Bits: new SPG hotel in London, Marriott Rewards devalues but adds ‘cash and points’

News in brief:

Town Hall Hotel now an SPG property

I have written before about how Starwood is slowly integrating certain Design Hotels into Starwood Preferred Guest.

This week, the acclaimed Town Hall Hotel & Apartments in Bethnal Green (yes, Bethnal Green) went live.  You can see its home page on spg.com here.

The hotel (photo below) is well regarded.  Nuno Mendes, for example, was the chef there before moving over to the much-hyped Chiltern Firehouse.

If you book this hotel, you will receive SPG stay credit and earn Starpoints.  In theory, although some Design Hotels may act differently, your elite status will not be recognised.  The hotel will become available for SPG redemptions in the near future but you cannot book them yet.

Marriott announces its annual devaluation – but ‘cash and points’ coming

It says something of the approach that Marriott Rewards has to its members that the news of the annual devaluation was met with a ‘could be worse’ attitude over in the US.

To put it in context, over 500 hotels are getting more expensive.  Only 200 are getting cheaper.

To be fair, some of the ones going down in price are actually in places you may be visiting.  (Compare this to the IHG changes where almost every hotel going down in price was in China, India or Brazil.)

Two UK hotels get cheaper – the Courtyard and the Renaissance at Heathrow.  UK hotels increasing in price by one category are:

• Bristol City Centre Marriott
• Cheshunt Marriott
• The Glasshouse (Autograph)
• London Kensington Marriott
• London Regents Park Marriott
• Newcastle MetroCentre Marriott
• Waltham Abbey Marriott

The full list of changes can be seen here.

You can book at the old prices – for stays up to 50 weeks in advance – until 24th March.

On 24th March, Marriott will also be launching ‘cash and points’ – more on that when I have the full details.

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (December 2023)

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.

You can apply here.

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 American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 9th January 2024, you will receive a huge 100,000 Membership Rewards points (convertible to 100,000 Avios) with The Platinum Card. You receive 75,000 points if you spend £10,000 in six months and a further 25,000 points if you hold the card for 15 months. You can apply here.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 9th January 2024, you will receive 30,000 Membership Rewards points (convertible to 30,000 Avios) with American Express Preferred Rewards Gold. You receive 25,000 points if you spend £3,000 in three months and a further 5,000 points if you hold the card for 15 months. You can apply here.

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy points is 2:3.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)