Dec 30, 2015, 11:18 am
Last edit by: rustykettel
Ten (10) Elite Nights are given for each meeting held in a participating hotel under the "Rewarding Events" program. See below for non-participating brands. Information about the Rewarding Events program may be found at https://www.marriott.com/meeting-eve...els/rewards.mi
The 10 elite nights per meeting are independent of any hotel rooms booked in conjunction with the meeting. In fact, no hotel rooms have to be booked as part of the meeting in order to receive credit for 10 elite nights.
Although the Rewarding Events webpage refers to room nights for meeting participants, the most important section is the one that states 10 Elite Nights, regardless if you or your guest is paying for it
In general, a written contract is required (or should be obtained). In many cases, the meeting is booked through a central Marriott group sales office instead of directly with a hotel. If booked through a central Marriott group sales office, there is a three-page contract that makes reference to the Rewarding Events program on page 2 of the agreement. A MR member number should be included in this area of the contract by the group sales office.
FAQs:
Q: What brands participate in the Rewarding Events program?
A: AC Hotels by Marriott, Aloft, Autograph Collection, Courtyard by Marriott, Delta Hotels by Marriott, EDITION, Element, Fairfield by Marriott, Four Points by Marriott, Gaylord Hotels, JW Marriott, LeMridien, The Luxury Collection, Marriott Hotels, Marriott Vacation Club, Moxy Hotels, Protea Hotels by Marriott, Renaissance Hotels, The Ritz-Carlton, Sheraton, St. Regis, Tribute Portfolio, W Hotels, & Westin.
Residence Inn by Marriott, TownePlace Suites, & Marriott Executive Apartments do not participate in the program.
Q: How do I find a hotel that participates?
A: Click on the link to the Rewarding Events page and then in the "Plan" section of the page click on the "Find a Hotel" box. Enter the city you'd like to have your meeting in, purpose of event (Business) and then check the "I need meeting/event space" box. Enter the size of your meeting (2 attendees should work) and then click the "Find" box. Leave the start date and end date blank. A list of potential hotels will be shown. The smallest meeting room is not usually shown online --- you may need to call each hotel to find out which one has a boardroom or other small meeting room. Once you've found a small meeting room, then request a quote online.
Q: How quickly will Marriott respond with a quote?
A: Usually within a day or two --- and usually via email. The email should contain a telephone number of the group sales contact. Give them a call and tell them you'd like to follow up on the quote and you're interested in booking the smallest room available for a 2 person meeting for an hour. If they quote a price that's higher than you want to pay, ask them if they can get approval for a lower priced meeting (e.g., a recent quote was for $75 for an 8 hour use of a CY boardroom). They accepted a counter of $50 for a one-hour meeting in the room (plus service charge plus local sales tax). Urban hotels may charge significantly higher rates for meeting space than a smaller, less congested city.
Q: Is a contract required?
A: The terms of the program suggest "yes" --- although there are reports that 10 elite nights have been granted without contracts. A best practice would be to obtain a contract.
Q: How long do points and EQNs take to post after the event is over?
A: Generally, this takes 3+ business days. According to Marriott, it can take 15 business days. If you do not see anything post after 15 business days, contact the hotel before contacting Marriott customer support. The hotel has to be the one to post it.
You will get an e-mail with a subject line Your Rewarding Events Award has Posted: EVENT NAME
Q: Will the hotel know what I am talking about when I say points and elite night credits?
A: Probably not. They may know about the rewarding events points being 3x per dollar spent, but not always. Usually they know of only the Marriott system (Group Posting Tool) where they input how much you spent and when. This is done after the event and is usually authorized by the sales or general manager.
Q: The contract doesn't say anything about points, will I still earn them?
A: YMMV but so far all the electronic contracts from the website state it, but some fail to read it. The paper contracts usually talk about points, but some reports that they don't, but still post. Remember this is a Marriott Rewards benefit that the hotels don't seem to be footing the bill for.
The 10 elite nights per meeting are independent of any hotel rooms booked in conjunction with the meeting. In fact, no hotel rooms have to be booked as part of the meeting in order to receive credit for 10 elite nights.
Although the Rewarding Events webpage refers to room nights for meeting participants, the most important section is the one that states 10 Elite Nights, regardless if you or your guest is paying for it
In general, a written contract is required (or should be obtained). In many cases, the meeting is booked through a central Marriott group sales office instead of directly with a hotel. If booked through a central Marriott group sales office, there is a three-page contract that makes reference to the Rewarding Events program on page 2 of the agreement. A MR member number should be included in this area of the contract by the group sales office.
FAQs:
Q: What brands participate in the Rewarding Events program?
