Marriott Bonvoy is the loyalty program for Marriott’s hotel brands, from Courtyard and Sheraton up to The Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis, and points come from stays, the Marriott co-brand cards, and 1:1 transfers from Amex, Chase, and Bilt. Because Marriott dropped its award chart, there is no category that is cheap by design, and the value comes from booking rules that work at any hotel.
Every points price below comes from Marriott’s own booking site, and every cash price is what the same room actually cost on the night shown.
Quick Take
- My favorite Marriott redemption is JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge, an all-inclusive safari camp in Kenya, at about 230,000 points a night with meals, drinks, and game drives included.
- Book award stays in five-night blocks on one reservation, and the cheapest night is free.
- Top off a Free Night Award with up to 25,000 points to use it at a hotel that prices just above the certificate.
- 60,000 points become 30,000 United miles or 25,000 miles at most other airlines, which only makes sense when the miles finish an award.
- At all-inclusives, the award covers food, drinks, and the resort fee for two.
1. How Bonvoy Prices Awards
Every hotel sets a points price per night that moves with demand, room type, and length of stay, and Marriott raised many of those prices without notice over the July 4–5, 2026 weekend. The award covers the room, tax, and service charge but not resort fees, so I compare the full cash bill with the points plus any resort fee. The rules that stay fixed are the fifth night free on five-night awards, the up-to-25k top-off on Free Night Awards, and the transfer bonuses to airlines, and those are where the value is.
2. The Best Uses of Bonvoy Points
This list isn’t strictly the best value by the math. It’s my judgment of hotels and destinations that are popular or worth the trip and that are expensive in cash, which is what makes them good reward nights. There’s no exact science, and everyone values things differently, so my list might not line up with yours: these lists tend to lean toward beach resorts, and if you’d rather spend your points in cities, you may not like this one. With that said, I’ve tried to break it down in a way that makes sense for most people. I’ve also left out lower-end hotels like Hampton Inns and Four Points, even though many of them are good uses of points, because this list is about the aspirational stays you’d pick for a big trip.
The points price under each hotel is the lowest standard-room price I found for the next 12 months, as of October 20, 2026, and the cash prices are the hotel’s own rates for the same room on the nights shown.
A safari in Kenya
1. JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge
From 226k points/night
My number 1, not because it’s the best by points value (though it’s still on the higher end), but because nothing else is like it: an all-inclusive safari camp in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve, with 24 tented suites along the Talek River, each with a private deck and jacuzzi. The award covers all meals, drinks, and shared game drives. It’s a trek to get to, so spend as much time there as you can. I helped a friend book a trip with this lodge included, and they had an amazing time. Monday, November 2, 2026 was 230,000 points against $2,933 with taxes, and both prices include the meals, drinks (premium brands excluded), game drives, and the airstrip transfer.
- Where: Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
- Price: 230,000 to 236,000 points a night on most nights; 226,000 on Sept 16, 2027
The catches:
- The reserve’s entry fee isn’t included: $100 per person per day from January to June and $200 from July to December (2026 rates).
- Getting there means a small plane from Nairobi to the Keekorok airstrip, about $350 to $450 per person round trip, with a 33 lb soft-bag limit.
- No children under 6.
The Maldives
The Maldives gets its own section because its hotels are some of the most expensive anywhere in cash. Points only cover the room, though: the transfer from Malé (a seaplane, speedboat, or yacht) is mandatory and often runs $400 to $1,200 or more per person round trip, every guest pays a $12 green tax per night, and food and drinks are priced to match, with 10% service and 17% tax added.
2. The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort
From 120k points/night
77 villas, each with a private pool and a butler, a bar shaped like a whale shark where they saber a bottle of champagne at sunset every night, and an overwater spa. Sunday, June 20, 2027, one of the few nights under 130,000, was 120,000 points against $1,487 before taxes.
