Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite or Higher? Make Sure You Pick Your Annual Choice Benefit (Get Suite Night Awards!)
With only two weeks left until the end of 2019, most Marriott Bonvoy members are making one last push for status retention and qualification - I have also just managed to retain Platinum Elite status for 2020 after hitting 50 elite-qualifying nights last weekend. The Marriott Bonvoy program is not one without its flaws and truth to be told, there is plenty to get 'bonvoyed' over. With that said, there are beautiful properties under the program which I would stay in a heartbeat regardless of whether it belongs to a loyalty program or not. Upon hitting Platinum Elite status, you will be given the option to select your annual choice benefit for the upcoming year within 48 hours.
Photo Credit: Marriott Bonvoy
If you have only just obtained or retained Platinum Elite (or higher) status, you will have until 11:59 PM on 15 January 2020 (ET) to select your 2019 Annual Elite Benefits Choice Once you hit 75 eligible nights (and obtain Titanium Elite status), you will have another Annual Choice Benefit with two more options but let us just focus on the first one for now. Upon reaching 50 eligible nights in a calendar year, you will be able to select one out of the following five options as your Annual Choice Benefit:
Five Elite Night Credits
40% Off Your Favourite Hotel Bed
Gift Silver Elite Status
Support Children with UNICEF (USD 100 Donation)
Five Suite Night Awards
Photo Credit: Marriott Bonvoy
Now Silver Elite status with the Marriott Bonvoy program is completely useless and you will receive no tangible benefits at all. If you are new to the program and you want a quick way to get status, The Platinum Card from American Express gives you immediate Gold Elite status in the program for as long as you hold the card - using my referral link for The Platinum Card will get you 40,000 bonus Membership Rewards (MR) points once you have met the minimum spend requirement.
Honestly, the only option you should consider is the USD 100 donation to UNICEF or the five suite night awards - the latter is a lot more for personal gratification, of course. Now the five elite night credits may only be useful if you are a couple of nights short of your next status (and you see an actual benefit in obtaining it). You might remember that Platinum Elite members already receive guaranteed lounge access with select Marriott International brands so getting the perks of being a Titanium Elite or Ambassador Elite are quite marginal (unless you stay at Ritz-Carlton properties a lot).
Photo Credit: Marriott Bonvoy
The 5 Suite Night Awards are incredibly useful as you will be able to apply these for any eligible bookings that you have with Marriott (friends and family rates are included as well!). According to Marriott Bonvoy, they will begin looking for space-available upgrades within five days of your upcoming stay and if your award(s) cannot be confirmed by 2PM local time on the day before your arrival, you will receive a notification via email and the suite night awards will be credited back into your account. Do note that you will have to apply these awards on the entire duration of your stay - if you are staying at the W Singapore - Sentosa Cove for three nights, you will have to request for an upgrade for all three nights of your stay (therefore utilising three out of five of your Suite Night Awards).
The Four Points by Sheraton Auckland is still my favourite hotel in Auckland with a dependable product at an affordable price.