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Overview
We’ve been waiting for quite some time since MGM announced it was cutting ties with World of Hyatt and inking a new partnership with Marriott Bonvoy.
Due to, presumably, the MGM IT woes late last year, it’s taken a while to get further details, but we now have them.
Many MilesTalkers have been oh so hopeful that when these details came out, the MGM portion of the Status Match Merry Go Round™ would be back on. I cautioned that I thought that was overly optimistic and that benefits based on tier were more likely than any outright match.
I was only half right, but 99% of MilesTalk readers will be 100% disappointed by how this is playing out.
MGM Rewards to Marriott Bonvoy Tier Matching (Status Matching)
To start, the only actual tier matching is coming from the MGM side. But more disappointing is that the only MGM tier that matches to a meaningful Marriott Bonvoy tier is Noir – the invite only tier.
Honestly, if you are Noir, you are either well connected or you gamble so much that you really don’t need a tier match. Noir status holders will match all the way to top tier Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador status (which I’m sure will manage to anger Ambassadors that not only stayed 100 nights but spent $23,000 as well).
Other MGM tiers only match to fairly meaningless low level Marriott Bonvoy tiers, with Gold matching to Bonvoy Silver (which has no real benefit besides a 10% bonus earn on spend) and MGM Platinum (a pretty hard tier to earn and one that is nearly impossible to match into) only getting Marriott Bonvoy Gold which is only *slightly* more useful than Gold, with a 25% bump on points for spend.
Technically, Gold includes enhanced room upgrades (higher floor or view) and a completely optional 2pm checkout (meaning that like anyone else, you can ask, but the hotel can turn you down for any reason or no reason).
The fact is that Marriott Bonvoy is only meaningful once you are Platinum Elite or higher, as that confers real upgrades, guaranteed 4pm checkouts (except at resorts and convention center hotels), and lounge access and/or breakfast). I’m personally flabbergasted that a tier as hard to attain as MGM Platinum is not matching to Bonvoy Platinum. No MGM Platinum gifted Marriott Bonvoy Gold is going to be very impressed – so what is the point?
On the flip side, Marriott Elites will not be tier matched to MGM status at all.
Instead, they’ll be given certain benefits based on their Marriott tier when booking MGM via an eligible booking channel (presumably via MGM or Marriott directly as well as channels like Marriott Luminous, Amex FHR, and the like).
Marriott Bonvoy to MGM Rewards Tier Matching (Status Matching)
This will not be a thing. See below for what Marriott elites can expect when staying with MGM.
Benefits for Marriott Bonvoy Elites at MGM Properties
Here are the benefits that will be given to Marriott Bonvoy elites at MGM properties:
Silver Elite
- 10% Marriott Bonvoy bonus points on Qualifying Charges
Gold Elite
- 25% Marriott Bonvoy bonus points on Qualifying Charges
- Welcome gift of 500 Marriott Bonvoy points per stay
Platinum Elite
- 50% Marriott Bonvoy bonus points on Qualifying Charges
- Enhanced room upgrades, based upon availability
- Priority Check-In Line
- Complimentary 2:00 p.m. late checkout (subject to availability)*
- Welcome gift of 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per stay or $15 F&B credit per night of stay
Titanium Elite
- 75% Marriott Bonvoy bonus points on Qualifying Charges
- Enhanced room upgrades, based upon availability
- Priority Check-In Line
- Complimentary 2:00 p.m. late checkout (subject to availability)*
- Welcome gift of 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per stay or $15 F&B credit per night of stay
Ambassador Elite
- 75% Marriott Bonvoy bonus points on Qualifying Charges
- Waived resort fee*
- One suite upgrade at a Las Vegas Hotel per year, up to 3-night stay*
- Enhanced room upgrades, based upon availability
- Complimentary 1:00 p.m. early check-in and 4 p.m. late checkout (subject to availability)*
- Welcome gift of 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per stay or $15 F&B credit per night of stay
- Complimentary self-parking*
- Priority access on dining and check-in*
- 15% retail discounts
As expected, Silver and Gold Marriott elites aren’t getting any real incentive to stay with MGM over Caesars or anyone else other than elite night credits and points earning.
More commentary coming, but what I find most astounding is that MGM won’t even be waiving resort fees for Marriott Platinum or Titanium members while they do waive resort fees for their own Gold members and up. It’s hard to not think that Marriott Platinum or, at the very least, Titanium (which requires 75 nights) should get a resort fee waiver.
