Understanding the 5 Levels of Bonvoy Elite Status and How to Earn Them of Marriott Status

Want to get room upgrades, lounge access, and free meals? In this video, I'll share with you the benefits of each level of Marriott status and how you can earn it. Afterward, I'll let you know which levels of Marriott status I think are worth pursuing. I currently have Marriott titanium status and I've stayed at many hotels primarily in the United States and Asia. At the different levels of Marriott status, to earn status, you'll typically have to stay a certain number of nights at Marriott hotels in a calendar year. Then, you'll have Marriott status for the remainder of that year, all of the next year, and up till February of the year after, assuming that you don't re-qualify for status. And now that you understand the basics of how to earn status, I'll start off by talking about the lowest level of status, which is silver. To get silver status, you'll need 10 nights with Marriott.

Unlocking the Benefits of Marriott's Elite Member Statuses: Silver, Gold, and Platinum

And the main benefit is 10 bonus points on stays. Years ago, when I first started traveling for work and only had silver status, I did get free bottled water and a room upgrade at hotels in Arizona. I've also seen some Marriott Hotels have an elite check-in line and allow Marriott members who are silver and above to use that line to skip the long wait for the front desk. But these benefits are really rare, so you shouldn't expect much from the Marriott Silver member. That said, it is easy to get Marriott Silver status by having credit cards. That's because every single Marriott credit card in the United States gives 15 Elite night credits that automatically qualify you for silver. My referral links to these credit cards are in the description if you want to check that out. Do be aware that the sign-up bonuses change from time to time.

So, make sure an offer is good before you sign out. The next level up is Gold status, at 25 nights. At this level, you can expect a 25% bonus on your points, enhanced Wi-Fi, and 2 pm late checkout. Room upgrades are now officially listed as a benefit, but you might not notice an upgrade if they just put you at a higher floor but it's the exact same room type. You can automatically get a Marriott Gold status just by having an American Express Platinum Card, a Marriott Bonboy business card, or the Marriott Bonboy Brilliant card. Platinum Status is when things start to get really interesting. It takes 50 nights, and at this level, you'll get a 50% bonus on points, 4 pm late checkout, lounge access or free breakfast, and a welcome amenity which can be things like bonus points, a food credit, or an upgraded breakfast in the restaurant lounges.

Maximizing Your Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status

Often, I have snacks and drinks, but the quality of lounges in the United States tends to be a little bit hit or miss. The quality of lounges in Asia, on the other hand, tends to be much better, and I can usually get all the food I need in a given day just by eating the free breakfast and by getting food in the lounge. Lounges in Asia also often have an evening cocktail hour with free alcohol, while lounges in the United States that have alcohol will usually charge for it. At the Platinum level, you'll get better room upgrades than what you would get at the Gold level, but again, in the United States, this can be a little bit hit or miss. In Asia, I've been consistently upgraded to noticeably better rooms. When you reach 50 nights, you can get five Suite Night Awards, which you can use to confirm and upgrade to a suite. I do have a video going into more detail about Suite Night Awards, which I'll link in the description. When I was a Marriott.

Platinum, I also would often get an additional welcome snack or dessert at hotels in Asia. Here's a particularly memorable one that I got at a W Hotel. To get Platinum status from credit cards, you'll have to spend $75,000 in a calendar year using the Marriott Bonvoy brilliant card. Alternatively, you can earn one Elite night credit for every $5,000 you spend on the Boundless card, which adds to the 30 nights you already get just from having that card and the business Marriott card. The next level up is Titanium status at 75 nights. At this level, you'll get 75 bonus points, as well as better upgrades. There was actually a time when I had Platinum status, and my dad had Titanium status, and we stayed at the same hotels. At a Sheraton, I got upgraded to a room on a high floor while he got upgraded to a room on a.

High floor with an ocean view at the Ritz Carlton in Hong Kong. I got upgraded to a Harbor View room, while my dad got upgraded to a Harbor View Corner Room, which means he gets an additional wall worth of windows so he has a better view of the entire Harbor. 75 nights, you can also select an additional five Suite Night Awards or get a certificate for a free night worth 40,000 points. Another thing that differentiates titanium status from Platinum Status is that you also get United Airlines silver status. As long as you're flying regular economy and not the basic economy, and there is availability, then you'll get upgraded to economy Plus at check-in, which gives you extra legroom. You'll also get one free checked bag on domestic flights, and your bags can go over the 50-pound limit to 70 pounds.

Maximizing Your Marriott Status for Hotel Benefits and Travel Perks

At the airport, you can also get priority check-in and priority boarding for your flight, which means that you don't have to worry that there won't be enough overhead bin space for your carry-on. You'll also be earning an additional two United Airlines miles per dollar that you spend. There's no real way to shortcut your way to Titanium status with credit cards other than the methods that I've already mentioned. But if you feel like you're a few nights short of the 75-night requirement, then when you reach 50 nights with Marriott, instead of getting five sweet night Awards, you could instead get five Elite night credits and those count towards your 75 nights towards titanium status. The top public tier of Marriott status is Ambassador, which requires 100 nights and twenty thousand dollars spent in a calendar year with Marriott. At this level, you'll get all of the titanium benefits as well as a new benefit called "Your 24."

This allows you to arrange with a hotel in advance the 24-hour time period that you want your room. This means that you can check in at 10 pm and check out at 10 pm, or check in at 3 am and check out at 3 am, and so on based on your own travel schedule. You'll also get Ambassador service, which is essentially like a concierge that you can call to deal with any travel issues that you have. But it's probably easier most of the time to just deal with a hotel directly instead of involving this additional Middleman. Back when I talked about Platinum Status, you might remember me mentioning that I was often getting a little welcome snack when I checked into hotels in Asia. Well, as an ambassador, you can start to expect these little extras at more hotels around the world. Additionally, it'll often be arranged to be delivered by a general manager.

Another sort of soft benefit of being an ambassador is that you know you're at the top of the Marriott status ladder, so you're always going to be getting the best possible room upgrades. So, what levels of Marriott status are worth pursuing? In my opinion, the sweet spot is Platinum Status because that's when you unlock lounge access, free breakfast, and other benefits. But if you feel like you'd get value out of United Silver status and you don't want to qualify for that the normal way through United, then titanium status could also make a lot of sense. I also have top-tier status in other hotel programs, and in my opinion, if Marriott Platinum Status sounds a little bit too difficult to achieve, you should also look into Hilton Gold or Diamond status. These statuses don't provide quite as many benefits as Marriott statuses, but you'll still get free breakfast or food credit.

And it's easy to get them by having certain credit cards through Hilton. If you want additional benefits that Marriott status doesn't provide, such as the waived Resort fees, you could look into Hyatt Globalist. But Hyatt doesn't have as many hotels as Marriott, and I think it can be difficult to find Hyatt hotels where you can use your points. That's why I don't really universally recommend Hyatt unless you really know that Hyatt fits your travel style. Anyway, if you found this video helpful, I'd appreciate it if you let the like button know and consider checking out my other videos about the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program.

Conclusion

In conclusion, earning Marriott status can provide many benefits such as room upgrades, lounge access, and free meals. To earn status, you typically have to stay a certain number of nights at Marriott hotels in a calendar year. The lowest level of status is silver, which requires 10 nights with Marriott, and while the benefits are limited, it is easy to obtain through credit cards. It is important to keep track of the sign-up bonuses for these credit cards as they do change from time to time. Overall, pursuing Marriott status can be worth it depending on your travel preferences and frequency.