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Like other hotel chains, Marriott offers confirmable upgrades to elite members who've earned them. These allow guests to confirm an upgrade on the room they've booked before check-in, which can be an extremely valuable benefit.
Now, however, Marriott Bonvoy has rolled out changes to what were formerly known as Suite Night Awards — giving them a new name and adjusting how they work, where you can use them, and what rooms you can upgrade to.
Here's everything you need to know about the updates and debut of Nightly Upgrade Awards.
Suite Night Awards Are Now Nightly Upgrade Awards
Now known as Nightly Upgrade Awards, those who earn Platinum Elite status with Marriott can choose this benefit as an Annual Choice Benefit. Doing so grants five Nightly Upgrade Awards, which can be used one night each to confirm an upgrade to a premium room or better. The upgrade may or may not be to a suite, so the name change truthfully reflects what the benefit is good for. Marriott elite members also can choose five more upgrade awards once they've reached Titanium Elite status.
Those who hold the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, which comes with automatic Platinum Elite status, are also able to choose Nightly Upgrade Awards as a Brilliant Earned Choice Award benefit after spending $60,000 in a calendar year. Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits.
But there's a bit more to the update than just a new name. There are also a few more changes to make note of:
- Nightly Upgrade Awards are usable at additional brands, including Aloft, EDITION, Element, Protea Hotels, and The Ritz-Carlton.
- More room types are available for Nightly Upgrade Award redemptions.
- Rooms will be confirmed three days in advance, rather than five.
- 20% more rooms are accessible for use with the Nightly Upgrade Award.
These changes just rolled out, so it may take some time for everything to hit its stride.
Related: Last-Minute Strategies To Reach Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status
Is This a Positive Change?
There's an argument to be made for both sides when determining whether this is a positive change for members. Most of the time, when a program makes a change to the benefits it offers, it's negative. And there are certainly some negative changes here.
Moving the confirmation date from five days before check-in to three days before check-in reduces the chance of an upgrade. After all, this gives the hotel more time to sell these rooms before releasing them to you. And that's probably the point.
That said, many members struggled to use their Suite Night Awards, and they expired unused. Adding more inventory for upgrades — even if it's not as nice of an upgrade as you'd hope — is certainly better than letting the awards expire. This definitely can make a difference in elite-heavy destinations like Hawaii, where an upgrade to an oceanfront room with a balcony wouldn't necessarily be a “suite” but a palatable “premium” room.
Related: Marriott Bonvoy Redemptions for The Budget-Savvy Traveler
The Bottom Line
We don't usually love it when loyalty programs make changes — especially since they tend to be bad for the customer. But Marriott Bonvoy changing its Suite Night Awards to Nightly Upgrade Awards is a mixed bag.
More brands and room types are now available with the re-imagined Nightly Upgrade Awards, but it's certainly a downgrade to limit confirmed upgrades to just three days in advance.
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