Is Marriott Bonvoy Still Worth It in 2025?

Once upon a time, Marriott Bonvoy was one of the most valuable hotel loyalty programs.

Redemptions were reasonably priced, elite status perks were promised without having to awkwardly push front desk staff, and transferring points from American Express Membership Rewards (MR) was a smart way to stretch your stays.

But over the years, Marriott has increased award prices both loudly and quietly, removed its official award chart, and diluted the value of its points.

So, in 2025, is Marriott Bonvoy still worth it? Or are you better off booking cash stays—or even switching hotel loyalty altogether?

The State of Marriott Bonvoy in 2025

Marriott Bonvoy still offers a massive footprint of properties worldwide, from budget-friendly Courtyards to ultra-luxurious Ritz-Carltons.

There’s no denying that having Marriott Bonvoy points or holding a Marriott Bonvoy credit card allows you to book a hotel nearly anywhere on the planet and enjoy the perks that come with it.

But the value of Bonvoy points has taken a hit over time:

• Award pricing is now fully dynamic, meaning redemption pricing can fluctuate wildly.
• High-end properties cost significantly more points than before.
• There is no official award chart, making it hard for travellers to determine if the redemption rates they see at the time of booking are a good deal.

For loyalists and business travellers who frequently stay at Marriott hotels, the program can still be useful. But if you’re collecting points purely to maximize value, it’s getting harder to justify.

Marriott’s Unofficial Award Chart in 2025

Marriott no longer publishes an official award chart, and it instead uses a dynamic pricing model that varies by demand.

However, behind the scenes, Marriott still secretly assigns categories to its hotels.

How to Find a Marriott Hotel’s Hidden Category (Except for Ritz-Carlton & Ritz-Carlton Reserves)

1. On a PC browser, head over to Marriott’s official homepage and sign in to your account.
2. Search for a hotel of your interest. (Example: Marriott Downtown at CF Toronto Eaton Centre)
3. Click “View Rates” to head over to the hotel page.
4. Click on the hotel’s logo. This should open a new tab to the hotel’s homepage (following this exact step is crucial).
5. Right-click anywhere on the page and select “View Page Source.”
6. Use “Find on Page” (Ctrl+F) and search for “prop_rewards_category_level”.
7. You’ll now see the hotel’s assigned category. (For example, Marriott Downtown at CF Toronto Eaton Centre is a Category 5 hotel)

What Do These Hidden Categories Mean?

Now that you know how to find a hotel’s category, the next step is understanding what these levels actually mean.

Even though Marriott has switched to fully dynamic pricing, each category still has a minimum and maximum award price range that determines how expensive a redemption can be.

Here’ s a general range analyzed from miles and points enthusiasts.

While not an official source, this gives a ballpark idea of what different hotels cost in Bonvoy points.

As you can see, award night pricing has crept upward without any official announcement from Marriott.

How Marriott Bonvoy’s Devaluations Affect Different Hotel Categories

Marriott Bonvoy’s shift to dynamic pricing means that award prices have increased unpredictably across all categories.

Lower-category hotels (Categories 1-3) have seen minimal changes, but their dynamic range can be bizarre. For example, a Category 1 hotel can cost over three times its minimum award price.

Category 4-6 hotels have seen the biggest devaluation, making Free Night Awards (FNAs) harder to redeem effectively. Many hotels that were previously bookable with a Free Night Award now require topping up with more points or are outright impossible to book, reducing their value and utility.

Luxury hotels in Category 8 and above have seen the steepest price jumps, with some properties now exceeding 200,000 points per night. While some ultra-expensive cash rates may still justify a points redemption, it’s now worth looking at alternative loyalty programs like Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt for better value.

Lower Categories (1-3): Budget Friendly No More

Historically, Category 1-3 hotels were great for budget travellers or those looking to earn cheap Elite Night credits through extended stays.

While these properties have seen relatively smaller increases in terms of absolute cost in points, the way dynamic pricing has been implemented makes redemptions unpredictable and less valuable.

One of the biggest issues is the huge gap between minimum and maximum pricing—for example, a Category 1 hotel can now cost more than three times its minimum price on peak dates.

Personally, I had my eye on AC Hotel Penang to earn Elite Night credits and push towards Titanium Elite status.

Before 2025, this hotel used to consistently cost 5,000 points per night year-round.

