Marriott International is the largest hotel chain in the world based on the number of rooms. The hotel chain is considered one of the pioneers in the world of hotels as it has recognizable brands worldwide. Marriott Hotels & Resorts also has an excellent hotel loyalty program, “Marriott Bonvoy”, in India. Marriott Bonvoy is a universal loyalty program that is offered across the world, including India.
Here is an ultimate guide for Indian travellers to “Marriott Bonvoy”.
Marriott Hotels & Resorts in India and Worldwide Overview
Before we move to Marriott Bonvoy, it is essential to know about Marriott Hotels and Resorts to understand what it offers and the number of options available.
Marriott has over 7300+ hotels around the world with over 13 lacs+ rooms. In India, Marriott is actively opening new hotels. At most of these hotels, you can earn or redeem points with the help of your Marriott Bonvoy membership.
Check out the Marriot Hotel in your Indian city.
There are 30 hotel brands in Marriott Hotels and Resorts. These thirty brands are also categorized into four categories:
- Luxury – 6 Brands
- Premium – 11 Brands
- Select – 9 Brands
- Longer Stays – 5 Brands
However, out of these 31 brands, only 15 brands are available in India. Even after that, Marriott became India’s largest hotel company, with over 140 properties. You can enjoy the benefits of Marriott Bonvoy Membership at all these properties in India and worldwide.
Sign up for a Marriott Bonvoy membership in India at no cost
The Marriott Bonvoy is a free-to-join hotel loyalty program as there is no fee. However, it would be best if you achieved a certain tier level to make the most out of the membership.
Marriott Bonvoy Membership Elite Status: Eligibility
When you join Marriott Bonvoy, you become a member (base tier); however, as you stay more at Marriott hotels, you are upgraded to the next elite status.
There is a total of six statuses; however, only five are considered elite status, with one being the base tier:
- Member
- Silver Elite
- Gold Elite
- Platinum Elite
- Titanium Elite
- Ambassador Elite
Elite Status-wise Eligibility
The eligibility for a Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status is based on the number of nights you stay at Marriott Properties. Here is the elite status-wise eligibility:
- Member: Enrollment
- Silver Elite: 10 Nights in a Year
- Gold Elite: 20 Nights in a Year
- Platinum Elite: 50 Nights in a Year
- Titanium Elite: 75 Nights in a year
- Ambassador Elite: 100 Nights in a year and USD 23000 annual spend ( Approximately Rs. 19 lacs)
Validity of Elite Status
Elite status is valid for two years, from the year you obtained that tier until the end of next year. However, if you are upgraded to the next tier, your tier will be upgraded until the end of the next year.
Nights Counted towards Elite Status
One Qualifying Night considered for status is:
- 1 room stay in which the member stays, or
- 3-room stay at Marriott
- 20-room booked for an event
- Free Night or Award Night for the room in which the member stays
Marriott Bonvoy Membership Elite Status: Benefits
The benefits of an elite status differ based on the status you hold. Here are the status-wise benefits:
Base Member Benefits
The base members don’t have any unique benefits besides getting membership discounts at the property.
Silver Elite Benefits
Once you reach the milestone of 10 nights a year, you become eligible for Silver Elite; however, this status doesn’t come with great benefits. You have the following benefit of being a Silver Elite:
- Ultimate Reservation Guarantee
- 10% Bonus Points
- Priority Late Check-out
Gold Elite Benefits
Gold Elite status is the minimum elite status one has to aim for or get to make the most out of one’s stay at Marriott Hotels.
You get the following benefits of being a Gold Elite of Marriott Bonvoy:
- Ultimate Reservation Guarantee
- 25% Bonus Points
- Welcome Benefits in Points
- The Marriott Brand varies in points.
- Minimum 250 Points
- Maximum 500 Points
- Enhance Room Upgrade
- 2 PM Late Check-out
The enhanced room upgrade is unavailable at certain brands, notably Aloft, which has a significant presence in India. Also, both room upgrades and late check-out benefits are subject to availability.
