Marriott has released the award categories for 100 properties under the new award chart that will go into effect on August 1st. Some things to note:
- Hotels that will be added as a category 8 property are listed as category 7 temporarily (and marked as such)
- Peak and off peak rates come into affect in early 2019
- SPG properties have automatically had their costs converted to Marriott points (1:3 conversion)
- This list is 100 properties in the top 5 markets:
- Bali
- Caribbean & Mexico
- Dubai
- New York
- Paris
New York
| Current Points Required | New Award Chart Points Required | Points Difference | New Award Chart Category* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courtyard New York Manhattan/Central Park | 40000 | 35000 | -5,000 | 5 |
| Element New York Times Square West | 36000 | 35000 | -1,000 | 5 |
| Four Points by Sheraton Manhattan Midtown West | 36000 | 35000 | -1,000 | 5 |
| Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Central Park | 40000 | 35000 | -5,000 | 5 |
| New York Marriott East Side | 45000 | 50000 | 5000 | 6 |
| New York Marriott Marquis | 45000 | 50000 | 5000 | 6 |
| Renaissance New York Times Square Hotel | 45000 | 50000 | 5000 | 6 |
| Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel | 36000 | 50000 | 14000 | 6 |
| The Algonquin Hotel Times Square, Autograph Collection | 45000 | 50000 | 5000 | 6 |
| The Westin New York at Times Square | 60000 | 50000 | -10,000 | 6 |
| The Westin New York Grand Central | 60000 | 50000 | -10,000 | 6 |
| Gramercy Park Hotel, New York, a Member of Design Hotels™ | 60000 | 60000 | 0 | 7 |
| Hotel Americano, New York, a Member of Design Hotels™ | 60000 | 60000 | 0 | 7 |
| The New York EDITION | 60000 | 60000 | 0 | 7 |
| W New York - Times Square | 60000 | 60000 | 0 | 7 |
| W New York - Union Square | 60000 | 60000 | 0 | 7 |
| 11 Howard, New York, a Member of Design Hotels™ | 90000 | 60,000 (Effective August) 85,000 (Coming 2019) | -30,000? -5,000 | 8 |
| The Chatwal, a Luxury Collection Hotel, New York City | 90000 | 60,000 (Effective August) 85,000 (Coming 2019) | -30,000? -5,000 | 8 |
| The St. Regis New York | 90000 | 60,000 (Effective August) 85,000 (Coming 2019) | -30,000? -5,000 | 8 |
Statistics:
- 5 properties increasing in points price
- 9 properties decreasing in points price
- 0 properties staying the same
- Four properties will now be bookable using category 1-5 free night certificates (up to 35,000 points)
Bali
| Current Points Required | New Award Chart Points Required | Points Difference | New Award Chart Category* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courtyard Bali Seminyak Resort | 25000 | 17500 | -7,500 | 3 |
| Fairfield by Marriott Bali Legian | 20000 | 17500 | -2,500 | 3 |
| Four Points by Sheraton Bali, Kuta | 12000 | 17500 | 5500 | 3 |
| Four Points by Sheraton Bali, Seminyak | 12000 | 17500 | 5500 | 3 |
| Courtyard Bali Nusa Dua Resort | 30000 | 25000 | -5,000 | 4 |
| Le M?ridien Bali Jimbaran | 30000 | 25000 | -5,000 | 4 |
| Renaissance Bali Uluwatu Resort & Spa | 30000 | 25000 | -5,000 | 4 |
| Sthala, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Ubud Bali | 30000 | 25000 | -5,000 | 4 |
| The Stones Hotel - Legian Bali, Autograph Collection | 30000 | 25000 | -5,000 | 4 |
| Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort | 36000 | 35000 | -1,000 | 5 |
| The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali | 36000 | 35000 | -1,000 | 5 |
| The Laguna, na Luxury Collection Resort & Spa,? Nusa Dua, Bali | 36000 | 50000 | 14000 | 6 |
| The Ritz-Carlton, Bali | 40000 | 50000 | 10000 | 6 |
| W Bali - Seminyak | 90000 | 60000 | -30,000 | 7 |
| The St. Regis Bali Resort | 90000 | 60,000 (Effective August)? 85,000 (Coming 2019) | -30,000? -5,000 | 8 |
Statistics:
- 4 properties increasing in points price
- 11 properties decreasing in points price
- 0 properties staying the same
