As soon as upon a time, Marriott Bonvoy was one of the beneficial lodge loyalty packages.
Redemptions have been fairly priced, elite standing perks have been promised with out having to awkwardly push entrance desk workers, and transferring factors from American Categorical Membership Rewards (MR) was a wise method to stretch your stays.
However through the years, Marriott has elevated award costs each loudly and quietly, eliminated its official award chart, and diluted the worth of its factors.
So, in 2025, is Marriott Bonvoy nonetheless price it? Or are you higher off reserving money stays—and even switching lodge loyalty altogether?
The State of Marriott Bonvoy in 2025
Marriott Bonvoy nonetheless presents a large footprint of properties worldwide, from budget-friendly Courtyards to ultra-luxurious Ritz-Carltons.
There’s no denying that having Marriott Bonvoy factors or holding a Marriott Bonvoy bank card permits you to ebook a lodge practically anyplace on the planet and benefit from the perks that include it.
However the worth of Bonvoy factors has taken a success over time:
- Award pricing is now totally dynamic, that means redemption pricing can fluctuate wildly.
- Excessive-end properties value considerably extra factors than earlier than.
- There isn’t a official award chart, making it arduous for travellers to find out if the redemption charges they see on the time of reserving are deal.
For loyalists and enterprise travellers who steadily keep at Marriott lodges, this system can nonetheless be helpful. However should you’re accumulating factors purely to maximise worth, it’s getting tougher to justify.
Marriott’s Unofficial Award Chart in 2025
Marriott not publishes an official award chart, and it as an alternative makes use of a dynamic pricing mannequin that varies by demand.
Nonetheless, behind the scenes, Marriott nonetheless secretly assigns classes to its lodges.
Methods to Discover a Marriott Resort’s Hidden Class (Apart from Ritz-Carlton & Ritz-Carlton Reserves)
- On a PC browser, head over to Marriott’s official homepage and register to your account.
- Seek for a lodge of your curiosity. (Instance: Marriott Downtown at CF Toronto Eaton Centre)
- Click on “View Charges” to move over to the lodge web page.
- Click on on the lodge’s brand. This could open a brand new tab to the lodge’s homepage (following this precise step is essential).
- Proper-click anyplace on the web page and choose “View Web page Supply.”
- Use “Discover on Web page” (Ctrl+F) and seek for “prop_rewards_category_level”.
- You’ll now see the lodge’s assigned class. (For instance, Marriott Downtown at CF Toronto Eaton Centre is a Class 5 lodge)
What Do These Hidden Classes Imply?
Now that you understand how to discover a lodge’s class, the subsequent step is knowing what these ranges really imply.
Though Marriott has switched to totally dynamic pricing, every class nonetheless has a minimal and most award value vary that determines how costly a redemption might be.
Right here’ s a common vary analyzed from miles and factors lovers.
Whereas not an official supply, this offers a ballpark concept of what completely different lodges value in Bonvoy factors.
As you possibly can see, award night time pricing has crept upward with none official announcement from Marriott.
How Marriott Bonvoy’s Devaluations Have an effect on Completely different Resort Classes
Marriott Bonvoy’s shift to dynamic pricing implies that award costs have elevated unpredictably throughout all classes.
Decrease-category lodges (Classes 1-3) have seen minimal adjustments, however their dynamic vary might be weird. For instance, a Class 1 lodge can value over 3 times its minimal award value.
Class 4-6 lodges have seen the largest devaluation, making Free Evening Awards (FNAs) tougher to redeem successfully. Many lodges that have been beforehand bookable with a Free Evening Award now require topping up with extra factors or are outright not possible to ebook, decreasing their worth and utility.
Luxurious lodges in Class 8 and above have seen the steepest value jumps, with some properties now exceeding 200,000 factors per night time. Whereas some ultra-expensive money charges should justify a factors redemption, it’s now price different loyalty packages like Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt for higher worth.
Decrease Classes (1-3): Finances Pleasant No Extra
Traditionally, Class 1-3 lodges have been nice for price range travellers or these trying to earn low-cost Elite Evening credit by prolonged stays.
Whereas these properties have seen comparatively smaller will increase by way of absolute value in factors, the way in which dynamic pricing has been carried out makes redemptions unpredictable and fewer beneficial.
One of many greatest points is the massive hole between minimal and most pricing—for instance, a Class 1 lodge can now value greater than 3 times its minimal value on peak dates.
Personally, I had my eye on AC Resort Penang to earn Elite Evening credit and push in direction of Titanium Elite standing.
Earlier than 2025, this lodge used to constantly value 5,000 factors per night time year-round.
Due to this fact, by using Fifth Evening Free profit, I used to be planning to keep 10 nights for the value of 40,000 Marriott Bonvoy factors. (20,000 factors for a five-night keep x 2)
Nonetheless, the lodge now prices round 12,000 factors per night time constantly all year long. Even with the Fifth Evening Free profit, a five-night keep would complete 48,000 factors—a 140% improve with no added worth.