Therefore, by utilizing Fifth Night Free benefit, I was planning to stay 10 nights for the price of 40,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. (20,000 points for a five-night stay x 2)

However, the hotel now costs around 12,000 points per night consistently throughout the year. Even with the Fifth Night Free benefit, a five-night stay would total 48,000 points—a 140% increase with no added value.

Given its inconvenient location, I’m now better off paying just 9,000 more points for a far better stay at the Courtyard Penang, which is closer to the city centre (or even consider not travelling to Penang at all).

Mid-Tier Categories (4-6): Free Night Awards Are Harder to Use

The biggest devaluations have occurred in Categories 4-6, and the impact is most noticeable for those who redeem Free Night Awards. In the past, a 35K or 40K Free Night Award could reliably be used at a solid mid-tier hotel, but that’s no longer always the case.

Both the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card and Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card in Canada come with an annual Free Night Award worth 35,000 points. These certificates can be topped up with up to 15,000 Marriott points, allowing for a redemption of hotels priced up to 50,000 points per night.

The 40K Free Night Award is available through the 75-night Annual Choice Benefit for Titanium Elite members. Just like the 35K FNA, it can be topped up with up to 15,000 points, allowing for redemptions up to 55,000 points per night.

While slightly better than the 35K FNA, peak pricing still makes redemptions difficult, especially at high-demand resorts and city hotels.

Many previously accessible Category 5-6 hotels now price above 55K points per night, making FNAs harder to use effectively.

This forces travellers to either use FNAs at lower-tier hotels (which might not be ideal) or top up with more points, reducing the value of the “free” night.

High-End Categories (8+): The Worst Devaluation Hits Luxury Hotels

While higher-end hotels have always been expensive, the most dramatic increases have happened in Category 8 hotels and above.

You’ll have to be extremely lucky to be able to use either of the Free Night Awards to redeem for a Category 7 hotel. And for Category 8 and 9 hotels, the maximum price has increased dramatically, by 10,000 points and 20,000 points respectively.

Some properties even cost over 200,000 points, making it almost hopeless for an average traveller to redeem. 

However, Marriott Bonvoy points can still make sense in cases where cash rates are extremely high compared to award pricing. A property like the Ritz-Carlton Kyoto, where cash rates regularly exceed $2,000 per night, might still be a reasonable redemption at 128,000 points, yielding about 1.76 cents per point in value.

However, for most other properties, Marriott Bonvoy redemptions may no longer be worth it. With Marriott’s unpredictable pricing and rising redemption costs, it’s now worth looking at alternative programs.

Looking at Alternative Loyalty Programs for Luxury Stays

With Marriott Bonvoy’s high-end award pricing increasing sharply in the recent past, it’s now worth considering other hotel loyalty programs to see if they offer better value in the same destination.

Hilton Honors:

• No award chart with fixed pricing, but Free Night Rewards are way more flexible, since you can redeem them at any property as long as there’s a standard redemption rate available.
• The addition of Small Luxury Hotels of the World to the program presents some very intriguing opportunities for high-value points redemptions at luxury hotels.
• The American Express Platinum Card gives instant Gold status, which includes complimentary breakfast at most properties (daily F&B credit in the US), a perk that adds significant value.

World of Hyatt:

• Still maintains an award chart, making it far more predictable than Marriott Bonvoy’s pricing.
• Category 7-8 Hyatt hotels are often significantly cheaper in points than Marriott Bonvoy’s Category 8-9 properties.
• Globalist status (top-tier) is arguably the best hotel elite status in the game, with near guaranteed suite upgrades and free breakfast (but it’s also more difficult to earn).

Conclusion

For business travellers or Lifetime Elite Status holders, Marriott Bonvoy can still be a useful program, but it requires far more effort than before to get good value.

The stealth devaluations, unpredictable pricing, and increased redemption costs make it harder to maximize points, especially for those relying on Free Night Awards or lower-category properties for elite status runs.

That said, I still see pockets of value in the program. Low-category hotels can still be useful for earning cheap elite nights or extended stays, and mid-tier properties are best utilized when you have just enough points to top up a Free Night Award.

As for luxury properties, Bonvoy redemptions can still make sense—but only when the cash rate is astronomically expensive.

However, if there’s one rule that applies to any loyalty program, it’s earn and burn. Points will almost certainly devalue over time, so don’t hoard more than you need.