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Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
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3 reasons I continue to chase Marriott Platinum status year after year
Summer Hull has been covering (and using) travel tips, rewards credit cards and loyalty programs for over a decade. She has flown close to a million miles, often on points and miles and with her family in tow.
April 20, 2022 • 7 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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Quick summary
Marriott Platinum status is a mid-tier hotel elite level that offers valuable perks for frequent travelers.
You can achieve this status by staying 50 nights per year or by combining certain personal and business credit cards, making it more accessible than it appears.
Key benefits include access to suite upgrades, complimentary breakfast at many properties and entry to hotel lounges.
Award stays count toward the required nights, and the perks can lead to significant savings and enhanced experiences.
What to consider
Not all hotel brands within the program offer complimentary breakfast or lounge access, so benefits can vary by property.
Suite upgrades through annual awards are not guaranteed and depend on availability at each hotel.
Some offers mentioned in the article are no longer available.
What you'll miss from the article
Personal experiences and specific examples of how these elite benefits have provided substantial value and memorable stays.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
I'll be the first to admit it: I care about having hotel and airline elite status.
It's not because I like flashing some status card a la Ryan Bingham in "Up in the Air" but because it saves us real money in the long run, while also making travel just a little more fun.
A relatively attainable hotel elite status level I’ve personally earned and used for many years is Marriott Platinum status.
It’s one of the more popular hotel elite status levels out there and hits the right notes of being both realistically attainable and rewarding.
It takes 50 nights spent with Marriott per year (or having the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card) to unlock this status. That number of nights may sound out-of-league for most leisure travelers at first glance. But don't let that scare you off just yet. Marriott Platinum status is actually closer within reach than you might think.
With the right combination of credit cards in your wallet, you can earn Marriott Platinum status with just 20 eligible nights spent with Marriott each year. To make it even easier, award stays count towards those 20 needed nights. Those other 30 nights needed can come to you by virtue of just having both a personal and small business Marriott card in your wallet. Or, just have the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.
Regardless of how you rack up the nights, here are three of my favorite elements of Marriott Platinum status. (Photo by Ethan Steinberg/The Points Guy.)
When you have Platinum elite status with Marriott, you get the option of selecting five Suite Night Awards to use each year as one of your annual Choice Benefits.
You can apply these upgrades to an eligible reservation to try and snag a suite while just paying points or cash for a standard room. It's not guaranteed to secure a suite and your success rate will vary based on when and where you travel. However, my luck has been above average with these awards.
For example, just before the pandemic, we locked in a suite over the winter holiday break at the ski-out Westin Snowmass near Aspen using Marriott points plus Suite Night Awards. Suite Night Award success at the Westin Snowmass (Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
The size of the private patio gives you an idea of how large the suite was. With cash it would have been several thousand dollars per night and firmly out of reach.
Related: These are our favorite points-friendly ski hotels (Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
In addition to securing that prime-time slopeside suite with a view in Colorado, in the last couple of years, my Suite Night Awards have cleared us into a true suite in J.W. Marriott Bonnet Creek near Disney World: (Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
An upgrade also cleared at the new Swan Reserve hotel that's walking distance to Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios:
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
Out in California, our Marriott Suite Night Awards scored us a full one-bedroom suite at the new Westin Anaheim:
(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
Free full breakfast — sometimes via room service
It's not just about the room. I also care about free hotel breakfast, especially when traveling with the whole family.
At the Westin Mammoth in 2020, it fed all four of us the buffet breakfast so we could eat fast and then get on the mountain. We owed nothing but the tip each day we indulged in a hearty and delicious pre-ski breakfast. (Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
Marriott Platinum status has also unlocked otherwise pricey and indulgent room service breakfast on occasion, such as the one shown here at the St. Regis New York that allows you to order in and still use the perk. Marriott Platinum breakfast at the St. Regis New York (Summer Hull / The Points Guy)
From grab-and-go to fancy room service, free breakfast ranks high on my list of elite status perks no matter what type of plate or wrapper it's served on.
Platinum breakfast-to-go at the Westin Woodlands. (Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
Lounge access
Admittedly, hotel lounges have been slow to return to their pre-pandemic glory, but they are still out there, and having Marriott Platinum status can often get you in.
While enjoying a weekend trip to Disneyland, we could access the lounge at the Westin Anaheim to pick up breakfast goodies and grab a few bottles of water for the day in the park.
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(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy.)
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Lounge at the Westin Anaheim. SUMMER HULL/THE POINTS GUY
Not every lounge was five-star, but when you're in a high-cost location such as Hawaii, getting a beverage or snack from the lounge without paying can be a welcome treat.
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(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
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(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
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(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
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(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
Bottom line
Over the years, my Marriott Platinum elite status has saved us thousands of dollars on food, drinks, upgrades and more. It's also unlocked the doors to suites we otherwise wouldn't have enjoyed, and saved us time by having those included treats available guilt-free at our fingertips.
It does other things too, like ensure we earn extra points on stays, but my favorite three perks that keep me chasing Marriott status year after year are unquestionably the suite upgrades, free breakfast and lounge access.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