Given its inconvenient location, I’m now higher off paying simply 9,000 extra factors for a much better keep on the Courtyard Penang, which is nearer to town centre (and even contemplate not travelling to Penang in any respect).
Mid-Tier Classes (4-6): Free Evening Awards Are Tougher to Use
The largest devaluations have occurred in Classes 4-6, and the affect is most noticeable for individuals who redeem Free Evening Awards. Previously, a 35K or 40K Free Evening Award may reliably be used at a strong mid-tier lodge, however that’s not at all times the case.
Each the Marriott Bonvoy American Categorical Card and Marriott Bonvoy Enterprise American Categorical Card in Canada include an annual Free Evening Award price 35,000 factors. These certificates might be topped up with as much as 15,000 Marriott factors, permitting for a redemption of lodges priced as much as 50,000 factors per night time.
American Categorical Marriott Bonvoy Credit score Playing cards
The 40K Free Evening Award is on the market by the 75-night Annual Selection Profit for Titanium Elite members. Identical to the 35K FNA, it may be topped up with as much as 15,000 factors, permitting for redemptions as much as 55,000 factors per night time.
Whereas barely higher than the 35K FNA, peak pricing nonetheless makes redemptions tough, particularly at high-demand resorts and metropolis lodges.
Many beforehand accessible Class 5-6 lodges now value above 55K factors per night time, making FNAs tougher to make use of successfully.
This forces travellers to both use FNAs at lower-tier lodges (which could not be excellent) or high up with extra factors, decreasing the worth of the “free” night time.
Excessive-Finish Classes (8+): The Worst Devaluation Hits Luxurious Accommodations
Whereas higher-end lodges have at all times been costly, essentially the most dramatic will increase have occurred in Class 8 lodges and above.
You’ll must be extraordinarily fortunate to have the ability to use both of the Free Evening Awards to redeem for a Class 7 lodge. And for Class 8 and 9 lodges, the utmost value has elevated dramatically, by 10,000 factors and 20,000 factors respectively.
Some properties even value over 200,000 factors, making it nearly hopeless for a mean traveller to redeem.
Nonetheless, Marriott Bonvoy factors can nonetheless make sense in circumstances the place money charges are extraordinarily excessive in comparison with award pricing. A property just like the Ritz-Carlton Kyoto, the place money charges usually exceed $2,000 per night time, may nonetheless be an affordable redemption at 128,000 factors, yielding about 1.76 cents per level in worth.
Nonetheless, for many different properties, Marriott Bonvoy redemptions could not be price it. With Marriott’s unpredictable pricing and rising redemption prices, it’s now price different packages.
Taking a look at Various Loyalty Packages for Luxurious Stays
With Marriott Bonvoy’s high-end award pricing rising sharply within the latest previous, it’s now price contemplating different lodge loyalty packages to see if they provide higher worth in the identical vacation spot.
Hilton Honors:
- No award chart with fastened pricing, however Free Evening Rewards are far more versatile, since you possibly can redeem them at any property so long as there’s an ordinary redemption charge accessible.
- The addition of Small Luxurious Accommodations of the World to this system presents some very intriguing alternatives for high-value factors redemptions at luxurious lodges.
- The American Categorical Platinum Card offers prompt Gold standing, which incorporates complimentary breakfast at most properties (day by day F&B credit score within the US), a perk that provides important worth.
World of Hyatt:
- Nonetheless maintains an award chart, making it way more predictable than Marriott Bonvoy’s pricing.
- Class 7-8 Hyatt lodges are sometimes considerably cheaper in factors than Marriott Bonvoy’s Class 8-9 properties.
- Globalist standing (top-tier) is arguably one of the best lodge elite standing within the recreation, with close to assured suite upgrades and free breakfast (however it’s additionally tougher to earn).
Conclusion
For enterprise travellers or Lifetime Elite Standing holders, Marriott Bonvoy can nonetheless be a helpful program, however it requires way more effort than earlier than to get good worth.
The stealth devaluations, unpredictable pricing, and elevated redemption prices make it tougher to maximise factors, particularly for these counting on Free Evening Awards or lower-category properties for elite standing runs.
That mentioned, I nonetheless see pockets of worth in this system. Low-category lodges can nonetheless be helpful for incomes low-cost elite nights or prolonged stays, and mid-tier properties are finest utilized when you’ve gotten simply sufficient factors to high up a Free Evening Award.
As for luxurious properties, Bonvoy redemptions can nonetheless make sense—however solely when the money charge is astronomically costly.
Nonetheless, if there’s one rule that applies to any loyalty program, it’s earn and burn. Factors will nearly actually devalue over time, so don’t hoard greater than you want.