- Where: Dhaalu Atoll, Maldives, about 45 minutes from Malé by seaplane
- Price: 120,000 to 128,000 points a night on a few summer 2027 dates; 150,000 is typical, and up to 228,000 at peak
The catches:
- The seaplane is $870 per person round trip.
- The award is room-only.
3. W Maldives
From 98.5k points/night
The livelier option in the Maldives: overwater villas on Fesdu island, a small private island for sunset dinners, a reef with reef sharks and turtles, and an underground nightclub. Tuesday, May 18, 2027 was 98,500 points against $1,116 before taxes.
- Where: North Ari Atoll, Maldives, about 25 minutes from Malé by seaplane
- Price: 98,500 points a night on about 50 nights (mostly May to July 2027); 115,000 is typical, and up to 163,000 at peak
The catches:
- The seaplane is $730 per adult round trip.
- The award is room-only.
4. The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands
From 138k points/night
About 100 villas laid out in circles, each with its own pool and a butler, plus a round overwater spa and a small marina village next door. Thursday, September 16, 2027, one of the few cheaper nights, was 138,000 points against $2,043 before taxes.
- Where: North Malé Atoll, Maldives, by speedboat from the airport
- Price: 138,000 points a night on Sept 16–19, 2027; around 200,000 is typical, and 220,000 to 228,000 from January to April
The catches:
- The speedboat is $1,027 per adult round trip, including tax and service.
- The award is room-only.
Bora Bora and closer to home
5. The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island
From 71k points/night
A good nearby option for East Coast travelers in particular: right on the beach on an island in northeast Florida, with a good restaurant (Salt), a golf course, and a spa. Sunday, November 29, 2026 was 71,000 points against $909 with taxes.
- Where: Amelia Island, Florida
- Price: 71,000 points a night on about 30 nights (late November 2026 to January 2027, plus some May and August dates); 91,000 is typical
The catches:
- Award stays show about $60 a night extra, most likely the resort fee, which Marriott awards don’t cover.
- Valet parking is $50 a day (there’s no self-parking).
6. The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort
From 132k points/night
Overwater villas with glass panels in the floor, a protected lagoon you can snorkel in (the gear is free), and a spa on its own little island looking at Mount Otemanu. Thursday, December 17, 2026 was 132,000 points against $1,650 before taxes.
- Where: Bora Bora, French Polynesia
- Price: 132,000 points a night on the cheapest nights, 168,000 to 174,000 on most; a few nights price an overwater villa at 120,000 plus a $451 cash co-pay
The catches:
- The boat from the airport is about $150 to $160 per person round trip.
- Overwater villas often need a cash co-pay on top of the points, and a local tax of about 2,000 Pacific francs a night is added.
7. The Westin Bora Bora Resort & Spa
From 87k points/night
The former Le Méridien, reopened as a Westin in 2024 after a full renovation, with 128 overwater bungalows (the most on Bora Bora), a turtle sanctuary, and the biggest pool on the island, all looking at Mount Otemanu. Friday, December 11, 2026 was 87,000 points for an overwater bungalow against $1,700 with taxes.
- Where: Bora Bora, French Polynesia
- Price: 87,000 points a night for an overwater bungalow on the cheapest nights (Dec 11–12, 2026, and Jan 22, 2027); 108,000 is typical
The catches:
- A destination fee of 11,550 Pacific francs (about $110) a night is charged on award nights too; it covers the airport boat, a shuttle to the main island, and a bottle of Champagne.
3. Other Ways to Stretch Marriott Points
Not hotel picks, but the rules that make the hotels above cheaper.
1. Fifth night free on five-night award stays
Every fifth consecutive award night in one reservation costs nothing, which cuts the points price of a five-night stay by up to 20% compared with booking the same nights one at a time, and no other change to the booking is needed.
- What: Any participating hotel, standard room, Standard Redemption or PointSavers award
- Price: Points for 4 nights on a 5-night award; the lowest-priced night is free (awards start at 12,000 points a night)
- Taxes and fees: No cash for the free night’s room, room tax or service charge (all included in award stays); resort fees and incidentals are still charged at the hotel
The catches:
- The free night is the cheapest night in the stay, so on a stay with uneven nightly prices the saving is less than 20%.
