This is my kind of promotion.

The option to pay for some one-night-stays in a variety of places and earn a free night certificate is the chance to pay now and travel cheaply later. Hopefully I will find some cheap opportunities for Marriott stays this summer. I’ll be looking for those under $80 rates available in places.

And I might even splurge to stay in a upper upscale hotel knowing there is a decent $75 or so rebate when I use that free night certificate for a category 4 hotel and save over $150. I am confident that I can get that kind of redemption value from a category 4 hotel over a one year time span of travel.

Marriott Rewards Summer Bonus Free Nights T&C

• Promotion registration required by June 30, 2012.
• Log into Marriott Rewards account, be sure earning is set to points and not miles, and check Promotion Central to find your summer bonus offer.
• Stay two times from June 1-August 31 and earn one free night certificate.
• Free night certificate valid at category 1-4 hotels.
• Free night certificate expires one year after date of issuance.
• Maximum three (3) free night awards earned with this promotion per member.
• Only one room per hotel is counted toward a member’s nights or stay.
• Awards are not transferable and may not be given as a gift.
• Offer valid at participating hotels within the following participating brands, including JW Marriott®, EDITION®, Autograph Collection®, Renaissance® Hotels, AC Hotels by Marriott, Marriott® Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard by Marriott®, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott®, SpringHill Suites by Marriott®, Residence Inn by Marriott®, TownePlace Suites by Marriott® and Marriott Vacation Club®.
• Stays at our exclusive luxury partner, The Ritz-Carlton®, will count toward achieving your bonus.

3 other variations of Summer Bonus Promotion

Marriott Rewards targets members with different promotions. As an infrequent Marriott hotel guest I always get the free nights offer. Here are the other offers I have seen mentioned on FlyerTalk.

5,000 points for one weekend stay, up to 15,000 points.

• weekend stay includes a Friday or Saturday night, regardless of check-in or checkout day.
• terms indicate you can earn two stays credit in one weekend by changing hotels on Friday and Saturday.

15,000 points for stays in 4 Marriott brands.

• 2,500 bonus points for stays in 2 brands; another 2,500 bonus points for stays in 3 brands; and 10,000 bonus points for stays in 4 brands.
• my observation is there are many places around the USA where three different Marriott brand hotels are next to each other. It is quite common to have a Marriott Residence Inn and a Courtyard by Marriott next door to each other with shared facilities.

40,000 Points for 25 Nights.

• 15 Paid nights = 20,000 points; 20 paid nights = 30,000 points; 25 paid nights = 40,000 points.

Marriott Rewards voted Hotel Program of the Americas for five consecutive years.

In an article I wrote for InsideFlyer I noted that summer 2009, when most hotel loyalty programs had their best promotion offers of the decade, Marriott Rewards was giving a maximum one free night certificate after three stays. Most hotel loyalty programs are in retrenchment in 2012 promotion offers and Marriott Rewards is peaking for the leisure traveler this summer. Perhaps the hotel program deserves its recent accolades at the 2012 Freddies.

Marriott Rewards has 5 consecutive years as winner of best hotel loyalty program in the Americas with the Freddies (2008, 2009, 2012) and Frequent Traveler Awards (2010-2011).

I see value in Marriott Rewards.

This offer is likely the best deal to come out for summer 2012 travel. I’ll be aiming for six stays this summer with Marriott.

My only reluctance to throwing my cash all-in for the Marriott Rewards program is that Marriott Gold elite level requires a lot of nights to reach. There are challenges and other fast-track elite offers to get Marriott Rewards Gold elite for less than 50 nights. 15 nights elite credit by having the Marriott Rewards credit card is a jump-start, but even still, the 35 nights left to reach Gold is sufficient for SPG Platinum, HHonors Diamond or Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond if you tend to be a one night stay traveler like me. I almost always use points for longer stays.

This offer is a great deal for leisure travelers on the road this summer. One night is equivalent to one stay if you are moving around. These offers are less compelling for extended stay travelers. The validity of the certificates for one year from date of issuance gives sufficient time for redemption.

