Marriott Bonvoy to Change Suite Night Award to Nightly Upgrade Award from Early 2024 - Redeem at More Brands
Suite Night Awards (SNAs) are one of the most popular choices that Marriott Bonvoy members can select when achieving 50 and 75 qualifying nights each year - each SNA is a single-night upgrade to a standard suite (or premium room) but these awards will only start clearing five days prior to arrival. Starting in early 2024, Marriott Bonvoy will be renaming the Suite Night Award (SNA) to the Nightly Upgrade Award (NUA) alongside some changes.
Click HERE to learn more about the upcoming changes to Suite Night Awards!
Nightly Upgrade Awards Redeemable Across Five More Brands
Photo Credit: The Ritz-Carlton, Nikko
While Suite Night Awards are not guaranteed to clear even if there is inventory and availability for the desired suite or premium room type, they can offer immense value when utilised for the right room types. At the time of writing, Suite Night Awards cannot be used at the following brands but Marriott Bonvoy will allow members to use their awards across five additional brands from 2024:
The Ritz-Carlton (NUAs redeemable from early 2024)
EDITION (NUAs redeemable from early 2024)
Aloft (NUAs redeemable from early 2024)
Element (NUAs redeemable from early 2024)
Protea Hotels (NUAs redeemable from early 2024)
The Ritz-Carlton Reserve
The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club
Design Hotels™
All-Suite Hotels
Marriott Executive Apartments
Marriott Vacation Club
Marriott Grand Residence Club properties
Vistana properties
While I do not expect most Marriott Bonvoy members to utilise their NUAs at Aloft or Element properties, the inclusion of Ritz-Carlton, EDITION, and even Protea properties make these NUAs a lot more valuable.
Photo Credit:The Shanghai EDITION
Upgrade Availability for Nightly Upgrade Awards Will Start 3 Days Prior to Arrival
Currently, Suite Night Awards can be requested at any time after your reservation is confirmed, up to 2:00 PM hotel time, the day before arrival - upgrade availability will start five days prior to arrival. With the upcoming changes, the upgrade availability for the Nightly Upgrade Awards will only start three days prior to arrival. Essentially, this means that you will have a smaller window for an upgrade to be confirmed. As I have mentioned earlier, properties do not have control over these upgrade awards and it is possible that they do not clear even if there is actual availability. However, with that being said, Platinum Elite and higher tier members can receive an upgrade to a Standard Suite across participating brands and properties so in the event that your SNA (or NUA) does not clear and you still see inventory at check-in, you should gently nudge them towards getting your well-deserved upgrade.
More Inventory for Upgrades will be Available
Marriott Bonvoy claims that "nearly 20% more premium rooms and suites will be available for upgrades across all participating brands with features like oceanfront rooms, balconies, and extra space" - this means that you will be able to use your Nightly Upgrade Awards for premium room types (which you can already do so at selected properties now) but most people will probably try to save them for Standard Suites.
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