Details of the new Marriott Bonvoy/MGM Rewards partnership (brace for disappointment!)

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Marriott Bonvoy and MGM Rewards have finally announced the details of their upcoming partnership that is set to go live at some point this year. The partnership covers benefits offered to each program’s members when they stay at Marriott and MGM properties, the assimilation of four MGM properties into three of Marriott’s brands, and the creation of the MGM Collection.

Participating MGM properties

In total, 17 of MGM’s US properties will be participating in the new partnership with Marriott and together, they’re being called the ‘MGM Collection’. In addition, 4 of the properties from the collection will also be affiliated to brands under Marriott’s umbrella.

MGM Collection properties joining Marriott brands:

• ARIA Resort & Casino (Las Vegas) will become an Autograph Collection property.
• Bellagio Resort & Casino (Las Vegas) will become a Luxury Collection property.
• Park MGM (Las Vegas) will become a Tribute Portfolio property.

Remaining in a Marriott brand is The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas which will continue as an Autograph Collection property.

Forming the rest of the MGM Collection are the following thirteen properties:

• Beau Rivage (Biloxi, Mississippi)
• Borgata (Atlantic City, New Jersey)
• Excalibur Hotel & Casino (Las Vegas)
• Luxor Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas)
• Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino (Las Vegas)
• MGM Grand Detroit (Michigan)
• MGM Grand Hotel & Casino (Las Vegas)
• MGM National Harbor (Maryland)
• MGM Springfield (Massachusetts)
• New York-New York Hotel & Casino (Las Vegas)
• NoMad Las Vegas (Las Vegas)
• The Signature at MGM Grand (Las Vegas)
• Vdara Hotel & Spa (Las Vegas)

That’s 8 properties in Las Vegas and 5 properties from elsewhere in the country.

Marriott elites get benefits at MGM properties

When the program eventually launches (we know that it will launch in 2024 but when don’t know when in 2024), Bonvoy elites will be entitled to select benefits when they stay at participating MGM properties.

These benefits vary by Bonvoy elite status and look like this:

Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite

• 10% bonus points on all eligible spending.

Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite

• 25% bonus points on all eligible spending.
• A welcome gift of 500 bonus points per stay.

Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite

• 50% bonus points on all eligible spending.
• A welcome gift of 1,000 bonus points per stay or a $15 food & beverage credit per night.
• An enhanced room upgrade (based on availability).
• Priority check-in line.

Complimentary 2 p.m. late checkout* (based on availability)

Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite

• 75% bonus points on all eligible spending.
• A welcome gift of 1,000 bonus points per stay or a $15 food & beverage credit per night
• An enhanced room upgrade (based on availability).
• Priority check-in line.
• Complimentary 2 p.m. late checkout* (based on availability)

Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite

• 75% bonus points on all eligible spending.
• A welcome gift of 1,000 bonus points per stay or a $15 food & beverage credit per night
• An enhanced room upgrade (based on availability).
• Priority check-in line.
• Complimentary 4 p.m. late checkout* (based on availability).
• Waived resort fees*.
• Complimentary 1pm early check-in* (based on availability & 24-hour notice required)
• One Suite Upgrade per Year in Las Vegas* (based on availability, up to 3 nights & nightly upgrade awards not required).
• Complimentary self-parking during stay* (based on availability).
• Expedited valet and taxi service*.
• Guaranteed hotel reservations within 24 hours*.
• 15% retail discount* (at participating shops, exclusions apply).
• Fine dining priority reservations*.
• Dedicated lines at participating restaurants, buffet, cashiers cage*.
• VIP Line Access to select nightclubs in Las Vegas* (for member +1).
• Priority Access at pool cabana, spa, and salon reservations*.
• Discounts to Select Shows* (at MGM Rewards destinations, subject to availability).

*These benefits will only be available during the ‘promotional period’ which will start when the partnership launches, and which will end on 31 December 2024.

See this Marriott Bonvoy page for more details.

MGM Rewards members get a status match (possibly for a limited time)

From the point at which this partnership goes live through to 31 December 2024, MGM Rewards elites can enjoy Marriott Bonvoy elite status.

