Revealed: Marriott’s ‘Week of Wonders’ promotions (prepare for colossal disappointment)

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A few days ago, I noted that Marriott was bringing back its ‘Week of Wonders’ promotion but at the time, details of the promotion were unavailable. Today, the promotion went live and the full extent of what Marriott is offering is now there for everyone to see.

At the end of Monday’s article discussing Marriott’s Week of Wonders, I said that I didn’t hold out much hope that we would see anything truly exciting revealed when the full details of the promotion were published. Oh how I wish I had been wrong.

I’m not going to go into great detail about all the non-deals that Marriott has the gall to call a “promotion” because, frankly, the lack of substance behind all of this is more than a little depressing! Here, however, is a summary of what Marriott is serving up:

• Wonders of Escape: 20% Off at More Than 5,000 Hotels Globally – This is just the standard Marriott Getaways promotion that appears multiple times a year and on this occasion, only applies to stays made between 3 November 2022 and 16 January 2023 (details here).
• Wonders of Inspiration: Double points and Double elite night credits on select Homes and Villas bookings – this is a promotion that was published over a week ago and which may not even be the best Homes and Villas promotion on offer (more details here).
• Wonders of Adventure: Earn up to 4,000 bonus points on each eligible stay – This is nothing new as it’s just a reminder of the Marriott Bonvoy promotion that has been running since 21 September (read more here).
• Wonders of Exploration: Double points on tours and activities booked through Marriott Bonvoy (details here).
• Wonders of More: Bonvoy members can receive a 50% bonus on purchases of 2,000 or more Marriott Bonvoy points – This is a similar deal to the one offered last year except that it’s a little worse. This year there’s no added 5% bonus for Marriott elites (link to purchase points)*.
• Wonders of the Extraordinary: “Indulge in unbelievable experiences specially curated through Marriott Bonvoy Moments” – This is another example of Marriott trying to pass off an existing offer as something new. This is the standard Marriott Moments program that publishes offers year-round (link).
• Wonders of Luxury: Another standard Marriott promotion (one that we see all the time) wrapped in a “Week of Wonders” banner – Guests booking a 2+ night stay can receive up to $300 in folio credit to be used on a variety of amenities during their stay at hotels within the EDITION, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts and The Ritz-Carlton portfolios (more details here).
• Wonders of Flavour: Earn 8 points/dollar through the Marriott Bonvoy “Eat Around Town” program (link).
• Wonders of Comfort: 35% off candles purchased through Marriott – This is the worst (by far) version of this promotion we have ever seen. Past years have offered 30% off all merchandise or a $50 gift card for every $200 spent at Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques in the U.S. (link).
• Wonders of Unwinding: Enjoy 15% Off at All-Inclusive by Marriott Bonvoy Properties (more details here).
• Wonders of Discovery – for one week only, Bonvoy members can book reward nights “for up to 15%” fewer points for stays through the end of October – It’s hard to get excited about a “deal” that offers just 15% off stays that have to be made in the next 15 days…especially when in prior years, this deal offered up to 33% off Reward Night bookings and included stays through the end of November (link).
• Wonders of Memories: 50% off Shutterfly photo books (link).

Link to the Marriott Bonvoy Week of Wonders homepage

*This promotion may offer value to some Bonvoy members so I’ll be publishing a further article which just focuses on this deal.

Quick thoughts

Mostly, this is Marriott rehashing existing promotions and trying to fool less experienced guests into thinking that there’s something new and interesting on offer. It’s actually a little insulting to our intelligence to call this a Week of Wonders.

This is also the weakest of the three Week of Wonders promotions that we’ve seen and the fact that Marriott thinks that “50% off photo books” or “35% off candles” are promotions worth including in something it’s calling the “Week of Wonders” shows just what a joke this all really is.

Actually, those two promotions aren’t the biggest joke here. The biggest joke by far is the promotion that’s offering 15% off Reward Night bookings for stays completed by the end of this month. That’s a discount that’s only available for stays made in the next 15 days! What’s the point of that?!

Overall, I guess that I should congratulate Marriott here. Just when I think that its promotions team can’t be lazier or lack any more imagination, and just when I start to think that the promotions Marriott comes out with can’t be any more pathetic, they prove me wrong and come out with garbage like this.

I wonder if it takes extra effort to push out promotions that are this bad or if it comes naturally to those at Bonvoy HQ?

Bottom line

Marriott’s Week of Wonders promotions are live and the “deals” on offer are mostly very weak, rehashed, old, or utterly pointless. Nothing to see here.