Why we have mad love for Marriott Rewards and how it makes us feel truly VIP

**In September 2018 the Marriott Rewards program changed it’s Gold Elite Member Status rewards. We sadly no longer receive lounge privileges or breakfast at Marriott hotels.  Hilton Honors Gold that we receive with our American Express Platinum card however includes continental breakfast with its booking so this is something we now take into consideration when we book**

Are you brand loyal when you book travel?  We have booked a ton of travel using Expedia over the years and as much as the site is pretty easy to use, rewards are not the reason we book through them.  I thought I would appreciate the VIP perks but because they have ranged inconsistently from bottles of water and boxes of chocolate to parking or breakfast it is hard to factor these surprise amenities into the cost of the hotel or make them a reason to book even though they can be pretty fun.  What we have really appreciated is that the Expedia app makes it really easy to keep track of our travel and they have many bookings that are reasonably priced and cancellable if our plans change.  We’ve found some amazing places to stay through them too so Expedia is still where we book a lot of our travel.

But last year we had a taste of true VIP travel when we stayed at a Marriott hotel in Surfer’s Paradise.  Because we had earned gold status Marriott Rewards through our previous stays and we had booked through their site we ended up with a fantastic room upgrade and breakfast too.  We enjoyed our stay at the hotel so much and a lot of it had to do with the perks we received and how our stay felt like an incredible value.  This made us realize how much Marriott’s reward program actually rewards its customers and I really appreciated the VIP treatment at this hotel.

Fast forward to last week when we stayed at the fairly new JW Marriott Parq hotel in Vancouver Canada.  We had accrued enough points through Marriott for our stay so we booked using a reward certificate and I thought for sure we would end up with a room by the elevator or in some dungeonous corner of the hotel.  Instead we were upgraded to a gorgeous, airy room with a water view.  We had all the amenities of our gold rewards status and we were able to visit the beautiful club lounge for breakfast and snacks.  We even received late checkout that helped a ton with our stay because we needed a place to get ready before we headed to a party for my mom’s retirement.  My parents have also had Gold Elite Status with Marriott for years and they’ve been really happy with all the perks they’ve received as well.

So now another brand that I’m curious to watch is Kimpton since it has teamed up with Holiday Inn. We have always enjoyed our stays at Kimpton hotels because of how they’ve made my kids feel like VIP’s with treats and I love their happy hours. I may also look to them when we make our bookings too.

Do you book travel based on brand loyalty?  Is there a hotel or brand that you notice goes out of its way to make you feel like a VIP?  If you have tips, please share!  Thanks!

(PS. We no longer need to make the yearly booking requirement to get Marriott Gold Elite Member Status because it comes with the Platinum American Express card I heard about from Stuffed Suitcase and the Points Guy.  American Express Platinum also gets you Hilton Honors Gold Status which includes continental breakfast.)

(PPS. As mentioned before, Marriott Rewards has changed its Gold Elite Member Status and does not include the breakfast or lounge access upgrades we received before September 2018.)

Terumi

Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys.  She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live.  She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)