The cool thing about being relatively new to the whole “points and miles” game is when you learn something that sure, almost everyone else already seems to know, but you’re just learning it for the first time and depending on what it is, it’s kind of exciting. So maybe a bunch of you already know about this. But if I didn’t, I bet there are plenty of others who didn’t, either.
Did you know you can earn up to 500 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, just for giving up housekeeping for the day?
It doesn’t appear to be at every Marriott – at least not where they make it so visible. I mean, Joe and I have stayed at a higher-than-usual (for us) amount of Marriott properties in the past few months and this is the first one where we were offered this option:
IT’S EASY BEING GREEN
REMEMBER, ONE SIMPLE ACT OF GREENNESS CAN GO A LONG WAY TO HELP PRESERVE OUR ECOSPHERE.
STEP 1
Hang this on your door before 2am to indicate that you are declining ALL housekeeping services for the day – and that you’re Environmentally Extraordinary!STEP 2
Go out, enjoy the day!STEP 3
Return to find a voucher good for a $5 food and beverage credit or 500 Marriott Rewards points.TO REDEEM
Present your voucher(s) to the front desk for a credit to your account
As it turned out, Joe and I never took advantage of the opportunity, so we can’t talk about personal experience, but these are a few things I read in various places online:
- The program doesn’t count for your day of departure, since, of course, they’ll have to clean the room anyway. It may or may not only be good for 3 days of your stay (total of 1500 points).
- The program appears to be voluntary, which probably accounts for why we haven’t been offered the opportunity in all the Marriotts we’ve stayed at.
- The points may take a couple of days to weeks to show up on your account, and I read about several people who have had to contact Marriott to ask for their points because they never made it onto their accounts.
Just as one last humorous note – it was not lost on me that this hotel, that was supposedly working so hard to help protect the environment, also had these on the bathroom counter:
Baby steps, I guess? 😉 (lest anyone think I’m naive; I’m not. I’m well aware that many aspects of “environmentality,” although indeed helpful for the environment, are also cheaper for the hotelier. Although this hotel didn’t have bulk shampoo and conditioner in the shower, I have no doubt it’s coming down the pike and these single-use toiletries are the last of whatever they had. Of course, if they were TRULY interested in helping the environment ASAP, they could donate all of their single-use toiletries to this place and start with the bulk products right now)
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
12 comments
This is a fake environmental program. These programs are often about cutting cost on housekeepers’ pay. They use the guests that put the signs up to send housekeepers home because “they are not needed.” And considering how little value 500 Marriott points a night are, especially in this new Bonvoy peak and non-peak awards system, compared to the housekeepers’ livelihoods the Earth doesn’t come out ahead. Only Marriott or the hotel chains.
I wouldn’t disagree with you. But since all I have is “what people say” and not any sort of proof of same, I decided to not mention that part.
Bonvoyed kept SPGs “Green Choice,” but devalued it.
Pre-merger, SPG gave 500 Starpoints
In Marriott currency conversion = 1,500 Marriott points.
So today’s lousy 500 points is really 167 poonts.
Support housekeeping and drive labor costs up!
Say no to 500 points.
It’s not really about the environment. It’s about fewer hours for housekeeping staff members in order to save money.
I wouldn’t doubt that. But without any sort of proof and only what people hear/assume/etc., I chose to not mention that part.
In order to craft a post on an issue that deserves more than the headline (click) grabbing idea of earning 500 points/night, perhaps you should request the data from Marriott on how much is saved in environmental impact and how much is saved in housekeeping personnel costs. My $.02
That might be an excellent topic for a future post – thanks for the idea!
You can earn more points for longer stays. It’s just mandatory that rooms be turned over at least once every three days for public health reasons.
Thanks for the info!
What no Virtue signalling polar bears to trigger the weak minded on the door hanger? I try to take advantage of these points bonuses but unfortunately most of my stays are 1 night.
I get the request through the app when asking me to check in. I don’t always get the points, and sometimes I get 500 only when there for 2 or more days. That said, I almost always put the DND sign on the door, as I’d rather housekeeping not come in anyway. I don’t want someone cleaning around and touching my toiletries, the bed doesn’t have to be perfect made, and I have enough washcloths and towels to last.
Many Marriott properties give less. I’ve seen 250 points/night as well.