Marriott Bonvoy Review [2025]: Worthy Hotel Rewards Program?

I’d call you crazy if you told me you didn’t like getting free nights at hotels worldwide. Sure, getting great prices on websites like Booking.com or Hotels.com is great. But free is better! 

One of the programs that helps you get free nights at hotels is Marriott’s loyalty program, called Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott rewards you for staying at their hotels with points and other perks.

And, the more you stay, the more points you earn, which translates into free nights, upgrades, and other freebies during your Marriott stays. You can also earn points using travel credit cards, most of the time specifically Marriott-branded cards.

Below I detail everything you need to know about Marriott Bonvoy, including how the program works, how much points are worth, and most importantly, how to redeem points for a free hotel stay!

What Is Marriott Bonvoy?

Marriott Bonvoy is the rewards program for more than 7,000 hotels in the Marriott brand portfolio around the world. When you stay with Marriott or any of their partner hotels within the Bonvoy brand, you’ll earn points that you can use to earn free nights on future stays.

Dozens of hotel brands fall into the Bonvoy brand, and they don’t all have Marriott in the name, so you might have more hotel options than you think. For example, Moxy falls under the Marriott Bonvoy brand, as do other popular hotels like AC Hotels, Westin, and Sheraton.

Hotels in the Marriott Brand

Signing up for the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program doesn’t mean you’re stuck staying at only Marriott hotels. Although some people don’t realize it, the Marriott brand encompasses a lot of other hotel names.

Eligible hotels include: 

• The Ritz-Carlton
• St. Regis
• Edition
• The Luxury Collection
• W Hotels
• JW Marriott
• Marriott
• Sheraton
• Marriott Vacation Club
• Delta Hotels
• Le Meridien
• Westin
• Four Points by Sheraton
• Springhill Suites by Marriott
• Fairfield by Marriott
• Protea Hotels by Marriott
• AC Hotels by Marriott
• aLoft Hotels
• Autograph Collection Hotels
• Design Hotels
• Renaissance Hotels
• Tribute Portfolio
• Gaylord Hotels
• Courtyard by Marriott
• Moxy Hotels
• Homes & Villas by Marriott International
• Residence Inn by Marriott
• Towneplace Suites by Marriott
• Element
• Marriott Executive Apartments

How to Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points

There are several ways to earn points as a Marriott Bonvoy member. The faster you can rack up points, the quicker you can get free nights and stays at Marriott properties.

• Stay at Marriott properties: Staying at one of the over 7,000 properties within the Marriott brand is the easiest way to build up points. You will earn points based on how much you spend on each stay and how long you stay.
• Use Marriott branded credit cards: Marriott has a variety of credit cards, including personal and business credit cards, that you can use for Marriott and non-Marriott purchases to earn points. Using a Marriott credit card to book your Marriott hotel stays is the best way to earn points quickly.
• Tours and travel partners: Marriott partners with tour companies, car rental companies, and others like Uber, and you can earn Marriott points when you use these companies.

How to Use Marriott Bonvoy Points

Once you start racking up Marriott points, you can move on to the fun part, which is using them for free and discounted stays. Here are all the ways you can use Marriott points:

• Book hotel stays: You can use your points to book free nights at any of the 7,000 Marriott properties around the world. Or, if you don’t have enough points for a whole stay, you can use points for a night or two and use cash for the rest of your stay. Booking Marriott stays is the best way to maximize the value of your points.
• Flights and car rentals: Marriott partners with more than 250 car rental companies and airlines, so you can use your points to get free flights and car rentals. They also have cruise line partners.
• Marriott Moments: The Marriott Moments program puts together unique experiences you can use points to book.
• Shopping and gift cards: You can use Marriott points to shop online or buy gift cards.

How Much Are Marriott Bonvoy Points Worth?

Unfortunately, Marriott Bonvoy uses dynamic award pricing, which means there are no award charts to use to figure out how much the points are worth. The points required to redeem nights at a Marriott hotel can change and vary by the day.

