The Marriott Bonvoy Moments characteristic permits members to redeem factors for experiences moderately than resort stays, both by means of an public sale or by buying them outright. The kinds of experiences can embody VIP entry to live shows, culinary experiences, premier sporting occasions, and extra, all obtainable by means of a web-based portal.
Whereas one of the best redemptions of Marriott Bonvoy factors sometimes lie in aspirational resort and resort stays, the Marriott Bonvoy Moments program presents quite a lot of various makes use of if you end up searching for an expertise as a substitute of a spot to remain.
What Are Marriott Bonvoy Moments?
Marriott Bonvoy Moments are a set of experiences that may be bought solely with Bonvoy points by means of an online portal. Some experiences could also be bid for by means of an public sale, whereas some could also be confirmed with a hard and fast quantity of factors.
Lots of the experiences are held at Marriott-affiliated inns and resorts, and typically, the Second could entail a keep on the property as properly.
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 exhibits, style occasions, amusement parks, cultural experiences, and float rides, amongst others.
- Sports activities Moments, which supply prime entry to a spread of occasions at numerous venues worldwide by means of Marriott’s partnerships with leagues, groups, and venues, together with the NFL, Manchester United, and extra.
- Leisure Moments, which embody live shows, awards ceremonies, unique events, and sporting occasions, typically with premium seating. For instance, you’ll be able to count on entry to Marriott’s non-public suites at leisure venues, such because the Coca-Cola Area in Dubai, The O2 in London, and the Mercedes-Benz Area in Berlin.
It’s value noting that the Marriott Bonvoy Moments program is separate from the Tours & Activities program, additionally supplied by Marriott. The previous sometimes consists of one-off and unique experiences, whereas the latter presents journey experiences which you could additionally discover with different tour firms.
Bonvoy members could redeem factors for as much as 5 Moments per calendar yr, 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 tackle listed in your Bonvoy profile.
When you attain the utmost of 5 Moments redemptions, remember the fact that you’ll be able to all the time provoke free on-line transfers of as much as 100,000 Bonvoy factors to different folks’s accounts yearly.
In line with the Marriott Bonvoy Moments FAQs, auctions are usually supplied between 15 and 30 days from the launch of the occasion. The checklist is often up to date, so it might be worthwhile to verify 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 hard and fast worth. For these Moments, you’ll be able to immediately affirm your expertise, and the factors will instantly be deducted out of your account.
Notice that when bought, Moments are non-refundable, so make sure you verify all particulars earlier than clicking by means of.
The second means is thru an auction-style format, whereby members bid on Moments from a hard and fast beginning worth. Bids improve by increments of a minimum of 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 should enter in one other bid if, for instance, you actually wish to redeem Bonvoy factors to see Madonna on the O2 in London.
When you select to enter a most bid as a substitute, you have to enter essentially the most Bonvoy points you’d be prepared to half with to win a specific expertise. If somebody outbids you, the bidding system will mechanically improve your bid by the bottom doable increments, till your most is reached.
Notice which you could’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 mechanically be disqualified from the public sale in case your steadiness is inadequate to cowl your bid at any level all through the public sale.
You’ll be notified by electronic mail if you happen to win an public sale, or if you happen to’re outbid. A Marriott Bonvoy Moments specialist will contact you to finalize the main points of the expertise if you happen to win, and the factors shall 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 troublesome to calculate the precise worth of a Moments expertise. That is very true if it’s a non-public occasion, for which most people can’t pay money.
Moreover, the worth naturally fluctuates relying on how essential a specific expertise is to you. A Manchester United fan could really feel giddy with pleasure to take pleasure in VIP hospitality at Outdated Trafford, whereas somebody who’s fully detached to soccer would possibly balk at that very same proposition.
In the meantime, if you happen to’re sitting on a big sum of Marriott Bonvoy factors and don’t intend to make use of them for resort stays, maybe the thought of throwing 100,000 factors at a specific expertise might be a enjoyable solution to get one thing out of your factors.
Regardless of the case could also be, an goal solution 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?”
We value Bonvoy points at 0.8 cents per level (CAD) / 0.6 cents per level (USD), which is the determine we’ll use within the beneath dialogue.
For instance, there’s a not too long ago closed provide for 2 tickets to see Drake in live performance on the Scotiabank Area in Toronto. For 55,000 Bonvoy factors, which we’d worth at $440 (CAD), patrons obtained 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 – they usually didn’t should undergo the standard trouble of securing the much-coveted tickets within the first place.
As one other instance, take into account the next Second, which presents three nights of experiences in Montreal:
Included on this bundle are:
- 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 particular person, and autographed memento
The approximate values listed above had been taken from the resort, restaurant, and Ticketmaster web sites. For the resort 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 present bidding for 122,000 Bonvoy points, 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 should bid about 350,000 Bonvoy factors, which remains 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 may 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 most costly tickets in the home, gained’t essentially get entry to a group’s dressing room and post-game convention. Equally, a Shania Twain fan could discover it onerous to get an autographed memento.
Whereas there are various different components that would change the valuation above, it’s value noting that the worth that Moments provide varies extensively relying on the bundle worth, how a lot you worth Bonvoy factors, and most significantly, a person’s tastes and preferences.
When you’re a die-hard opera fan, and a Second presents you a premium seat, a chef’s dinner, and a meet-and-greet along with your favorite soprano, you won’t cease speaking about this for the remainder of your life. The identical is true for foodies, sports activities followers, style gurus, and music lovers – the teams for whom Moments appear to be designed.
Conclusion
The Marriott Bonvoy Moments program presents another redemption possibility apart from aspirational resort stays or transfers to airline loyalty programs. It additionally serves as an fascinating solution to spend your Bonvoy points on one thing that you just would possibly discover beneficial with out having to shell out the money.
Because the choice of Moments is consistently altering, it might be worthwhile to sometimes verify the web site for experiences which may be of curiosity to you. The expertise might be an amazing 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.
