The Marriott hotels to book now before award rates increase on March 4

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If you've been hiding under a rock hoping the annual Marriott category changes would go away if you just ignored them, I don't blame you, but I have some bad news. Beginning on Wednesday -- March 4, 2020 -- 1,686 Marriott properties around the world will cost you more points per night than they do today. To put math to it, a staggering 22% of Marriott hotels are increasing in award price on March 4, while only 7% are going down in award cost.

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With the pricing increases just about upon us, here are some ideas of Marriott hotels you should lock in now before the new prices arrive on March 4. Assuming you have the Marriott points at the ready to lock in award rates at one of these properties, you can book stays as far our as early February 2021 at the current award rates. Just keep in mind that Points Advance only secures you a physical room, and does not lock in the award cost until you actually spend the points to pay for the award reservation. To see the entire list of properties changing categories for yourself, head here.

Related: Analyzing the 2020 Marriott award chart changes

Hotels moving out of range of a 35,000-point certificate

There are several Marriott cobranded credit cards that issue an annual award certificate valid at Marriott hotels costing up to 35,000 points per night. The currently available Marriott cards that award this certificate at each renewal include:

• Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card

These certificates are valid for stays at Marriott Category 5 hotels (when those hotels aren't on a peak priced award night) and below. So, when a hotel moves up to Category 6, it takes it out of range of these awards. On March 4, there are 216 Marriott hotels going from a Category 5 to a Category 6, and only 15 coming down to a 5 from a 6.

Beginning on March 4, here are some of the 216 hotels that will go out of range of a Marriott 35,000-point certificate:

• Westin Snowmass
• Sheraton Kauai Resort
• AC Hotel New York Times Square
• Renaissance Aruba Resort
• Avalon Hotel Bungalows Palm Springs, a Member of Design Hotels
• Aloft Asheville Downtown
• Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort
• Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center
• Marriott Marquis Houston
• Le Méridien Vienna
• Kananaskis Mountain Lodge, Autograph Collection
• JW Marriott Hotel Mexico City
• JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa
• W New Orleans - French Quarter
• The Westin Puntacana Resort & Club
• The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa
• The Westin Denver International Airport
• The St. Regis Abu Dhabi
• SpringHill Suites Jackson Hole
• The Coral at Atlantis

Two changes that will actually be helpful for travelers? The Westin San Diego and Westin San Diego Gaslamp will fall from Category 6 into the very useful Category 5 price range. So, starting March 4, you'll be able to redeem 35,000-point certificates for a free night at either of these hotels.

Related: Best ways to earn Marriott points

Hotels moving out of range of a 50,000-point certificate

Similar to how it works at the Category 5 level with the 35,000-point certificates, hotels classified as Category 6 and below are within range for booking with an up to 50,000-point certificate that's awarded each year at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program (certain hotels have resort fees) with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.

Sadly, 95 properties will move from Category 6 to a 7 on March 4, with only nine coming down from Category 7 to 6.

Here are some of those 95 properties going out of range of a 50,000-point certificate beginning on March 4:

• Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino
• Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance
• Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort
• Hotel Park City, Autograph Collection
• JW Marriott Cannes
• JW Marriott San Francisco Union Square
• Paris Marriott Opera Ambassador Hotel
• Le Westin Resort & Spa, Tremblant, Quebec
• The Bodrum EDITION
• The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, Miami
• The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island
• The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans
• The Royal at Atlantis
• The Westin Dublin
• The Westin Excelsior, Rome
• The Westin Nashville
• W Punta de Mita

Category changes to ski resorts

Paid rates for otherwise standard rooms at ski resorts tend to skyrocket between $500 and $1,000 on ski weekends, and then plunge as low as $100 to $200 per night during the off-season. Because of this, ski properties are generally exceptional places to redeem points during the ski season. It was reasonable to hope that Marriott's introduction of peak- and off-peak pricing would have stabilized ski resort categories, but it didn't work out that way. Many Marriott ski resorts are heading up the award chart:

• The Westin Snowmass (Category 5 to 6)
• The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, Avon, Vail Valley (Category 7 to 8)
• The Westin Monache Mammoth (Category 6 to 7)
• Residence Inn Breckenridge (Category 5 to 6)
• Springhill Suites Jackson Hole (Category 5 to 6)
• Le Westin Tremblant (Category 6 to 7)
• Element Basalt - Aspen (Category 4 to 5)
• Residence Inn Mont Tremblant Manoir Labelle (Category 5 to 6)
• Fairfield Inn & Suites Steamboat Springs (Category 4 to 5)
• Hotel AC Baqueira Ski Resort, Autograph Collection (Category 5 to 6)

Related: Review of the Westin Snowmass

The silver lining? The new W Aspen will come within range of a 50,000-point certificate beginning on March 4 on all but peak dates. The hotel was overpriced as a Category 7, but is a great use of a 50,000-point certificate if you can find availability during ski season.