Marriott TravelCards can be used like cash at over 3,600 participating properties, including any JW Marriott^® Hotels & Resorts, Autograph Collection^SM, Renaissance^® Hotels, Marriott^® Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard^® by Marriott, Fairfield Inn^® & Suites, SpringHill Suites^®, Residence Inn^®, TownePlace Suites^®, and Marriott Vacation Club^® (rentals only), worldwide.

Marriott TravelCards do not have an expiration date.

• $50 Marriott Travel Card for $44 or only $39.60 with Amex payment (150 available with maximum purchase quantity = 5 cards.)
• $100 Marriott Travel Card for $89 or only $80.10 with Amex payment (290 available with maximum purchase quantity = 5 cards.)
• $250 Marriott Travel Card for $222 or only $199.80 with Amex payment (452 available with maximum purchase quantity = 2 cards.)
• $500 Marriott Travel Card for $445 or only $400.50 (201 available with maximum purchase quantity = 2 cards.)
• $1,000 Marriott Travel Card for $890 or only $801 with Amex payment (50 available with maximum purchase quantity = 1 card.)

Altogether, a person can potentially buy $3,250 in Marriott Travel Cards for $2,600.10 with a $650 discount.

One consumer consideration is technically these Marriott TravelCards are not valid for payment for hotels stays made using a corporate rate or group rate like AAA or Senior rates. Reports on FlyerTalk indicate some people have had no problem using TravelCards on AAA rates and others have been denied.

Marriott TravelCard Terms & Conditions

• Marriott TravelCards may be used at all JW Marriott^® Hotels & Resorts, Autograph Collection^SM, Renaissance^® Hotels, Marriott^® Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard^® by Marriott, Fairfield Inn^® & Suites, SpringHill Suites^®, Residence Inn^®, TownePlace Suites^®, and Marriott Vacation Club^®(rentals only), and participating hotel retail, spa, golf, or food and beverage outlets.

• Card is a pre-paid card, not a credit card, and is property of and issued by MI Fulfillment Services, LLC. Protect card like cash.

• Card cannot be applied to group, special corporate/negotiated, catering, associate, or other discounted/non-commissionable rates.

• Card cannot be used when reservation is booked by a travel agent or other third party.

• Card cannot be used to secure a reservation.

• Card is not redeemable for cash and change will not be returned except as required by law. Change is not provided by hotels. See pre-paid card terms and conditions.

• There are no blackout dates on TravelCards.

• Card is not replaceable if lost, stolen, or destroyed.

• Marriott TravelCard and Marriott GiftCard terms vary.

• Card becomes inactive when all value has been redeemed.

• Each transaction will be debited against card balance; if transaction exceeds balance, user must pay the difference.

• To check card balance visit gifts.marriott.com or call 1-800-442-6132. For balance information outside the U.S. and Canada use the AT&T Direct^® access number for the country you are calling from with 1-800-442-6132.

• Use of card confirms acceptance of terms above.

• All sales are final.

This Carolina Marriott Rewards bonus points offer does not require promotion registration.

Participating Hotels

North Carolina

Cary

• Residence Inn Raleigh Cary
• Courtyard Raleigh Cary

Charlotte

• Courtyard Charlotte University Research Park
• SpringHill Suites Charlotte University Research Park
• Courtyard Charlotte SouthPark
• Courtyard Charlotte Arrowood

Durham

• SpringHill Suites Raleigh-Durham Airport/Research Triangle Park
• Residence Inn Durham Research Triangle Park
• Courtyard Durham Research Triangle Park

Morrisville

• Residence Inn Raleigh-Durham Airport
• Courtyard Raleigh-Durham Airport

Raleigh

• Courtyard Raleigh Midtown

South Carolina

Greenville

• Courtyard Greenville Haywood Mall

Myrtle Beach

• Courtyard Myrtle Beach Broadway

North Charleston

• Courtyard Charleston North/Coliseum

Spartanburg

• Courtyard Spartanburg

Marriott Concierge message posted on FlyerTalk February 27, 2012 states hotel reservations must be booked before Thursday March 15 to get the lower category rate before the increases. Members who have reservations for hotel stays dropping in category on March 15 can receive a points rebate.