- 11 properties will now be bookable using category 1-5 free night certificates (up to 35,000 points). Two of these are new, rest were already bookable
Caribbean & Mexico
| Current Points Required | New Award Chart Points Required | Points Difference | New Award Chart Category* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JW Marriott Hotel Santo Domingo | 30000 | 25000 | -5,000 | 4 |
| The Westin Resort & Spa, Puerto Vallarta | 21000 | 25000 | 4000 | 4 |
| Hacienda Puerta Campeche, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Campeche | 36000 | 35000 | -1,000 | 5 |
| Hacienda Santa Rosa, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Santa Rosa | 36000 | 35000 | -1,000 | 5 |
| Hacienda Temozon, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Temozon Sur | 36000 | 35000 | -1,000 | 5 |
| JW Marriott Hotel Mexico City | 35000 | 35000 | 0 | 5 |
| La Concha Renaissance San Juan Resort | 40000 | 35000 | -5,000 | 5 |
| Marriott Cancun Resort | 40000 | 35000 | -5,000 | 5 |
| Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa | 35000 | 35000 | 0 | 5 |
| San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino | 40000 | 35000 | -5,000 | 5 |
| Sheraton Grand Los Cabos Hacienda del Mar | 36000 | 35000 | -1,000 | 5 |
| The Westin Cozumel | 36000 | 35000 | -1,000 | 5 |
| The Westin Puntacana Resort & Club | 30000 | 35000 | 5000 | 5 |
| The Westin Resort & Spa, Cancun | 21000 | 35000 | 14000 | 5 |
| W Mexico City | 36000 | 35000 | -1,000 | 5 |
| Hacienda Uayamon, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Uayamon | 60000 | 50000 | -10,000 | 6 |
| JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa | 45000 | 50000 | 5000 | 6 |
| The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun | 50000 | 50000 | 0 | 6 |
| The St. Regis Mexico City | 60000 | 50000 | -10,000 | 6 |
| The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba | 60000 | 60000 | 0 | 7 |
| The Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach? Resort & Spa | 36000 | 60000 | 24000 | 7 |
| W Punta de Mita | 60000 | 60000 | 0 | 7 |
Statistics:
- 5 properties increasing in points price
- 12 properties decreasing in points price
- 5 properties staying the same
- 15 properties will now be bookable using category 1-5 free night certificates (up to 35,000 points). 8 of these are new, rest were already bookable
Dubai
| Current Points Required | New Award Chart Points Required | Points Difference | New Award Chart Category* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai Marriott Harbour Hotel & Suites | 40000 | 35000 | -5,000 | 5 |
| Four Points by Sheraton Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai | 30000 | 35000 | 5000 | 5 |
| Grosvenor House, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Dubai | 36000 | 35000 | -1,000 | 5 |
| JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai | 35000 | 35000 | 0 | 5 |
| La Ville Hotel & Suites CITY WALK, Dubai, Autograph Collection | 35000 | 35000 | 0 | 5 |
| Lapita, Dubai Parks and Resorts, Autograph Collection | 35000 | 35000 | 0 | 5 |
| Le M?ridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre | 30000 | 35000 | 5000 | 5 |
| Renaissance Downtown Hotel, Dubai | 35000 | 35000 | 0 | 5 |
| Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel & Towers | 30000 | 35000 | 5000 | 5 |
| Sheraton Jumeirah Beach Resort | 36000 | 35000 | -1,000 | 5 |
| Sheraton Mall of the Emirates Hotel, Dubai | 36000 | 35000 | -1,000 | 5 |
| Le M?ridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina | 36000 | 50000 | 14000 | 6 |
| Le Royal M?ridien Beach Resort & Spa | 36000 | 50000 | 14000 | 6 |
| The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai | 70000 | 60000 | -10,000 | 7 |
| The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina | 60000 | 60000 | 0 | 7 |
Statistics:
- 5 properties increasing in points price
- 5 properties decreasing in points price
- 5 properties staying the same
