Marriott Bonvoy just published a list of their most popular hotels for award redemptions based on data from 2019, because really, who wants to use the data from 2020 for anything?
As a surprise to me, we’ve stayed at both the #1 and #2 places on the list. That would be the Marriott Marquis in Manhattan, where we stayed on our 1st anniversary, and the Wailea Beach Resort, where we stayed on our honeymoon.
I was about to write a snarky article about how the most popular Marriott Bonvoy properties on the list all charged resort fees. That’s because Marriott allows its hotels to add fees (whether they’re called a resort fee, facility fee, destination fee, amenity fee, urban fee, or a resort charge) to award booking. That’s because Marriott’s CEO feels these fees are similar to checked bag fees that airlines charge, even though they’re not.
When I checked award room availability at the Marriott Marquis in Manhattan, I noticed something. The hotel isn’t currently adding a fee to the room rate. I looked for a date in the future when some of the restrictions in NYC may be lifted. An award redemption will cost you 45,000 points and $3.50.
Normally, the hotel tacks on an additional $25 per night for a restaurant credit, high-speed Internet access, and 1 tour ticket. Since the hotel restaurants are closed and no tours are happening, it isn’t easy to justify charging $25 a night for internet access.
Even if you’re looking to visit over Thanksgiving weekend in 2021, there’s still no resort fee.
Considering the cash price for a room for the same nights would cost $2228, getting around 1 cent per Marriott Bonvoy point isn’t a horrible value.
Keep in mind that not all Marriott Bonvoy hotels have stopped charging extra, as the number two hotel on the list, Wailea Beach Resort, is still adding $38 per night to award bookings.
If I knew when we’d want to visit NYC in 2021, I’d be booking a room right now. The chance to lock in a room without the heinous resort fee added is almost too good to pass up.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
2 comments
I would actually love to see the list for 2020. It’d be interesting to see how different it looks with all the travel restrictions and complete upheaval of business travel patterns.
I’d bet you’ll see plenty of beachfront hotels and ones near outdoor recreational areas.