210 million people are members of Marriott Bonvoy the world's largest hotel loyalty program, spanning 8,500+ properties across 32 brands in 139 countries. Marriott, Sheraton, Westin, Ritz-Carlton, W Hotels, JW Marriott, Courtyard, Residence Inn, St. Regis, and 23 other hotel brands all under one loyalty program.
Most of those 210 million members use the program for one thing: earning points toward free nights. They check in. They earn points. They eventually redeem for a free night at a Courtyard. That's the extent of their Marriott Bonvoy experience.
Behind that basic points-for-nights system are 11 features most members have never used a 5th-night-free benefit that gives you a 20% discount on every long stay, PointSavers that slash award prices by 25%, a Best Rate Guarantee that forces Marriott to match any lower price you find online, credit card free night certificates worth $400-$1,200/year, Suite Night Awards that upgrade you to suites automatically, mobile requests that deliver forgotten toiletries to your room through the app, a certificate top-up that lets you add 25,000 points to boost a free night into a luxury property, elite status available through a credit card without a single hotel stay, guaranteed late checkout until 4 PM, a vacation rental platform bookable with points, and the ability to convert hotel points into airline miles for free flights.
A travel consultant who's stayed 200+ nights at Marriott properties said: "Most Bonvoy members earn points and redeem them for basic free nights. That's level 1 of an 11-level system. The features behind level 1 the ones most members have never configured save an additional $500-$3,000/year on the same hotels, the same rooms, and the same trips they're already taking."
He showed his friend all 11. She'd been a Bonvoy member for 4 years, stayed 40+ nights, and had used exactly 1 feature: basic point redemption.
"You've been playing level 1 for 4 years. The savings are on levels 2 through 11."
Here are the 11 features behind the front desk 🧵