Last day to book Marriott hotels before the Bonvoy category changes

Marriott Bonvoy‘s 2020 redemption category changes take place at midnight tonight, Tuesday.  As usual, more hotels are going up in price than are going down.

If you have a booking at a hotel which is dropping in price you will NOT automatically be refunded the difference.  You would need to cancel and rebook, after checking that availability is still there.

You can see the list of changes here.  You can filter this list by clicking on any of the column headings.

What are the Marriott Bonvoy changes for UK hotels?

Here are some UK highlights and lowlights.  The UK comes out relatively well to be honest.

Going down by one category:

• Aberdeen Marriott (3 to 2)
• AC Hotel Belfast (5 to 4)
• Bristol Marriott (5 to 4)
• Courtyard Edinburgh West (5 to 4)
• Courtyard Glasgow Airport (3 to 2)
• Heathrow / Windsor Marriott (4 to 3)
• Moxy Aberdeen Airport (2 to 1)
• Moxy London Heathrow Airport (4 to 3)
• Newcastle Gateshead Marriott Metro Centre (4 to 3)
• Northampton Marriott (4 to 3)
• Renaissance Manchester City Centre (5 to 4)
• Sheraton Heathrow (4 to 3)
• Sheraton Skyline Heathrow (4 to 3)

Going up by one category:

• Aloft Liverpool (3 to 4)
• Bankside London (6 to 7)
• Breadsall Priory (4 to 5)
• Hanbury Manor (4 to 5)
• Marriott County Hall London (7 to 8)
• Marriott Park Lane London (7 to 8)
• St Ermins London (6 to 7)
• The Glasshouse Edinburgh (6 to 7)
• The Langley, Iver (5 to 6)
• Threadneedles London (6 to 7)

In theory this is not a bad result from a UK perspective, with more hotels moving down than up.  Of course, it is mainly flagship London hotels which are increasing, but even then the vast majority in London are unchanged.

One other positive move is The Langley country house hotel in Iver, pictured above.  Whilst it is going up, it remains – compared to the cash cost of rooms – a relative bargain as a Category 6.  This means that you could pay as little as 40,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night for what is a very pricey (at weekends) country house retreat.  The Langley website is here if you want to learn more.

(Our review of The Langley is here.  They have got their act together a bit since then, I am led to believe!  Irrespective of service, the hard product is exceptional.)

You can check out the category changes for yourself on this page of the Bonvoy website.

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards (January 2021)

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 Elite status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Gold, Shangri-La Golden Circle Jade and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

You can also earn American Express Membership Rewards points with American Express Gold (20,000 bonus points), the American Express Rewards Credit Card (5,000 bonus points) and – for small business owners – American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus points) and Business Platinum (40,000 bonus points).

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.)