Update: Marriott Takes the Sting Out of Their Travel Package Conversion & Ends the Blackout Period Early!

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Earlier today we gave y’all a round-up of the Marriott-Starwood changes that happened over the weekend.  But things have been changing as fast as we can post them and we just received word from Marriott of some positive changes they’ve made.

First, the expected month-long blackout period for existing Travel Package hotel certificates is ending today!  And secondly, depending on which Travel Package you purchased before the merger, you might be eligible to get some points back!

Marriott Offers One-Time Exchange for Certain Travel Packages

If you purchased a Category 6, Category 8, or Tier 1 to 3 Travel Package before August 18, 2018, you are eligible to request a one-time exchange for a package one category lower.  To submit a request, click here and select “Packages – Deals” from the drop-down menu.  And then request a 1-Category downgrade.  You should be able to downgrade your certificate up until it expires.

This is excellent news because folks who had purchased those Travel Packages ended up with the same category hotel certificates as others who paid less!  But now you’ll be able to get a 30,000 Marriott-point refund while not losing any value for your hotel certificate.  This is an unexpectedly generous move by Marriott.

When you make the downgrade you will be issued a new hotel certificate with a new expiration date.  So not only will you get a nice refund, but you’ll be able to extend the life of your certificate at the same time!

Marriott Ends the Blackout for Existing Hotel Certificates Early

A representative from Marriott has confirmed that while the blackout (i.e. no using, canceling, or changing) for existing Travel Package hotel certificates was expected to last a month, it will be ending effective today.

This is an extreme case of under promising and over delivering!

Be Sure to Combine Your Accounts

Marriott is in the process of rolling out the ability to combine your Starwood & Marriott accounts.  Once the option is enabled for your account, you’ll see a prompt when you log in that will allow you to combine your Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, and Starwood accounts.  This will also combine your nights and points earned.

You will need to go through the steps to combine your account.  This will not be done automatically, even if your accounts are already linked!

Marriott is still working through some hiccups with the transition, particularly with your elite status not displaying correctly.  But this should be worked out in the next few days.

Bottom Line

We originally thought that folks who purchased Category 6, Category 8 and Tier 1 to 3 Travel Packages before August 18th were getting the short end of the stick.  But Marriott is giving these folks the opportunity to trade down a category lower and get some of the difference in cost refunded!  Plus, the expected month-long blackout on using or changing existing Travel Package hotel certificates has ended.

That said, they are still working through some technical issues.  And you should also soon have the ability to combine your Marriott and Starwood accounts.  You’ll need to log into your account to do this because it won’t happen automatically, even if your accounts are already linked.

It’s always good to hear when a company listens to feedback and adjusts course quickly.  So kudos to Marriott for doing the right thing and surprising us all!

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