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So, it’s mid-February and I still haven’t selected my annual Marriott Choice Benefit. I guess I have been procrastinating, because I just didn’t know which benefit would bring me the most value.
When you achieve Platinum status or higher with Marriott Bonvoy, you receive a variety of perks including free breakfast, bonus points, a suite upgrade if available, and my favorite which is the Choice Benefit Program. With this annual program in place, members have the choice to select from a list of various benefits.
Let’s look at the selection of benefits when you qualify for Platinum Elite status, which means you’ve earned 50 elite-qualifying nights in a calendar year. Here are your choices.
- Five Suite Night Awards
- Gift of Silver Elite Status for a friend or family member
- Five elite night credits
- 40 % off your favorite mattress
- Charity donation of $100
So, I decided to break it down to help make my decision. First of all, I really didn’t think Marriott Silver Elite Status was worth much. Silver Status really doesn’t offer many benefits beyond the late check out and a 10% points bonus. The mattress at 40% off wasn’t really an option for me since I already have a mattress that I love. So, if you’re not in the market for a mattress this option might not be worth it. The donation to charity is very nice, but I felt I wanted to maximize my benefits and could give to the charity on my own.
It came down to two Marriott Choice Benefits for me: the five elite night credits or the Suite Night Awards. The five elite night credits is a great option if you think you may not reach Platinum or Titanium Status for the year. While analyzing it I thought, what are the five night credits worth? I could just book a room for 5 nights and stay at one of the least expensive hotels available in my area. Where I live in Florida, the summer the rates for a Marriott Courtyard go down to $70 per night which means this benefit has a value of $350 in my case.
I then looked at Marriott’s Suite Night Award. Each Suite Night Award is valid for a one-night upgrade to a select suites designed by each individual property. If you are staying at a hotel for three nights you would use three Suite Night Awards, with two remaining for a future stay.
So, I looked at what a suite is worth and what the value is. When traveling with my daughter to Paris, we stayed at The Westin Paris – Vendôme. I purchased a basic room at $379 a night and stayed for a total of three nights. Since I already selected Suite Night Awards as Marriott Choice Benefit for the year, I decided to utilize it during this trip. I chose to use three Suite Night Awards for those three nights and requested a Junior Suite with an Eiffel Tower view. This suite had a value of $936. So, the value for staying in Paris for 3 nights using my 3 Suite Night Awards totaled to $1671 .
Check out some of the most beautiful Marriott properties available to book in Paris.
Many Marriott Elite members save the Suite Night Award upgrades for stays at luxury properties such as St. Regis, W Hotels and JW Marriotts.
Now let’s look at what Titanium Elite members can choose from as their Marriott Choice Benefit. To become a Titanium Elite member you must stay at least 75 nights at Marriott brand hotel.
- Five Suite Night Awards
- A free night award (worth up to 40,000 points)
- 40 % off your favorite mattress
- Five elite night credits
- Gift Gold Elite Status to a friend or family member
- $100 charity donation
The choices are very similar except you can now gift Gold Elite Status to a friend or family member, or claim a free night award. The free night award worth up to 40,000 points is a great option, but I still really think your value as a Platinum or Titanium member is in your Suite Night Awards. Needless to say, I finally made my selection and chose the Five Suite Night Award selection.
We hope this guide helped you make your Marriott Choice Benefit decision if you were on the fence about it. Be aware once you make your selection you can not change your mind. Your selection will be final, so choose wisely!