Point Me to the Miles

Marriott Launches “Just For Me Promotion”

Earlier this year, I wrote how Marriott notified me I had  been chosen as part of a select group to receive special offers “Just For Me.”  At the time, I mostly dismissed it as a clever marketing ploy to lure in members.  As it turns out, there is in fact a little more substance to their promotion than I thought.

THE OFFER
First register here, then receive 5,000 Marriott Rewards bonus points for every second paid stay  at participating hotels between August 15 and November 15, 2012.  This bonus can be earned up to 10 times (20 stays) for a grand total of 50,000 Marriott Rewards points.

TERMS & CONDITIONS
Technically, this offer is targeted to only a handful of Marriott Rewards members, but it never hurts to try.  Anyway, I have included the full Terms & Conditions can below:

• Registration is required.
• Marriott Rewards^® members who register for this promotion by September 30 2012, will earn 5,000 bonus points with every second paid stay, starting with their second stay—up to a total of 50,000 bonus points, between August 15 2012 and November 15 2012, at participating Marriott properties.
• This offer is non-transferable.
• Nights spent while redeeming an award are not eligible for credit.
• Marriott Vacation Club^® owner-occupied weeks are not eligible for credit.
• A ‘stay’ is defined as consecutive nights spent at the same hotel, regardless of check-in/check-out activity.
• Only one room per hotel is counted toward a member’s nights or stay.
• Members electing to earn miles are not eligible for this promotion.
• All Marriott Rewards program terms and conditions apply.

ANALYSIS
Marriott Rewards is often maligned by critics, but I firmly believe that as a reward program it holds extraordinary value.  While  not the most lucrative hotel promotion of recent memory (see Radisson’s Big Night Giveaway) there is some value to be had, especially if you have upcoming stays with Marriott.

Let’s say you are able to receive a rate of $100/night  during this promotion.  In addition to the 2,000 base points you would earn, (10 points/$)  you would be earning the bonus of 5,000 points.  Thus, at a haul of 7,000 points for $200 of spend, you would be earning Marriott Rewards points at a rate of about 2.9 cents apiece– a pretty good deal in my opinion.

So if you were to max out the bonus of 50,000 points how far would that take you?  This is enough for standard awards of 2 nights at a Category 5, just over one at top Category 8 properties, or one night at a Tier 3 Ritz Carlton.

Happy Earning!