We have the list of new hotel categories for 2012 for you, which are effective for all reservations made after March 15, 2012.

Based upon your feedback in years past, we are releasing the full list of changes for 2012 (categories 1-8). You’ll find each hotel moving downward or upward by one category level within this PDF. To give you a sense of the impact of these changes with respect to the overall portfolio of brands and properties, 3% of hotels are decreasing by one category (100 hotels) and 15% are increasing by one category (526 hotels).

Again, these changes will go in to effect starting Thursday, March 15, 2012 so any reservations made prior to March 15 will be honored at the current category. If you have an existing redemption reservation at a hotel that is decreasing in category, you may call Marriott Rewards® Customer Support at 801-468-4000 to adjust the reservation after March 15.

Thanks and safe travels!

Andy & the Marriott Rewards team

I published tables of the Marriott Rewards hotel list of category changes organized by geographic location in a series of posts on the 2012 Marriott Rewards hotel category shifts for category 4 to 8. A large part of the increases are actually in Category 2 and 3 going up and I didn’t get around to organizing those changes by location.

Burn Marriott MegaBonus Free Nights before 96 hotels rise to Category 5 on March 15 (February 29, 2012).

Marriott Rewards – 138 Category 5-8 hotels moving up on March 15, 2012. (February 27, 2012).

Marriott Rewards hotels dropping category on March 15, 2012 (February 27, 2012).

Marriott Rewards Category Changes March 15, 2012 (February 27, 2012)

Rewards booked March 14 still qualify for lower category rate.

This may be a good time to redeem free night certificates and points.

Marriott Rewards – MegaBonus 2012 February 1 – April 30, 2012. Earn one free night every two stays valid for Category 1-4 hotels; maximum two free nights. Select Marriott Rewards members received targeted offers for three free night maximum and 25,000 to 50,000 points after 15 to 25 nights. LT post Jan 7, 2012.

The free night certificates received for MegaBonus and the enrollment free night certificate for Marriott Visa cardmembers are limited to category 1-4 hotels. Nearly 100 hotels are rising from category 4 to category 5 and will not be available for reward nights using these certificates after March 15.

Marriott Rewards members sitting on reward night certificates may want to closely examine the list of hotels in this post rising from category 4 to category 5 on March 15, 2012 and decide to redeem certificates for hotel stays prior to March 15. You can book a stay using the certificate for dates past March 15 as long as you make the reservation before the hotel rises to category 5.

Marriott Visa Premier cardmembers receive a certificate good for category 5 hotels with renewal membership. Check out this list of category 5 hotels moving to category 6 to see if there may be a current category 5 property to book your reward night before the hotel rises to category 6 on March 15.

• 100 hotels are decreasing by one category (3% of Marriott brand hotels globally).
• 526 hotels are increasing by one category (15% of Marriott brand hotels globally).

Reservations can be made using the current reward category rates until March 14, 2012. Reward reservations you already have at a hotel that will be dropping in category can be adjusted downward after March 15 to the lower rate by calling Marriott Rewards Customer Support at 801-468-4000.

The full list of hotel category changes with explanations and a category distribution graphic is available through the link in this FlyerTalk post. The hotel reward category distribution shows a competitive edge for Marriott Rewards with the high proportion of hotels in the lower four of eight reward categories.

On a personal note:

The past three years I have mounted social media attacks primarily on Marriott Rewards and Hilton HHonors each February and March when the announcement was made that hotel reward categories were being changed, yet these programs refused to release the full list of hotels changing categories prior to the changes taking effect.

Big thumbs up to Marriott Rewards for changing to a fully transparent announcement. Many of us using hotel loyalty programs take our loyalty as a serious investment in our travel budgeting for hotel stays. This is a consumer friendly move by Marriott Rewards. Thank you.

I will follow up this post in the next day or two with a detailed analysis of the Marriott Rewards hotel category reassignment changes.

