The Marriott Bonvoy Moments function permits members to redeem factors for experiences fairly than lodge stays, both by way of an public sale or by buying them outright. The forms of experiences can embody VIP entry to concert events, culinary experiences, premier sporting occasions, and extra, all obtainable by way of an on-line portal.
Whereas one of the best redemptions of Marriott Bonvoy factors sometimes lie in aspirational lodge and resort stays, the Marriott Bonvoy Moments program provides quite a lot of various makes use of if you end up in the hunt for an expertise as a substitute of a spot to remain.
What Are Marriott Bonvoy Moments?
Marriott Bonvoy Moments are a group of experiences that may be bought solely with Bonvoy factors by way of a web based portal. Some experiences could also be bid for by way of an public sale, whereas some could also be confirmed with a set quantity of factors.
Lots of the experiences are held at Marriott-affiliated motels and resorts, and generally, the Second might entail a keep on the property as nicely.
Marriott Bonvoy Moments are divided into 4 classes:
- Culinary Moments, which embody wining and eating at well-known eating places, culinary programs with famend cooks, non-public dinners in distinctive areas, and extra.
- Arts & Life-style Moments, which is a broad assortment encompassing artwork reveals, trend occasions, amusement parks, cultural experiences, and float rides, amongst others.
- Sports activities Moments, which provide prime entry to a spread of occasions at numerous venues worldwide by way of Marriott’s partnerships with leagues, groups, and venues, together with the NCAA, Manchester United, and extra.
- Leisure Moments, which embody concert events, awards ceremonies, unique events, and sporting occasions, usually with premium seating. For instance, you’ll be able to anticipate entry to Marriott’s non-public suites at leisure venues, such because the Crypto.com Enviornment in LA, The O2 in London, and the Mercedes-Benz Enviornment in Shanghai.
It’s value noting that the Marriott Bonvoy Moments program is separate from the Excursions & Actions program, additionally supplied by Marriott. The previous sometimes consists of one-off and unique experiences, whereas the latter provides journey experiences that you would be able to additionally discover with different tour firms.
Bonvoy members might redeem factors for as much as 5 Moments per calendar 12 months, with as much as two packages per occasion. Sadly, residents of Quebec aren’t eligible to take part within the Moments program for now, however the foundation for eligibility appears to rely solely on the deal with listed in your Bonvoy profile.
Should you attain the utmost of 5 Moments redemptions, needless to say you’ll be able to all the time provoke free on-line transfers of as much as 100,000 Bonvoy factors to different individuals’s accounts yearly.
In accordance with the Marriott Bonvoy Moments FAQs, auctions are typically supplied between 15 and 30 days from the launch of the occasion. The listing is ceaselessly up to date, so it might be worthwhile to examine as soon as a month or so to see if something piques your curiosity.
Easy methods to Redeem Factors for Marriott Bonvoy Moments
There are two methods to redeem factors for Marriott Bonvoy Moments.
The primary is to purchase packages outright at a set value. For these Moments, you’ll be able to immediately affirm your expertise, and the factors will instantly be deducted out of your account.
Observe that after bought, Moments are non-refundable, so you should definitely examine all particulars earlier than clicking by way of.
The second manner is thru an auction-style format, whereby members bid on Moments from a set beginning value. Bids enhance by increments of not less than 2,500 factors, and you’ve got the choice to position a one-time bid or to enter a most bid.
If somebody outbids your one-time bid, you’ll need to enter in one other bid if, for instance, you actually need to redeem Bonvoy factors to see Manchester sport on the Previous Trafford in Manchester.
Should you select to enter a most bid as a substitute, you need to enter probably the most Bonvoy factors you’d be keen to half with to win a specific expertise. If somebody outbids you, the bidding system will routinely enhance your bid by the bottom attainable increments, till your most is reached.
Observe that you would be able to’t alter or take away your bid, so be ready to half with the total quantity of your bid earlier than clicking “Bid Now”. You’ll routinely be disqualified from the public sale in case your stability is inadequate to cowl your bid at any level all through the public sale.
You’ll be notified by e mail in case you win an public sale, or in case you’re outbid. A Marriott Bonvoy Moments specialist will contact you to finalize the main points of the expertise in case you win, and the factors might be deducted out of your account.
Does Marriott Bonvoy Moments Provide Good Worth?
Since Marriott Bonvoy Moments claims to supply unique entry to quite a lot of experiences, it might be tough to calculate the precise worth of a Moments expertise. That is very true if it’s a personal occasion, for which most of the people can’t pay money.
Moreover, the worth naturally fluctuates relying on how vital a specific expertise is to you. A Manchester United fan might really feel giddy with pleasure to get pleasure from VIP hospitality at Previous Trafford, whereas somebody who’s fully detached to soccer may balk at that very same proposition.
In the meantime, in case you’re sitting on a big sum of Marriott Bonvoy factors and don’t intend to make use of them for lodge stays, maybe the thought of throwing 100,000 factors at a specific expertise may very well be a enjoyable approach to get one thing out of your factors.
Regardless of the case could also be, an goal approach to take into account the worth of a Second is to ask your self: “Am I getting good worth by utilizing $X value of Bonvoy factors for this expertise?”
