5/1/2023 0 Comments Marriott late checkoutMy kids were going back to summer camp in June and by April it seemed like Covid would be on the wane that summer, so we decided to make a family road trip out of taking them there. Total Qualifying Nights: 28 (but 7 additional free nights to use) Inspiration Strikes But, I got an additional reprieve due to the pandemic and Marriott agreed to extend it until September 1, 2021. I was able to extend it by a year once, then a second time and it was due to expire unused in 2020. I was sitting on this certificate, good for a one week stay at Category 1 through 4 hotel, and was never able to find the right combination of a week for vacation and a property that fit that category that we wanted to stay at for that long. Prior to the Marriott-Starwood merger many of these packages offered exceptional value, offering both a week at a Marriott hotel (based on category of certificate) plus airline miles in exchange for a relatively low number of points. I’d had this certificate since 2017 from a redemption I had made for a Marriott Hotel + Air package using the combined welcome bonuses from my Starwood Amex and the Chase Marriott Premier Plus Card (no longer available). However, I did have a one week certificate to use at a participating Marriott hotel that was expiring at the end of September and I really wanted to use it. Platinum Elite status with Marriott requires earning a total of 50 nights and I knew that in the midst of a pandemic it was unlikely we were going to stay an additional 22 nights in a hotel over the course of the year. Total Qualifying Nights: 28 Using Leftovers As someone who went pretty much nowhere in 2020, earning a higher tier of elite status now seemed suddenly within reach. So this windfall meant I now had a total of 28 nights in early 2021-15 from holding my Marriott Bonvoy Amex and 13 from the one-time credit. The company gave those who had earned elite status in 2020 a one-time deposit of 50% of their tier’s annual Elite Night Credit requirement, in recognition of the fact that most people were unable to travel and would likely be unable to retain their elite status. But, in February 2021 I noticed that I received credit for 13 additional Elite Nights from Marriott as a pandemic bonus. Typically one or two trips a year is the most we can manage both financially and time-wise with work, school and other commitments. Total Qualifying Nights: 15 Unexpected BonusĮven before the pandemic, my family of four didn’t travel as much as we’d like. However, the 2019 clock reset at the end of February 2020, taking me back to Silver. ![]() ![]() That was a nice plus because it came with a 25% points boost on stays, a 2 pm late checkout and a few other extras. Those bonus elite night credits also means I get automatic Silver Elite status, which comes with a couple of perks like an extra 10% points bonus on stays and priority late checkout.īased on a few trips in 2019, I logged 10 nights at Marriott properties, getting me to 25 nights and Gold Status at the start of 2020. Ownership of this card grants me one free hotel night annually at a Category 1 to 5 Marriott property and 15 nights toward elite status. I’ve had the Marriott Bonvoy American Express (no longer available for application) for a couple of years, a $95-annual-fee card that was automatically converted from the now-defunct Starwood American Express card. That happened to me recently when a combination of past vacation history, a summer road trip and an unexpected gift from Marriott resulted in my earning Platinum Elite status with just 13 nights of actually sleeping in a hotel and without paying for any of those nights. Every once in a while the stars align just right and something that would usually be unattainable falls into your lap.
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