Hotel Chain Scales are used by hotel industry analysts at STR.com to segment hotel brands into luxury, upper-upscale, upscale, upper midscale, midscale and economy categories.

The largest hotel loyalty programs for the US are Hilton, Marriott and IHG in terms of the size and broad range of hotels in different market segments. Wyndham Rewards, Choice Privileges and Best Western Rewards are comparable megachain hotels, but there are far fewer hotels in the upscale to luxury segments in these three brands. Starwood (1,100 hotels) and Hyatt (500 hotels) have a high proportion of upscale to luxury hotel brands in their portfolios, however, the number of hotels are far fewer in these chains and not as useful for travelers needing wide geographic coverage.

Hotel Brands and Market Segments

What is a luxury hotel or an upper-upscale hotel?

Price is generally the defining line between hotel market segments. I do not work in the hotel industry and I am an amateur analyst interpreting numbers from hotel industry data. STRGlobal.com provides industry data reports and I gather statistical data about the hotel industry regularly from the free data provided online.

STR has a list of hotel brands in different chain scale segments based on the average room rate data for thousands of hotels worldwide.

This post uses the 2011 STR US Chain Scales  along with the latest hotel properties data for each brand from the hotel chain’s websites to compare market segments for hotel brands of Hilton, IHG and Marriott.

Basically I want to see how the hotels in Hilton, IHG and Marriott segment out in each chain and compare to each other when looking at the number of luxury, upscale and midscale hotels in each hotel loyalty program.

Hilton Worldwide Hotel Brands with Market Segment and Number of Hotels

• Hilton Worldwide has 3,712 hotels in this list, but this is only an estimate. New hotels open every few days.The percentage of hotels in each brand is listed in ( ).
• Conrad Hotels (luxury) = 18 hotels (<1%).
• Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts (luxury) = 23 hotels (<1%).
• Hilton Hotels and Resorts (upper upscale) = 540 hotels (15%) in 78 countries including 70 Resorts.
• Embassy Suites (upper upscale) = 201 hotels (5%) with 193 in US and 8 international.
• Hilton Grand Vacations (upper upscale) = 50 properties (1%).
• DoubleTree by Hilton (upscale) = 250 hotels (7%) in 17 countries.
• Homewood Suites (upscale – extended stay) = 309 hotels (8%) in North America.
• Hilton Garden Inn (upscale) = 515 hotels (14%) with 130 in development.
• Hampton Inn (upper midscale) = 1,800 hotels (48%) with more than 1,700 in US and growing international expansion recently.
• Home2 Suites (upper midscale – extended stay) = 6 hotels (<1%).

Marriott International Hotel Brands with Market Segment and Number of Hotels

• 3,747 properties in 13 brands in 72 countries. This total does not include Marriott Executive Apartments which earn Marriott Rewards points, but are extended stay contracted properties and not a typical hotel stay.
• Ritz-Carlton (luxury) = 81 hotels (2%).
• JW Marriott (luxury) = 62 hotels (2%).
• Marriott Hotels & Resorts (upper upscale) = 521 hotels (14%).
• Renaissance (upper upscale) = 160 hotels (4%).
• Autograph Collection (upper upscale) = 29 hotels (<1%).
• Marriott Vacation Club (upper upscale) = 59 properties (2%).
• Marriott Conference Centers (upper upscale) = 7 hotels (<1%).
• Courtyard (upscale) = 926 hotels (25%).
• AC Hotels (upscale) = 82 hotels mostly in Spain (2%).
• SpringHill Suites (upscale – extended stay) = 299 hotels (8%).
• Residence Inn (upscale – extended stay) = 627 hotels (17%).
• Fairfield Inn (upper midscale) = 689 hotels (18%).
• TownePlace Suites (upper midscale – extended stay)= 205 hotels (5%).

