Do you know Marriott has guaranteed compensation amounts for benefit failures?
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When a hotel owner makes a branding deal with a major hotel chain, the owner makes certain commitments – not just to hotel standards, but to how guests will be treated.
Whilst a carrot is always the best way to get compliance, a stick is occasionally required.
I recently had cause to make a claim under Marriott’s Ultimate Reservation Guarantee. We’ve never written about the Elite Benefit Guarantees so I thought it was worth a look. Full details are on marriott.com here.
I am not going to tell the story of WHY I had to claim on Marriott’s ‘Ultimate Reservation Guarantee’. The hotel involved acted in good faith throughout and did not argue when I told them I wanted to invoke the guarantee.
Given that it cost the hotel 90,000 Marriott Bonvoy points and $200 to compensate me on what was only a one night stay, it took a genuine hit. In the end, I didn’t have to swap hotels either.
What is Marriott’s Ultimate Reservation Guarantee?
Put simply, it guarantees that a status member (Silver or above) in Marriott Bonvoy will not be refused a room due to overbooking.
(At The Ritz Carlton, Ritz Carlton Reserve and St Regis, the guarantee only applies to Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite members. I am actually typing this in a Ritz Carlton hotel as a mere Platinum Elite, but luckily they had a room for me!)
It’s a simple deal. If the hotel cannot give you a room and has to book you into another hotel instead (which it will pay for, not you) you will also receive the following:
At EDITION, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels, Sheraton, Delta Hotels, Le Méridien, Westin, Autograph Collection, Renaissance Hotels, Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy, Tribute Portfolio, Gaylord Hotels, Trailborn Properties:
- 90,000 Marriott Bonvoy points + $200
At Courtyard, Four Points, SpringHill Suites, Protea Hotels, Fairfield, AC Hotels, Aloft, Moxy, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, Element:
- $100, except for Platinum Elite, Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite members who receive 90,000 Marriott Bonvoy points + $100
At City Express, Four Points Flex:
- $50, except for Platinum Elite, Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite members who receive 45,000 Marriott Bonvoy points + $50
At The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, St. Regis:
- 140,000 Marriott Bonvoy points + $200 for Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite members
As you can see, you are clearly (especially if you are only Silver Elite or Gold Elite) better off if you have an issue at a hotel in the first group.
The compensation gets a bit thin – or indeed stops applying at all – as you go down the list.
What are the other Elite Benefit Guarantees?
Marriott has a number of other guarantees which cover Platinum Elite and higher members. You don’t qualify if you have no status or are only Gold Elite or Silver Elite.
It splits into three different promises:
The welcome gift guarantee
You are entitled to a welcome gift on arrival. This is usually a choice of bonus points, free breakfast or a F&B credit. You are asked what you want and your account is noted accordingly.
If the hotel does not offer you your choice of welcome gift, you are entitled to cash compensation:
- $100 or equivalent at JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels, Delta Hotels, Autograph Collection, Renaissance Hotels, Gaylord Hotels, Trailborn Properties, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, Sheraton, Le Méridien, Westin, Tribute Portfolio
- $50 or equivalent at Courtyard, AC Hotels, SpringHill Suites, Residence Inn, Four Points, Protea Hotels
- $25 or equivalent at Moxy, Fairfield, TownePlace Suites, Aloft, Four Points Flex, City Express, Element
- Nothing (because your only option is bonus points which are added automatically) at The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, EDITION, Marriott Vacation Club, Marriott Grand Residence Club, Sheraton Vacation Club, Westin Vacation Club, Design Hotels, Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy, Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy
The executive lounge guarantee
There is a separate guarantee which kicks in if the hotel has an executive lounge but it is closed and you are not offered free restaurant breakfast instead. You are due $100 in these circumstances.
It only applies to lounges at the following brands: JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels, Delta Hotels, Autograph Collection and Renaissance Hotels. Resorts are excluded.
The room type guarantee
There is a third guarantee which kicks in over room type when staying in the US or Canada. If you book a specific size of bed and such a room is not available, you will receive:
- $100 at The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels, Sheraton, Delta Hotels, Le Méridien, Westin, Autograph Collection, Renaissance Hotels, Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy, Tribute Portfolio, Gaylord Hotels, Trailborn Properties
- $50 at AC Hotels, Courtyard, Four Points, SpringHill Suites, Protea Hotels, Residence Inn
- $25 at Fairfield, Aloft, Moxy Hotels, City Express, Four Points Flex, TownePlace Suites, Element
The benefit does not apply if you book on the day you arrive and does not apply to upgraded rooms.
This one can be generous in some circumstances (if you are travelling alone and booked a king bed but only receive a queen) and can work out badly in others (if you have to share with a work colleague and you book a twin room but only receive a queen ….)
The only issue with the Elite Benefit Guarantees is that, in my very English way, I would be embarrassed about asking for the money.
If a Marriott receptionist does not ask if you want your choice of 1,000 points or free breakfast and you are just handed your key, do you have the front to say: ‘aha, you forgot to ask me about my elite welcome benefit, please give me $100 equivalent in local currency now’?
Conclusion
On one hand, these sort of guarantees shouldn’t be necessary. Hotels shouldn’t be overbooked in the first place, and if they are it isn’t elite members of the loyalty programme who should be top of the list to leave.
That said, arguably it is good to have guidelines in place rather than leave it to the member to negotiate compensation from what will often be a position of weakness (if they have no room!).
I’m not sure that the Elite Benefit Guarantees for missed welcome benefits are strictly necessary, and in most circumstances I would feel guilty about asking for it.
Ironically, the ‘welcome gift’ guarantee doesn’t cover what happens if you are offered your choice of benefit, you choose the points and then the points don’t turn up, as happened to me recently. You can’t retroclaim these via Marriott because your ‘missing points’ submission is automatically rejected when the system sees that your base points posted ….
You can find out more about Marriott’s Elite Benefit Guarantees on this page of marriott.com.
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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (April 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.
You can apply here.
Marriott Bonvoy American Express
20,000 points for signing up 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.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
The Platinum Card from American Express
80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:
- American Express 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 (50,000 bonus Amex points)
The conversion rate from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy points is 2:3.
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