Hotels

You can now earn and burn Marriott points at uber exclusive Ritz Carlton Reserve properties

a stuffed animal next to a pool

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Ritz Reserve joins Marriott Bonvoy

Marriott announced that, finally, their uber exclusive Ritz Carlton Reserve properties will become a part of their loyalty program, Marriott Bonvoy. I’ve had the good fortune of staying at Mandapa in Ubud, Bali in 2017 for my mom’s surprise trip around the world, and it was truly in a league of its own. At the time I stayed, you couldn’t earn or use points ( although there was a window where you could use Marriott Vacation Club points, but that’s ended ), nor could you get any elite benefits on your stay. That’s all changed with this announcement.

Currently there are just 5 Ritz Carlton Reserve properties in the world:

a stuffed animal next to a pool

By far the next affordable is Ritz-Carlton Reserve Phulay Bay In Thailand. You’ll often find rates here in the $500 range. Expensive when you compare them to surrounding properties, but much cheaper that you’d find Aman or Six Senses, and significantly cheaper than the 3 other Ritz Reserve properties.

The new benefits extended to Ritz Reserve via Marriott Bonvoy

  • No Free Breakfast
  • No Suite Upgrades
  • 5th night still free on award stays
Ritz Reserve Member Silver Gold Platinum Titanium Ambassador
Comped Internet x x x x x x
Mobile Check in x x x x x x
Ultimate Reservation Guarantee x x x x x
Points Bonus 10% 25% 50% 75% 75% bonus
Welcome Gift 500 1000 1000 1000 points
Ambassador Service x
Your 24 ( Ambassador Elite ) x
$150 Resort Credit x

How are award rates?

Phulay Bay… as I mentioned is the cheapest in the collection and starts at 80k a night. So…if you were to find a 5 night stretch, you could effectively stay for 320k points.

a calendar with numbers and a red button

They go all the way up to 240k per night, which you’ll find in Japan and certainly in Dorado.

a calendar with numbers and a few days

Recap

I can’t see myself using points to stay at any of these properties, perhaps the Phulay Bay, but at 80k points per night on a $500 room, I’d probably just pay cash via Stars, Virtuoso, or Amex FHR and get breakfast, etc benefits + earn points. On the other properties that range in the $1k to $2k a night area, if a great rate popped up, special occasion, etc – it would be wonderful to earn points on those redemptions. Odds are, aside from Phulay Bay, I won’t be staying at any of these any time soon.

Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

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Welcome Offer

60k Points after $4k spend in 3 months

Annual Fee

$95

Points Earned

Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards

  • 60k points after $4k spend in 3 months
    • Worth $750 in Chase Travel℠ and way more if you maximize transfer partners
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We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.

Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.

Main Cast: 

Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.

Supporting Cast:

Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on. 

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.

If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex℠and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners

Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.

The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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