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Book most Marriott award nights at off-peak pricing through Dec. 14

Andrew Kunesh
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Andrew Kunesh is a former senior editor at The Points Guy covering loyalty programs. He's been a miles and points fanatic since 2014 and previously wrote for Upgraded Points and Credit Karma. Outside of the travel world, Andrew is a cyclist, craft coffee aficionado and — despite now living in NYC — a Chicagoan at heart.
Nov. 30, 2020
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4 min read
W Aspen Hotel
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With hotel programs looking for ways to incentivize travelers to visit their properties, Marriott has just announced a new award sale that prices nearly all award nights at the off-peak rate for the next three months. Similar to the promotion that launched in October, the new sale runs today through Dec. 14 and is valid on stays occurring through Feb. 28, 2021.

Let's take a closer look at the promotion.

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Save up to 33% on award nights

Marriott will price award rooms for up to 33% fewer points than standard rates at the vast majority of its more than 7,500 hotels and resorts worldwide for stays booked by Dec. 14.  According to Marriott, this includes roughly 90% of Marriott's global portfolio.

In practice, this means these properties are utilizing off-peak pricing during the promotion, which can result in up to 33% in savings over standard rates.

Marriott lists the following hotels as examples of participating properties:

  • The Ritz-Carlton Aruba
  • JW Marriott Guanacaste
  • The Ritz-Carlton San Juan, San Juan Marriott
  • Solaz, a Luxury Collection Resort, Los Cabos
  • St Regis Punta Mita Resort, St Regis Mexico City
  • JW Marriott Camelback Resort
  • The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua
  • JW Marriott Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa
  • The Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island
  • W South Beach
  • Walt Disney World Swan

Using the Solaz Los Cabos as an example, award nights through the holidays — including New Year's Eve — cost just 50,000 Marriott points per night. This Category 7 property costs 60,000 points per night on standard dates and 70,000 on on-peak dates.

(Image courtesy of Marriott)

Elevated bonus: 100,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, after opening a new Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card.

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You could use an up to 85,000 point annual award night certificate from the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card — or choose any other participating Marriott Category 7 hotel.

(Photo by Melanie Lieberman/The Points Guy)

Here's how off-peak pricing breaks down by category:

  • Category 1: 33% off standard award rates (5,000 instead of 7,500)
  • Category 2: 20% off standard award rates (10,000 instead of 12,500)
  • Category 3: 14.3% off standard award rates (15,000 instead of 17,500)
  • Category 4: 20% off standard award rates (20,000 instead of 25,000)
  • Category 5: 14.3% off standard award rates (30,000 instead of 35,000)
  • Category 6: 20% off standard award rates (40,000 instead of 50,000)
  • Category 7: 16.67% off standard award rates (50,000 instead of 60,000)
  • Category 8: 17.6% off standard award rates (70,000 instead of 85,000)

Related: Guide to Marriott peak and off-peak pricing

Remember too that Marriott offers the fifth-night free on award stays when you redeem points for five (or more) consecutive nights. As a result, a five-night stay at the Solaz would set you back just 200,000 points — as long as you can find award availability for a standard room.

Unfortunately, there's no master list of participating properties, so you'll simply need to search for your desired hotel or resort to find availability.

Consider rebooking existing travel

If you recently booked a Marriott award night, consider canceling and rebooking to save points on your stay. You can cancel most Marriott award stays up to 24 hours prior to arrival for a full refund. Once the refund processes, you can then rebook at the lower off-peak rate.

This helped me save a cool 20,000 points on my upcoming, two-night stay at the AC Hotel by Marriott South Beach. Depending on how long your stay is, this can help you save thousands of points on your trip.

Do note that any changes made to a new reservation after the promotion ends on Dec. 14 will be subject to the standard (or on-peak) rate.

Related: The best ways to use your hotel points in Miami

Bottom line

This opportunity to book discounted Marriott award nights for stays through Dec. 14 is a welcome way to save a few Marriott points if you need to lock in upcoming travel (or were already traveling and can rebook a stay for fewer points).

While some travelers aren't ready to hit the road quite yet, it's starting to look like those who are will have some unprecedented deals available to them this holiday season — including these off-peak Marriott award deals.

Featured image by W Aspen (Photo by Summer Hull/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.