Unlocking Marriott Bonvoy’s Hidden Award Prices
A few years back, Marriott Bonvoy decided to eliminate its award charts and hotel categories, making life just a bit more complicated for those of us who love to travel on points. They moved to dynamic award pricing, and while that was intended to be transparent, it really wasn’t. Turns out, there’s still a secret chart lurking in the shadows. Let’s dive into what this means, especially after the latest frustrating devaluation.
Marriott Bonvoy Hotel Categories & Award Costs
Did you know Marriott Bonvoy still sneaks hotels into categories just like in the good old days? Yeah, neither did I until the savvy folks at Seal The Deal Travels dropped this bombshell. Each category comes with its own award price range, even if Marriott says otherwise.
Let’s break it down. Apparently, they’ve got nine categories with these sneaky point ranges:
- Category 1: 5,000-18,000 points/night
- Category 2: 10,000-28,000 points/night
- Category 3: 15,000-36,500 points/night
- Category 4: 22,000-55,000 points/night
- Category 5: 35,000-76,000 points/night
- Category 6: 40,000-88,000 points/night
- Category 7: 50,000-105,000 points/night
- Category 8: 52,000-140,000 points/night
- Category 9: 88,000-152,000 points/night
But wait! Some fabulously expensive destinations love to break these rules!
- Ritz-Carlton Maldives and St. Regis Maldives: 108,000-198,000 points/night
- JW Marriott Masai Mara: 192,000-236,000 points/night
- Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties and St. Regis spots with limits ranging from 125,000 up to 327,500 points/night
- North Island Seychelles Luxury Collection hitting 443,000-605,000 points/night (wow…just wow)
How to Find Out Where Your Hotel Stands
Think finding your hotel category is as easy as pie? Sorry! It’s a bit of a tricky task. Fire up marriott.com, search for your hotel of choice, and sleuth around for the “View Page Source” option – because nothing says “holiday” like site code reading, right?
In that jumble of text, search for “category” (cue a Ctrl + F genius moment). You’ll find something tidy like “prop_rewards_category_level”:”9”. Which essentially means: “Congratulations! Your hotel is a Category 9, so brace yourself for a pricier points bill.”
Does This Info Really Matter?
When Marriott launched this dynamic pricing adventure, we all had a load of questions. Naturally. Is there any rhyme or reason behind this? Well, unofficial categories hint at some sense of logic. The impressive detectives over at Seal The Deal Travels confirm these hidden charts matter because:
- The award cost range per category? Yeah, ballooned up. Surprise!
- Some fancy-pants properties defy these limits—easily, unlike earlier.
- Marriott likes to keep its options open, sneaking in changes whenever it fancies.
Could this sneaky chart change how you should cash in those points? Honestly, probably not. It’s insightful for sure, but ultimately, understanding Marriott’s pricing can bring peace of mind. Remember, Marriott sets the hotel pricing, not the hotels themselves, based on their own mysterious secret cost metrics.
Bottom Line
So, they’ve shuffled the award cards a bit, but keep in mind that Marriott Bonvoy is tactically grouping hotels into categories for redemption purposes. They just don’t want you to know. But now you do.
What do you make of this unofficial Marriott Bonvoy award chart?
As you ponder that, if you’re in need of some winter escapism, think about Val Seny ski resort. Don’t forget to check what category your accommodation might secretly belong to!