The Marriott Bonvoy Moments characteristic permits members to redeem factors for experiences fairly than lodge stays, both by way of an public sale or by buying them outright. The varieties of experiences can embrace VIP entry to live shows, culinary experiences, premier sporting occasions, and extra, all obtainable by way of an on-line portal.
Whereas the most effective redemptions of Marriott Bonvoy factors sometimes lie in aspirational lodge and resort stays, the Marriott Bonvoy Moments program presents quite a lot of various makes use of if you end up in the hunt for an expertise as a substitute of a spot to remain.
What Are Marriott Bonvoy Moments?
Marriott Bonvoy Moments are a group of experiences that may be bought solely with Bonvoy factors by way of an internet portal. Some experiences could also be bid for by way of an public sale, whereas some could also be confirmed with a hard and fast quantity of factors.
Lots of the experiences are held at Marriott-affiliated inns and resorts, and typically, the Second might entail a keep on the property as nicely.
Marriott Bonvoy Moments are divided into 4 classes:
- Culinary Moments, which embrace wining and eating at well-known eating places, culinary programs with famend cooks, non-public dinners in distinctive areas, and extra.
- Arts & Way of life Moments, which is a broad assortment encompassing artwork reveals, vogue occasions, amusement parks, cultural experiences, and float rides, amongst others.
- Sports activities Moments, which provide prime entry to a spread of occasions at numerous venues worldwide by way of Marriott’s partnerships with leagues, groups, and venues, together with the NCAA, Manchester United, and extra.
- Leisure Moments, which embrace live shows, awards ceremonies, unique events, and sporting occasions, typically with premium seating. For instance, you may count on entry to Marriott’s non-public suites at leisure venues, such because the Crypto.com Enviornment in LA, The O2 in London, and the Mercedes-Benz Enviornment in Shanghai.
It’s value noting that the Marriott Bonvoy Moments program is separate from the Excursions & Actions program, additionally supplied by Marriott. The previous sometimes consists of one-off and unique experiences, whereas the latter presents journey experiences that you could additionally discover with different tour firms.
Bonvoy members might redeem factors for as much as 5 Moments per calendar 12 months, with as much as two packages per occasion. Sadly, residents of Quebec aren’t eligible to take part within the Moments program for now, however the foundation for eligibility appears to rely solely on the deal with listed in your Bonvoy profile.
Should you attain the utmost of 5 Moments redemptions, remember that you may at all times provoke free on-line transfers of as much as 100,000 Bonvoy factors to different individuals’s accounts yearly.
In response to the Marriott Bonvoy Moments FAQs, auctions are typically supplied between 15 and 30 days from the launch of the occasion. The listing is often up to date, so it might be worthwhile to examine as soon as a month or so to see if something piques your curiosity.
Tips on how to Redeem Factors for Marriott Bonvoy Moments
There are two methods to redeem factors for Marriott Bonvoy Moments.
The primary is to purchase packages outright at a hard and fast worth. For these Moments, you may immediately verify your expertise, and the factors will instantly be deducted out of your account.
Observe that after bought, Moments are non-refundable, so you’ll want to examine all particulars earlier than clicking by way of.
The second manner is thru an auction-style format, whereby members bid on Moments from a hard and fast beginning worth. Bids improve by increments of not less than 2,500 factors, and you’ve got the choice to put a one-time bid or to enter a most bid.
If somebody outbids your one-time bid, you’ll need to enter in one other bid if, for instance, you actually need to redeem Bonvoy factors to see Manchester recreation on the Outdated Trafford in Manchester.
Should you select to enter a most bid as a substitute, you will need to enter essentially the most Bonvoy factors you’d be prepared to half with to win a specific expertise. If somebody outbids you, the bidding system will robotically improve your bid by the bottom doable increments, till your most is reached.
Observe that you could’t alter or take away your bid, so be ready to half with the total quantity of your bid earlier than clicking “Bid Now”. You’ll robotically be disqualified from the public sale in case your steadiness is inadequate to cowl your bid at any level all through the public sale.
You’ll be notified by e mail in case you win an public sale, or in case you’re outbid. A Marriott Bonvoy Moments specialist will contact you to finalize the main points of the expertise in case you win, and the factors shall be deducted out of your account.
Does Marriott Bonvoy Moments Supply Good Worth?
Since Marriott Bonvoy Moments claims to supply unique entry to quite a lot of experiences, it might be tough to calculate the precise worth of a Moments expertise. That is very true if it’s a non-public occasion, for which most people can’t pay money.
Moreover, the worth naturally fluctuates relying on how essential a specific expertise is to you. A Manchester United fan might really feel giddy with pleasure to get pleasure from VIP hospitality at Outdated Trafford, whereas somebody who’s utterly detached to soccer would possibly balk at that very same proposition.
In the meantime, in case you’re sitting on a big sum of Marriott Bonvoy factors and don’t intend to make use of them for lodge stays, maybe the thought of throwing 100,000 factors at a specific expertise might be a enjoyable method to get one thing out of your factors.
Regardless of the case could also be, an goal method to take into account the worth of a Second is to ask your self: “Am I getting good worth through the use of $X value of Bonvoy factors for this expertise?”