But, most points experts value Marriott points to be worth around $0.70-0.80 each. You can use resources like AwardMapper to help you understand the valuation better and make sure you’re getting a good value for your points.

But, there is one significant way to maximize the value of your points. When you book a stay using your points, you get a fifth night free for every four nights you stay, and you have to use points for the first four nights to benefit from the free fifth night.

Marriott Bonvoy Reward Tiers

Marriott Bonvoy has tiers within the program, and your tier depends on the number of nights you’ve stayed at Marriott brand hotels within each program year.

Here are the tiers in the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program:

• Member: 0-9 nights stayed
• Silver Elite: 10+ nights stayed
• Gold Elite: 25+ nights stayed
• Platinum Elite: 50+ nights stayed
• Titanium Elite: 75+ nights stayed
• Ambassador Elite: 100+ nights stayed and $23,000+ spent

The best part of these tiers is that you’re in the first one as soon as you sign up for a free account. So even if you’ve never stayed at a Marriott before, you can benefit from signing up for an account.

I know making accounts for this stuff is annoying, but take a look at some of the perks you’ll get, and it’ll be worth it!

When you use your Marriott Bonvoy login to book, these are the benefits you get on all your Marriott stays:

• Free in-room WiFi
• Member rates
• Mobile check-in/services

Then, once you have stayed for ten or more nights, you will start to earn even more, better rewards in addition to the ones above.

Here are some of the other benefits you get as a Marriott Bonvoy member with Silver status or higher:

• Extra points on hotel stays and services charged to your room
• Late checkout
• Room upgrades
• Welcome gifts

Marriott rewards their most loyal customers with these benefits, so if you can stay with them often, you can take advantage of them.

What Is a Marriott Bonvoy Escapes Member?

Marriott Bonvoy Escapes are separate promotional offers that Marriott offers to all customers. There is no separate Escapes membership, and anyone can save on these stays, although members do save more.

 Bonvoy members will save up to 20% on Escape stays, and everyone else can save up to 15%.

How Do I Contact Marriott Bonvoy?

Suppose you have more questions about Marriott Bonvoy that I didn’t cover. In that case, you can contact Marriott Bonvoy customer service for help. 

Marriott Bonvoy also has an app you can download, and it has a feature that lets you chat with customer service or even hotels about your upcoming stays.

Is Marriott Bonvoy Worth It?

Yes, joining the Marriott Bonvoy program is worth it, mostly because joining it is free!

The only thing you have to lose is the few minutes you lose by signing up. However, you’re doing only a small amount of work, and have the opportunity to gain a lot.

The Marriott Bonvoy program is beneficial for travelers who enjoy spending a few nights in a hotel every now and then. By becoming a member, you’ll automatically rack up points by staying at Marriott-branded and partnered hotels. There are also other ways to earn points, such as using a Marriott credit card! And the program is free.

Even though the Marriott program is free and easy to join, it’s not right for everyone. If you don’t spend any nights in hotels, then it may be useless to join. Additionally, many of the hotels that are part of the Marriott Bonvoy program are on the pricier side. It’s harder to find hotel deals at these brands, especially when you compare it to the prices you can find for hostels!

Now it’s time for you to decide whether to join the Marriott Bonvoy program based on your travel needs. 

Our Rating: 4.0/5

Pros:

• Free to join
• Get some benefits right away
• Earn points at lots of hotel brands
• Lots of ways to earn points
• Ability to redeem for free accommodations
• Ability to redeem in a variety of ways

Cons:

• Hotels in the program are more expensive
• Value of points is lower than some other programs
• Relatively difficult to move between tiers
• Only way to quickly earn points is through credit cards

Get Earning With Marriott Bonvoy and Pilot

Marriott Bonvoy is an excellent program that will reward you for being a loyal Marriott customer.

But, even if you are not staying at their 7,000+ hotels often, you can get free WiFi and exclusive member rates just for signing up.

For even more savvy travel advice and a place you can organize all your trips, check out Pilot.