Marriott Dynamic Pricing Coming on March 29, Plus More Pricing Details

Marriott Dynamic Pricing Coming on March 29

Marriott had previously announced that big changes were coming this March, which includes the move to dynamic pricing. We also learned how Marriott would treat unused travel packages once changes were implemented. And today the Marriott has released more information about what it calls “Flexible Points Redemptions” and the exact date when these changes will go into effect. Let’s take a look at what we know so far and some of the important details in this announcement.

Changes in Late March

The switch to “Flexible Points Redemptions” will happen on March 29, 2022, to be exact. Marriott said that “members will see the flexible points redemption rates take effect gradually over March 29 and 30.” That means that you have just over a month to take advantage of the current award pricing.

Members can reserve a redemption stay by booking now and the flexible cancellation policy will allow them to modify their reservation if they find a lower rate in the future.

New Pricing

But even after that date, most hotels will stay within their current peak and off-peak pricing “category” for the rest of the year. But hotels will set their own prices within those ranges, which means that most likely you will see prices toward the upper end.

Marriott says that redemption rates will move more closely in line with (not exactly with) hotel rates and availability. Members traveling to a location with more availability can expect to use fewer points. If the desired location is busier, the point redemption amount may be higher.

I said above that “most hotels will stay in their current category”, which means not all. Approximately 200 hotels (see full list below) or less than 3% of Marriott’s portfolio, will be priced higher that the current point redemption rate bounds. Within that group, about 40 hotels may rise above the bounds of the previous Category Eight during peak/busier travel times. For those 200 properties, their rate range will increase between 5,000 to 30,000 points per night from their current bounds. With those bounds being 100,000 points for now, we will see some of the most sought after properties jump to 130,000 points per night.

Marriott says that changes in rates for stays in 2023, above or below the high low range for stays in 2022, are planned to be incremental. We don’t know how much higher they will go, but for sure they will not go much lower.

Combine Free Night Awards with Points

In addition to announcing the date for Flexible Point Redemptions, Marriott has also revealed that by the end of April, members will be able to combine their Free Night Award with up to 15,000 points to help access more hotels.

Hotels That Will Exceed Current Category Pricing

As part of Marriott’s yearly redemption assessment process, the minimum point redemption rate for approximately 200 hotels, will increase on March 29. At about 30 of these hotels, point redemption rates may rise above previous Category 8 rates during peak times.