A: AC Hotels by Marriott, Aloft, Autograph Collection, Courtyard by Marriott, Delta Hotels by Marriott, EDITION, Element, Fairfield by Marriott, Four Points by Marriott, Gaylord Hotels, JW Marriott, LeMridien, The Luxury Collection, Marriott Hotels, Marriott Vacation Club, Moxy Hotels, Protea Hotels by Marriott, Renaissance Hotels, The Ritz-Carlton, Sheraton, St. Regis, Tribute Portfolio, W Hotels, & Westin.
Residence Inn by Marriott, TownePlace Suites, & Marriott Executive Apartments do not participate in the program.
Q: How do I find a hotel that participates?
A: Click on the link to the Rewarding Events page and then in the "Plan" section of the page click on the "Find a Hotel" box. Enter the city you'd like to have your meeting in, purpose of event (Business) and then check the "I need meeting/event space" box. Enter the size of your meeting (2 attendees should work) and then click the "Find" box. Leave the start date and end date blank. A list of potential hotels will be shown. The smallest meeting room is not usually shown online --- you may need to call each hotel to find out which one has a boardroom or other small meeting room. Once you've found a small meeting room, then request a quote online.
Q: How quickly will Marriott respond with a quote?
A: Usually within a day or two --- and usually via email. The email should contain a telephone number of the group sales contact. Give them a call and tell them you'd like to follow up on the quote and you're interested in booking the smallest room available for a 2 person meeting for an hour. If they quote a price that's higher than you want to pay, ask them if they can get approval for a lower priced meeting (e.g., a recent quote was for $75 for an 8 hour use of a CY boardroom). They accepted a counter of $50 for a one-hour meeting in the room (plus service charge plus local sales tax). Urban hotels may charge significantly higher rates for meeting space than a smaller, less congested city.
Q: Is a contract required?
A: The terms of the program suggest "yes" --- although there are reports that 10 elite nights have been granted without contracts. A best practice would be to obtain a contract.
Q: How long do points and EQNs take to post after the event is over?
A: Generally, this takes 3+ business days. According to Marriott, it can take 15 business days. If you do not see anything post after 15 business days, contact the hotel before contacting Marriott customer support. The hotel has to be the one to post it.
You will get an e-mail with a subject line Your Rewarding Events Award has Posted: EVENT NAME
Q: Will the hotel know what I am talking about when I say points and elite night credits?
A: Probably not. They may know about the rewarding events points being 3x per dollar spent, but not always. Usually they know of only the Marriott system (Group Posting Tool) where they input how much you spent and when. This is done after the event and is usually authorized by the sales or general manager.
Q: The contract doesn't say anything about points, will I still earn them?
A: YMMV but so far all the electronic contracts from the website state it, but some fail to read it. The paper contracts usually talk about points, but some reports that they don't, but still post. Remember this is a Marriott Rewards benefit that the hotels don't seem to be footing the bill for.
Platinum Status in Eight Days and $800 - No Stays Required
Aug 29, 2010 | 1:04 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: PHL
Programs: AA Exec Plat Hilton Diamond Marriott Diamond Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 102
Platinum Status in Eight Days and $800 - No Stays Required
Meeting planners are given 10 nights elite credit for every meeting they book systemwide at Marriott.
My wife's business has meetings often at a Courtyard locally for $100 - $200 per meeting.
She has not stayed one night in a Marriott property this year, but has 540 nights elite credit to date this year. Yes, they do a lot of 2 hour meetings. Points are given for the spend. There is a promotion for double points on meetings until Dec 31, 2010. She will rollover about 800 nights by end of year and made Platinum in January!
This means one could have 8 "meetings" at a Marriott property at $100 each, and have eighty nights credit. This technique could also be effective for those who need to do mattress runs to obtain status. I haven't found a better deal for a night credit than $10 per night ($100 per meeting / 10 nights credit).
Has anyone tried to use this strategy to obtain status? Appears this could be more effective than cheap stays on a mattress run to reach a given status level.
My wife's business has meetings often at a Courtyard locally for $100 - $200 per meeting.
She has not stayed one night in a Marriott property this year, but has 540 nights elite credit to date this year. Yes, they do a lot of 2 hour meetings. Points are given for the spend. There is a promotion for double points on meetings until Dec 31, 2010. She will rollover about 800 nights by end of year and made Platinum in January!
This means one could have 8 "meetings" at a Marriott property at $100 each, and have eighty nights credit. This technique could also be effective for those who need to do mattress runs to obtain status. I haven't found a better deal for a night credit than $10 per night ($100 per meeting / 10 nights credit).
