Marriott Suite Night Awards: Complete Guide 2024
In “Let’s Make a Deal”, Monty Hall offered three options for doors to win the brand-new automobile. In choosing the wrong door, he led to the probability theorem that was coined “The Monty Hall Problem.”
I offer Bonvoy Members a better solution than increasing your odds to 66% by changing doors. I’m giving you the right door to open to improve your chances of winning the Marriott Suite Night Awards (SNA) on the first attempt.
What are Marriott Suite Night Awards?
A Suite Night Award is a one-night upgrade that can be confirmed to the standard suite or superior rooms, based on the availability of hotel rooms. Are you confused? It’s saying, “Suite Night Award – an upgrade might not be an actual suite?
You can earn 50 (and later, the next time, 75) Bonus Night Credits from Marriott Bonvoy (ENC) over 12 months, and you could pick the highly sought-after and equally hated annual advantage of 5 Suite Night Awards (SNA).
An upgrade made using an SNA could be a higher view room, a higher floor, or anything that is classified as a “selected premium” room. The SNAs you earn are deposited into your account, and you can redeem them until the end of December of the calendar year following the year you earned them.
The Bonvoy member drives the Suite Night Awards selection
Create reservations (cash or points) by applying the SNA to the reservation instantly shows the choices available to you for the upgrade. If you’re only looking for an apartment, you can select only the suites available by the hotel. The selections offered are automated and include the final decision regarding approval or denial of the SNA.
The hotel’s individual property is not directly linked in this manner – the more occupied, the less likely a suite will be provided and endorsed.
If you don’t find suites in the SNA request, The hotel has a high-occupancy forecast, and suites aren’t accessible.
SNA rejected is a typical complaint within Bonvoy. Bonvoy community. There are numerous positive stories of success with SNAs However, the skeptics claim that SNAs aren’t given or are only available in the United States.
Remember that SNAs can be approved or refused using an algorithm that determines occupancy. The location and brands that participate are not part of the calculation. The only subjective thing is the number of suites or rooms initially assigned by the property to be used for upgrading.
How to Pick the Correct Door? Marriott Suite Night Awards
I chose to avoid it. I decided to skip the “Monty Hall” maths challenge and won on the first attempt. I won on my first try in five different hotels, all within a collection of the highest-redeemed Marriott properties across the globe.
My test spanned the four different brands that belong to Marriott Bonvoy. I uploaded all twenty-three (23) SNAs during the off-peak season (JW Marriott Essex House New York and London Marriott Hotel County Hall) and during the regular time (JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa, The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi, Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort).
Why should I not submit during the busiest time of the year? I would like the SNAs to be accepted.
23 SNA NIGHTS APPROVED – Marriott Suite Night Awards
Note that all reservations made within this post were booked in cash. However, the giving of SNAs is not affected by the payment preference, either the cash option or Bonvoy points.
The Ambassador explained a direct benefit of the combination of points with SNAs at the level of Bonvoy member Gene Salvatore.
“I may be different from others, as I only apply SNA’s on reservations based on points,” Salvatore shared. This makes SNA approval even better since rooms available for points stays are usually simple rooms.”
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Salvatore was granted fifteen SNAs in 2021. In the meantime, the company restricted his SNA submissions. “I don’t utilize SNAs for stays paid for while I am on the road to job,” Salvatore explained. “I keep any SNA use for leisure travel along with my spouse.”
What is the deadline for SNAs? Marriott informs you of a decision regarding your SNA request no less than five days before the date of the time of your arrival.
Some Personal Tips For You – Marriott Suite Night Awards
Tip #1: If you can, submit your request for SNA at least 5 days before arrival. You can determine the probability your SNA request will be granted by checking out the available suites (lots of suites available) via marriott.com. Keep in mind that the mere sight of a suite available does not mean it is sure that a suite can be used as an SNA.
Tip #2: If getting approval on an SNA is crucial to you, consider several properties, and then pivot – using your snas when you’re turned down on the property you initially chose. Be aware of the hotel’s cancellation policies and the SNA when pivoting.
Many sought-after properties have cancellation policies that last 24 to 72 hours, making this pivoting method feasible.
Tip #3: Verify whether there are enough suites in the hotel compared to the room inventory overall in case you want to check for an upgrade or sna when you check-in. The chances are low to zero if there are five suites within a 500-room property (a suite-to-room ratio of 1%).
Choose a hotel that has a minimum 15% suite to rooms ratio. Additionally, combine the proportion with hotels that offer a minimum of 10 suites to improve your chances.
Tip #4: If you have the time, do not redeem an SNA in the peak season.
