Marriott Bonvoy ditches Hotel + Air packages

With dynamic pricing creeping over to Marriott Bonvoy in March 2022, we had a feeling that the prized Hotel + Air packages wouldn’t be sticking around for much longer.

Unfortunately, Marriott has now confirmed that these packages are gone and can’t be purchased anymore. If you already have an existing seven-night hotel certificate, you must redeem it by 28 February 2022. Otherwise, you’ll get refunded the equivalent of seven peak nights worth of points, depending on the category of your certificate.

What were the Marriott Hotel + Air packages?

Marriott’s hotel and air packages started at a minimum of 255,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. You would get a voucher for seven nights in the hotel category of your choosing, plus either 50,000 or 100,000 frequent flyer miles/points.

Hotel Category	7 nights + 50,000 miles	7 nights + 100,000 miles
1-4	255,000 points	330,000 points
5	315,000 points	390,000 points
6	435,000 points	510,000 points
7	495,000 points	570,000 points
8	685,000 points	750,000 points

How do I use existing hotel certificates?

If you’re still holding one of these packages, call up Marriott on 1-800-321-7396 (US) or 1800 251 259 (Australia). Just keep in mind the seven-night booking must be used consecutively at the hotel of your choice. Unfortunately, unused nights are forfeited – you can’t have four nights in one place and three in another, for example.

Remember that this certificate needs to be redeemed by 28 February 2022. If you don’t, any unused certificates will be refunded in points. The same applies if you redeem your certificate and later need to change the booking – you’ll get the refund instead.

Your refund amount is based on seven nights of peak pricing on the current rates. Here’s a quick summary of the points you’ll get back if you don’t use your certificate:

Hotel Category	Certificate refund after 28 Feb ’22
1	70,000 pts
2	105,000 pts
3	140,000 pts
4	210,000 pts
5	280,000 pts
6	420,000 pts
7	490,000 pts
8	700,000 pts

Which airlines could I use the Marriott Hotel + Air packages with?

If you’ve previously redeemed a Hotel + Air package, you’d know there is a very large list of airlines that will happily accept your haul of points or miles from Marriott Bonvoy. The participating airlines most relevant to Australian travellers include:

• Qantas
• Virgin Australia
• Singapore Airlines
• Cathay Pacific
• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• Avianca
• British Airways

Any airlines miles earned through Hotel + Air packages will still be honoured, as those miles would have already been credited to your frequent flyer account. Only unused hotel certificates are being refunded.

Summing up

It’s a real pity that Marriott Hotel + Air packages are being eliminated. We understand the uptake wasn’t high, given the large number of points needed. But overall, it was a great-value deal for high rollers.

As Marriott Bonvoy moves to dynamic pricing, hotel categories are being removed as well. It’s only natural that Hotel + Air packages will follow, as the value of the hotel certificate is tied to hotel categories.

Make sure to use up any existing certificates before 28 February 2022, or you’ll get a points refund instead.

This article was originally written by Evin Tan Khiew.