Meanwhile, anyone can get a Wyndham Business Earner credit card, match to Caesars Diamond, and stay at Caesars properties without every paying a parking fee or a resort fee.
Keep in mind, when Hyatt was partnered with MGM, the Explorist Tier matched to MGM Gold, waiving resort fees, and Explorist is a mid level tier requiring just 30 nights. SO compared to the Hyatt partnership, Marriott Bonvoy members are getting NOTICEABLY less than World of Hyatt members got.
Now, back to what you do get and, I should note that while I think they way undershot on benefits, there are definitely some appealing benefits (so it’s not all bad!)
Marriott Platinum level elites will get to use a VIP check in line (that can save a lot of time during busy times), get up to a 2pm checkout based on availability (at least as MGM Gold, I have found hotels willing to give this, so hopefully they really do for Marriott elites as well), room upgrades based on availability (I guess we’ll see what these turn out to be!) and a welcome gift of 1,000 points (worth about $6) or a $15 F&B credit. However, like I mentioned, you will still be forced to pay a resort fee which truly wipes out the F&B credit and then some, with resort fees topping $40 a night in many cases. You’ll also get a 50% boost on points earnings.
Titaniums get all of the above but with a 75% boost on points earnings.
But again, not even Titanium level, one down from the highest tier Marriott has, gets a resort fee waiver nor free parking.
You have to be a Bonvoy Ambassador elite (again, that is not just 100 elite nights, but requires $23,000 in hotel spend) to get “real” benefits like a waived resort fee and free self parking. Ambassadors will also get a one-off suite upgrade once per year.
If the page has gone up by the time I post this, there is also a FAQ available here.
One more note: None of this is live yet. At the time MGM properties become bookable on the Marriott platform (web and app) sometime early this year is also when these benefits will take effect. When it does, or soon thereafter, MGM Rewards members who have also enrolled in Marriott Bonvoy will be able to transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to their MGM Rewards account or transfer MGM Rewards Points to their Marriott Bonvoy account (the ratio is not yet given).
My Take
While Marriott tells me that they will be re-evaluating the benefits after end of 2024, I think I’ve put all my cards on the table above.
I’m not coming at this as a Merry Go Rounder. I’m coming at this as someone with a fair bit of experience in both hotel loyalty programs and casino loyalty programs.
I believe strongly that the weak benefits stems from MGM still feeling like guests in the Hyatt partnership took them for a ride. I’ll go ahead and say that, indeed, the Hyatt partnership was too generous. But this partnership is too weak to be meaningful for anyone except Marriott Ambassadors and MGM Noirs. They may impress the whales, but like a plane full in 1st and empty in coach, who’s filling up the plane?
Consider again that to be a Marriott Ambassador elite you have not just night requirements but a $23,000 a year on-property spend requirement. And the only way to an MGM Noir card is to either be a VIP in some form or another (know a hotel owner, perhaps send a casino a ton of businesses) or be a super high gambler to the point where you are “invited” to the tier above the top published tier of Platinum. Think along the lines of Delta 360 or AA Concierge Key. You gamble “enough” that your theoretical loss is HIGH in order to be Noir.
Go down just one level – to a Marriott Titanium staying at MGM or, even worse, a MGM Platinum staying at Bonvoy – and there’s just not enough at play here. The benefits on offer for mid and upper tier elites on both sides (except for the toppity top tier) are just not psychological needle movers.
As a Marriott Titanium, I’d stay at MGM if it otherwise suited me – but not owning to the benefits of this partnership. I guess the elite nights for an MGM stay are also nice and this is as good as any brand partnership encouraging those that want elite nights to be swayed.
So while I am glad that MGM didn’t break up with Hyatt for nobody, this just isn’t – at least in its first iteration – a set of benefits I think very many will be excited about. Sure, Noirs and Ambassadors will appreciate the benefits – but is that enough to justify this partnership?
Time will tell but I think they really need to re-evaluate what MGM Gold+ gets at Marriott and what Marriott Titaniums and up get at MGM. (I cede Marriott Bonvoy Platinum since you can achieve that just by holding the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant credit card).
Thoughts?
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Bonvoyed…
Living in SoCal, we’ve been going to Vegas 3-4 times a year and have stayed exclusively at MGM properties because of the perks of MGM Gold (status matched from Caesars via Merry Go Round). We get room comps because of gambling but without the waived resort fees and priority check-in, it’s just not worth it anymore. Hopefully Caesar’s pounces on this opportunity to bring in disgruntled ex-MGM Golds.