Marriott elite benefits can be a little… situational. Upgrades and late checkout depend on the property, the day, and sometimes the mood of the person at the front desk. But after a recent stay at a Courtyard by Marriott, I was reminded of one perk that’s more #IYKYK — and it’s one of the few benefits a hotel is least likely to deny.
Here’s the list of benefits for Platinum Elite members from the Marriott Bonvoy website:
The benefit that’s not on the list
They don’t mention another benefit, and it’s one of those #IYKYK (If you know, you know) things. I’m not talking about late checkout or enhanced room upgrades, which hotels often deny. I’m talking about preferred parking spots.
For the 125 rooms at this Courtyard by Marriott, there were spots reserved for:
- 2 Ambassador Elite
- 3 Titanium Elite
- 3 Platinum Elite
- 2 Gold Elite
- 1 Silver Elite
That’s 11 reserved spots total — about 9% of the property’s rooms. This isn’t an airport or cruise port hotel, so there aren’t many people leaving cars for long stretches. The parking lot is fairly large, but I have seen it overflow when the hotel is at capacity.
And it’s respected!
The incredible thing is that guests actually heed the signage. Most evenings, the reserved spots were empty — even when the closest regular spaces were all taken.
During this stay, my wife Sharon had Platinum Elite status, so we parked in the Platinum spots.
It wasn’t until the last day that all the parking spots were full except for the one reserved for a Silver Elite. I couldn’t bring myself to park in that spot. Honestly, there were other spaces in the lot closer to the entrance than this one.
I don’t give much value to having Marriott Bonvoy status. We’ve been lucky to have some upgrades clear here and there, but now that we’re back at Gold status, it hasn’t really changed our stays.
A reminder
Preferred parking won’t change your life, but it’s one of those #IYKYK perks that’s oddly consistent. You may not always get the suite, the late checkout, or the magical upgrade… but you can usually get a closer walk to the door.
Sometimes that’s the most reliable elite benefit of all.
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