Make The Most Out Of Marriott Rewards Points

I’m often asked how I’m able to stay in hotels when I travel since most frequent travelers stay in hostels or Airbnbs. I do travel on a budget, but sometimes I need my own shower, bed, and just a simple good night’s sleep. To do this, I use hotel points but there’s an art to making the most out of the few points you have.

I want to say that Marriott has not contacted me at all so this is not a paid promotion, just a frugal traveler sharing tips.

Let’s begin.

There are many hotel loyalty programs out there but the trick is to pick one and stick to it. I chose SPG but it recently merged with Marriott which means there are even more brands and hotels I can stay at where I get points. However, staying at a Marriott is expensive so don’t expect to be saving money just because you’ve signed up for the Marriott Bonvoy Rewards program. I’m just going to explain how to make the most out of the points you have, if you have any at all.

I am fortunate enough to travel for work and I am a Gold Member which means I get thousands of bonus points per stay. These points translate into free nights (yes plural) in some Marriott hotels. For other Marriotts, it hardly pays for half. I obviously choose to use my points where my stays will be fully covered.

You can use your points to upgrade, but I have never chosen to use my points this way. Nor have I chosen to use my points to stay at hotels in the U.S. Instead, I choose to stay at Category 1 hotels abroad. Here’s an example:

One night in Los Angeles

I recently needed to go to Los Angeles for a wedding and decided to stay in a Marriott. I was debating if I should pay or use my points to book this stay. As you can see, one night in a Marriott in Los Angeles was around 35,000 points. Some were even higher. I decided to pay the $120 for one night rather than use my points.

Instead, I used my points to book five nights in Bogota, Colombia. Five nights in Bogota is cheaper than one night in Los Angeles. I keep a spreadsheet of my expenses and I ended up saving exactly $634.55 by using my 30,000 points in Colombia.

As you can see, I got the fifth night free so I spent 30,000 points on five nights in Colombia, which translates to 6,000 points a night. I struck a similar deal when I stayed in the Dominican Republic where I also only spent 30,000 points for five nights in a Marriott. In case you were wondering, they do not charge you taxes or anything on these points so you pay literally $0.00.

When I travel for work in the U.S., I ensure I participate in the Go Green program which awards 500 bonus points per night. I also get a welcome gift of points and an extra set of points tacked on to my stay since I’m a Gold Member. So, I’ll walk away with about 3,000 points extra (half a night in Bogota!) on top of the points awarded per night. Hopefully this explains how I’m able to stay in Marriotts when I travel abroad and will help you do the same!