The new Marriott Rewards program came together last month. And now, we finally know how most things have played out. So lates take a look at the new Marriott Rewards in Hawaii, and what it could mean for your next visit to the islands.
The transition to the new Marriott Rewards hasn’t exactly been smooth. What was supposed to take just a couple of days is taking weeks now. But at least we know, more or less, how the new program will work going forward. And, as a result, we can now look for sweet spots in the program for travel to Hawaii.
Earning Points + Redemptions
As a refresher, here’s what earning and redeeming points will look like in the new program in comparison to the old programs. Earnings rates are presented in their new Marriott Rewards values to make things easier to understand.
Like I said last time, points earning rates are a mixed bag for Marriott Rewards members, with some earning less, and most earning the same or more. SPG members, however, won big in this regard, with a massive increase in points earnings. But of course, we can’t expect earnings to get better or stay the same without change on the redemption side. So here’s a comparison of the award charts under the old programs and the new one. And, again, values have been converted to their new Marriott Rewards equivalent for ease of understanding.
On the redemption side of things, SPG members again make out pretty well, while Marriott Rewards members take a pretty significant devaluation. After all, we’ve never had to pay more than 45,000 points per night for a redemption before. But now there will be award stays that require a whopping 100,000 points per night!
Hawaii Award Categories
So now that we’ve gone over the changes in earning rates and redemption rates let’s take a look at how Marriott and SPG properties are categorized under the new program.
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Category 4 (25,000 points; 20,000/30,000 points starting 2019)
- Courtyard Kauai at Coconut Beach
- Courtyard King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel
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Category 5 (35,000 points; 30,000/40,000 points starting 2019)
- Courtyard Oahu North Shore
- Courtyard Waikiki Beach
- Sheraton Princess Kaiulani
- Courtyard Maui Kahului Airport
- Residence Inn Maui Wailea
- Sheraton Kauai Resort
- Westin Hapuna Beach Resort
- Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay
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Category 6 (50,000 points; 40,000/60,000 points starting 2019)
- Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club
- Sheraton Waikiki
- The Laylow, Autograph Collection
- Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
- Wailea Beach Marriott Resort
- Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club – Lahaina & Napili Towers
- Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club – Molokai, Maui & Lanai Towers
- The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka’anapali
- Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa
- The Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas
- Kauai Marriott Resort
- Marriott’s Kauai Beach Club
- Koloa Landing Resort at Poipu, Autograph Collection
- Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Autograph Collection
- Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
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Category 7 (60,000 points; 50,000/70,000 points starting 2019)
- The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, Waikiki
- Moana Surfrider, a Westin Resort & Spa, Waikiki Beach
- Ritz-Carlton Residence Waikiki Beach
- The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua
- The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas, Ka’anapali
- St. Regis Princeville Resort
- Marriott’s Kauai Lagoons – Kalanipu’u
- The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas
- Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club
- Marriott’s Waikoloa Beach Club
As you can see, the bulk of Hawaii properties fall under the new Category 6, which puts award nights at 50,000 per night! And that’s for an average property like the Waikiki Beach Marriott!! OUCH. That’s a lot of points! Especially since the most expensive award hotel under the pre-merger Marriott was the JW Marriott Ihilani Ko Olina, which was 45,000 points per night.
Annual Credit Card Certificate in Hawaii
As we all know, the new Marriott Rewards has a number of credit card options from both Chase and American Express. And among those options are three different annual certificates you can earn:
- Marriott Rewards Premier Visa (existing cardholders only): 25,000 points
- Marriott Rewards Premier Plus + Marriott Premier Business Visa + SPG Card: 35,000
- SPG Luxury Card: 50,000
Ironically, though award redemptions got more expensive in Hawaii, the old Marriott Rewards Premier Visa annual stay certificate is once again useful here. Prior to the merger, the card’s annual stay certificate was good for up to a Category 5 property (25,000 points) and is still valid at properties up to 25,000 points. That makes it useful at the Courtyard Kauai Coconut Beach and the Courtyard King Kam Kona Beach Hotel.
The certificate for new Marriott Visa, the business card, and the standard SPG card, on the other hand, may be used at a variety of properties across all islands. Most of these properties are underwhelming, though the Westin Hapuna Beach would be an excellent use of this certificate.
And then there’s the SPG Luxury card’s annual free night certificate. That one is good at Category 6 properties during standard and off-peak season, as well as Category 7 properties during the off-peak season. This means that the annual night certificate from this card is good at virtually any property in Hawaii, depending on when you travel.
The New Marriott Rewards in Hawaii, Final Thoughts
Honestly, I can’t remember what the category levels were like prior to integration, especially for Starwood properties. I probably should have made note of what level each property falls under a while ago, but I didn’t. However, I do believe that the points required for award stays have gone up across the board. After all, as I’ve said before, the most you’d spend prior to integration was 45,000 points for pre-merger Marriott properties. And now, the 50,000 points level are where most of the properties fall. But, on the plus side, at least credit card certificates are once again useable in Hawaii, at least for now. After all, we know Marriott will devalue more in the future.