Tag: Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant
Review: JW Marriott Grosvenor House London – Superior Suite (a property I find hard...
Given how long it has been since we last published a review of the JW Marriott Grosvenor House London (6+ years), a fresh visit seemed in order, and as I had an expiring Marriott free night certificate that needed using up, I had an economical way with which to book a stay.
Four key reasons why Bonvoy points are better than Marriott Free Night Certificates
Over the past few years, when Chase and American Express have boosted the welcome bonuses on their Marriott co-branded cards, they have sometimes chosen to offer successful new applicants the chance to earn three or more Free Night Certificates instead of the more usual points bonanza.
With that trend seemingly here to stay, this seems like a good time to take a closer look at Marriott's Free Night Certificates and to show why they're are not as valuable or as useful as points.
Which key credit cards offer hotel elite status?
Frequent visitors to this site may have already seen our article coveringing hotel loyalty programs that offer lifetime elite status and our article that looks at whether or not lifetime elite status with hotel loyalty programs is a worthwhile thing to pursue, so a natural progression from those articles is to take a look at the credit cards that offer cardholders elite status with some of the major hotel chains as part of their overall package of benefits.
Is Lifetime Elite status with hotel programs worth aiming for?
We have already taken a look at which of the major hotel loyalty programs offer members the chance to earn lifetime elite status, and as that information leads to questions asking how worthwhile lifetime status is and if lifetime elite status is something that you should actively be trying to earn, an article addressing these questions seemed appropriate.
Which major hotel loyalty programs offer Lifetime Elite status?
Hotel elite status can be both vastly overrated and extremely useful depending on which status level and which hotel program we're discussing, and people's opinions can vary quite significantly. But, as a rule, having status is better than not having status, so people will go to varying degrees of effort to maintain their hotel privileges from year to year.
Now live: The Marriott Bonvoy promotion offering bonus elite night credits + bonus points
For the second year running Marriott Bonvoy is running a promotion in which it's offering bonus elite night credits and bonus points for every night consumed and as this year's promotion went live today, now would be a good time to make sure that you've registered.
A guide to Marriott Bonvoy Annual Choice Benefits (make your selections by 1 February...
As we enter the last day of January and with the deadline for Marriott's Annual Choice Benefits selection looming large, it's time to take a look at what Marriott is offering Bonvoy members who credited 50 and 75 elite nights to their accounts in 2024.
Save up to 40% on select Marriott stays with this Amex offer [Targeted]
American Express has brought back targeted offer that we last saw launched at the end of May and which ran through August. This time, the offer covers select Marriott stays that are paid for by November 23rd and the best-case scenario will see cardholders saving around 40% on their Marriott spending.
Earn 2x Marriott elite night credits with Homes & Villas
After saying that the last promotion that was run would be the last big promotion of the year, Marriott Homes & Villas launched a new promotion over the weekend in which its offering Bonvoy members double elite night credits on select stays made by the end of the year.
New Marriott cardholder promotion: 2,000 bonus points on select stays
A little earlier, we wrote about a new promotion that Hyatt has launched for holders of its co-branded credit cards, and it now looks like Marriott has followed that lead with its own promotion for most co-branded cardholders in eleven countries across the globe.
Earn 24,000 bonus points/stay and get 10% off select bookings with Marriott Homes &...
If the last Marriott Homes & Villas promotion didn't tempt you into a booking or didn't cover the geographic area in which you're planning a stay, perhaps this latest offer of 24,000 bonus points per stay + 10% off at select properties worldwide will suit you better.
An illogical free night certificate rule Marriott Bonvoy needs to change
I recently booked a stay at the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square and leaving aside the fact that I wasn't particularly impressed with the property (reviewed here), there was something else about the booking that stood out for me - Marriott as has an illogical (some may say ridiculous) rule when it comes to booking rooms with a Free Night Certificate.
London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square review
As I was considering how best to use an expiring Marriott Free Night Certificate without incurring any unnecessary costs (i.e. I was looking to book somewhere I could reach with relative ease from Los Angeles or London), I realised that the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square was one of the few London Marriotts at which I had never stayed.
Comparing the five Marriott Bonvoy consumer credit cards (2025)
Since Amex and Chase both launched new mid-tier Marriott Bonvoy credit cards back in 2022, the number of Bonvoy consumer cards open to new applicants has stood at five. This article compares the annual fees, the earning rates, and the key benefits that these five cards offer in what is an easily digestible format to make it easier to see which Bonvoy card will work best for you.