- 11 properties will now be bookable using category 1-5 free night certificates (up to 35,000 points). 5 of these are new, rest were already bookable
Paris
| Current Points Required | New Award Chart Points Required | Points Difference | New Award Chart Category* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Dokhan's, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Paris | 36000 | 35000 | -1,000 | 5 |
| Le M?ridien Etoile | 36000 | 35000 | -1,000 | 5 |
| Paris Marriott Rive Gauche Hotel & Conference Center | 35000 | 35000 | 0 | 5 |
| Renaissance Paris Republique Hotel | 40000 | 35000 | -5,000 | 5 |
| Sheraton Paris Airport Hotel & Conference Centre | 36000 | 35000 | -1,000 | 5 |
| Le Metropolitan, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Paris | 36000 | 50000 | 14000 | 6 |
| Paris Marriott Opera Ambassador Hotel | 40000 | 50000 | 10000 | 6 |
| Renaissance Paris Arc de Triomphe Hotel | 45000 | 50000 | 5000 | 6 |
| Renaissance Paris Le Parc Trocadero Hotel | 40000 | 50000 | 10000 | 6 |
| Renaissance Paris Vendome Hotel | 45000 | 50000 | 5000 | 6 |
| Hotel Bel Ami, Paris, a Member of Design Hotels™ | 60000 | 60000 | 0 | 7 |
| Hotel de NELL, Paris, a Member of Design Hotels™ | 60000 | 60000 | 0 | 7 |
| Hotel Vernet, Paris, a Member of Design Hotels™ | 60000 | 60000 | 0 | 7 |
| La Maison Champs Elysées, Paris, a Member of Design Hotels™ | 60000 | 60000 | 0 | 7 |
| Le Roch Hotel and Spa, Paris, a Member of Design Hotels™ | 60000 | 60000 | 0 | 7 |
| Les Bains, Paris, a Member of Design Hotels™ | 60000 | 60000 | 0 | 7 |
| Paris Marriott Champs Elysees Hotel | 45000 | 60000 | 15000 | 7 |
| The Westin Paris - Vend?me | 60000 | 60000 | 0 | 7 |
| W Paris - Op?ra | 60000 | 60000 | 0 | 7 |
| Prince de Galles, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Paris | 90000 | 60,000 (Effective August) 85,000 (Coming 2019) | -30,000? -5,000 | 8 |
Statistics:
- 6 properties increasing in points price
- 5 properties decreasing in points price
- 9 properties staying the same
- 5 properties will now be bookable using category 1-5 free night certificates (up to 35,000 points). 4 of these are new, rest were already bookable
Our Verdict
The above changes seem to be mostly positive, although in hindsight looking solely at the number of properties increasing/decreasing in price might not have been the best analysis as some properties are only having their prices reduced by 1,000 points. That is still significant though as it makes a lot of those properties bookable using the free night certificates. I guess those living in NYC and wanting to do a staycation or those visiting (with multiple certificates to avoid hotel hopping) will be the happiest. I’ll reserve judgement until we can see the changes across the full portfolio and even then it might take a year or two for Marriott to really swing the axe with the peak and off peak pricing.
Any idea what will happen with places like BOB and MLE? Want to book for BOB but not sure if I should wait or not…
What happened to the Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman?
There’s 91 not 100. 42 going down. 24 staying the same. 25 going up.
Been planning a trip to Dubai. I have about 4 certificates where up until this news, only 1 option was available (courtyard green community). This is amazing news.
I am going to have to second that there are some properties missing and add that some data is incorrect. Some Dubai properties such as the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai are currently Cat 7 70k Points.
I think there are properties missing from these list. I mean, that these lists are incomplete. If I go to Marriott’s website and search for the Caribbean, I see over 25 properties – yet the list they gave includes only 22 properties, including many SPG. It’s possible that they’re just offering a sampling. But I think it might be that they’re including only Marriott properties changing in points. (Otherwise, what about St Kitts etc.)
