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Just about every month, Marriott Bonvoy adds or removes lines from its ever-growing program terms and conditions. Most of these adjustments are minor, but they can still affect how you interact with the program, what benefits you receive at certain properties, and more.
In the past month alone, Marriott introduced new restrictions on benefits like the 48-hour guarantee, changed how quickly points post after a stay with certain brands, and made several other smaller tweaks.
Here’s a quick look at the most important Marriott Bonvoy terms and conditions changes from the October update.
Overview of Marriott Bonvoy Terms and Conditions Changes in October 2025
New Marriott Guaranteed Availability hotel size restrictions
The 48-hour guarantee is a benefit reserved for Marriott Bonvoy Titanium and Ambassador Elite status holders. In short, it ensures room availability for reservations made at least 48 hours before arrival and by 3 p.m. local time. And yes, that's even if the hotel is otherwise sold out.
However, Marriott has just added a new restriction you should know about. This guarantee now depends on room count.
Beyond the brands that already excluded this benefit, it no longer applies at properties with 25 or fewer rooms onsite. You can find the updated language in Section 4.3.d of the program terms and conditions, which now states:
Forty-eight (48) Hour Guaranteed Availability may not be available on certain limited dates (e.g., special events) and is not offered at any Participating Property with 25 or fewer rooms onsite.
Related: How to Earn Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status and the Perks of Each Tier
No more Guaranteed Availability at MGM Collection by Marriott Bonvoy properties
Unfortunately, we're not quite out of the woods yet when it comes to Marriott's 48-hour guarantee. The terms and conditions now suggest there's yet another brand where this benefit no longer applies: MGM Collection by Marriott Bonvoy.
Section 4.3.d now explicitly lists MGM Collection by Marriott Bonvoy as a brand where Titanium and Ambassador Elite members can’t use the 48-hour guarantee.
Interestingly, Marriott added several other brands to this restricted list just last month. MGM Collection properties now join Postcard Cabins, Trailborn, StudioRes, Vacation Club brands, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, and others as places where top-tier elite members can't take full access of their benefits.
Marriott shortens points posting window for Homes & Villas stays
If you've ever booked a stay through Marriott Homes & Villas, you might remember waiting three to six weeks for your points to appear in your account. That’s an exceedingly long time! However, in the October 2025 program update, Marriott added new language that shortens this window significantly.
Section 8.1 now indicates that points earned on eligible stays will post to your account within three days. This is a massive improvement.
Provided that the correct Marriott Bonvoy Membership Account Number is added as part of the booking process, Points will automatically appear in the Member's Account within 72 hours following the completion of their Stay.
Related: Maximizing Marriott Bonvoy Point Earnings: Which Brands and Cards Earn the Most
- Earn 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®.
- Earn 4X points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets per calendar year, then 2X points).
- Earn 2X points on all other eligible purchases.
- Marriott Bonvoy® 1K Bonus Points Per Stay: Earn 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points per paid eligible stay booked directly with Marriott for properties participating in Marriott Bonvoy®.
- Earn up to 18.5X Marriott Bonvoy® points for every $1 spent on eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. Earn 6X points with the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card. Earn up to 10X points from Marriott Bonvoy for being a Marriott Bonvoy member. Earn up to 2.5X points from Marriott Bonvoy with the 25% Bonus Points on Stays, a benefit available with your complimentary Gold Elite status.
- With complimentary Marriott Bonvoy® Gold Elite Status, earn up to 2.5X points from Marriott Bonvoy® on eligible hotel purchases with the 25% Bonus Points on stays benefit.
- Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® Free Night Award: Earn 1 Free Night Award after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card in a calendar year. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at a participating hotel. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- 15 Elite Night Credits: Each calendar year, receive 15 Elite Night Credits towards the next level of Marriott Bonvoy® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy® member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express.
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- Plan It® is a payment option that lets you split up large purchases into monthly installments with a fixed fee. A fixed monthly fee is shown upfront so you'll know exactly how much you'll pay. Plus, you'll still earn rewards for the purchases you plan the way you usually do.
- $250 Annual Fee.
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- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 6X points on purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
- 4X points on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per year at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets
- 2X points on all other eligible purchases
Renaissance Residences Oahu now participating fully in Marriott Bonvoy
Marriott Bonvoy has dozens of brands in its portfolio. However, not all of them participate fully in the loyalty program.
The Renaissance Residences, Oahu, was one example of a property that previously took part in a limited capacity. The terms and conditions even included a special carve-out for this location. And sub-sections detailed how members could earn points and which elite benefits applied.
In the October 2025 program update, Marriott removed that specific mention. Section 1.2, which outlines which brands do and don’t participate, now simply states “Renaissance® Hotels – all locations.” This means the Renaissance Residences, Oahu, now participates fully in Marriott Bonvoy since it's now treated like a standard Renaissance brand hotel.
As a result, you’ll now earn ten base points for every U.S. dollar spent, receive elite night credits on eligible stays, and more.
Bottom Line
Marriott has a habit of tinkering with its Bonvoy program terms and conditions. Sometimes these updates are positive, like faster posting times for the points you earn on stays, but other times they're negative, such as restricting your elite benefits.
And while you might expect Marriott to email you when a benefit you’ve worked hard to unlock, like the 48-hour guarantee, gets scaled back at certain brands or properties, history suggests that won’t happen. So, that’s where we come in — to keep you informed about what’s changing within Marriott Bonvoy even when the program itself doesn’t.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees)
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