On this put up I wished to take an in-depth have a look at Marriott Nightly Improve Awards, that are a Bonvoy elite profit that members have conflicting emotions about. Main modifications have been made to this program as of 2024, as Suite Evening Awards have been rebranded as Nightly Improve Awards, so let’s cowl all the things about how these work.
What are Marriott Nightly Improve Awards?
Nightly Improve Awards (generally known as “NUAs”) are a means for Marriott Bonvoy Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador members, to verify a room improve as much as three days earlier than arrival. Every NUA is legitimate for one evening of a keep.
Whereas Platinum members and above obtain limitless suite upgrades topic to availability at check-in, this perk basically permits members to prioritize upgrades on the stays that matter most to them. In different phrases, you could not care a couple of suite improve in your one evening keep at an airport lodge, when you could care loads a couple of suite improve in your annual trip together with your partner.
However there’s loads to grasp about NUAs — how do you earn them, how do you redeem them, and what’s the most effective technique for deciding when to redeem them? I’ll share my expertise under.
Sadly don’t get too excited, as a result of Marriott’s Nightly Improve Awards are nowhere close to as helpful because the Suite Improve Awards that World of Hyatt Globalist members obtain as a part of the Milestone Rewards program, every of which is legitimate for a collection improve on the time of reserving for a keep of as much as seven nights.
Tips on how to earn Marriott Nightly Improve Awards
Marriott elite members completely obtain NUAs as a part of the Bonvoy Alternative Advantages program. These are supplied in two tiers, at 50 elite nights and 75 elite nights:
- Once you move 50 elite nights you may choose 5 NUAs
- Once you move 75 elite nights you may choose an extra 5 NUAs
In different phrases, an elite member who earns 75 elite nights in a 12 months can earn as much as 10 NUAs. When you choose NUAs as your Alternative Advantages, they’ll be legitimate by means of the top of the 12 months after they had been chosen.
In different phrases, in the event you chosen them as your Alternative Profit in July 2024, they’d be legitimate by means of December 31, 2025 (and it’s important to keep by then, quite than simply needing to e-book by then).
Word that these Alternative Advantages are tied completely to what number of qualifying elite nights you earn in a 12 months, quite than your standing:
Tips on how to redeem Marriott Nightly Improve Awards
There are various nuances to grasp in the case of redeeming Marriott Nightly Improve Awards. Marriott Bonvoy generally is a difficult program, and that’s particularly evident when it comes time to redeem NUAs.
Every Nightly Improve Award could be redeemed for an advance confirmable improve for choose premium rooms and suites, with every NUA being legitimate for one evening. Let’s undergo a number of the most typical questions on Nightly Improve Awards, which could be the simplest solution to perceive this.
What charges are eligible for Marriott NUAs?
Any keep that might be thought of “eligible” for the needs of incomes Bonvoy elite credit would even be eligible for Nightly Improve Awards. These could be redeemed on all stays booked immediately with Marriott, together with paid stays, factors stays, free evening certificates stays, Money & Factors stays, Marriott STARS charges, and so on.
Stays booked by means of third events, and different non-qualifying charges, usually wouldn’t be eligible for redeeming NUAs.
What resorts are eligible for Marriott NUAs?
Marriott Nightly Improve Awards can’t be used for stays on the following manufacturers:
- Ritz-Carlton Reserve
- Ritz-Carlton Vacation spot Membership
- Ritz-Carlton Residences
- Design Inns
- Marriott Government Flats
- ExecuStay
- Marriott Trip Membership
- Marriott Grand Residence Membership
- Vistana
It’s value noting that as of 2024, these are lastly redeemable at Ritz-Carlton and EDITION properties, so I’d contemplate that to be nice information for many who like Marriott’s luxurious portfolio.
NUAs can also’t be redeemed at choose different particular person properties not belonging to the teams listed above. If you wish to see if a selected lodge is eligible, you may both contact Marriott Bonvoy customer support, or you may simply make a reserving and see when you’ve got the choice of making use of an NUA to a reservation.
Sadly I’ve been discovering that an growing variety of properties not belonging to the above manufacturers aren’t eligible for NUAs, which certain is irritating. Typically I’m undecided whether or not it’s an IT glitch or intentional, however I haven’t discovered a workaround.
What rooms are eligible for Marriott NUAs?
It’s as much as particular person resorts to designate which sorts of rooms are eligible for Nightly Improve Awards. In accordance with the phrases, that is supposed to incorporate choose premium rooms and customary suites, although you’ll discover that this varies:
- At some resorts you’ll discover that just one or two room sorts can be found with NUAs, whereas at others you’ll discover there are a dozen choices
- At some resorts rooms eligible for NUAs don’t even embody customary suites, however quite simply premium rooms, whereas at different resorts you’ll discover some completely unimaginable suites obtainable with NUAs, like two bed room suites, and suites which can be 10x the value of an entry-level room
There’s an enormous quantity of variability right here. When there are a number of rooms which can be eligible for NUAs, you may choose what number of room sorts you need to request an improve to, in an effort to enhance your odds — you could possibly ask to be eligible for an improve to at least one kind of room, a few sorts of rooms, or all of the room sorts.
When are you able to request upgrades with Marriott NUAs?
You’ll be able to request an improve with Nightly Improve Awards anytime between while you make your reserving, and 2PM native lodge time the day earlier than arrival. You’ll be able to’t apply NUAs inside 24 hours of arrival at a lodge.
When do Marriott NUAs clear?
Marriott Nightly Improve Awards can clear as early as three days earlier than arrival, and as late as 2PM native lodge time the day earlier than arrival. Sadly there was a destructive change right here, as a result of till 2023 they might clear as much as 5 days out, however that window has been decreased to 3 days.