Platinum Elite Benefits
You become a platinum elite once you have reached the milestone of 50 nights in a year. The Platinum Elite is also a significant upgrade from the Gold Elite status. It has some exceptional benefits, which are:
- Ultimate Reservation Guarantee
- 50% Bonus Points
- Welcome Benefits (Choose One)
- Choose Points
- Choose Breakfast
- Choose an F&B Amienty
- availability varies by the Marriott Brand
- Minimum 500 Points
- Maximum 1000 Points
- Enhance Room Upgrade, Including Suites
- 4 PM Late Check-out
- Lounge Access
- Annual Choice Benefit (More on this later)
Titanium Elite Benefits
You become eligible for Titanium Elite once you have stayed for 75 nights in a year. However, the benefits differ from Platinum Elite, except for a few. Here are the benefits:
- Ultimate Reservation Guarantee
- 75% Bonus Points
- Welcome Benefits (Choose One)
- Choose Points
- Choose Breakfast
- Choose an F&B Amienty
- availability varies by the Marriott Brand
- Minimum 500 Points
- Maximum 1000 Points
- Enhance Room Upgrade, Including Suites
- 4 PM Late Check-out
- Lounge Access
- 2nd Annual Choice Benefit (More on this later)
- 48-Hour Guarantee
- Complimentary United MileagePlus Premier Silver Elite
Ambassador Elite Benefits
For an Indian to become eligible for Ambassador is a big thing since you need to stay a total of 100 nights in a year at Marriott properties, and also you need to spend $23K+, equivalent to Rs. 19 lacs. However, only a few benefits are added. The following benefits are available to Ambassador Elite:
- Ultimate Reservation Guarantee
- 75% Bonus Points
- Welcome Benefits (Choose One)
- Choose Points
- Choose Breakfast
- Choose an F&B Amienty
- availability varies by the Marriott Brand
- Minimum 500 Points
- Maximum 1000 Points
- Enhance Room Upgrade, Including Suites
- 4 PM Late Check-out
- Lounge Access
- 2nd Annual Choice Benefit (More on this later)
- 48-Hour Guarantee
- Complimentary United MileagePlus Premier Silver Elite
- Your24: A True 24-Hour Stay
- Ambassador Service for personal assistance for stays
Lounge Access for Elite Members
The Lounge Access benefit allows you to visit a lounge and have a complimentary breakfast; therefore, you need not select breakfast as a welcome gift. However, it is possible that a hotel may not have a lounge. In that case, you have to decide what you prefer.
Annual Choice Benefit
Only Platinum and Titanium members are eligible for Annual Choice benefits. That means you need to complete 50 nights and 75 to get an annual choice benefit.
Annual Choice Benefit for Platinum Elite
You can choose anyone from the five options available for an annual choice benefit:
- 5 Nightly Upgrade Awards [NUA’s]
- Add 5 Elite Night
- Save 40% on a mattress from your favourite hotel brand
- Gift Silver Elite to a family or friend
- $100 Donation to:
- UNICEF
- Arne M. Sorenson Hospitality Fund
- World Wildlife Fund
The five nightly upgrade awards are subject to availability. Once you request the use of the nightly upgrade award, availability is checked from 3 days before your arrival to a day before your arrival.
You cannot use nightly upgrade awards for six nights as you only have a 5-night upgrade award at the platinum level. Once used, you cannot use them again. Therefore, using them at premium properties, such as in the Maldives or Dubai, is beneficial, where you can get more value.
Annual Choice Benefit for Titanium Elite
A Titanium elite can choose one Annual choice benefit with two additional options to choose from:
- One Free Night Award with a redemption value of up to 40000 Points
- Gift Gold Elite Status
- 5 Nightly Upgrade Awards
- Add 5 Elite Night
- Save 40% on a mattress from your favourite hotel brand
Gift Silver Elite to a family or friend- $100 Donation to:
- UNICEF
- Arne M. Sorenson Hospitality Fund
- World Wildlife Fund
Related: Marriott Free Night Award Offer
Two additional options are worth considering. Forty thousand points for a one-night stay can get you a Stay at “JW Marriott Mussoorie Walnut Grove Resort & Spa”. Also, gifting gold may work for some. But the best benefit of Indeed is the night upgrade award, which can save a lot of money at top hotels.
