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Marriott Releases 2021 Category Changes
Like previous years, Marriott has just released the planned category changes for 2021.
You can view more information here. Note that the changes will kick in on March 3rd.
The most affected countries appear to be United States and China. Only four properties in UK are on the list:
- Delta Hotels Milton Keynes 4 -> 3
- Moxy Edinburgh Airport 4 -> 3
- Moxy York 4 -> 3
- The Langley 6 -> 7
And the current Marriott redemption chart is as follows:
Note that the off-peak pricing includes 10% promotional discount valid until Feb 21st.
17,500 points for a hotel in central York during busy times is definitely a bargain, however I personally don’t quite like the extreme simplicity of Moxy’s hotel rooms. The Langley, on the other hand, sees a great hike from the initial Cat 5 to Cat 7, and redemption here no longer represents great value unfortunately.
If you have a plan to stay at any hotel on the list whose price is going to increase, lock in your reservation now as you can always cancel later.
Registration Open: Marriott Double Points & Night Credits Promotion
Firstly, a quick reminder that Marriott’s 2021 bonus elite nights have just landed onto our accounts:
Elite members receive certain night credits depending on the status that they have earned in 2021:
- Silver 5
- Gold 13
- Platinum 25
- Titanium 38
- Ambassador 50
Being Titanium and the Amex co-branded credit cardholder, I’m starting the year with 53 nights already!
More importantly, Marriott’s Q1 global promotion is now open to registration, and you can sign up here.
- Stay between 16 Feb and 27 April
- Two-night minimum stay required
- Earn double points and double night credits on all eligible stays
This is a very good offer, especially considering how un-generous Marriott usually is when it comes to global promotions.
On a separate note, a new influx of targeted offers has been making its round in the last week. If you haven’t checked your mailbox yet, you can visit Marriott’s Promotion Centre to see if there’s any offer awating.
The offer could be double points, stay X times earn Y bonus points etc. It’s stackable with the Q1 promotion above, however unfortunately I didn’t receive anything this time (again!)
Marriott 3-for-2 Offer in the Middle East and Africa
This is a very old offer that started in the SPG times long before the merger, and Marriott has been extending the offer since.
You can access the offer page here. It’s a partner offer with Mastercard, so in theory when you make the booking it has to be on a Mastercard.
There are three forms of rate type: 3-for-2 (Stay three nights and pay for 2), 4-for-3 and 6-for-4, which are equivalent to 33% off, 25% off and 33% off respectively.
To book, simply enter your stay details on the offer page, or search on Marriott’s homepage with promo code BOG. In the example below, the BOG rate is indeed the cheapest one across the board:
Note that however, this rate is non-changeable and non-refundable, which makes it very unattractive in the current climate. Still it’s worth knowing of though in case it becomes useful for your future trips.
Marriott reducing off-peak redemption prices
Unlike Hilton or Hyatt, Marriott hasn’t announced any elite qualification requirement changes for 2021 yet. However, it looks like they’re making some other positive change at least.
If you check the redemption chart on Marriott’s PointSavers page, you’ll probably notice a difference.
Here is the current chart:
Here is the previous edition:
As you can see, off-peak redemption pricing has been reduced by 10% across all hotel categories.
Although not a big change, it is still good news that Marriott is doing something to improve its programme. Note that the new pricing isn’t live in the system yet, and if you have an existing off-peak booking, check back in a few days to benefit from the reduced price.
Remember to Select your Marriott Annual Choice Benefit!
If you have accrued at least 50 night credits in 2020, remember to select your annual choice benefit if you haven’t done so already.
The link to make your choice is here. You need to do it by 5am 9th January (UK Time), otherwise 5 Suite Night Awards will be deposited into your account by default.
For 50-night benefit, most people would go for the Suite Night Awards which can apply to both paid and award stays. If you are in need of some night credits for Titanium or lifetime status though, opt for 5 Elite Night Credits instead.
For 75-night benefit, most people choose between Suite Night Awards and the 40,000 Free Night Award. As I don’t really care that much about suites, I went for the latter.
My Review of JW Marriott Grosvenor House, London
My final sprint to hit Marriott Titanium this December! Thanks to the Amex £400 offer (and yet another friend), I’ve chosen the JW Marriott Hotel to stay for a couple of nights.
