Marriott has always had a status challenge available to its own members (you just needed to call up and ask), which I’ve successfully completed and written about in detail here. This time around, the offer is geared towards members of competing loyalty programs so if you hold status with Accor, Hilton, Hyatt or IHG; you’re in luck!
Side note: In my opinion, the only status worth going for is Platinum with Bonvoy. Gold simply isn’t worth your time and can be had for free if you hold the right credit card.
In this post:
How Does The Bonvoy Status Challenge work?
Those with eligible status at a competing hotel loyalty program will get their status boosted with Marriott Bonvoy for 90 days. Within these 90 days, you will be required to complete a stay challenge of either 5 nights for gold or 15 nights for Platinum to see your status secured until February 2022. It goes without saying that only paid nights are included in this challenge.
Your 90 days start as soon as your application is processed and approved by Marriott Bonvoy and will also count towards lifetime status.
Which programs can I match from?
- Accor Live Limitless – Gold will get matched to Bonvoy Gold Elite, and Diamond will get Platinum Elite.
- Hilton Honors – Both Gold and Diamond will get matched to Platinum Elite with Bonvoy.
- World of Hyatt – Explorist will get matched to Gold Elite, and Globalist will get Platinum Elite with Marriott Bonvoy.
- IHG Rewards Club – Both Platinum and Spire Elite will get matched to Platinum Elite with Marriott Bonvoy
Where do I submit my application?
Applying is straightforward thanks to a dedicated website that has been set up and can be accessed when you click here. You will need a Bonvoy account so click here if you don’t have one already. You will then need to select which program you want to match from and provide proof of your status level and a hotel folio from the previous 12 months.
Allow up to 10 business days for registration approval. If approved, member will be upgraded to Platinum Elite within 24 to 48 hours. At this stage, there’s no set end date for this promotion.
Can I hack Platinum without any hotel status? Yes, you can!
If for some reason you don’t have Hilton Honors Gold (you get this for free with Amex Platinum), there’s another shortcut you can take, but it will cost you. Since IHG Platinum is also eligible for a match to Bonvoy Platinum Elite, you can simply buy Intercontinental Ambassador Status (generally worth the cost anyway) which will give you IHG Platinum as a perk. Then simply match to Bonvoy and voila; you’re a Platinum Elite… for 90 days at least. The total cost of this shortcut/hack is US$200. Check out my full guide on IC Ambassador Status and all the benefits here. To get around the folio requirement, you could try booking a refundable IHG stay and submit that or complete a stay with IHG first before submitting your application.
Submit your status match here: https://status-match.marriott.com/en-us
