Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
FREQUENT FLYER GLOSSARY
What is a hotel award chart?
A hotel award chart is a hotel loyalty programme's published schedule of the points required for an award night, normally set by hotel category, brand, season or room type. It is the number a member plans around, because it turns a points balance into a specific night and allows the points price to be compared with the cash price. Marriott Bonvoy, for example, lists Free Night Awards at thousands of properties worldwide with varying point values and says award stays start at 12,000 points a night, as of 18 October 2026. [5]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- An award chart is a points price list for nights, and the price can differ from property to property: Marriott Bonvoy's redemption page describes Free Night Awards with varying point values and award stays starting at 12,000 points a night, as of 18 October 2026. [5]
- The published number is not a promise: Marriott Bonvoy's programme rules allow redemption levels and award availability to be changed with or without notice, even where that affects the value of points. [3]
- Cheaper and part-cash options can sit alongside the standard points price, including PointSavers rates of up to 20% off at participating hotels and Cash + Points stays. [5]
How does a hotel award chart work?
A hotel award chart does for points what a price list does for cash. It maps a stay to a number of points, and the mapping usually depends on more than the brand alone: properties are grouped by category or tier, dates may be split into periods that cost different amounts, and room type can change the figure again. Once that number exists, a member can do the practical arithmetic — hold it against the cash rate for the same night and decide whether to redeem or pay.
Programmes publish this in broadly two ways. Under a banded chart, every hotel in a category costs the same number of points, and the chart is a short table a member can plan from months ahead. Under variable pricing, the points price follows the property, the date or both, so the same hotel can cost different amounts on different nights and a member has to price the specific stay. The model matters for planning: a banded chart supports budgeting by category, while variable pricing means the nightly quote, not a printed tier, is what a member works from.
The chart is also only one layer of the redemption. Discounted award rates, part-cash bookings, upgrade instruments and property-level exclusions all sit around it, and each has its own conditions.
What does Marriott Bonvoy's award pricing look like?
The description below is Marriott Bonvoy's own, taken from its redemption pages and programme rules as updated in October 2026; it applies to that programme and its participating properties, and other hotel programmes set their own rates and conditions. [3] [5]
Marriott Bonvoy's redemption page describes Free Night Awards as redeemable at thousands of properties worldwide, with varying point values, and says award stays start at 12,000 points a night as of 18 October 2026. [5] The same page puts redemptions at over 30 hotel brands and 10,000 destinations. [5] Awards are applied during booking. [5]
| Option | What the redemption page states |
|---|---|
| Free Night Awards | Redeemable at thousands of properties worldwide, with varying point values, and applied during booking [5] |
| Starting level | Stays from 12,000 points per night, as of 18 October 2026 [5] |
| PointSavers | Up to 20% off at participating hotels, booked by selecting the PointSavers rate after searching with "Use Points/Awards" [5] |
| Cash + Points | Part cash and part points at participating hotels that display cash + points rates [5] |
| Room upgrades | Points or cash traded for a better view or a larger suite at select hotels and resorts, applied during booking [5] |
| Nightly Upgrade Awards | Available to Gold Elite members and above, requested after booking from the confirmation or reservation details page [5] |
Because the points price varies by property, a member checking a specific stay has to look at the rate quoted for that hotel and those dates rather than reading a single figure off a table. [5]
Can a hotel award chart change?
Yes. Marriott Bonvoy's programme rules give the company the right to change, limit or amend earning and redemption structures, redemption levels and award availability with or without notice, even if a change affects the value of points or the ability to obtain certain awards. [3] Unless the company states otherwise, changes are effective when posted on Marriott channels or otherwise communicated, and continued participation — keeping an account or earning, redeeming or transferring points after the change takes effect — counts as acceptance of the rules then in force. [3]
A property leaving the programme is a separate case with immediate effect on the chart: if a participating property or brand exits, awards and other offers are no longer valid after the exit date, even where the reservation was made before that date. [3] Members are also responsible for keeping up with the current rules and any supplemental terms that apply to particular brands. [3]
Which stays sit outside an award chart?
- Limited-participation properties. Marriott's rules incorporate supplemental terms for properties that participate in a limited or unique capacity, and specific awards, benefits and services may not be available there even where the rules do not name the property as excluded. [3]
- Non-participating brands. The rules list brands and properties that do not take part in the programme, including Bulgari Hotels and Resorts at all locations and The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore. [3]
- What an award covers at one property. At Atlantis, Paradise Island in the Bahamas, award redemption stays include the standard room rate and room tax only; extra-person charges, resort fees, service charges and other property charges are the member's responsibility, and The Reef, The Beach and Harborside at Atlantis do not participate at all. [3]
- Uses of points that are not hotel nights. Marriott Bonvoy points can also be transferred to airline programmes at a 3:1 ratio with most partners, across 38 airlines, in amounts of 3,000 to 240,000 points per day as of 18 October 2026. [4]
Frequently asked questions
How many Marriott Bonvoy points does a free night cost?
Free Night Awards are redeemable at thousands of properties with varying point values, and award stays start at 12,000 points per night as of 18 October 2026. [5] The figure for a particular hotel and date has to be checked for that stay. [5]
Can the points price of an award night change?
Yes. Marriott Bonvoy's programme rules allow redemption levels and award availability to be changed with or without notice, including where the change affects the value of points. [3]
Are there cheaper points rates than the standard award price?
PointSavers rates offer up to 20% off at participating hotels, and members book them by searching with "Use Points/Awards" and selecting the PointSavers rate shown. [5]
Can I pay part cash and part points for a Marriott award stay?
Yes, at participating hotels that display cash + points rates: the member selects the Cash + Points rate from the hotel list and books the stay. [5]
Do all Marriott brands take part in the programme?
No. The programme rules list non-participating brands and properties, such as Bulgari Hotels and Resorts at all locations and The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore. [3]
Sources
Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. Other hotel programmes, including Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt, IHG One Rewards and Accor ALL, are not covered here; the chart details above describe Marriott Bonvoy only.
- Marriott Bonvoy Loyalty Program Terms & Conditions, checked 18 October 2026
- Marriott Bonvoy points to airline miles transfer page, checked 18 October 2026
- Marriott Bonvoy redeem points page, checked 18 October 2026