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The Marriott Bonvoy app has been refreshed, redesigned, and been given a full makeover and while some of the changes may appear to be cosmetic, others include new booking options, better functionality, improvements to the search facility, and improvements to the way information is displayed. Here, in brief, is what’s new in the refreshed Marriott Bonvoy app. may appear to be cosmetic, others include new booking options, better functionality, improvements to the search facility, and improvements to the way information is displayed. Here, in brief, is what’s new in the refreshed Marriott Bonvoy app.
The Refreshed Bonvoy App
The icon for the Bonvoy app may not have changed but it’s obvious that there’s been a refresh from the moment the app is opened up. The app homepage now shows a Bonvoy member’s name, points balance, and elite night credit balance at the very top (I’ve greyed my details out), and any promotions that a member is eligible for are now front and center – there’s no need to go looking for the promotions page anymore.
During a stay, the homepage will display a guest’s mobile key together with details of their current stay (a guest’s room number will be prominently visible) and, from here, an app user can now make more mobile requests than ever before. The app has been given more one-touch-buttons so users can now use the app to order a crib, shoeshine, and dry cleaning, along with bath towels, pillows, bath products, and more.
The app has been given an updated search facility with a redesigned input form that looks cleaner and that makes the available options more obvious.
The search results page offers a reformated version of the usual list of properties with obvious tools to customize the results (filter by brand, amenities, rewards category, price, etc…), and the filter makes it very easy to set the results to show pricing including all taxes and fees.
A single tap on the map that sits on a screen beneath the search results opens up a map view of the search results, and while this isn’t new functionality for the app, it’s certainly a more obvious way for an app user to view their results with reference to the location they plan to visit.
A member’s profile page now looks a lot sleeker and less like it was designed for a 5-year old (I really didn’t like the old profile page!)…
…and a short scroll down the page is enough to show a Bonvoy member what free night certificates and suite night awards they hold as well as the number of promotions they have access to.
The Bonvoy app now has added shopping and booking options with users now given access to Marriott’s Homes & Villas home rentals, Work Anywhere with Marriott, Marriott Bonvoy Tours & Activities, and more.
It should be noted that while all of these new booking options can be accessed from within the app, as the next screenshot of Marriott’s Homes & Villas shows, transactions don’t take place within the app itself. Users are guided to a webpage where bookings can be made.
Other highlights of the app update include the ability for Bonvoy members to explore Marriott’s various brands with ease, enhanced FaceID and TouchID functionality that now automatically engages after a user’s first login, better functionality for non-members (you no longer have to be a Bonvoy member to search or to book stays through the app), and the ability for users to access non-stay promotions that Marriott often runs (e.g. points promotions with partners like Hertz and Marriott’s “Eat About Town” dining program).
Bottom Line
The changes to the Marriott Bonvoy app may not be revolutionary but I like what Marriott has done. Often we see app and website refreshes that appear to have been done just for the sake of a refresh and with little obvious benefit to the end-user. With this refresh and redesign, however, things are definitely better.
I like the clean look that the app now has (the large, thick fonts and child-like colors of the old design appear to have been mostly removed), I like the fact that the options available to app users during a hotel search are more obvious, I like that I can clearly see all the information that I need to see about my Bonvoy account without having to navigate multiple pages, and I like the fact that Marriott’s promotions are now considerably easier to find.
A true test of the Bonvoy app’s functionality will come when I make my next stay and see just how well the Mobile Key and all the in-stay options work but, for now, this looks like a job well done by Marriott…and I don’t get to say that very often!
What do you think of Marriott’s refreshed Bonvoy app?