I’ll speak a bit extra under about what clearing of upgrades relies on, however in my expertise in the event that they do clear, it’s usually on the three day mark, quite than on the in the future mark. In case your improve clears, you need to obtain each an e-mail and a push notification by means of the Marriott Bonvoy app (when you’ve got that enabled).
Are you able to cancel improve requests with Marriott NUAs?
You’ll be able to cancel Marriott Nightly Improve Awards anytime after they haven’t but cleared, whether or not that’s three months or three days earlier than arrival. Nonetheless, in case your NUAs do clear, then you may solely cancel the request in the event you cancel the reservation altogether, during which case the NUAs can be redeposited in your account.
You’ll be able to’t cancel your NUAs as soon as they’ve cleared in the event you nonetheless intend to finish the lodge keep.
Are you able to redeem Marriott NUAs for a part of a keep?
You want to use NUAs in your whole keep, and might’t redeem for a part of a keep. In different phrases, in the event you had 5 NUAs:
- You possibly can e-book 5 one evening stays
- You possibly can e-book a two evening keep and a 3 evening keep
- You possibly can e-book a 5 evening keep
- Nonetheless, you couldn’t e-book a six evening keep, after which apply NUAs to only 5 of these nights (although you could possibly all the time make two separate reservations)
Are Marriott NUAs assured to clear if a room is out there?
Do you have to anticipate that if a room you requested an NUA for is out there three days out, that your improve will clear at that time? No, not fairly, sadly:
- Nightly Improve Awards are cleared routinely primarily based on an algorithm created by Marriott and the lodge; so whereas resorts can restrict capability for these upgrades, there’s not a lot “energetic” gaming occurring, and likewise not a lot human intervention
- Nightly Improve Awards clearing are primarily based on forecasted occupancy; if it appears to be like like a lodge may promote that suite, it’s unlikely it’ll turn out to be obtainable on the three day mark
One can find some inconsistency right here. In my expertise, if there are a number of of a particular room kind obtainable then it’ll additionally sometimes be obtainable with an NUA three days out. In the meantime, if there’s not a lot stock, it may not clear.
Can a lodge downgrade you in the event you use a Marriott NUA?
In case your Marriott NUA clears, can the lodge nonetheless downgrade you at check-in? The reply is meant to be no. Nightly Improve Awards provide confirmed upgrades, and because of this as soon as the improve is confirmed, it may well’t be taken away.
After all in some uncommon cases it’s potential a lodge could attempt to downgrade you — perhaps the suite is out of service, perhaps somebody prolonged a keep, perhaps there was a tech glitch, or perhaps the lodge workers are simply not very competent. Inns aren’t supposed to do that, so I’d anticipate some compensation from the lodge in the event you do get downgraded.
How do you request an improve with Marriott NUAs?
After you affirm a reservation, there are two methods you may request an improve with an NUA:
- You’ll be able to cellphone up Marriott Bonvoy buyer help
- You’ll be able to request an improve immediately on-line
To do it on-line, go to the “My Journeys” part of your Bonvoy account after reserving, and log into your reservation by clicking the “View/Modify” button.
On the backside of the reservation you need to see an space that claims “Use your Nightly Improve Awards,” after which click on the “Begin improve request” button.
Click on that, and then you definately’ll see the choices of which premium rooms you may choose to request an improve to.
Word that you just’ll solely see the choice for this performance when you’ve got sufficient upgrades in your account for the complete keep. Should you do request an improve, the NUAs will likely be pulled out of your account instantly, so you may’t apply them towards different reservations.
Clearly they’d be returned to you if the improve doesn’t clear, however this can be a consideration, since members have a restricted variety of NUAs, and will need to attempt utilizing them towards a number of stays.
My Marriott Nightly Improve Award technique
On condition that Bonvoy elite members earn Nightly Improve Awards to cowl solely a small proportion of their stays, what’s the most effective technique for deciding which stays to make use of these for? Listed here are my basic issues:
- How a lot does the keep matter to me? I care much more about an improve if I’m touring with my household, if I’m at a resort the place I plan on spending extra time within the room, and so on.
- What are the chances of getting a complimentary improve at check-in? As any Bonvoy elite member can attest to, some resorts are nice about suite upgrades at check-in, whereas others aren’t. When deciding whether or not or to not apply an NUA, I ask myself what the chances are of getting an improve with out utilizing an NUA. That is primarily based on my previous expertise at a property, what number of suites the property has, and studying what others have stated concerning the lodge on-line.
- How good of a premium room is out there with an NUA? At some resorts you’ll solely have bigger visitor rooms obtainable with NUAs, whereas at different resorts you’ll have premium suites that you just’d seemingly by no means get a complimentary improve to. If I’m going to make use of an NUA, I’d ideally prefer it to be for a extremely nice room.
It’s vital to method all of this realistically, although. Should you’re touring someplace in peak season that’s additionally frequented by a lot of different Bonvoy elite members, you’re most likely not going to have your NUA clear. In different phrases, Maui over Christmas? It’s virtually sure you gained’t get a collection improve, no matter whether or not or not you apply an NUA.
Backside line
Marriott elite nights members can earn as much as 10 Nightly Improve Awards per 12 months, every of which can be utilized to verify a room improve at most three days out. It is a solution to request improve precedence on the stays that matter probably the most to you.
Folks have very totally different experiences with this, and I believe all of it comes right down to managing expectations. Whereas this perk isn’t practically as helpful as Hyatt’s program for suite upgrades, I’ve nonetheless gotten outsized worth from this, and persistently choose NUAs as my Alternative Advantages.
What has your expertise been with Marriott NUAs? Do you’ve any questions I haven’t addressed?