Plenty of Westins and W’s on the list.
Yup. There are two SPG hotels in PVR and they only show one. Hard to say if these are hand picked to make the numbers look good or not.
Living in NYC, I’ve always been upset that these certs are basically useless for me. I love using these things for staycations but no hotels in NYC were ever eligible
I’m missing something. Current award certs for Cat. 5 correspond to a 25K cost property. New Cat. 5 is 35,000 points standard. Shouldn’t we assume that any Cat. 1-5 current cert will correspond to AT BEST a “standard” Cat. 4 redemption?
It’s still unclear if certificates issued before August 1st will “stick” to the original categories or get adjusted with the points value. All the new cards and new Free night certs issued after August 1st will be good at any Cat 1-5 property up to 35,000 points (likely excluding Cat 5 in peak times come 2019).
I had thought there was a difference between the new FN certs from the SPG Biz cards and those from the Chase ones. I’d be happy to be wrong about that, obviously.
Any thoughts on whether a Hotel+Flights certificate for Cat 1-5 (25k/nt) 7 night stay (150k total for hotel nights; 25k x6), that has already been issued, would be able to be used on future Cat 5 properties (35k/nt). If you do the same math (35k x6), then this should cost 210k total for hotel nights portion. It would be fantastic if these Cat 1-5 certs for Hotel+Flight got “converted” to a new Cat 1-5 certificate…that’s a 60k increase in “value”. But this is also why I’m assuming the current Cat 1-5 Hotel+Flights package will be converted into a Cat 1-4 Hotel+Flights package since the new Cat 4 exactly lines up with the current Cat 1-5 in terms of 25k/nt.
I am making exactly this assumption and that for a new Cat 5 we’ll actually need an old Cat 7 (35K) cert.
I guess I’m being optimistic, but I was hoping a new Cat 5 would only require an old Cat 6 (30k) cert.
This exercise gets really fun when trying to figure out if you should upgrade a cert now or in August. My brain hurts.
It’s a gamble, but I’m going to buy a few SPG points and grab a Cat 7 package. With so many properties shifting around and 14 categories getting crammed into 8, I feel like there’s a decent chance my cert will stick for any Cat 7 in the new award chart. Even better if the properties that will be Cat 8 in 2019 are bookable as Cat 7 come August.
Worst case scenario (and most likely), my Cat 7 certificate will get adjusted to a Cat 5 certificate. But even then I might try to complain and get my points back due to all the moving pieces and having terms changed mid-certificate.
St Regis Bali looks intriguing.
Definitely planning to burn most of our spg points next year with post-august bookings
Hi, we just got back from the St. Regis Bali as part of our honeymoon last week. We did a cash stay though, as it was just too many spg points so far into the trip.
Overall, we had a fantastic time, however we had to be moved rooms because the AC in the first room wasn’t acceptable (among other arrival issues). We netted out well though – being upgraded from a lagoon villa to a straind villa on the beach (100x better). It was an incredible villa.
On site food is pricey, as expected, but unlike at the ritz the pricing is all inclusive (tax/service charge) which made it really nice. Being SPG gold gets you the usual 15% discount on stuff (except Kayuputi restaurant).
To book it at 20k spg points I think is well worth it, 30k no. If you have any questions, I’d be happy to try and help! We also stayed at the W Bali and Ritz Mandapa.
Do we know for sure that someone with a current 7-night cert will be able to book these hotels at these categories?
Not sure I understand the question?
I think he means if you have a current Cat 8 7 night cert for Marriott will it stay a Cat 8 in the new system or will it be converted to the new corresponding cat in the new system (or even converted to straight point equivalent)
The math got super weird in many cases while calculating the difference.
Points difference 1073740824
Unsigned values
right. something needs to be fixed on calculations
Charles,
Please stop using complex numbers for all your calculations. all numbers should be rational.l
That’s one heck of a devaluation.
Ugh, fixed now. Sorry about that everybody.