Marriott Bonvoy Elite Guarantees Benefit in India
As covered above, Marriott gives several guarantees to its Marriott Bonvoy elite members. How does this work? To summarize, if Marriott cannot complete the Guarantee, you will be eligible for compensation, which can be in the form of points in local currency or a combination of both.
Ultimate Reservation Guarantee: The compensation for the Guarantee varies based on the brand and elite status of the member. However, at certain hotels, members get the same compensation. For example, a guest is compensated for USD 200 and 90000 points at The Luxury Collection Hotels. At courtyard hotels, you will receive only USD 100 as compensation, and Platinum or Titanium members also receive 90000 points.
Guaranteed Lounge Access: In India, if no lounge access is provided, you do not receive any compensation except for Courtyard hotels, which will only give you the benefit of having breakfast at the restaurant. However, the Courtyard brand does not include its resorts.
Complimentary United® MileagePlus® Premier® Silver Status
In India, you don’t have a good option for an International frequent flyer program, barring a few available through credit cards. However, we believe a Silver Status at United Airlines is an excellent benefit for Indians. It opens many opportunities while travelling via air at United and many other airlines as it is a part of Star Alliance.
How do you earn Marriott Elite Status in India?
The best way to earn a Marriott Elite status is by staying the number of eligible nights. However, few options are available to get a Marriott Elite status without staying. But these options can only get you to the Marriott Gold Elite.
Here are the ways to get a Marriott Elite Status:
- Complete Eligible Stay as per Elite Status Requirement
- Get a Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank Credit Card for Silver Status
- Marriott Gold Status with American Express Platinum Card
- Marriott Gold Status via Marriott Airlines Preferred Partnerships
How do you earn Marriott Bonvoy Points in India?
There are many options to earn Marriott Bonvoy Points in India. However, a few points-earning opportunities are not available in India.
Related: Ways to Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points in India.
Here are the options to earn Marriott Bonvoy Points in India:
- Stay at Marriott Hotels
- Transfer your American Express Credit Card Points
- Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank Credit Card
- Earn Points for Hosting an Event
- Earn Airmiles instead of points (Not a good option)
- Earn Points on your Emirates Flights along with Skywards Miles.
- Transfer Miles to the Marriott Bonvoy Account
- Earn Points on Tours & Activities
- Earn Points on Vacations by Marriott
- Buy Marriott Bonvoy Points
- Transfer Club ITC Green Points to Marriott Bonvoy
Points on Stay at Marriott Hotels:
The easiest way to earn Marriott Bonvoy Point in India is by staying a night and paying a room charge. You usually receive 10 Marriott Bonvoy Points for every $1 spent. However, at some hotel brands, you will receive 5 or 2.5 points for every $1 spent. You will earn 2.5 points in India at “Marriott Executive Apartments” for every $1 spent. There are no properties in India under the brand, which has earnings of 5 points per $1.
Great way to Earn Marriott Bonvoy Point in India
If you don’t stay at a Marriott hotel to earn points, a great way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points in India is by transferring your American Express Credit Card Membership Rewards Points. You can transfer your points to Marriott Bonvoy in a conversion ratio of 1 for 1. That means you can easily make the most out of the Marriott points.
Pro Tip: Every year, an offer for bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points on the transfer of American Express Membership Rewards Points is launched. Based on the offer, you earn bonus points in the range of 25%-50%.
Marriott Bonvoy Points for Hosting an Event
You can only earn 2 Marriott Bonvoy Points for every $1 spent, with a maximum point earning of 60000 Marriott Bonvoy Points. However, elite members receive bonus points based on their elite status. For example, a Silver member will receive 10% bonus points, 6000 points, and 60000 base Marriott Bonvoy Points. So, at the topmost tier of Ambassador Elite or Titanium Elite, you can get 105000 total points.