Tip #5. Remember that being denied an sna doesn’t always mean you’ll be denied in-person to upgrade, subject to availability at check-in time.
What would happen if one of my SNA requests were rejected?
(Tip #3) I would have looked up the cancellation policy for the hotel when it was initially booked and may have booked a different hotel if obtaining an SNA was essential to my visit. SNAs are credited to your account when the entire reservation is cancelled (again, be on the lookout for cancellation conditions).
If you’d like to keep your choices open, according to Marriott Bonvoy, “Requests not to use non-confirmed Suite Night Awards may be submitted up to 2:00 pm hotel time on the day before the arrival.”
I did not need to cancel hotel or SNA reservations in any of these hotels since I won the prize, walked through the right door each time, and did it the first time.
JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa – Marriott Suite Night Awards
The first door I walked through was to a 785 square-foot One King Bed Junior Suite with a balcony in the JW Marriott Cancun Resort and Spa. I originally reserved a King Bed Superior Room at an average price of $321.50 per night from January. 8 to Jan. 10. The JW property has 74 suites, giving the suites to rooms 16.5 per cent.
I walked through the door in the right way and was able to get a 572-per-night Junior Suite.
The JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa provides 16.5 per cent suites to total room ratio. Other similar properties in Cancun do not qualify to be eligible for SNAs.
JW Marriott Essex House New York – Marriott Suite Night Awards
Does the number of nights impact the changes in the likelihood of your SNA receiving approval? The more nights you apply for your SNAs, the chance of having a suite available for multiple nights could decrease. Five of my SNA submitted were for five nights. Refer to tip #1 above.
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I booked for five days at the sought-after JW Marriott Essex House in New York, from Jan. 14 to Jan. 19. I booked one Essex Room and one king bed for $531.60 for the night. The Marriott algorithm gave me two options – one of which was an Essex Suite, a One-Bedroom Suite or the Junior Suite.
I picked both options and ended up in the 500 square feet Essex Junior Suite, upgraded from a 330 sq ft standard room. The JW Marriott landmark hotel in Manhattan features 117 suites on the hotel, totalling 426 rooms, with a ratio of rooms to suites of 27 per cent.
Other Manhattan Bonvoy properties to consider in similar categories (ranked on suites ratio):
- St. Regis New York, with a 39% suites to total rooms ratio and 67 total suites
- The Chatwal, a Luxury Collection Hotel, with a 38% suites to total rooms ratio and 29 total “speciality” suites
- Courtyard New York Manhattan/Midtown East, with a 32% suites to total rooms ratio and 104 total suites
- Le Méridien New York, Central Park, with a 17.5% suites to total rooms ratio and 42 total suites
Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort
In a flurry of the past five days, I checked out the highly sought-after Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort for the night at $338.40 for the Resort 1 King-Adults-Only Guest Room with an Atrium View. I analyzed the suites to rooms ratio and found gold: 268 suites of 555 rooms and an 88 per cent suites to rooms ratio.
I was comfortable then and opted to skip the numerous less appealing SNA upgrade options offered to me. I went with Ocean Front 1 Bedroom Suite, the Ocean Front 1 Bedroom Suite, and the Ocean Suite 1 Bedroom.
Score! I was granted SNA approbation in the form of the Ocean Front Suite – doubling the size of the originally booked standard room and being a front-facing room with views of the magnificent Atlantic Ocean.
The Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort has an impressive 48percent suites to rooms ratio. The Aruba Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino come in a distant second with 5.5 per cent. The other top-tier properties are not able to accept SNAs.
The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi
My next stop in the country offered me an SNA opportunity in the faraway, exotic The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi.
I booked the St. Regis room for $330 per night in a huge 592-square-foot room with a balcony for the period from Jan. 26 to Jan. 31. The suite ratio of 63 of 17% gave me a great chance to make a big increase in the highly regarded hotel in the middle east location.
The magical spices of the region must have worked; SNA was approved for one King Bed, Sea View 1 Bedroom Suite with a total of 1,400 square feet. It is priced at $1103 per night for the lavish suite.
Other Abu Dhabi Bonvoy properties to consider in similar categories (ranked on suites ratio):
- The St. Regis Abu Dhabi, with a 19.4% suites to total rooms ratio and 55 total suites
- Al Wathba, a Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa, Abu Dhabi, with a 9.7% suites to total rooms ratio and ten total suites
Marriott London County Hall – Marriott Suite Night Awards
After crossing the pond, I searched for the highly-rated hotel Marriott London County Hall for another five-night trip from the dates were Jan. 27-Feb. 1. I booked one standard King Bed Room, and a Deluxe Guest room, which cost $314 per night.