Take the Chef-Guided Khao Chae Workshop at Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park, for instance. This package deal, obtainable for 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy factors, consists of:
- Two-night keep in an M Suite at Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park together with day by day breakfast
- Non-public limousine transfers to the workshop occasion
- Khao Chae workshop for 2
- Khao Chae media occasion for 2
- Thai garland scarf memento for 2
It’s a simple package deal—not precisely a mind-blowing redemption—however right here’s why it’s a strong deal.
Reserving the identical lodge by itself (with out the culinary expertise) would price 74,000 Marriott Bonvoy factors for a commonplace king room. Should you needed to remain within the precise M Suite included within the package deal, you’d need to shell out 119,200 factors.
So, as a substitute of spending 74,000 factors on a primary room, you may improve to a set with lounge entry, day by day breakfast, and a singular cultural expertise—for simply 1,000 additional factors.
In fact, your journey dates have to align with the package deal availability, and in case you maintain Platinum Elite standing or larger, you’d already get pleasure from lounge entry and complimentary breakfast.
Nevertheless, contemplating the suite improve, unique culinary expertise, and minimal additional factors required, this redemption is an absolute steal.
Let’s take a pair extra examples in a bit of extra superior perspective.
We worth Bonvoy factors at 0.8 cents per level (CAD) / 0.6 cents per level (USD), which is the benchmark we’ll use within the beneath evaluation.
For instance, there’s a closed provide from the previous, which delivered two tickets to see Drake in live performance on the Scotiabank Enviornment in Toronto. For 55,000 Bonvoy factors, which we’d worth at $440 (CAD), consumers obtained two tickets in part 108, plus VIP entry to the world.
Contemplating that seats on the identical part now resell on Ticketmaster for upwards of $2,000 (CAD) every, the fortunate Bonvoy members acquired themselves a incredible deal – and so they didn’t need to undergo the standard trouble of securing the much-coveted tickets within the first place.
As one other instance, take into account the next earlier Second, which presents three nights of experiences in Montreal:
Included on this package deal had been:
- Three-night keep at Le Centre Sheraton Montreal, value $1,277 (CAD)
- Dinner for 2 at Stanley Restaurant, value $180 (CAD)
- Two platinum-level tickets to the Montreal Canadiens vs. New Jersey Devils recreation, value $460 (CAD)
- Dinner for 2 at La Mise au Jeu Restaurant, value $200 (CAD)
- Two autographed Montreal Canadiens jerseys, value $300 (CAD)
- VIP Shania Twain Queen of Me Tour live performance expertise for 2 with lower-bowl seats, value $580 (CAD)
Plus, this Second comes with a slew of VIP perks, together with:
- Entry to the Montreal Canadiens Director’s Lounge
- A single parking area within the Montreal Canadiens’ non-public storage
- Entry to the Montreal Canadiens Media Lounge and Press Gallery
- Entry to the Montreal Canadiens dressing room and post-game press convention
- Entry to the Shania Twain Queen of Me pre-show lounge, together with complimentary drinks and light-weight appetizers, one merchandise merchandise per particular person, and autographed memento
The approximate values listed above had been taken from the lodge, restaurant, and Ticketmaster web sites. For the lodge keep, tickets, jerseys, and meals alone, you’re already getting roughly $3,000 (CAD) in worth – plus, you’re getting loads of VIP advantages that the general public doesn’t essentially have entry to.
Two of the Montreal Moments package deal are at the moment bidding for 122,000 Bonvoy factors, which we’d worth at $976 (CAD). The public sale wasn’t closing for 10 days after the time of writing; nonetheless, to match the approximate $3,000 (CAD) worth of the packages, you’d need to bid about 350,000 Bonvoy factors, which remains to be a far cry from the present bid.
Even when you find yourself bidding factors to match and even exceed the face worth of the package deal, you may nonetheless come out forward with the unique perks you’ll be receiving. A daily attendee of an NHL recreation, irrespective of in the event that they paid for the most costly tickets in the home, gained’t essentially get entry to a crew’s dressing room and post-game convention. Equally, a Shania Twain fan might discover it exhausting to get an autographed memento.
Whereas there are lots of different components that might change the valuation above, it’s value noting that the worth that Moments provide varies broadly relying on the package deal worth, how a lot you worth Bonvoy factors, and most significantly, a person’s tastes and preferences.
Should you’re a die-hard opera fan, and a Second presents you a premium seat, a chef’s dinner, and a meet-and-greet along with your favorite soprano, you may not cease speaking about this for the remainder of your life.
The identical is true for foodies, sports activities followers, vogue gurus, and music lovers – the teams for whom Moments appear to be designed.
Conclusion
The Marriott Bonvoy Moments program presents an alternate redemption possibility apart from aspirational lodge stays or transfers to airline loyalty applications. It additionally serves as an fascinating method to spend your Bonvoy factors on one thing that you just would possibly discover invaluable with out having to shell out the money.
Because the number of Moments is continually altering, it might be worthwhile to often examine the web site for experiences that could be of curiosity to you. The expertise might be an excellent praise to a vacation or a pleasant shock for somebody particular, maybe even providing you an unforgettable expertise that cash can’t purchase – however factors can.
