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Marriott’s 32nd brand, StudioRes, is a midscale, extended-stay brand has just updated the benefits for this brand and it’s simply ridiculous. Stays at StudioRes will earn no elite qualifying nights. This is the first brand that Marriott has completely shied away from letting members earn credit for nights stayed and a precedent that is awful.
Last month, Marriott published a new earnings chart where seven of its brands were cut in half with 10x points per $1 chopped down to 5x. The hotel giant quickly removed the chart and said it was an error, but I asked at the time if it could be a sign of things to come for Marriott’s limited service brands. Not allowing members to earn elite qualifying nights (this is even worse than earning at a reduced rate like what Marriott Executive Apartments offers with one elite night for every three nights stayed) makes me question what loyalty actually means.
While I can understand that Marriott might not want guests racking up nights (that often cost around $80 each) and then scoring Platinum or Titanium status, there has to be some balance. Aside from not earning credit for nights stayed, there are virtually no other Marriott Bonvoy® benefits offered by StudioRes. Members do not receive bonus points, welcome gifts, or upgrades. Points are earned at a rate of 4x per $1 spent. Marriott is hoping that guests will be shopping by price and with rates around $80 that they’ll be staying an average of 20 nights. These guests might find a property through the Marriott Bonvoy® booking engine when searching on Marriott’s site, but they will not be happy when they see how stripped down the benefits are here.
The first StudioRes property will open in Fort Myers, FL this June. While I’m not one to stay for extended periods of time (two nights is an average stay for me), I will be avoiding this brand altogether.
When the new brand was announced in June 2023 and codenamed “Project MidX Studios,” Marriott CEO, Anthony Capuano commented:
Marriott has long believed in having the right accommodations in compelling destinations at the right price point. Whether our guests are traveling for business, leisure or a mix of both, our portfolio of 31 brands offers something for everyone. As consumers look for new, flexible accommodation solutions, we are thrilled to announce our plans to launch an affordable midscale extended stay offering to meet the needs of guests seeking long-term comforts at a moderate price point.”
Anthony’s Take: Marriott is clearly testing the waters to see what it can get away with in terms of earnings and elite benefits. We’ll see what comes next and if the devaluation that Marriott accidentally previewed last month comes to fruition. While I mostly stay in hotels in Marriott’s upper tiers, these changes do not drive loyalty and will aggravate many.
(Featured Image Credit: Marriott.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
2 comments
So can you even call it a Marriott property?
When I stay at a lower tier hotel that’s affiliated with a loyalty program like Hyatt Place I realize that a lot of my top tier benefits are not going to be honored but at least I’ll earn points for my stay just as with a full service hotel and my stay will contribute to my elite nights. Marriott is trying to undo that, once again make things worse for loyal guests.