InterContinental Hotels Group

• 4,452 hotels (as of September 2011)
• InterContinental Hotels (luxury) = 171 hotels (4%).
• Crowne Plaza (upscale) =  401 hotels (9%).
• Hotel Indigo (upscale) =  38 hotels (<1%).
• Staybridge Suites (upscale – extended stay) = 195 hotels (4%).
• Holiday Inn (upper midscale) = 1,238 hotels (28%).
• Holiday Inn Express (upper midscale) = 2,103 hotels (47%) with 1,866 in Americas.
• Candlewood Suites (midscale) = 300 hotels (7%).
• Holiday Inn Club Vacations = 6 properties (<1%).

I have some issue with the broad segmentation of Crowne Plaza and DoubleTree as Upscale rather than Upper Upscale for some locations and Holiday Inn as Upper Midscale for some locations where the Holiday Inn is more upscale.  Keep in mind in the real world of travel there will be some Crowne Plaza and DoubleTree hotels that will be just as nice or better than the nearby Marriott, Hilton or Embassy Suites.

How the hotel chains stack up when brands are compared by market segment.

Luxury market segment

• IHG = 171 hotels (InterContinental)
• Marriott = 143 hotels (Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott)
• Hilton = 41 hotels (Conrad, Waldorf Astoria)

Upper Upscale market segment

• Hilton = 791 hotels (Hilton, Embassy Suites, Hilton Grand Vacations)
• Marriott = 776 hotels (Marriott, Renaissance, Autograph Collection, Marriott Vacation Club)
• IHG = 0 hotels (based on STR chain scale rankings, but in reality many Crowne Plaza hotels are upper upscale).

Upscale market segment

• Marriott = 1,934 hotels (Courtyard, Residence Inn, AC Hotels)
• Hilton = 1,074 (Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, DoubleTree)
• IHG = 634 hotels (Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Staybridge Suites)

Upper Midscale market segment

• IHG = 3,341 hotels (Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express)
• Hilton = 1,806 (Hampton Inn)
• Marriott = 894 (Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites)

Midscale market segment

• IHG = 300 (Candlewood Suites)

The key point here is to consider what market segment you desire for your travels. IHG Priority Club will tend to be lower room rates, but Priority Club does not offer frequent guest elite members the level of defined benefits provided by Hilton HHonors or Marriott Rewards to their md-tier and top-tier elite members.

Another point to add is the practice of placing branded hotels in the same chain adjacent to each other. This is really common with Marriott where Courtyard and Residence Inn are literally adjacent hotels in many places. I have seen three Marriott properties in the same location in places. Geographic coverage is not as extensive as you might think when all the locations with multiple properties are considered. On the other hand, the placement of hotels in the same chain next to each other makes hotel hopping for loyalty promotion stay credit an easy task when you want to earn free Marriott MegaBonus nights.

Comparison of hotel loyalty program benefits across these hotel brands will be discussed in future posts.

10% Bonus on Marriott Gift Card Value

Amtrak promotion code AMT or Marriott Associate Friends & Family promotion code MMT both offer 10% added value to a Marriott Gift Card. You can purchase any gift card amount from $25 and up. The 10% added value means the actual value on the card will be $1,100 when you pay $1,000 for a gift card.

Earn 10 Marriott Rewards points per dollar for buying Gift Cards - up to 25,000 bonus points.

Another gift card promotion offers 10 Marriott Rewards points per dollar in gift card value purchased, up to 25,000 bonus points. This could be a better than 10% value depending on how you use points. There are Ritz-Carlton Hotels for 30,000 points per night that are more than $300 per night.

Hertz Rental Car Marriott Gift Card Offer 

Get $50 Hertz rental car voucher with $250 Marriott Gift Card purchase. Promotion code = Hertz.

Save 10% on Marriott VacationCards and earn up to 10,000 Delta Skymiles bonus miles.

A Marriott VacationCard promotion with Delta Airlines gives a 10% discount in the cost of a $1,000 or $2,000 VacationCard and 1,000 Delta Skymiles bonus miles for each $1,000 in VacationCard value, up to 10,000 bonus miles. This offer is only available through January 1, 2012.

What is the difference between Marriott Gift Card and Marriott VacationCard?

See this FlyerTalk thread where Counsellor posted the difference between Marriott Gift Cards and VacationCards.