Option Earning Options
No other option is good enough except for bonus points on purchasing Marriott Bonvoy points.
How to use your Marriott Bonvoy Points?
Marriott Bonvoy Points can be used at several places. You can even use it to book a football match, but there are few conditions.
You can use your Marriott Bonvoy for the following:
- Room Stays
- Paying for Additional Charges for:
- Dining
- Cocktail
- Golf
- Spa
- Room Upgrade Charges
- Air Ticket
- Car Rental
- Marriott Moments
- Transfer Points to Miles
- Cruise Trips
- Shop at Marriott
Book a Room Stay
Although there are several ways to use Marriott, one of the best ways is to use them for booking a night stay. You also earn an elite night credit for such stays, giving you two benefits. All other ways will not be that beneficial.
Related: How do you find Marriott’s Best Points Redemption Rate?
Transfer your Marriott Points to Airlines
Points transfer from Marriott Bonvoy Account to 38 Airlines frequent flyer program is beneficial compared to other major hotel loyalty programs. The conversion ratio is one air mile for every 3 Marriott Bonvoy points for 36 Airline Partners. Not only that, but you also get 5000 miles for every 60000 points transferred. It does not end here; you can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points for a conversion ratio of 2 for 1 to a United Mileage Plus account.
Marriott Moments
The Marriott Moments is an attractive redemption option. As more than the value of Marriott Bonvoy points, the intangible value you can receive may matter most to a few members.
Marriott Bonvoy is one of the sponsors of Mumbai Indians in IPL. Every year via Marriott Moments, an opportunity is given to Marriott Bonvoy members to use their points and meet the Mumbai Indians team. So, it isn’t easy to put value, but it may not be worth it for everyone.
How much are Marriott Bonvoy Points worth in India?
The minimum value of Marriott Bonvoy worldwide is 0.4 cents or INR 0.32. That means the default reward rate is 4%, which is excellent as you also get credit card reward points for your spending.
Let’s find out how many Marriott Bonvoy Points are in India and outside India.
Marriott Bonvoy Points Worth in India
One Marriott Bonvoy Point is worth INR 0.60 [Updated] in India. That means you get 7% back for every $1 spent. This reward increase is further increased for elite members who receive bonus points on their stay. However, the only downside of Marriott is that the room rates are expensive; therefore, you would need a good number of points except at certain brands.
Marriott Bonvoy Points Worth in Thailand
As many Indians travel to Thailand, we decided to check the worth of Marriot Points in Thailand. The value of Marriott Bonvoy Points in Thailand is INR 0.63. However, since it is a peak period in Thailand, the value is relatively less.
Pro Tip: The value of points can be enhanced if you stay for five nights, as you get the fifth night free. So, an INR 0.60 value will become INR 0.75 per point if you stay for five consecutive nights at a hotel.
Bonus: Why must you be aware of the Marriott Hotel brand where you will stay?
Marriott has a total of 30 brands. Marriott Hotels & Resorts created some brands, whereas some were acquired. Also, every brand is unique as it caters to specific tastes. Few hotels are categorized as Luxury, whereas some may be considered premium. So, based on different factors, an elite member’s value of benefits received may differ. For example, certain brands may not offer guaranteed compensation, or some hotels may offer lounge access. Therefore, before booking, check for your Elite benefits and call or check the hotel website to check for available benefits.
Bottomline
Marriott Bonvoy Hotel’s loyalty program is a fantastic one for Indians. Marriott has over 7000+ properties worldwide. The only downside is that you don’t receive any milestone benefits as you receive on IHG or World of Hyatt. Apart from that, the Hotels of Marriott does give you a premium feel. The most significant advantage is the number of properties in India, as you can earn more and more points with a great value of INR 0.60. You must join Marriott Bonvoy as it is a free-to-join program with a decent partnership with United Airlines and Emirates.