• MGM Rewards Gold will match to Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite
• MGM Rewards Platinum will match to Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite
• MGM Rewards Noir will match to Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite

These are the benefits that MGM Rewards elites can expect following the status match:

It’s possible that these status matches may be extended as the relevant MGM page mentions an ‘initial tier level status’ match.

This could be interpreted to mean that further status matches are anticipated, or it could simply mean that, initially, a status match will be offered but no further matches are planned.

Key things to note

• We’re told that ‘several MGM properties will be available for booking on Marriott.com and the Marriott Bonvoy mobile app in ‘early 2024’ and all properties are expected to be available ‘soon after’.
• The benefits bestowed on Bonvoy members by this partnership will be available for included MGM Resorts destinations once the properties become available for booking through Marriott channels.
• Bonvoy points will be redeemable at all participating MGM properties.
• Marriott Bonvoy members will earn 1 elite night credit for ever night they stay at participating MGM properties.
• The elite night credit will only be awarded for the room in which the member personally stays and pays for, even if they have paid for additional rooms.
• Members at all levels in both the Bonvoy and MGM Rewards program will be able to transfer points between their accounts.
• Bonvoy Nightly Upgrade Awards are not redeemable at MGM Collection properties.
• To earn Marriott Bonvoy points and to enjoy benefits at MGM properties, Bonvoy members must book through a Marriott channel.
• Marriott Bonvoy members may earn Bonvoy points on up to 3 guest rooms with the same check-in and check-out dates at an MGM Collection property if they personally stay in one of the guest rooms as a registered guest and pay for all 3 rooms. The member’s account number must be on all guest rooms.
• Qualifying charges on qualifying stays at MGM Collection properties will count towards the Annual Qualifying Spend requirement for achieving Ambassador Elite status.

If you need more information, you may find it on this Marriott FAQ page.

Quick thoughts

Overall, this is a whole lot of nothing.

Based on the information we have so far, MGM Rewards members will probably only enjoy Marriott Bonvoy benefits for part of 2024, and Marriott Bonvoy elites don’t get very much at all.

The list of benefits for Bonvoy Ambassador elites looks pretty good until you realise that 12 of the 17 benefits are only going to be available from the date the partnership launches through to the end of the year.

To see just how poor the benefits for Bonvoy members will be, you just have to note the following:

• Late checkout will cease to be a benefit from 1 January 2025.
• Only Ambassador elites get any kind of parking benefit.
• Other than the bonus points offered, there’s no difference between the benefits offered to Platinum and Titanium elites.
• Bonvoy elites don’t get any kind of status match (not even for part of 2024).
• From 1 January 2025, the difference between the benefits that that will be open to Ambassador elites (requires 100 elite night credits + $23,000 of Marriott spending) and to Platinum elites (a status which, for some, requires no Marriott stays or spending at all as it comes as a benefit of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card – terms apply), will be that Ambassador elites get a 75% point bonus while Platinum elites only get a 50% bonus.

Viewed in this light, this partnership is a joke and provides Bonvoy members with no real added incentives to visit one of the participating MGM properties.

No one goes to Vegas because they’ll can suddenly earn a few Bonvoy points and elite night credits.

The prevailing belief is that MGM exited its partnership with Hyatt (last year) because the partnership was too rewarding for World of Hyatt guests, and now that we can see just how little guests are being given in the new partnership with Marriott Bonvoy, it looks like that belief has been confirmed.

Bottom line

Marriott and MGM have now revealed details of their new partnership that is set to launch at some point in ‘early 2024’. To say that the details of the partnership are disappointing would be an understatement and it will be interesting to see just how well Marriott and MGM do out of this.

I get what MGM gets out of the partnership – it gets access to Marriott’s worldwide membership base and it’s global reservations network – but what is Marriott getting out of this? Will adding a few Vegas properties to its reservations portfolio really bring in significant new revenue? Possibly. Possibly not. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

What we do know for sure is that there really isn’t much here for MGM Rewards members or Bonvoy members either so, from a miles and points viewpoint, there’s not much to see here.