Marriott Rewards, nee Bonvoy in two days, has been a roller coaster ride. The new combined programme was announced in August 2018, and a bunch of readjustments to award categories made already then. At that point, Marriott Rewards also announced the creation of a Category 8, which is some of their most premium properties. We made our pick of the best Marriott Rewards Category 8 properties, which you should look at here.
Now, they have announced a new category rebalancing which will go into effect on March 5, 2019. Out of 6700+ Marriott properties around the globe, about 5% are changing categories, and for every property going down, 9 properties are going up in terms of points you pay to Marriott Rewards. So, out of the 383 properties changing categories, only 37 are lowering categories. One part of the new award chart is, that over 60 premium properties move to Category 8 on March 5, 2019.
Al Maha Dubai 60,000 points today, 85,000 points on March 5
The good part is, the high and low season pricing will not be applicable now, and we will have to wait for Marriott to announce it sometime later in the year. That means the top tier category 8 properties move up from 60,000 Marriott Rewards points per night to 85,000 Marriott Rewards points (a 42% escalation). When high season pricing will set in, this could go up to 100,000 Marriott Rewards points (66% escalation)
Marriott Rewards would let you block hotels even when you did not have the points in your account. All you had to do was to have the points at least 14 days out, and then generate an e-rewards certificate and attach to your reservation.
A few of the most interesting hotels near home are Al Maha Dubai, St Regis Maldives and Ritz Carlton Hong Kong. Here is a pick of our top 11 properties in Asia and for Indians. Domestically, the JW Marriott Bangalore is going up from Category 3 to Category 4.
Remember, if you don’t have enough Marriott Rewards points, you should transfer from American Express Membership Rewards now on a 1:1 ratio. The following cards get you Membership Rewards points:
- American Express Platinum Charge Card
- American Express Gold Charge Card
- American Express Membership Rewards Credit Card
So, which hotels are you eyeing and trying to book up before the ultimate revaluation sets in?
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