Which Marriott Rewards hotels should you book before January when Category 8 launches?
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In early 2019, Marriott Rewards will add Category 8 to their current reward chart. This is what you should do before it happens.
Selected hotels which have been temporarily placed in Category 7 will be moved up to Category 8. As you can see from the chart here:
This is going to lead to a chunky 42% increase in the number of points needed to book these hotels as they rise from 60,000 points per night to 85,000 points per night for a ‘standard’ date.
For bookings on a peak date (peak date pricing does not currently exist and also starts in January) you will see a crazy 67% increase in points needed. Rooms will rise from 60,000 points today to 100,000 points.
I thought it would be useful to publish the full list of hotels moving into Category 8 next year.
Click the text to enlarge – it is actually four separate images. It was not designed to be readable directly from the article. It is always difficult publishing tables on HfP because a lot of people read the site via mobile and they distort.
If you still can’t read it, go to this page of marriott.com and sort the chart by category. The Category 8 hotels will be on top.
What does this list mean in practice?
If you had been planning on staying at any of the hotels on this list, you should book before Category 8 comes into effect. We expect this to be during January 2019.
Your stay can be for any date up to 12 months ahead, so you are OK for the whole of 2019 if you leave your booking until late December 2018.
You will make a substantial saving. It might be your only realistic chance to try, say, St Regis New York – a bargain at 60,000 points (cash rates are $1,100 + tax per night) but toppy at 85,000 points and exceptionally high at 100,000 points, which is what it will be when ‘peak rate’ pricing is introduced.
The hotels in the charts above are a roll-call of some of the most famous hotels in the world. This is an amazing opportunity to try them out in 2019 for a relatively sensible (60,000) number of Marriott Rewards points.
How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (April 2024)
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.
Marriott Bonvoy American Express
20,000 points sign-up bonus 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 American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.
The Platinum Card from American Express
40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review
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)
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.
(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.)
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