They are a bit later to the party than others. Better late than never I guess. Marriott Bonvoy has just announced its response to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Under the status extension, Marriott Bonvoy members will keep the status they earned in 2019 for an extra year.
Normally, the status you earned in 2019 would be good through to 2021. With the extension, members that achieved any elite level in 2019 will get to keep their status through to 2022.
The extension offer applies across the status levels, including Silver, Gold, Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador. Perhaps, even better for some, the extra year of status will count towards Marriott Bonvoy lifetime status.
Other adjustments
Marriott will also be adjusting the expiration policy on points. No points will expire until February 2021, and even then, only if there has been 24 months of inactivity.
Finally, there will be some extensions to awards. Free Night Awards will be extended to 31 January next year. In addition, Suite Night Awards will now have an expiry date of 31 December 2021.
Final Thoughts
Marriott is among the last of the chains to outline its response. We have previously seen the likes of Accor, Hilton, IHG, and others detail their responses.
It is interesting timing though. Marriott Bonvoy has just been making downgrading folk that didn’t make the cut in 2019. Unfortunately, if you were just downgraded, it is not likely you will be adjusted upward.
Notably, Accor and IHG have essentially only made adjustments to the qualifying criteria this year. With most other chains, including Marriott, going for a straight extension, I do wonder if Accor and IHG will need to revisit their initial responses.