Has anyone tried to use this strategy to obtain status? Appears this could be more effective than cheap stays on a mattress run to reach a given status level.
Aug 29, 2010 | 2:06 pm
#2
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: BDU
Programs: DL:MM, Marriott:LTT
Posts: 8,777
What a great tip. I bet there will be people who, come December, will want to do this to cross the finish line to G or P.
Aug 29, 2010 | 5:48 pm
#3
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: SFOSJCOAK
Programs: AA-EXP & 1MM+, AS, MR-LTT, HH Gold
Posts: 7,698
Can we call this MR (meeting-run)?
Aug 29, 2010 | 7:42 pm
#4
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: ALB/BDL
Posts: 95
To qualify for the Rewarding Events program, according to the terms, a meeting may need to include overnight room bookings. Specifically, the FAQ state "the room block must actualize with at least 10 rooms on one night to earn points or miles."
There is a separate provision allowing points for certain catering-only events. It's not clear what the minimum spend level is for a "qualifying group, meeting or event."
There is a separate provision allowing points for certain catering-only events. It's not clear what the minimum spend level is for a "qualifying group, meeting or event."
Aug 29, 2010 | 8:07 pm
#5
Join Date: May 2003
Location: YEG
Programs: AC E50 MM, WJ Gold, Marriott Titanium Elite Lifetime
Posts: 3,082
Been aware of this for a couple of years now. I do some bookings of meetings and always get 10 room nights, it shows separately on my totals but is included for my platinum status. Have three already booked for the fall so looking forward to my 30 extra nights as well as triple marriott miles if you use a visa card to pay for the event. My meetings are a little more substantial with a luncheon usually for a $3-5K spend for 50-75 people.
Aug 29, 2010 | 11:09 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: PHL
Programs: AA Exec Plat Hilton Diamond Marriott Diamond Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 102
To qualify for the Rewarding Events program, according to the terms, a meeting may need to include overnight room bookings. Specifically, the FAQ state "the room block must actualize with at least 10 rooms on one night to earn points or miles."
There is a separate provision allowing points for certain catering-only events. It's not clear what the minimum spend level is for a "qualifying group, meeting or event."
There is a separate provision allowing points for certain catering-only events. It's not clear what the minimum spend level is for a "qualifying group, meeting or event."
Aug 30, 2010 | 1:03 am
#7
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 993
So one is basically booking a conference room for $100 to $200. Get 10 nights credit every time. And the points will be base on the cost of the meeting?
Aug 30, 2010 | 7:26 am
#8
Join Date: May 2003
Location: YEG
Programs: AC E50 MM, WJ Gold, Marriott Titanium Elite Lifetime
Posts: 3,082
Yes, points are based on the cost of the room and any F+B. Right now there is a double points promotion for meetings, triple if you pay with visa.
Aug 30, 2010 | 9:08 am
#9
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: AA Plat, UA Silver, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Avis First
Posts: 228
Um ... wow to this post. this is super intriguing. Thanks!
Aug 30, 2010 | 10:43 am
#10
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 9
Suggestions for hotels to book a cheap meeting for someone just a few nights shy of platnium?
Aug 30, 2010 | 11:27 am
#11
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Gold 1MM, AS MVP, UA Silver, WN A-List, Marriott LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 52,773
I'd be hesitant to book a meeting room and then not have a meeting...a little more noticeable than a mattress run where you don't sleep in the room. 
However, Fantasy Football drafts are this weekend... Someone should go all moneybags and announce that you're hosting your league at the Courtyard, just like a real pro league would do it!!
(OK, that's be a seriously minor-league pro league, but still...
)
However, Fantasy Football drafts are this weekend... Someone should go all moneybags and announce that you're hosting your league at the Courtyard, just like a real pro league would do it!!
(OK, that's be a seriously minor-league pro league, but still...
)
Aug 30, 2010 | 11:39 am
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: SNA
Posts: 18,296
Best bet would be to call your local area hotels- You need to actually show up for this one.
Aug 30, 2010 | 5:02 pm
#13
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 993
Book a meeting and I guess invite your local FTers.
Aug 30, 2010 | 7:40 pm
#14
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SNA
Programs: Bonvoy LTTE/AMB, AmEx Plat, National EE, WN A-List Preferred, CLEAR+, Covid-19
Posts: 5,053
Who says anyone has to show up to this "meeting" but me?! I bring my laptop and/or a DVD player (don't they usually have a projector) and watch a movie- "Meeting Run" achieved!
Aug 30, 2010 | 7:48 pm
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: PHL
Programs: AA Exec Plat Hilton Diamond Marriott Diamond Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 102
Don't ask for more than a standard setup in the room and book for a small number of people.