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Marriott Bonvoy has 36 brands to stay at now. But their newest launch, StudioRes, aims to be efficient in many ways. With construction savings for the hotel owner, low costs of operation, and virtually no Bonvoy perks or benefits, this could be the cheapest Marriott brand yet!
Overnight Wednesday night, Marriott updated its terms and conditions to spell out what would and would not be provided to Marriott Bonvoy members at StudioRes properties. While it was at it, Marriott updated its terms and conditions to further eliminate benefits at many properties in the Sonder brand.
Let's dig into Marriott's latest moves to “Bonvoy” its members.
Page Contents
Marriott's New StudioRes Brand Will Barely Participate in the Bonvoy Program
Earning Marriott Bonvoy points at StudioRes
Marriott Bonvoy members generally earn 10 points per dollar spent on room rates. But, Marriott being Marriott, there are a slew of exceptions. Travelers earn only 5 points per $1 at the following brands:
- Residence Inn by Marriott
- TownePlace Suites by Marriott
- Element by Westin
- Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy
- Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy
- Sonder by Marriott Bonvoy, Apartments
- Protea Hotels by Marriott
- City Express by Marriott
- Four Points Flex by Sheraton
Not content with adding StudioRes to the list of 5x brands, Marriott is setting the earning rate for StudioRes at only 4 Marriott points for every $1 spent.
One brand, Marriott Executive Apartments, only earns 2.5 points per $1 spent, so one brand still earns less than a stay at StudioRes.
At least as a Marriott elite, maybe earned through holding one of Marriott's credit cards, you'll earn some bonus points for your loyalty? Not so fast. StudioRes stays won't earn elites any bonus points at all. That's the only brand in Marriott's portfolio with such a restriction.
Zero Elite Night Credit earnings
As a loyal Marriott member, at least you'll earn Elite Night Credits at StudioRes, right? Not so. StudioRes stays earn zero Elite Night Credits, according to an update to Marriott's terms and conditions this week.
We've seen several brands earn less than one Elite Night Credit per night stayed before. Protea, City Express, and Four Points Flex stays earn one Elite Night Credit per two Qualifying Nights. Marriott Executive Apartments only earn one Elite Night Credit per three Qualifying Nights.
But this is the first Marriott “brand” to not earn any Elite Night Credits.
Virtually no Bonvoy benefits
Interestingly, StudioRes is participating in the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee. This guarantee offers $50 for displaced Marriott members, and $50 plus 45,000 points for Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador elite members. So, this is the sole elite benefit at StudioRes. If they sell out and displace you, they'll compensate you a bit more than other members!
Besides that, StudioRes won't be offering any elite benefits. That means the following are not available during StudioRes stays:
- Elite Benefits Guarantee
- Late checkout
- Room upgrades
- Elite welcome gifts
- Your24 benefits
- 48-Hour reservation guarantee
With nearly no benefits for staying at a StudioRes property as a Marriott Bonvoy member, it's safe to say I won't be there in Fort Myers, Florida on opening night this spring.
The Sonder Brand Limits Certain Properties
But wait, there's more bad news! Marriott launched a new brand in 2024 called Sonder that offers both apartment-style lodging and boutique hotels. Now, Marriott has created a new sub-category called “Limited Sonder Properties.” While the terms and conditions were recently updated with a link to which properties are “Limited,” that link doesn't actually list them.
What appears to be happening here is that several Sonder properties aren't fully integrated with Marriott quite yet. You'll be able to book these through “Sonder Channels,” which are the Sonder support team, Sonder.com, or the Sonder mobile app. These bookings will only receive Marriott points, with no elite benefits at all. You will be able to use Bonvoy points to book award stays, but not free night certificates. Elite Night Credits aren't earned at Limited Sonder properties.
After the property fully joins the Marriott Bonvoy program, it's now a full Sonder property, either as a Sonder Hotel or Sonder Apartment. These properties can be booked through regular Marriott channels. Sonder hotels will earn ten Marriott Bonvoy points per $1 spent, while Sonder Apartments will earn 5 Bonvoy points per $1 spent. Both types of properties earn one Elite Qualifying Night per Qualifying Night stayed. Most elite benefits are aligned with full-service Marriotts, except for 2 pm late checkout at Sonder Apartments for elites that would otherwise qualify for 4 pm late checkout.
Finally, it appears these recent changes also removed Sonder from the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee and Elite Benefits Guarantee.
Final Thoughts
Frankly, it makes no sense to stay at a StudioRes property if you care about earning elite status with Marriott or value the benefits you've earned. Loyalty is a two-way street, and the launch of StudioRes appears to be overly weighted towards rewarding hotel property owners and operators, rather than the customer.
It's nice to see Sonder put structure into how the brand is adding properties to Marriott for those who find the brand in their regular travels. Marriott seems to be preserving most elite benefits here as well, though not guaranteeing compensation during a sold-out situation with the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee seems odd.
Overall, it's never great to see customer-unfriendly actions taken by a large brand like Marriott.
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