Marriott Bonvoy and Booking.com

[hanmaccie@outlook.com]

Hi, we ve been told when checking into Marriott in Scotland thus week that we can t claim our Marriott Bonvoy points because we booked on Booking.com. Is this true? Seems unfair because we re still paying Marriott here at end of stay, we didn’t pay in advance. Advice welcome.

[NorthernLass]

You’ve booked via a 3rd party which usually disqualifies you from getting any member benefits other than at the hotel’s discretion (exceptions include booking agents like Emyr). I’m assuming you used booking.com as it was cheaper, although most hotel chains offer some sort of price match? Or do they have their own loyalty scheme now like hotels.com? Could you cancel and rebook if the pricing works for you? There are still cash back offers on Amex if you have these, again they are only valid if you book direct.

[meta]

It’s not unfair because hotel needs to pay commission to booking.com so why would they give you points and benefits on top.