Business Access by Marriott Bonvoy Launches, Offering Rewards for Business Owners

The latest trend in hotels is launching a business rewards program and management tool, allowing business owners to track travel spending and earn rewards from their employees’ hotel stays. Not to be left behind, Marriott has launched its own business rewards program: Business Access by Marriott Bonvoy.

Let’s look at how it works, in case your business is interested in participating.

What Is Business Access by Marriott Bonvoy?

Business Access is Marriott Bonvoy‘s new rewards program and travel booking system for small and medium-sized businesses. This free-to-join program can be applied for here.

Note the use of “application,” as all applications are reviewed, and membership approval isn’t guaranteed. Moreover, some companies aren’t eligible for membership, such as government agencies, those with existing corporate discount agreements, and travel agencies.

During application, you’ll need to provide proof of your business’ existence. Once approved, you can add authorized travelers who are employees of your company. Each participating member must have their own Marriott Bonvoy account number.

Marriott says it’s launching this program in response to frustrations business owners report with their travel booking platforms and the growing number of employees traveling for work purposes. It likely didn’t hurt that competitors have launched similar programs, such as Hilton for Business and IHG Business Rewards.

“We recognize the significant value small businesses provide to the hotel industry, which is why we’re excited to combine the benefits of our award-winning travel program with a comprehensive suite of tools in Business Access by Marriott Bonvoy,” said Drew Pinto, executive vice president and chief revenue and technology officer at Marriott International. “Whether small to medium-sized businesses are looking for convenient online booking capabilities for their employees or better expense management solutions, the all-in-one platform, merged with our portfolio of hotel brands around the world, provides everything they need to manage their business travel needs.”

What Benefits Does Business Access by Marriott Bonvoy Offer?

Let’s examine the benefits of Marriott’s new business rewards program to see if it offers what you’re looking for.

First, the program promises discounted rates. What those are and how much of a discount aren’t spelled out. Moreover, the terms say that discounts are on an as-available basis, meaning you might not always find a discount when using this booking platform. That’s a significant negative.

Next, the program offers numerous tools to help your business plan, book, and organize travel. This includes offering the portal in multiple languages, letting you customize company travel preferences, set expense limits, and even generate reports to help you find the information you need. Moreover, you can set up automated payments based on the policies you set.

And it’s not just for hotels. The Business Access by Marriott Bonvoy portal offers flights, trains, and rental cars in its Spotnana-powered portal. However, booking these other travel elements comes with a cost.

You’ll pay the following fees:

• $15 for any trip that involves a non-hotel booking
• $25 for any support that requires an agent to book, modify, or cancel a trip for you (there’s no charge if you do these things yourself)
• $15 per month if you choose to use the integrated expense management solutions

Moreover, participating companies can assign elite status to their employees after meeting certain thresholds across the company. Companies can gift status as follows:

Status metrics are based on stays in a calendar year. Once an elite status is gifted to an employee, it will be valid through the end of the following calendar year. The most interesting part of this? Once the status is given, it can’t be changed or awarded to a different employee. Thus, if you give Gold Elite status to an employee and they later quit, you can’t punish them by taking away their Marriott Bonvoy elite status.

Final Thoughts

Business Access by Marriott Bonvoy is a new program that helps business owners book and manage travel for their employees, including Marriott hotels, flights, trains, and rental cars. The program offers discounts, elite status gifting, and more.

If Marriott Bonvoy is your preferred hotel program and you run a business, you’re likely excited about this new offering.