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.
From their website:
"Rediscover what you love about Delta—and get a special gift of 1,000 bonus miles. Register today, then book your round-trip ticket and fly by November 15, 2008."
Plus, if you book at delta.com you’ll earn an additional 500 bonus miles. You’ll always find our best fares at delta.com—guaranteed—and you’ll also enjoy:
- Easy and flexible search options for flights
- Zero booking fees (that’s up to a $25 savings)
- Fast online check-in
Earning up to 1,500 bonus miles will get you closer to an Award Ticket. We’ve added new nonstop international destinations to choose from:
- Atlanta (ATL)—London (LHR)
- Atlanta (ATL)—Shanghai (PVG)
- Atlanta (ATL)—Stockholm (ARN)
- New York (JFK)—Cairo (CAI)
- New York (JFK)—Cape Town (CPT)
- New York (JFK)—Dakar (DKR)
- New York (JFK)—London (LHR)
- New York (JFK)—Lyon (LYS)
- New York (JFK)—Malaga (AGP)
Delta Airlines is seriously out of touch with their best customers. 1000 bonus miles is a "special gift" ? With the fees and usage limitations on frequent flyer miles, 1000 bonus points is not much of an incentive to fly Delta Airlines.
Short and sweet. Click here to sign-up. If you’re already flying, its more points for little effort. Given all the point devaluation events these days, you’ll need as many points as possible if you want to redeem them for flights. The following details are listed for your convenience, but also included in linked page.
Ticketing dates: October 1, 2008 - December 15, 2008
Travel dates: October 1, 2008 - December 15, 2008
“Selected Mileage Plus members can earn up to 40,000 redeemable bonus miles from United when they fly between October 1 and December 15, 2008. Register, and then complete up to six roundtrips (three domestic and three international) in one of the qualifying booking classes on United® or United Express® between October 1 and December 15, 2008."
You can earn between 2,000 miles and 40,000 miles total - the more roundtrips you fly, the more miles you can earn.
Domestic Offer (MPD618) (qualifying booking classes: F, A, P, C, D, Z, Y, B, M, E, U, H)
| One completed roundtrip | 2,000 bonus miles |
| Two completed roundtrips | 5,000 bonus miles |
| Three completed roundtrips | 15,000 bonus miles |
International Offer (MPD628) (qualifying booking classes: F, A, P, C, D, Z)
| One completed roundtrip | 5,000 bonus miles |
| Two completed roundtrips | 10,000 bonus miles |
| Three completed roundtrips | 25,000 bonus miles |
Happy Tuesday, road warriors.
Go ahead, pick your promotion! This offer allows you to select a promotion based on your travel needs. Asking for recommendations gives you a few guidelines for picking one which fits your needs.
Select the scenario that best fits you and we’ll help you choose the right reward options.
- I know I’m going to be traveling and want to shoot for elite status faster.
- I have a lot of stays coming up. I’d like to maximize my Starpoints® balance.
- I have travel plans and I’m interested in earning Free Night Awards toward future travel.
- I have one or two long trips planned and I want to maximize the amount of Starpoints I can earn.
- I’m new to the SPG® program and I would like to jump-start my Starpoints balance fast.
- Show me some rewards other than Starpoints for my stays.
SPG® You Choose allows you to choose and earn rich rewards when you stay at more than 890 participating Starwood hotels and resorts between October 1 and December 31, 2008. Simply make your choice and register by November 15, 2008.
Go crazy.
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.