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I was upgraded from the wizard in the background at County Hall to a Balcony Suite, Suite, 1 King, Big Ben & Thames view, with access to MClub, priced at $891 for the evening. The lowest suite-to-room ratio was 6.3 per cent.
Other London Bonvoy properties to consider for Suite Night Awards in similar categories (ranked on suites ratio):
- London Marriott Hotel Park Lane, with an 18.4% suites to total rooms ratio and 28 total suites
- St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, with an 18.4% suites to total rooms ratio and 38 total suites
- JW Marriott Grosvenor House London, with a 17.6% suites to total rooms ratio and 74 total suites
- St. Ermin’s Hotel, Autograph Collection, with a 12.4% suites to total rooms ratio and 41 total suites
- Sheraton Grand London Park Lane, with a 9.8% suites to total rooms ratio and 30 total suites
For the record, As a reminder, not all brands are involved in SNAs.
As per Marriott Bonvoy, these brands that have opted out are The Ritz-Carlton, The Ritz-Carlton Reserve, The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, EDITION, Protea Hotels, Aloft, Element and Design Hotels(TM), All-Suite Hotels Marriott Executive Apartments, Marriott Vacation Club, Marriott Grand Residence Club properties, and Vistana properties. Furthermore, Suite Night Awards are not redeemable at a select number of Participating Hotels.
David Small loves to travel, and David Small “sees all the globe” through the lens of his family members, wife and children when they accompany him on destinations across the United States and around the world. David is an avid Marriott Bonvoy lover who is a fan of each brand available – and is rewarded by the depth of each experience and the staff members in every hotel.
Small manages an international media company. He previously ran loyalty programs for airlines for Sprint, working in partnership with United Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airlines and Midwest Express.
How to earn Nightly Upgrade Awards (NUAs)?
As a Choice Benefit: Reach 50 and 75 elite night credits within a calendar year through hotel stays or eligible Marriott Bonvoy credit card spend. This is your most common option.
With the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card: Spend at least $60,000 on the card each calendar year. This is an alternative option for high spenders.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Which Marriott does not participate in the suite night Awards?
Suite Night Awards are not redeemable at the following brands: The Ritz-Carlton, The Ritz-Carlton Reserve, The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, The Ritz-Carlton Residences, EDITION, Protea Hotels, Aloft, Element, Design HotelsTM, all-Suite Hotels, Marriott Executive Apartments, Marriott Vacation Club, Marriott Grand.
What do five suite night Awards mean?
Suite Night Awards (SNAs) are used to upgrade to a suite or premium room at a hotel or resort. Each SNA is worth one night. So, if you are given five SNAs, you can use them over five nights.
How do I get Marriott suite night Awards?
To do it online, go to the “My Trips” section of your Bonvoy account after booking, and log into your reservation. At the bottom of the reservation, you should see an area that says “Use your Suite Night Awards.” Click that, and then you’ll see the options of which premium rooms you can select to request an upgrade.
Why can’t I use suite night Awards?
The Rate on the Reservation is a Non-Qualifying Rate. The Brand does not participate. The Hotel does not have any Upgraded Rooms/Suites in their Physical Inventory and, therefore, doesn’t participate in Suite Night Awards. It is after 2:00 p.m. (Hotel time) one day before arrival.
Is Marriott extending suite night Awards?
No, Marriott is not extending the expiration date of existing Nightly Upgrade Awards (formerly Suite Night Awards). While the name changed from Suite Night Awards to Nightly Upgrade Awards in January 2024, the function and expiration dates remain the same.
Do I need to book a specific room type to use NUAs?
No. You can book any room type (even the most basic) and then apply the NUA for a chance at an upgrade. This gives you flexibility in booking rates and points availability while still aiming for a better room.
Conclusion
Suite Night Awards illustrate one aspect that makes the Marriott Bonvoy program lack cohesion since the rewards vary substantially across the range of property (much as the program’s premium breakfast options).
Although I’m pleased with my redemption experience for Suite Night Awards so far, including an ocean-view room at the St. Regis Abu Dhabi to my room at the Sheraton Sydney – I’d be lying if I did not mention that I was unafraid of the seemingly wiggle room available to properties that are not covered by Marriott’s terms and conditions.
If it’s the responsibility of each hotel to decide which rooms to offer and, in some cases, whether or not to take part in the Suite Night Awards, There’s always a possibility that this offer could appear more attractive in writing than it is.
Have you had any experiences in redeeming or in the process of redeeming for your Suite Night Awards?
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