Marriott Rewards has come out with its Award Category Changes for 2018. As we;ve come to expect, the timing is aligned with that of SPG, with the changes coming into effect from March 6, 2018.
In a way, the Marriott changes are somewhat more brutal than the SPG changes. Putting the statistics of the changes in Marriott’s own words:
This year, 74% will stay the same, 21% will move up and 5% will move down.
That is, there are more than 4 times as many going up compared to the number going down. The full chart has been published by Marriott here.
Changes
As with the SPG changes, hotels are only moving between categories. There are no changes to the point levels, and no new categories are being introduced.
As a point of reference, here are the Reward Categories for Marriott Rewards (excluding Ritz Carlton)
| Category | Standard Rewards | PointSavers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7,500 | 6,000 |
| 2 | 10,000 | 7,500 |
| 3 | 15,000 | 10,000 |
| 4 | 20,000 | 15,000 |
| 5 | 25,000 | 20,000 |
| 6 | 30,000 | 25,000 |
| 7 | 35,000 | 30,000 |
| 8 | 40,000 | 35,000 |
| 9 | 45,000 | 40,000 |
For Ritz Carlton, the chart is as follows
| Tier | Standard Rewards | PointSavers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30,000 | 20,000 |
| 2 | 40,000 | 30,000 |
| 3 | 50,000 | 40,000 |
| 4 | 60,000 | 50,000 |
| 5 | 70,000 | 60,000 |
Australia
In Australia, 2 hotels are moving up a Category, as per the following table. Unfortunately, none are moving down.
Hotel |
2017
|
2018
|
|---|---|---|
| Marriott Vacation Club at Surfers Paradise | 7 | 8 |
| Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa | 7 | 8 |
As with the SPG changes, it worth perusing the changes to see if you may be affected. As there are far more properties going up in Category, it is more likely you will be seeing an increase. If this is the case, you should consider making your booking before March 6, to take advantage of the current rates.
On the other hand, if it is moving down, then may want to consider booking later.