We’ve had Marriott Platinum status for several years. Even with staying at Marriott hotels several times a year, they sure don’t make it easy to figure out what your check-in amenity should be. Each Marriott hotel chain has different options. To confuse things even more, the amenity varies depending on where in the world you are. If you’re interested, here’s a list of all of the options:
Marriott Platinum Check-In Amenity
We tend to stay at Courtyard by Marriott hotels in North America. There are two options for a welcome amenity:
- 500 points per stay
- $10 Food & Beverage credit per day (for member and one guest)
When we check in, I hope the front desk agent forgets to ask which amenity we want so I can get $50. But usually, after thanking us for our loyalty, they ask if we want points or the $10 F&B Credit. Which one should we choose?
Which one?
There are several things to consider when making your choice. If you choose the points, you only get 500 points, no matter how long you stay, one night or seven nights.
Even under the best circumstances, Marriott points aren’t worth that much. When we used points for an overpriced room over Thanksgiving weekend in New York, we received a value of 2.25 CPP (Cents Per Point), but it’s more common to get around 0.8 to 1 cent of value for each point. If you take the points, you’ll get between $5 and $11 of value when redeeming them.
If you choose the food and beverage credit, you’ll get $10 per person daily. For instance, say you’re two people staying for four nights. That’s a total possible value of $80. I say possible value because you’d have to eat at the hotel restaurant daily to use the full credit.
However, even if you only redeem the credit for 1 day, the $20 would be more valuable than taking the points. That’s what we did when staying at a Courtyard by Marriott in Manhattan.
It does stink that Marriott Platinums don’t get a complimentary breakfast when staying at Courtyard properties. You need to use your credit towards the bill for food every day, and when you’re staying in Manhattan, breakfast and coffee at the hotel restaurant costs more than $10, so you’re not getting a “free” breakfast.
Our bill for this breakfast ended up being $28. We figured we couldn’t eat breakfast for two people in New York for $8, so it wasn’t a horrible deal. But do you want to eat at your hotel every day?
When in NYC, we want to have a proper NYC bagel. My wife Sharon, the native New Yorker, got lox and schmear on an egg bagel. Being from N.J., I needed to order a bacon, egg and cheese on a garlic bagel. It’s a pity they didn’t have any Taylor Ham.
For this stay, since we had two people in the room and were staying for four nights, taking the food and beverage credit was a no-brainer. If you’re traveling solo for only one night and don’t plan on getting any food during your stay, you’d be better off taking the points. Figure out what’s best for you each time, and remember that Your Mileage May Vary.
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