Marriott Increases Award Pricing on High-End Hotel Redemptions

Marriott Bonvoy has raised the ceiling on some high-end hotel redemptions. What used to cost at most 120,000 points now costs up to 150,000 points per night, which represents an increase of 25%.

It appears that the unofficial cap has been lifted at many other properties, too, as we’ve seen recent changes to the maximum number of points required for a night from what it had previously been since the program shifted to dynamic pricing last year.

These changes come without any warning or notice, which is unfortunate for anyone who will now have to pay more for a redemption, but not surprising due to the nature of dynamic pricing.

Changes to High-End Marriott Hotels

For the past year, redemptions at Marriott’s top-tier hotels have had a “soft cap” of 120,000 points per night. As a point of reference, prior to dynamic pricing kicking in on March 30, 2022, the most we’d see for a hotel stay on a peak night was 100,000 points.

In other words, in a year, there has been a 50% increase from the previous maximum number of points required to stay per night at some of the brand’s best properties, and up to a 25% increase in the very recent past.

The jump to 150,000 points per night is only at some of the brand’s most exclusive properties in some of the most exotic destinations. One needs to look no further than the Maldives to find these prices. 

For example, a stay at The Ritz-Carlton Maldives Fari Islands can cost up to 150,000 points per night during peak season.

Looking for a stay at the St. Regis Maldives Vommuli during peak season? Expect to fork over 150,000 points per night, or 600,000 points for a five-night stay (taking advantage of the Fifth Night Free benefit).

Other iconic St. Regis properties, such as the St. Regis New York or the St. Regis Bora Bora, range from 84,000–126,000 points per night over the next year. 

Another fan-favourite property, Al Maha Desert Resort Dubai, maxes out at 126,000 points, up from its previous ceiling of 120,000 points, which appears to be a recurring theme.

It’s worth noting that many other properties have seen jumps of greater than 50% since the move to dynamic pricing, even though they don’t approach the upper levels of Marriott’s pricing. 

For example, The Bodrum EDITION had a maximum price of 100,000 points per night for the past year; however, now it’s possible to find nights at 106,000 points.

For what it’s worth,…