This offer is one of the highest value hotel promotions currently available, especially if you just need two one-night hotel stays over the next 11 weeks. Hotel rates during the Thanksgiving week, Christmas/New Year’s week and the second week of January are typically among the lowest hotel rates of the year in many locations, particularly where hotels are business traveler oriented like many urban centers.

I think of this offer as the opportunity to spend $100 at two hotels and get a free certificate that might be a $200 value at some other Marriott hotel. The certificate received after two hotel stays is valid only for the lowest four hotel reward categories, but Marriott is bottom heavy meaning a large percentage of the 3,400+ hotels in Marriott are in these four lowest reward categories in Marriott Rewards eight categories of hotel rewards.

Register online or call 1-888-627-7468 and register by phone through October 31, 2011. You must have your account earning preference set to “points” to see the Fall MegaBonus promotion offer.

Here is my Loyalty Traveler post on the MegaBonus promotion from August 16.

Marriott Rewards More Stays, More Miles

For guests who do not use Visa, there is also the Marriott Rewards “More Stays, More Miles” offer. This offer does not require a Visa payment. There is also no registration deadline for Marriott’s Miles promotion.

Earn up to 30,000 bonus miles starting with 1,000 miles on your second stay, 1,500 miles on 3rd and 4th stays and 2,000 bonus miles on additional stays through December 31, 2011. Here is my Loyalty traveler August 31 write-up on Marriott’s miles offer.

• Delta Airlines SkyMiles
• United Airlines Mileage Plus
• British Airways Executive Club
• Lufthansa Miles & More
• GOL/Varig Smiles
• LanPass

Bonus miles earning begins with the second stay after September 1 based on the following earning chart.

• Stay 1 = regular base miles of 2 miles/$1 (JW Marriott, Marriott, Renaissance, Ritz-Carlton, Edition, Autograph Collection) or 1 mile/$1 at Courtyard, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites, TownePlace Suites).
• Stay 2 = Base Miles + 1,000 bonus miles.
• Stay 3 = Base Miles + 1,500 bonus miles.
• Stay 4 = Base Miles + 1,500 bonus miles.
• Stays 5 to 17 = Base Miles + 2,000 bonus miles.
• Maximum 30,000 bonus miles is reached after 17 stays.
• All Marriott brands worldwide, including Ritz-Carlton participate in this promotion. LT Note: the new Marriott AC brand in Europe is not listed on the Marriott miles earning page or in this promotion’s terms.

Loyalty Traveler Analysis:

This “More Stays, More Miles” offer is an alternative promotion to the Marriott Megabonus for Fall 2011 running Sep 15, 2011 to Jan 15, 2012 for members who choose to earn miles. This miles promotion does not require VISA card payment. Your Marriott Rewards account earning preference must be set to miles rather than points to view this offer.

New members must enroll in Marriott Rewards and existing members must register for this promotion either online at www.MarriottRewards.com/MoreStays-MoreMiles or via the Marriott Rewards service center in the U.S. and Canada at 800-859-0686.

The primary points offer for Marriott’s MegaBonus is a possibility of one free night at a category 1 to 4 hotel after two stays, with a maximum bonus of two free nights after four stays when payment is VISA. You must register for MegaBonus by October 31.

MegaBonus is a targeted offer and Marriott Rewards frequent guests are likely to have a points based offer for 15 to 25 nights. There is also a version awarding 5,000 points every two stays. Here is my August 16 Loyalty Traveler post on Marriott MegaBonus.

Since Marriott Rewards members must choose between earning either points or miles and members have the ability to switch earning preference between stays, there may be potential to earn both MegaBonus and More Stays, More Miles bonuses by switching earning preference from miles to points during the overlapping promotion period of Sep 15-Dec 31 for these two offers.

I’d love to hear Marriott Rewards member input about the feasibility of earning miles for some stays, switching to points and earning MegaBonus credit for some stays, and switching back to miles again for other stays. Does it work to switch earning preference and alternate between a miles promotion and points promotion with Marriott Rewards for different stays?

Marriott Rewards More Stays, More Miles for up to 30,000 miles Sep 1-Dec 31, 2011