Marriott’s Nightly Upgrade Awards Now Live, Replaces Suite Night Awards

Marriott Bonvoy has officially revamped its Suite Night Award program for Platinum and Titanium Elite members.

On the plus side, the program has expanded to include more rooms. But there are some downsides, too, such as upgrades only clearing 3 days before check-in.

Here’s a summary of the changes you need to know.

Overview of Marriott Nightly Upgrade Awards

When you earn Marriott Bonvoy Platinum elite or Titanium elite status, you get to choose from several choice benefits — one of which is the former Suite Night Awards, now rebranded as Nightly Upgrade Awards.

Traditionally, these certificates upgraded you to a suite in advance of check-in, and were a carry-over from the old Starwood Preferred Guest program prior to the merger with Marriott Bonvoy. Now, these certificates work a bit differently.

How Marriott Nightly Upgrade Awards Work

The awards have changed to Nightly Upgrade Awards, which reflect the broad use of these certificates. They’re no longer meant for upgrading just into suites, but also preferred or larger rooms. This means there’s 20% more inventory to pull from for upgrades. If you want a better view room, for example, you can use a Nightly Upgrade Award on that better room.

Of course, you’re still eligible for on-arrival upgrades depending on your status, and these upgrades certainly could include those better rooms. The point of using a certificate is to guarantee the upgrades in advance.

Previously, you could not use a Suite Night Award at Aloft, EDITION, Element, Protea, and The Ritz-Carlton hotels. Now, you can use your Nightly Upgrade Award certificates at these brands, which is excellent news as premier rooms and suites are often notoriously pricey at EDITION and Ritz-Carlton hotels.

Finally, Nightly Upgrade Awards will now only clear 3 days in advance of check-in, a change from the 5 days that were allowed for Suite Night Awards. This means the hotel has a few more days to potentially sell these better rooms.

Unfortunately, the changes mean that there will be less standardization across the different brands as to what a hotel classes as an upgrade for these certificates. A room with a higher floor, for example, could be eligible under this program, whereas previously the certificates were designed for suites.

With these changes, it will ultimately depend on the property as to what upgrades might be on offer.

Final Thoughts

The new Nightly Upgrade Awards bring a mixture of positives and negatives.

While more rooms will upgrade eligible, you’ll also see a shorter window in which they are cleared. That said, it will be nice to finally use these certificates at Aloft, EDITION, Element, Protea, and The Ritz-Carlton hotels.

If you’re a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite or Titanium Elite member, you’ll want to consider whether choosing these certificates is right for you!