Next to Knightsbridge, Hyde Park is another area where a few luxurious hotels are located, which includes the JW Marriott, InterContinental and Hilton. Personally I don’t like it that much though, as there’s no eatery or tube station nearby, so not very convenient unless you purely want to stay in your hotel room.
You can’t easily tell from the outside, but the hotel is actually fairly big – you could tell from the massive lobby and reception area at the ground floor. Judging from the lobby only, the JW Marriott looks closest to what a typical five-star hotel would appear in my mind, amongst its counterparts that I have visited recently.
The Executive Lounge is also located here, which is open till 11pm and also very big.
No food or alcohol is served though, but you could help yourself to some soft drinks and biscuits throughout the day.
I was upgraded just one-level to Superior King. It’s a bit surprising considering how empty the hotel must be, but given that I’m not here for holiday I couldn’t care any less.
Although not quite spacious, the room does look elegant enough to me. I especially like this small clock on the bedside table.
Breakfast is served via in-room dining only, and this is how mine looks:
The presentation isn’t great, and the soggy omelette doesn’t taste any better either…
From the poor upgrade I received and the disappointing breakfast, I can’t say the stay was very enjoyable. However, I wasn’t in a holiday mood to be honest, and the reduced experience was also partly due to the executive lounge cut etc, so during normal times it may be quite different.
My Review of W Hotel Leicester Square, London
Thanks to another friend’s Marriott £400 offer, I was able to try out the W Hotel before the tier-4 madness kicks in…
The hotel is very, very central – in fact if you search for London hotels on Marriott’s website the W Hotel is always the first one to come up. I see the hotel every time I visit Chinatown or Soho, which was why I wasn’t so excited to visit it initially.
The ground floor has only a small concierge desk, and you need to go to floor one to check in.
The reception area is also very small, and dark. I’m staying here for two nights, and fortunately the hotel will remain open until the day of my departure.
Very thankfully, I was upgraded to a Marvellous Suite on the 6th floor. I’m quite amused by the fact that the first thing I see when opening the door is the bathroom, how unique!
This is the very first time I’m staying at a W hotel, and I find its quirkiness very entertaining. I was looking for the toilet and shower, only to find that they are hidden behind the mirrors:
And the amenities come with very naughty packaging and descriptions:
Feel free to enjoy a bath overlooking the street:
The bedroom is pretty fashionable and smart too, with a massive bed. All things including TV, temperature and lighting can be controlled using the iPad.
It is a proper spacious suite with a curved long wall. Given its location and height though there isn’t much of a view.
Breakfast is in-room dining only and you could order from the iPad. I had eggs benedict for the first morning and full English for the next. Food quality is good.
Gym is located on the 6th floor, along with the SPA centre.
The staff I’ve spoken with are all very helpful. I’m genuinely impressed by the stay and really love the pleasant surprises the hotel has given me. If Amex runs similar offers in the future I’m happy to return😜
Free Emirates Silver for transferring your hotel points
Like many other airlines, Emirates has run a few different forms of promotions this year to collect funding, and the one currently running is particularly interesting.
You can access the offer here. It appears that the offer page is only shown when selected country is UAE, but according to the terms and conditions it should be available to all members globally.
Before 31 January 2021, all award miles transferred from eligible partner programmes will also earn 25% tier miles as a bonus. You can earn maximum 25,000 tier miles (requires 100K award miles transfer), which is just enough to upgrade you to Emirates Silver.
Eligible partners include certain banks in UAE, as well as Accor, Hyatt, Marriott and Shangri-la.
When flying Emirates, Silver offers the following privileges:
- Free seat selection
- Extra baggage allowance
- Priority check-in and boarding
- Business Class lounge access at Dubai
You could also earn 1 Emirates mile for every USD you spend at Marriott hotels globally through the Your World programme, and this is in addition to the Marriott points. Note that you’ll first need to link your Marriott and Emirates accounts here.
Emirates doesn’t have the best redemption chart in the world, however for redeeming Business Class or First Class tickets on their own metal the miles are not bad. I transferred 85K Amex points earlier this year for a First Class trip in February, and God knows whether I’ll be able to fly…
Aside from redeeming on flights, you could also use the miles on sports or event tickets sponsored by Emirates, which usually are great deals.
The best shot it is to transfer 240K Marriott points over and hit Emirates Silver straightaway, probably some time in January to maximise the duration of your membership. It may not be a crazy idea if you are sitting on a pile of Marriott points, and Emirates miles aren’t useless after all.