Marriott to offer free wi-fi in all hotels from January
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Marriott has joined the growing number of hotel chains which are throwing in the towel as far as charging for wi-fi goes.
From January 15th 2015, all Marriott Rewards members will receive free internet access when staying at any hotel in the Marriott family.
This includes Renaissance, JW Marriott, AC Hotels, Autograph, Courtyard, Edition, Fairfield Inn, Gaylord, Residence Inn, Ritz-Carlton, Springhill Suites and Towneplace Suites.
On the face of it, this is identical to the offer that IHG Rewards Club now offers to anyone staying at a Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Crowne Plaza etc. As Marriott Rewards membership is free, this deal is effectively open to all guests.
Marriott has added an additional ‘gotcha’ though.
As you can see from their website, you will only receive free internet if you booked your room directly with the hotel or through marriott.com. Major corporate travel agencies will presumably also be included.
If you book your room via Expedia or another 3rd party travel agent, you will not receive free Wi-Fi.
This is a clever move by Marriott. Base level Marriott members will now have to choose between booking on Expedia, hotels.com etc and receiving (with hotels.com) Welcome Rewards points, or booking direct and receiving free wi-fi and Marriott Rewards points.
It is worth noting that the free internet offered to base level members will be of the super-slow variety. You will have to pay a premium to receive a connection suitable for, for example, video streaming. Gold and Platinum level members in Marriott Rewards will receive a free high speed connection.
More information can be found on the Marriott website here.
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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (July 2025)
There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.
The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 15th July 2025, the sign-up bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card is TRIPLED to 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. This would convert into 25,000 Avios or into 40 other airline schemes. It would also get you at least £300 of Marriott hotel stays based on our 0.5p per point low-end valuation. Other T&C apply and remain unchanged. Click here for our full card review and click here to apply.
You can apply here.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card
60,000 points (to 15th July) and 15 elite night credits each year Read our full review
You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.
Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card? It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.
We reviewed The Platinum Card from American Express in detail here and you can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express
50,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:
- American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card (20,000 bonus Amex points)
- The American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)
and for small business owners:
- The American Express Business Gold Card (20,000 bonus Amex points)
- The American Express Business Platinum Card (50,000 bonus Amex points)
The conversion rate from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy points is 2:3.
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