- Must be one reservation; consecutive nights split across confirmation numbers don’t qualify, and it can’t be added after check-in.
- Standard rooms only; not with Free Night Awards, Cash + Points or premium rooms, and premium room or Nightly Upgrade Awards must be applied to every night, including the free one.
- No refund for an unused free night if you check out early.
- All five nights have to be on one confirmation number.
2. Free Night Awards topped off with up to 25k points
A Free Night Award is capped at its points value, but I can now add up to 25k points to it, so a 40k certificate can cover a night at a hotel that prices up to 65k, and the points I add are the only points spent.
- What: Standard room at a hotel whose standard or PointSavers price is up to the certificate value + 25,000 points
- Price: Up to 25,000 points added to one Free Night Award (e.g. a 40,000-point award covers a night priced up to 65,000)
- Taxes and fees: Room tax and service charge included; resort fees still charged at the hotel
- Cash price: $581 a night before taxes ($669 with taxes and fees) at Le Méridien Barcelona (Wed, Nov 18, 2026), a hotel where an 85,000-point Free Night Award covered standard rooms in September 2026, when they were about $800 a night
The catches:
- Raised from 15,000 to 25,000 points in March 2026; older guides still say 15k.
- If the night prices below the certificate value, the difference is lost.
- Standard rooms only; not combinable with cash, not eligible for Stay for 5, Pay for 4, and not usable at Homes & Villas or The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection.
- Certificates expire on the date in your account and can’t be extended; values differ by source (the 75-night Choice Benefit award is worth up to 40,000).
- Top-end prices keep rising past certificate levels: by July 2026 several hotels that used to fit a 35k, 50k, or 85k certificate were pricing just above it, so the top-off is often needed.
3. Transfer points to United with the 10k-mile bonus
United gets double the usual bonus, so 60k points become 30k miles instead of 20k, which is the best points-to-miles rate Marriott offers, but it only pays off when the United award is worth more to me than the hotel nights those points would buy.
- Where: Marriott Bonvoy points to United MileagePlus miles
- Price: 60,000 points = 30,000 United miles (3:1 plus 10,000 bonus miles per 60,000 transferred)
- Taxes and fees: No transfer fee; award taxes depend on the United booking
The catches:
- Marriott gives the 10,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points transferred, so transfer in 60k blocks.
- Points can’t be moved back once they are miles, and award space can disappear while a transfer posts.
- 3,000-point minimum and 240,000 points per day maximum.
- Transfer in 60,000-point blocks to get the bonus, and the name on your United account has to match your Marriott Bonvoy name.
4. Transfer 60k points to most airline partners for 25k miles
Marriott is one of the few ways into airline programs that no big bank transfers to, and 60k points topping up an award a few thousand miles short can finish a booking, though at 2.4 points per mile it’s rarely the cheapest route for anyone holding bank points.
- Where: Marriott Bonvoy points to 37 airline programs (e.g. Atmos Rewards, Aeroplan, Avios programs, Flying Blue)
- Price: 60,000 points = 25,000 miles at most partners (3:1 plus 5,000 bonus miles); 20,000 at American, Avianca, and Delta
- Taxes and fees: No transfer fee
The catches:
- No bonus for American AAdvantage, Avianca LifeMiles, or Delta SkyMiles.
- Air New Zealand is 200:1 with a 75-Airpoints bonus.
- For most airline partners, the name on the frequent flyer account must match your Marriott Bonvoy first and last name.
- Transfer in 60,000-point blocks to get the bonus.
5. All-inclusive resorts where the award covers food and resort fee
At an all-inclusive the award pays for the food, drinks, and resort fee as well as the room, which a regular Marriott award never does, so the points cover far more of the cash bill.
