Indian view on hotel loyalty programs - Marriott Rewards

A reader question prompted me to hasten my series on hotel loyalty programs in India. This is the final part in that series, and is about Marriott Rewards. You can read the other posts (that have been published, or will soon be) using the master post as an index, or go to the end of this post for individual links.


Marriott Rewards 101

Marriott Rewards has four levels - Basic, Silver, Gold and Platinum - read more here. At the base level, Marriott Rewards earns 10 points per eligible US$ of spend. Redemption rates vary by hotel category, and can range from 7,500 to 45,000 points (6,000 to 40,000 points under PointSavers awards), with a separate list for Ritz-Carlton hotels. While there's a summary below, you can search for hotels by specific categories, here. 


Marriott also offers a 5th night free, when you redeem 4 nights' worth of points (free night at the same property as the other 4 nights). 

Marriott in India

Marriott operates (or has immediate plans to operate) a total of 24 hotels in India across its brands. The Ritz-Carlton is a separate brand, but stays with them (currently only at Bangalore) also count towards Marriott Rewards.

Here is a summary of redemption rates across Marriott properties in India.



Given the overall redemption rates of Marriott hotels in India, and assuming an average room night costs Rs 6,700++, Marriott in India offers (on average) a redemption ratio of a little over 1:12, or roughly 8%. In other words, 12 paid stays will get you a free night's stay. That's just the math, and it is my math, to be specific. But that is an excellent earn-to-burn ratio, the likes of which no other chain seems to be offering, at least in India (Hilton is at 3.7% and SPG and IHG are around 4%). So although an average room night may be more expensive than most others in India, it pulls its weight rather well in comparison to other programs. [All of this is based on averages and based on prices for random dates. YMMV.]

Marriott Rewards and me

I'm a Silver level member with Marriott, which means I'm not entitled to complimentary internet or breakfast. But I'm not complaining - they've been quite kind and the program has been rather nice to me. I managed to get Silver status through a promotion, and they graciously combined this new account with an earlier account that I had. I also managed stays at the Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore, and Renaissance Mumbai, which in turn earned me a gift certificate for a one-night stay under their MegaBonus promotion that they ran earlier in 2014.

I used to think of IHG as a great program to earn points, but the earn-to-burn ratio at Marriott trumps everything else, and this may well be my program of choice going forward.


Other related posts in this series


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