Take the Chef-Guided Khao Chae Workshop at Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park, for instance. This bundle, obtainable for 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy factors, consists of:
- Two-night keep in an M Suite at Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park together with day by day breakfast
- Personal limousine transfers to the workshop occasion
- Khao Chae workshop for 2
- Khao Chae media occasion for 2
- Thai garland scarf memento for 2
It’s a simple bundle—not precisely a mind-blowing redemption—however right here’s why it’s a stable deal.
Reserving the identical lodge by itself (with out the culinary expertise) would price 74,000 Marriott Bonvoy factors for a normal king room. Should you needed to remain within the actual M Suite included within the bundle, you’d need to shell out 119,200 factors.
So, as a substitute of spending 74,000 factors on a primary room, you’ll be able to improve to a collection with lounge entry, day by day breakfast, and a singular cultural expertise—for simply 1,000 additional factors.
After all, your journey dates have to align with the bundle availability, and in case you maintain Platinum Elite standing or larger, you’d already get pleasure from lounge entry and complimentary breakfast.
Nonetheless, contemplating the suite improve, unique culinary expertise, and minimal additional factors required, this redemption is an absolute steal.
Let’s take a pair extra examples in a bit extra superior perspective.
We worth Bonvoy factors at 0.8 cents per level (CAD) / 0.6 cents per level (USD), which is the benchmark we’ll use within the beneath evaluation.
For instance, there’s a closed provide from the previous, which delivered two tickets to see Drake in live performance on the Scotiabank Enviornment in Toronto. For 55,000 Bonvoy factors, which we’d worth at $440 (CAD), consumers acquired two tickets in part 108, plus VIP entry to the sector.
Contemplating that seats on the identical part now resell on Ticketmaster for upwards of $2,000 (CAD) every, the fortunate Bonvoy members acquired themselves a improbable deal – and so they didn’t need to undergo the same old problem of securing the much-coveted tickets within the first place.
As one other instance, take into account the next earlier Second, which provides three nights of experiences in Montreal:
Included on this bundle have been:
- Three-night keep at Le Centre Sheraton Montreal, value $1,277 (CAD)
- Dinner for 2 at Stanley Restaurant, value $180 (CAD)
- Two platinum-level tickets to the Montreal Canadiens vs. New Jersey Devils sport, value $460 (CAD)
- Dinner for 2 at La Mise au Jeu Restaurant, value $200 (CAD)
- Two autographed Montreal Canadiens jerseys, value $300 (CAD)
- VIP Shania Twain Queen of Me Tour live performance expertise for 2 with lower-bowl seats, value $580 (CAD)
Plus, this Second comes with a slew of VIP perks, together with:
- Entry to the Montreal Canadiens Director’s Lounge
- A single parking area within the Montreal Canadiens’ non-public storage
- Entry to the Montreal Canadiens Media Lounge and Press Gallery
- Entry to the Montreal Canadiens dressing room and post-game press convention
- Entry to the Shania Twain Queen of Me pre-show lounge, together with complimentary drinks and lightweight appetizers, one merchandise merchandise per individual, and autographed memento
The approximate values listed above have been taken from the lodge, restaurant, and Ticketmaster web sites. For the lodge keep, tickets, jerseys, and meals alone, you’re already getting roughly $3,000 (CAD) in worth – plus, you’re getting loads of VIP advantages that the general public doesn’t essentially have entry to.
Two of the Montreal Moments bundle are at the moment bidding for 122,000 Bonvoy factors, which we’d worth at $976 (CAD). The public sale wasn’t closing for 10 days after the time of writing; nevertheless, to match the approximate $3,000 (CAD) worth of the packages, you’d need to bid about 350,000 Bonvoy factors, which continues to be a far cry from the present bid.
Even when you find yourself bidding factors to match and even exceed the face worth of the bundle, you would nonetheless come out forward with the unique perks you’ll be receiving. A daily attendee of an NHL sport, irrespective of in the event that they paid for the costliest tickets in the home, received’t essentially get entry to a crew’s dressing room and post-game convention. Equally, a Shania Twain fan might discover it laborious to get an autographed memento.
Whereas there are a lot of different elements that would change the valuation above, it’s value noting that the worth that Moments provide varies broadly relying on the bundle value, how a lot you worth Bonvoy factors, and most significantly, a person’s tastes and preferences.
Should you’re a die-hard opera fan, and a Second provides you a premium seat, a chef’s dinner, and a meet-and-greet along with your favorite soprano, you may not cease speaking about this for the remainder of your life.
The identical is true for foodies, sports activities followers, trend gurus, and music lovers – the teams for whom Moments appear to be designed.
Conclusion
The Marriott Bonvoy Moments program provides another redemption possibility aside from aspirational lodge stays or transfers to airline loyalty packages. It additionally serves as an attention-grabbing approach to spend your Bonvoy factors on one thing that you just may discover invaluable with out having to shell out the money.
Because the choice of Moments is continually altering, it might be worthwhile to often examine the web site for experiences which may be of curiosity to you. The expertise may very well be a terrific praise to a vacation or a pleasant shock for somebody particular, maybe even providing you an unforgettable expertise that cash can’t purchase – however factors can.
