure most memberships programs offer the same benefits at the top levels.
Still, having a high-speed wireless connection at your disposal can’t be a bad thing so check it out.
It’s springtime and Marriott is offering free bonus points for the taking!
From the promotion page:
Earn 35,000 Marriott Rewards® Points With MegaBonus Getting from where you are to the vacation of your dreams is now easier than ever. Just register for the MegaBonus promotion and earn 35,000 Marriott Rewards points when you stay a total of 20 paid nights with Marriott®. It’s a great way to enjoy the vacation you’ve always wanted, before you know it.
Just 3 Easy Steps:
- Register – By selecting the red “Register” button to the right, or by calling 1-888-MARRIOTT (627-7468).
- Stay – At any of more than 2,600 Marriott hotels between March 1, 2007 and May 31, 2007.
- Earn – 35,000 Marriott Rewards bonus points when you stay a total of 20 paid nights at Marriott.
Apparently, you really earn 2500 bonus points per stay, but that needs to be confirmed.
Terms & Conditions and FAQ
Marriott Rewards members will earn their MegaBonus for qualifying stays that are made between March 1, 2007 and May 31, 2007, at participating Marriott properties. Registration is required. Nights spent while redeeming an award are not eligible for credit. This offer is non-transferable. A stay is defined as consecutive nights spent at the same hotel, regardless of check-in/check-out activity. Members electing to earn miles are not eligible for this promotion. All Marriott Rewards program terms and conditions apply. Visit MarriottRewards.com or call 801-468-4000 for complete details.