Related: Review of the W Aspen

Caribbean resorts

Many of the best points hotels in the Caribbean are Marriott properties. Frustratingly, many of them are increasing in award cost on March 4.

• The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba (Category 7 to 8)
• Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino (Category 6 to 7)
• Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino (Category 5 to 6)
• The Coral at Atlantis (Category 5 to 6)
• The Royal at Atlantis (Category 6 to 7)
• The Cove at Atlantis (Category 7 to 8)
• French Leave Resort, Autograph Collection (Category 7 to 8)
• Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort (Category 6 to 7)
• The Westin Puntacana Resort & Club (Category 5 to 6)
• AC Hotel San Juan Condado (Category 4 to 5)
• Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort (Category 5 to 6)

Basically, this means that going to Atlantis on points is going to cost you more — as will resorts in destinations such as Aruba, Grand Cayman and beyond.

Hawaii resorts

Hawaii is a fantastic place to travel with points. But, like many other hot spots, a number of Marriott properties in the Aloha State are moving up the chart.

• Courtyard Maui Kahului Airport (Category 5 to 6)
• Marriott's Maui Ocean Club - Molokai, Maui & Lanai Towers (Category 6 to 7)
• The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka'anapali (Category 6 to 7)
• Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa (Category 6 to 7)
• Wailea Beach Resort - Marriott, Maui (Category 6 to 7)
• Sheraton Kauai Resort (Category 5 to 6)
• Courtyard King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel (Category 4 to 5)
• Courtyard Oahu North Shore (Category 5 to 6)
• Residence Inn Oahu Kapolei (Category 5 to 6)
• The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua (Category 7 to 8)
• Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Autograph Collection (Category 6 to 7)
• The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach (Category 7 to 8)

Related: Using free night hotel certificates in Hawaii

New York City hotels

While award chart increases are happening all over the world at Marriott properties, some cities are particularly hard hit. The Big Apple is one such destination. As with Hawaii and ski towns during peak season, cash rates can become painful in Manhattan, making points redemptions a smart way to save money. But it's going to cost you more points at dozens of New York City Marriott hotels when the new rates take effect. The value-friendly Category 5 New York City properties were especially hard hit.

Here's a sampling of the upcoming changes:

• Sheraton Tribeca New York Hotel (Category 5 to 6)
• SpringHill Suites New York Midtown Manhattan/Park Avenue (Category 5 to 6)
• The Maxwell New York City (Category 5 to 6)
• Element New York Times Square West (Category 5 to 6)
• Marriott Vacation Club Pulse, New York City (Category 5 to 6)
• Renaissance New York Hotel 57 (Category 5 to 6)
• AC Hotel New York Times Square (Category 5 to 6)
• New York Marriott Marquis (Category 6 to Category 7)
• The Westin New York at Times Square (Category 6 to Category 7)

Related: Review of the Marriott Marquis

Bottom line

It wasn't a surprise when Marriott added an eighth award chart category in 2019. We all knew peak- and off-peak award pricing was coming long before it arrived. We also weren't surprised when some hotels moved categories this year. After all, that happens every year.

But to have all this happen in such a short timeframe is a massive blow to Marriott loyalists.

To put this all another way: In six months, we've gone from hotels costing a maximum of 60,000 Marriott points per night to a whopping 100,000 points per night.

What's arguably worse than what happens at the extreme end of the award chart, is how many of properties are creeping up in the middle of the chart. Even if you never want to redeem points somewhere such as the St. Regis Maldives, what happens in those key category 5 and 6 ranges matters to pretty much all points-savvy travelers.

There are, of course, a few bright spots — the W Aspen, for example, and the Westin San Diego and Westin San Diego Gaslamp properties — that will become cheaper on points beginning March 4.

But by and large, this is a painful recategorization that will leave the average Marriott award price higher than it was before. Our advice? Book those Marriott stays for the next year right now if the hotel you want is one of the 1,686 that will cost more points beginning in just a matter of days.