A few weeks prior, Marriott Bonvoy announced the opening of registration for its latest global promotion, marking the program’s inaugural offering for the year. I want to remind everyone that this deal is effective for stays starting today, which may influence some booking choices. Typically, Marriott’s Q1 promotion is the most generous of the year, and I have a feeling this year will follow suit.
Marriott Bonvoy offering bonus points & elite nights
With Marriott Bonvoy’s new worldwide promotion, members can accumulate 2,500 Bonvoy bonus points for each stay, in addition to one bonus elite night credit for every distinct brand experienced during the promotion timeframe.
Registration is necessary for this promotion, and as you might expect, there are several details to keep in mind:
– The promotion is applicable for stays from February 25 to May 10, 2026, irrespective of when bookings are made.
– You must register before your first eligible stay, and registration will close on April 26, 2026; if you encounter issues with the link, log in to your Marriott Bonvoy account and navigate to the “promotions” tab.
– Only cash-paid stays qualify for this promotion; award stays (including Cash + Points stays) are not eligible.
– Bonus points and elite nights usually post within 10 days following the posting of standard points from a stay.
– You are required to select Bonvoy points as your preferred points earning method (as opposed to airline miles).
– This bonus can only be earned for a single room booked per stay (thus, booking multiple rooms does not multiply this bonus).
– Bonus elite nights are awarded per brand stayed at during the promotional period, meaning you earn one elite night for each unique brand you visit during the promotion dates.
I want to stress that this is not a targeted promotion. People often experience issues registering for Marriott Bonvoy promotions, typically due to glitches. If you’re facing challenges, consider using a different browser, switching to the app instead of the website, etc.
The calculations associated with this promotion are straightforward. I value Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.7 cents each, which indicates that the promotion provides an additional $17.50 worth of points for each eligible paid stay. This is clearly more beneficial for stays at budget properties compared to high-end properties.
Additionally, you earn one bonus elite night for each qualified paid stay at each unique brand. Unfortunately, this isn’t as rewarding as similar promotions from previous years, where Marriott has generally provided a flat one bonus elite night for every night stayed, irrespective of the brand.
To clarify, under this offer, you only earn one bonus elite night for staying at a new brand, so if you stay at a new brand for five nights, you wouldn’t receive five bonus elite nights.
Currently, Marriott Bonvoy promotions aren’t extremely profitable, making this one of the offers that will likely attract the most interest from members.
Standard Bonvoy points earning rates for hotel stays
Excluding this promotion, Marriott Bonvoy members generally earn:
– 10x Bonvoy points per dollar spent at most brands.
– 5x Bonvoy points per dollar spent at select limited service brands.
Elite bonuses are in addition to the above:
This does not take into account the points earned through credit card spending at hotels:
As an Ambassador member with a co-branded credit card, I normally earn 23.5x Bonvoy points per dollar spent at full-service brands. Valued at 0.7 cents per point, that equates to about a ~16% return on hotel expenditures.
Bottom line
Marriott Bonvoy has just rolled out its newest global promotion, so ensure you register. Through this, members can earn 2,500 bonus points for each eligible paid stay during the promotional window. Furthermore, members can earn one bonus elite night for every distinct brand stayed at.
The year’s first promotion often proves to be Marriott’s most rewarding, so I know numerous members were looking forward to this offer. It’s unfortunate that Marriott isn’t providing a flat double elite nights this year (or perhaps, conversely, this might be a positive development, as it could ease inflated elite ranks… or is that merely wishful thinking?).
What are your thoughts on Marriott Bonvoy’s latest global promotion?