5 mistakes to avoid when booking a Marriott Hotel.

We all have high expectations from stays at good hotels. And rightly so.

However, apart from good service, we also want maximum points, cheaper reward nights, outstanding discounts and what not.

We can’t get everything, but we can still get plenty of things with our Marriott stays. All you need to do is avoid these mistakes when booking your next Marriott hotel.

If you have close friends or family working with Marriott, they might be able to get you the highly discounted Marriott Friends, Family, and Employee rates.

Mistake #1 – Not booking direct.

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to book directly with Marriott. If you use any travel booking websites, you will miss on points, bonus points, member-exclusive promotions, and the opportunity to get to a higher Marriott Bonvoy level.

Of course, you need to compare costs first. But in my experience, even if booking directly with Marriott is slightly expensive, it still saves you more in the longer run.

e.g., If you regularly book direct and get upgraded to Marriott Gold, one upgrade alone could be worth $100-500.

In some cases, you can even claim Marriott’s Best Rate Guarantee

Mistake #2 – Not claiming cashback.

If you are already using a cashback site, chances are it offers a cashback on Marriott bookings.

The best part is that you still get all the benefits of booking direct, as cashback sites mostly forward you to Marriott’s website to make your booking.

I have been using Top Cash Back for booking hotels and for other online shopping sites for years now. It adds up pretty quickly.

Top Cash Back on Marriott Hotels

If you are not using a cash-back site, you are just leaving free money on the table.

Mistake #3 – Missing out on promotions.

Most people don’t bother to check promotions before booking a stay. That’s straight away overpaying.

Marriott is pretty good with promotions for Marriott Bonvoy members. From several thousand bonus points to discounts as good as 20-50%, Marriott offers are actually good. It’s criminal to let them go to waste.

Just a quick look at the current Marriott promotions will tell you what I am talking about.

However, it’s simple enough to take care of this. Keep an eye on emails from Marriott and consider subscribing to our Marriott Promotions newsletter.

You can also follow our Telegram channel for latest hotel promotions.

Mistake #4 – Using the wrong card.

If you often stay with Marriott, you should have a Marriott Credit Card. You get bonus points, status upgrades, and a lot more perks.

Official Marriott Credit Cards are available in the USA, UK, Canada, Japan, UAE, Saudi Arabia and South Korea.

There’s an unofficial Marriott Credit Card in India.

If you are not a frequent traveler, still have a look at all your cards and see which one gives you the best deals or maximum points at hotels. Many cards have hotel benefits as part of their offering.

Mistake #5 – Missing points and elite nights on multiple rooms.

Every time you stay at Marriott you earn base points, bonus points for promotions and for your elite status, and elite night credits.

Elite night credit is just a count of the number of nights you have stayed with Marriott. But that’s what helps you get upgraded to a higher elite level with Marriott.

When you book multiple rooms for the same dates with Marriott from your account, this is what happens:

You earn points for all rooms, up to 3 rooms.
You earn elite night credits for only 1 room.
If there’s a bonus point promotion (e.g., 1000 points per night), you will most likely get that once.

I will admit, this is better than what most other hotels offer. However, we can still do better.

Whenever I am traveling with family and I need multiple rooms, I book them all separately.

For example, if I require 2 rooms, I will book one with my Marriott account and the other with my partner’s.

That way, both of us:

Earn points
Get Elite status credits individually
Get double the benefits for all promotions
Maintain an elite status with Marriott
Higher chances of room upgrade for both rooms

Remember not to combine the bookings at check-in.

Mistake #6 (US Only) – Missing Marriott points on rides and food.

If you haven’t linked your Uber and Marriott accounts yet, you are probably losing valuable points every day.

You can link your Uber and Marriott accounts here.

Once linked, you earn:

3 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar on Uber Premium rides (includes Uber XL, Uber Black, Uber SUV and Uber Comfort).
6 points per dollar when you order Uber Eats while staying at a Marriott hotel.
2 points per dollar for all other Uber Eats orders.

For clarity of calculations, note that Marriott Bonvoy points are not awarded on tips, taxes, or fees.

Bottom-Line

Staying with Marriott can be very rewarding in terms of points, upgrades, and elite status. However, maximizing your returns from a loyalty program has a tiny learning curve.

At MilesCop, we try to make it as easy as possible for you to take advantage of these opportunities.