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In July 2023, mere days after breaking off its partnership with World of Hyatt, MGM Rewards found a new friend: Marriott Bonvoy. It's taken some time for the new partnership to spool up (no, it's not live yet), but we just got more news about how the Marriott–MGM partnership is going to work.
Here's a run-down on the partnership and the updates on the reciprocal elite status perks and status match details.
Marriott and MGM Partnership: What We Know
Marriott is MGM's new hotel loyalty program partner after MGM ended a longstanding partnership with World of Hyatt on July 14, 2023. On July 17, 2023 — the first business day after the end of the partnership — Marriott announced its new partnership with MGM.
As part of this partnership, Marriott shared that a new “MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy” would launch early this year as part of a “long-term strategic licensing agreement” — according to the press release we received last year via email.
Number of properties covered by the partnership
17 MGM resorts will join the so-called “MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy” — with four of those joining existing Marriott brands. Bellagio Resort & Casino will join The Luxury Collection, ARIA Resort & Casino will join the Autograph Collection, Park MGM will join the Tribute Portfolio, and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas will continue its existing affiliation with the Autograph Collection.
Another eight MGM resorts in Las Vegas will join the MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy:
- Vdara Hotel & Spa
- MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
- NoMad Las Vegas
- The Signature at MGM Grand
- Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
- New York-New York Hotel & Casino
- Luxor Hotel and Casino
- Excalibur Hotel & Casino
In addition, five MGM Resorts outside Las Vegas will join this collection as well:
- Borgata (Atlantic City, New Jersey)
- Beau Rivage (Biloxi, Mississippi)
- MGM Grand Detroit (Michigan)
- MGM National Harbor (Maryland)
- MGM Springfield (Massachusetts)
Reciprocal elite benefits
Starting sometime early this year (date still unknown), Marriott Bonvoy members will be able to book “several” MGM properties through the Marriott Bonvoy website and mobile app. When they become bookable, the reciprocal elite benefits you'll receive as a Marriott Bonvoy Elite member will also go live.
Here's a snapshot of the benefits available to Marriott Bonvoy members on qualifying MGM stays, once the partnership goes live:
- Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite
- 10% Marriott bonus points on eligible spend
- Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite
- 25% Marriott bonus points on eligible spend
- Welcome gift of 500 Marriott points per stay
- Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite
- 50% Marriott bonus points on eligible spend
- Welcome gift of 1,000 Marriott points or $15 food and beverage credit per night of stay
- Space-available enhanced room upgrades
- Priority check-in
- 2 p.m. late checkout (based on availability)
- Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite
- 75% Marriott bonus points on eligible spend
- Welcome gift of 1,000 Marriott points or $15 food and beverage credit per night of stay
- Space-available enhanced room upgrades
- Priority check-in
- 2 p.m. late checkout (based on availability)
- Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite
- 75% Marriott bonus points on eligible spend
- Waived resort fees*
- Annual suite upgrade at a Las Vegas MGM hotel per year (cap of 3 nights)*
- Space-available enhanced room upgrades
- 1 p.m early check-in and 4 p.m. late checkout (based on availability)*
- Welcome gift: 1,000 Marriott points or $15 food and beverage credit per night of stay
- Free self-parking
- Priority access on dining and check-in*
- 15% retail discounts
*If you're wondering why the asterisks on the Ambassador Elite benefits, it's because these benefits are only available during a promotional period ending on December 31, 2024. It's unclear what will replace these benefits — if anything.
Tier match from MGM Rewards to Marriott Bonvoy
Additionally, MGM Rewards members will be able to link their loyalty accounts to Marriott Bonvoy to “receive select member benefits.” Conversely, Marriott Bonvoy members will be able to earn and redeem points on stays within the MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy. As far as the benefits go, here's what MGM Rewards members (Gold and up) will receive by tier matching into Marriott Bonvoy:
- MGM Rewards Gold => Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite
- Late checkout (based on availability)
- 10% Marriott bonus points on eligible spend
- MGM Rewards Platinum => Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite
- 2 p.m. late checkout (based on availability)
- 25% Marriott bonus points on eligible spend
- Space-available enhanced room upgrades
- MGM Rewards NOIR => Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite
- Your24 check-in and check-out
- 4 p.m. late checkout (based on availability)
- 75% Marriott bonus points on eligible spend
- Space-available enhanced room upgrades (including select suites)
- Lounge access
- Nightly Upgrade Awards
For direct tier matches into Marriott Bonvoy Gold and Ambassador Elite, the benefits will remain valid through December 31, 2024. You also can enjoy run-of-the-mill Marriott benefits like complimentary Wi-Fi and the Ultimate Reservation Guarantee at each tier.
Last year's press release also promised that members will be able to exchange points from one program into the other — in both directions. It appears this is still the plan, but there's still some unknown with this functionality — more on that shortly.
Related: All Hotel Elite Status Match and Fast Track Opportunities
Integration with BetMGM
Lastly, Marriott Bonvoy and BetMGM signed a partnership agreement as well. BetMGM is MGM's online gaming and sports betting interface, and Bonvoy members will be able to earn Marriott points on certain BetMGM activities in the U.S. and Canada. BetMGM members also will be able to exchange their rewards points for Marriott Bonvoy points.
Partnership Between Marriott and MGM: What We Don't Know
In the July 2023 announcement, Marriott shared that the partnership would kick off in just a few months. It seems that was too aggressive of a timeline, and the launch was pushed back to “early 2024.” We still don't have an official launch date yet, and it's now technically “early 2024.” And that's not the only unknown at this point.
While we know what Marriott brand some MGM properties will align with, most remain a mystery. Will they align with a brand, and, if so, which one? And how will the points transfers work? What will the ratios be?
Moreover, we're keenly interested in seeing the redemption rates for MGM properties once those go live on Marriott's website. Speaking of, we also don't know exactly which hotels will be available at the start and which won't.
Bottom Line
We're excited for Marriott's partnership with MGM to go live officially. It's included a lot of waiting, and the trickle of news is slowly giving us clarity into what the partnership will look like. While it's helpful to get a grasp of the benefits, there are still a lot of essential questions that remain unanswered, such as when in “early 2024” the partnership will kick off.
Undoubtedly, Marriott's partnering with MGM is a big deal. Last year, Marriott remarked that this new partnership would increase its global number of rooms by 2.4%, which is noteworthy considering how big Marriott already is.
We're still waiting for the partnership launch, but it appears we're getting closer to whatever that date is — hopefully.
What do you make of this partnership? Let us know in the comments below.
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