Update: We’ve heard back from Marriott regarding this website change and apparently it was an error. We sought clarification as to whether it was an error that these changes were published early or if it was just a complete error and they’ve confirmed that it was a complete error, so that’s good news.
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In the latest edition of #Bonvoyed, Marriott appears to be in the process of slashing how many points you’ll earn on future hotel stays at many of its brands.
In the past, stays at most Marriott brands earned 10 points per dollar, with only a handful earning 5 points per dollar. The latter category included Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, Element, Homes & Villas and a few others.
That appears to be changing. Updates to Marriott’s website now display a sizeable increase in the brands that will only earn 5 points per dollar in the future.
An eagle-eyed member of the Frequent Miler Insiders Facebook group noticed this change today. As you can see in the screenshot above, the brands that will have its earnings halved from 10x to 5x are:
- Courtyard
- Four Points
- SpringHill Suites
- Fairfield
- AC Hotels
- Aloft
- Moxy
Those brands – along with Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites – make up a significant proportion of the Marriott portfolio. I haven’t had a chance to do the math yet, but I suspect this represents about 60%-75% of Marriott properties in the US that will now earn at half the regular rate.
That’s hugely disappointing and is just the latest step Marriott has made to make its once-popular loyalty program the butt of many a #Bonvoyed joke. It’s a strange move to make as it’s going to give people a disincentive to book paid stays at these brands, but I suppose they’re hoping that people will book stays at its other brands to earn 10x instead. Those brands still earning at the higher rate are, obviously, the brands that tend to charge much higher room rates.
Marriott hasn’t officially announced this change yet; it’s only this page of their website that’s displaying the lower earning rate. Interestingly, when opening that page in two different browser tabs I saw the new earning rates on one tab and the older rates (shown below) on the other tab.
It therefore seems like there are either caching issues with that page or Marriott is in the process of updating that page unofficially and we’re getting fleeting glimpses of upcoming changes. In the past, Marriott tended to implement devaluations in March each year. That’s no longer the case as they use dynamic pricing throughout the year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this change to earning rates will be implemented – or at least officially announced – in March. FWIW, the full terms and conditions of the Marriott Bonvoy program haven’t been updated yet to reflect the slashed earnings rates. We’re reaching out to Marriott to get clarification on these changes, so we’ll update this post once that’s received.
h/t Robert in the Frequent Miler Insiders Facebook group
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