Is the Ritz-Carlton™ credit card going to make a surprising return
The Ritz-Carlton™ credit card has been unavailable to new applicants for almost six years and a general rule says that no major credit card that has been removed from circulation reappears in a similar guise a few years down the line. But could the Ritz-Carlton™ credit card become the exception to that rule?
How the Marriott and Emirates partnership works
Marriott's partnership with Singapore Airlines was making news a couple of weeks ago, but that's not the only airline partnership that the hotel giant has. There's Marriott's strong partnership with United Airlines and as I'm about to discuss, there the partnership with Emirates as well.
Interesting: Two Starbucks locations have joined Priority Pass in the UK
Mostly, the restaurants and cafes that partner with Priority Pass are names that most people haven't heard of, but as I was looking through the list of recently added eateries on the Priority Pass website (I had jet lag and couldn't sleep!), I noticed that two Starbucks locations at airports in the UK have recently signed up.
Details of the new Marriott Bonvoy/MGM Rewards partnership (brace for disappointment!)
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.
Marriott Bonvoy is giving members ‘soft landings’ this year
If you had Marriott Bonvoy elite status in 2023 but didn't earn enough elite night credits to retain elite status 2024, you may be expecting to lose that status after your benefits run out at the end of February. That is, after all, what usually happens (when pandemics aren't ravaging the planet).
Will Marriott devalue Bonvoy Platinum Elite status?
It's not much of a secret that there are few things that Marriott likes more than a good old-fashioned devaluation so following the news that Bonvoy Platinum Elite status is now being handed out as a credit card benefit, speculation has been growing that the benefits associated with Platinum Elite status will soon be cut. So, is a devaluation imminent?
The Ritz-Carlton™ credit card just got better (I didn’t see this coming)
Yesterday was a big day for announcements in the world of Marriott Bonvoy co-branded credit cards with news that the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™️ American Express® Card has been refreshed and the news that two new mid-tier cards have been launched. There was, however, one other piece of Bonvoy credit card news that didn't get any fanfare at all and for some, it was the best news of the day.
It’s time to say goodbye to my Chase Sapphire Reserve® card
I've held the Chase Sapphire Reserve® since the card was first introduced, but after a number of great years during which the card never left my wallet, it's time for us to part ways. The Reserve card has been a card that I've loved for most of the years that I've held it, but the simple fact is that when I take a look at all the other cards that I hold, I cannot justify the Reserve card's place in my portfolio. It has to go.
Did You Know: Airlines Limit The Cards You Can Use When Paying With PayPal
Recently, I wrote a post reminding readers to use up their Platinum Card PayPal credit before it expired at the end of the month and a comment on that post opened my eyes to an issue that I had no idea existed. Apparently, some airlines prevent customers who are paying via PayPal from paying for their goods/services with some of the cards linked to their PayPal account.
Marriott will open a new property on Maui in April (or May)
Amidst a variety of announcements that we've recently seen Marriott making, one small bit of news appears to have slipped under the radar. Within the next few months, Marriott Bonvoy members will have a new Hawaiian property at which to burn their hard-earned points.
Marriott has opened the W Melbourne
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about Marriott's plans to open almost 100 new Asia Pacific properties in 2021, and now we already have one of the properties featured in that article welcoming guests - the W Hotel Melbourne is officially open.
Marriott Adds A New Boutique Hotel In Tuscany
These may not be the best of times in which to be opening a new hotel but that hasn't stopped Marriott from unveiling a new Autograph Collection property in Tuscany, Italy. The Grand Universe Lucca, a former 16th Century Palazzo, opened its doors yesterday and joins the Marriott Bonvoy program as a Category 4 property.
How to find your Marriott Free Night Certificates in your Bonvoy account
This post is the first in a series of three which will examine how to find Marriott free night certificates in your Bonvoy account (via desktop and via mobile app), how to apply a free night certificate to a single night booking and how to apply a certificate to a multiple night booking.
Marriott opens the refurbished Ritz-Carlton South Beach
Marriott has announced the reopening of the Ritz-Carlton South Beach following a $90m renovation project that has seen the property keep its Art Deco design but has also seen a wholescale floor-to-ceiling modernization of the property.
Plaza Premium Lounge London Heathrow T3 (arrivals) joins Priority Pass
London Heathrow Terminal 3 is home to most of the oneworld airlines (American Airlines, Qantas, JAL, Cathay Pacific, etc...) as well as to airlines such as Delta, Virgin Atlantic, and Emirates....and it's even the terminal that British Airways uses for the flights that it can't fit into its T5 home.