A LoyaltyLobby reader sent us a question about arranging a meeting through Marriott Bonvoy Events to earn 10 elite qualifying nights needed for an elite status.
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You can access Marriott Bonvoy Rewards Events here.
READ MORE: Marriott Bonvoy Rate & Bonus Points And Miles Promotions
Here’s an email from the reader:
It’s the end of the year and I am short of about 10 nights with Marriott… to reach status.
I know there is a way to get 10 stay credits with having a meeting…
How do you do that?
Where is it normally the cheapest (lowest) to do it?
Do I have to arrange beforehand (before I stay) or can I do it during a stay?
We did cover the then Marriott Rewards Meetings when the program changes from earning an unlimited number of elite qualifying nights from the program yearly to just 10 (read more here).
Members can still earn 10 elite qualifying nights for the first event or meeting they arrange in any calendar year. The meeting can be just renting a conference room for an hour (and you perhaps don’t even need to show up).
Note that all other Marriott brands are participating except Marriott Executive Apartments, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, Design Hotels, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton Reserve, and Vistana properties.
Note that you absolutely must make the booking using the online tool to have any recourse in a case that the property is not posting the meeting correctly. Hotels don’t post the qualifying nights but just the revenue using the event posting tool. Marriott’s system will automatically assign the 10 elite qualifying nights for the first event of the year.
You may get away by not even showing up for the event as these are separately charged by the hotel (you input the credit card details when confirming it), but I would advise you show up physically and get a folio.
Here’s how to make a booking:
Just fill out the request
You are then shown hotels where you can request a price and ones (BOOK NOW) that are bookable online.
You can then adjust the length of the meeting to half-day, that will also reduce the price by 50%.
You then fill out your information, including Marriott Bonvoy number and credit card used for payment. Note that the tax/service charge for events is rather high.
Conclusion
You can find hotels charging $100 for renting a conference room for a couple of hours. You need to play around with the tool. You can mostly book North American hotels without having to wait for a quote.
The 10 nights will post immediately after the hotel uses their event/group posting tool to record the revenue. This can be within a few hours after the event or can take a week or two.