- What: All-Inclusive by Marriott Bonvoy resorts
- Price: Dynamic; varies by resort and date
- Taxes and fees: Award covers room, tax, service charge, resort fee, and standard food and drink for two; a third guest and extras are charged
The catches:
- Only two guests are covered; extra-person charges are paid in cash.
- Prices are dynamic and the resorts are often among the most expensive in points on peak dates.
- Check the points price and the cash price for the same dates before booking, because both move with demand.
6. PointSavers discounted award nights
PointSavers nights cost fewer points than the same hotel’s standard award, and they still count toward Stay for 5, Pay for 4 and can take a topped-off Free Night Award.
- What: Participating hotels during limited-time PointSavers periods
- Price: Discounted from the hotel’s standard award price; no fixed price
- Taxes and fees: Same as a standard award (tax and service charge included, resort fees charged)
The catches:
- Hotels choose when and whether to run them, and the size of the discount isn’t published.
7. Standard awards at remote luxury resorts
These are the hotels where a night costs thousands of dollars in cash, so even at the top of Marriott’s dynamic range the points price is low next to the cash rate, and the Masai Mara lodge is all-inclusive, so the award also covers food and drink. It isn’t a sweet spot by Marriott’s own pricing, because these are the most expensive awards in the program and they keep going up.
- What: Safari lodges and island resorts with very high cash rates (e.g. JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge, The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort)
- Price: Dynamic; top standard prices seen in July 2026 were 236,000 points a night at JW Marriott Masai Mara and 220,000 at St. Regis Maldives Vommuli
- Taxes and fees: Award includes room tax and service charge; resort fees are extra except at all-inclusive resorts; Maldives seaplane or Kenya bush-flight transfers are paid separately
- Cash price: $2,945 a night at JW Marriott Masai Mara (Mon, Oct 19, 2026) and $2,784 before taxes ($4,484 with taxes and fees) at St. Regis Maldives Vommuli (Wed, Nov 18, 2026)
The catches:
- Award prices at these hotels have gone up repeatedly; St. Regis Maldives Vommuli’s top standard price rose from 198,000 to 220,000 points between mid-2025 and July 2026.
- Standard-room award space is limited on peak dates.
- Transfers aren’t covered: Maldives seaplanes and Kenya bush flights are paid in cash.
- The cash figures are for a sample night and the points figures are the top prices reported, not the same night.
4. Which Points Transfer to Bonvoy
Bank points to Bonvoy points. Transfers can’t be undone, so confirm the room before you move points.
| From | Ratio | Usual time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amex Membership Rewards | 1:1 | Instant | |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | 1:1 | 1–2 days | |
| Bilt | 1:1 | Instant | Plus 5,000 bonus points per 20,000 transferred (20,000 become 25,000). |
Every bank partner and ratio is in the transfer partners table.
5. What to Skip
- Starbucks Stars at 1,000 points to 100 Stars, merchandise, and gift cards, which return far less than hotel nights.
- Buying points at $12.50 per 1,000 outside a sale to book an award.
- Cash + Points nights when you’re staying five nights, because they don’t get the free fifth night.
6. Quick Answers
No. Marriott moved to dynamic pricing in March 2022, and points per night now vary by hotel, room, and date and can change at any time.
Book five consecutive award nights in a standard room on one reservation and you pay points for four. The free night is the cheapest one, and it doesn’t apply to Free Night Awards or Cash + Points.
Up to 25,000 points per night, up from 15,000 before March 2026. If the night costs less than the certificate, the difference is lost.
Yes, after 24 months without qualifying activity such as earning, redeeming, or buying points. Gifting or receiving points doesn’t count.
No. The award covers the room, room tax, and service charge, and resort fees are charged at the hotel, except at all-inclusive resorts where the resort fee is included.
United gives 30,000 miles per 60,000 points, the best rate Marriott offers. Most other airlines give 25,000, and American, Avianca, and Delta give 20,000.
More programs: sweet spots by program · devaluation timeline · award search tools.
Last checked: October 20, 2026.