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Ouch: Marriott Bonvoy now pricing hotels at up to 150,000 points per night

March 27, 2023
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4 min read
The Ritz-Carlton, Fari Islands, Maldives
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It's been a year since Marriott officially retired its eight award categories, replacing category-based award redemptions with dynamic pricing. This allows the hotel megachain to charge whatever it likes for award stays without being tied to set amounts.

Marriott committed to keeping 97% of hotels within their previous category pricing bands through 2022. Thus, we did not notice too much variability or increases in the first year of the post-award chart world.

However, now Marriott Bonvoy is charging up to 150,000 points per night for award stays at its most expensive hotels, as was first reported by View from the Wing.

This is up from a maximum of 120,000 points at most properties last year and 100,000 points the year before.

If you really want to rub salt in the points inflation wound, in 2018 — just five years ago — you could book standard rooms at Marriott properties for a maximum of 60,000 points per night.

Here's a look at the newest round of changes.

Tropical vacations take the biggest hit

RC Maldives
Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman
St Regis Maldives
1 of 3
Award calendar at The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands. MARRIOTT.COM
0
1
2

Expect rates of up to 150,000 points per night for standard rooms at Marriott's most aspirational luxury hotels in destinations like the Maldives and the Cayman Islands.

Until recently, these hotels topped out at 120,000 points, and as noted, that was a rapid ascent from a cap of just 60,000 points five years ago.

Related: Former Category 8 Marriott hotels now off the charts: How I'm rethinking my high-end redemptions

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Other hotels are now over 120,000 points, too

St. Regis Bora Bora
St. Regis Bora Bora. KYLE OLSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Hotels like the St. Regis New York and Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa, Dubai also cost more than 120,000 points during peak dates.

St Regis New York
Al Maha
1 of 2
Award calendar at The St. Regis New York. MARRIOTT.COM
0
1

You may find the 120,000+ price point at properties like the St. Regis Bora Bora and W Maldives as well.

If award rates continue to increase at this rate, this hotel will cost 375,000 points per night for a standard room in 2028.

Related: Ouch: It's not just you, Marriott stays now cost more points

Certain hotels remain over 150,000 points per night

Ritz Dorado Beach
Award calendar at the Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve. MARRIOTT.COM

Marriott has a handful of hotels that have long required over 150,000 points per night. This includes hotels like the North Island, a Luxury Collection Resort, Seychelles and various Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties.

Related: Puerto Rican Renaissance: A Review of Dorado Beach, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve

Bottom line

Although our tests last month showed that Marriott hadn't significantly devalued its points with dynamic pricing, Marriott Bonvoy has increased the award ceiling on some of its top hotels, leaving us pessimistic about the long-term value of Marriott Bonvoy points.

With some hotel rates costing more than 120,000 points per night and no award charts in place to stop the upward creep, it's likely this rapid upward trajectory of award pricing for Marriott's high-tier resorts will only increase.

In other words, if you're sitting on a large sum of points, book your award stay(s) sooner rather than later.

Featured image by CHRIS DONG/THE POINTS GUY
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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