How Marriott Bonvoy Points Convert to MGM Stays

How loyalty points earned with one firm can be used with the other was a major concern when Marriott International and MGM Resorts International revealed plans for their rewards alliance, MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy, last July.

More information has now surfaced.

As mentioned before, Marriott Bonvoy points cannot be exchanged for different MGM Rewards status levels. However, Bonvoy Gold Elite and Silver Elite levels are available to a small group of members of the gaming company's loyalty program. Bonvoy Ambassador Elite will be available to those who are in the invitation-only MGM Rewards NOIR status.

The 17 domestic sites owned by MGM, including those on the Las Vegas Strip and the company's regional casino hotels, are covered by the licensing arrangement. Bookings for a number of MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy properties will be possible on Marriott.com and via the Marriott Bonvoy mobile app beginning in October. By the end of the year, all MGM locations should be accessible on those platforms.

MGM Needs More Marriott Points

By the end of this year, all of MGM's domestic properties should be bookable via the Marriott website, as previously mentioned. The majority of the gambling company's resorts on the Las Vegas Strip can currently be reserved through the hotelier's website.

It should come as no surprise that a Marriott Bonvoy member must use more points to obtain a complimentary room night at an upscale MGM location. According to The Points Guy, guests who wish to utilize Marriott points for a complimentary stay at MGM's two mid-tier Strip resorts, Luxor or Excalibur, will need to use 5,000 points per night in addition to a $41.95, resort fee. New York New York charges a resort fee of $47.62 per night and requires 9,000 Bonvoy points.

In order to receive a complimentary night at MGM Grand or Park MGM, Bonvoy members must use 15K points per night, which translates to resort fees of $51.02 and $47.62, respectively.

One night costs 20K Bonvoy points at Aria, Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, The Signature at MGM Grand, and Vdara, with resort fees ranging from $47.62 to $56.69. Although it was not stated in the story, the Cosmopolitan, the newest hotel to join MGM's Strip list, is accessible on the Marriott website. It seems sense that the Bonvoy points needed for a night there would be similar to those needed at Bellagio.

Cosmopolitan just joined MGM Rewards, which may be why The Points Guy didn't bring it up.

Marriott Bonvoy Is Quite Effective

Under dozens of brands, Marriott runs more than 7,700 hotels worldwide, offering visitors a variety of ways to earn points that can be used at MGM establishments. For every $1 spent on a hotel, visitors to 25 brands—including those in the MGM Collection—earn 10 points.

For instance, a guest at the Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis could be able to accrue enough points in three or four nights—or perhaps less—to receive a complimentary night at Aria or Bellagio. Visitors to Marriott Executive Apartments receive 2.5 Bonvoy points for every $1 spent, compared to five points for every $1 spent at nine other hotel brands affiliated with Marriott.

Customers at the Marriott spa and golf course additionally receive 10 points for every $1 spent. Customers can increase their point accumulation by using multiple Bonvoy credit cards. Users can earn six times points for stays at Marriott properties and double points on regular transactions with a Chase Bonvoy card and two from American Express.