Room Service Rundown: The Latest Deals and Upgrades from Major Hotel Chains

Room Service Rundown: The Latest Deals and Upgrades from Major Hotel Chains - Marriott Rolls Out Bonvoy Benefits for Loyalty Members

Marriott recently announced exciting changes to their loyalty program, Marriott Bonvoy, giving members even more ways to earn and redeem points. As the largest hotel chain in the world after their acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Marriott knows how to keep their most loyal guests happy.

One of the biggest improvements is the addition of Milestone Bonuses for reaching certain tier levels. Now when you achieve Silver Elite status, you’ll receive a one-time bonus of 1,000 points. Make your way up to Gold and you’ll snag a bonus of 2,000 points. These extra points help offset the cost of staying at Marriott properties and keep you engaged in the program.

Marriott has also added more opportunities to earn bonus points through their promotions and partnerships. I was pleasantly surprised to get 5x points for using my Marriott Bonvoy credit card on groceries and dining last month. They frequently run massive global promotions where you can rack up points quickly by staying at their hotels in certain regions.

The new Bonus Events feature is genius. This gives you the chance to earn double or even triple points when staying in a destination during a major event. I’m already planning my trip to Munich next fall to take advantage of the extra points during Oktoberfest. This incentivizes travelers to book award stays during peak seasons when availability is tighter.

When it comes to redeeming your hard-earned points, Marriott has your back. Member rates now start at just 5,000 points per night, giving you more bang for your Bonvoy. I was thrilled to see premium properties like the JW Marriott Chicago available for 40,000 points recently. They’ve also lowered the number of points required for high-demand destinations.

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Room Service Rundown: The Latest Deals and Upgrades from Major Hotel Chains - Wyndham Enhances Mobile Check-In and Adds Greater Points Flexibility

Wyndham is stepping up their rewards program in a major way, rolling out improvements that make travel more convenient and points more valuable. As someone obsessed with squeezing every last drop of value from my points and miles, I was thrilled to learn about these changes.

The enhanced mobile app now allows you to complete the entire check-in process without visiting the front desk. This includes submitting your payment information, requesting room location preferences, and accessing your digital room key. As an avid user of mobile check-in wherever it's available, I can confirm this takes the hotel experience to a whole new level. No more waiting in tedious check-in lines after a long flight!

Wyndham has also expanded the opportunities to earn points with brand partners. You can now rack up bonus points for shopping with Adidas, ordering flowers from FTD, and booking airport parking through The Parking Spot. Everyday spending habits like ordering coffee from Dunkin’ or grabbing dinner from DoorDash also earn you points for free hotel nights.

I’m particularly pleased that Wyndham revamped their Award Chart to reduce the number of points required at many properties. Category 1 hotels now start at just 7,500 points on off-peak nights. During my frequent stays at Super 8 and Travelodge, this will help me redeem points faster than ever before. Even top-tier resorts like Wyndham Grand have seen points reductions.

Perhaps most beneficial for families and groups, you can now pool points from up to 10 Wyndham Rewards accounts when booking free nights. As someone who frequently travels with my wife and kids, having the ability to combine all our points is a total game changer. This will allow bigger families to redeem for suites and connecting rooms more easily.

The new Member Level Points Purchasing feature is ideal for topping off accounts when you’re just shy of a free night. Buying points has traditionally been cost prohibitive, but with options as low as $5 per 1,000 points, it now makes sense in many situations. During high season with cash rates upwards of $300 per night, purchasing a few thousand points can still represent huge savings.

Room Service Rundown: The Latest Deals and Upgrades from Major Hotel Chains - Choice Privileges Unveils Faster Rewards and Elite Tier Upgrades

Choice Privileges made waves by announcing faster earn rates and elite tier upgrades for loyalty members. As the mid-scale hotel brand under the Choice Hotels umbrella, they need to stay competitive to keep guests engaged. These program enhancements help incentivize frequent guests to keep coming back.

Earning points just got a whole lot easier thanks to the new Choice Privileges rewards structure. Now you’ll get 10 points per dollar spent at Choice-branded hotels like Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Clarion, and more. Previously, it was only 8 points per dollar, so they’ve boosted earnings by 25% overnight.

It gets even better for elite members. At the Gold level, you’ll earn 12.5 points per dollar spent, while Platinum members get a whopping 15 points per dollar. That represents some serious returns and makes it feasible to quickly rack up points for free nights.

When it comes time to redeem your earnings, Choice Privileges hasn’t disappointed either. They’ve expanded the number of locations where 5,000 point redemptions are available, including popular destinations like Miami Beach, San Diego, Orlando, and major cities across the U.S.

Even at top-tier luxury properties like Clarion Pointe Orlando International Drive, you could potentially snag a free night for just 15,000 points on an off-peak date. That's an unbelievable bargain compared to competing chains where you'd pay at least 30,000 - 50,000 points for a comparable hotel.

Making elite status easier to attain is perhaps the most exciting update for frequent guests. Now it takes just 7 nights to reach Gold status compared to 15 previously. At 20 nights, you’ll automatically unlock Platinum perks rather than the old requirement of 30 nights.

What kind of benefits can elite members expect? At Gold, you’ll get a dedicated elite customer service line, room upgrades, late checkout, and bonus points. Upgrade to Platinum and you’ll also receive guaranteed room availability 72 hours in advance and airline mile transfers.

For those who fall just short of the next tier, Choice Privileges has launched Points Extender certificates. After a stay, you might receive one of these certificates giving you 1 or 2 elite qualifying nights even without another paid stay. This provides a safety net if you have an unusually light travel year but want to maintain your status.