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Key Takeaways
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Marriott's newest brand, StudioRes, is expected to feature cheaper rooms, but won't offer loyalty members elite nights for stays.
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Members of Marriott's Bonvoy loyalty program will earn four points for every dollar spent at the "new-build, midscale extended stay" brand, below the company's norm.
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According to Marriott's website, a StudioRes property will be opening in Fort Myers, Fla., in June, but is not available for bookings yet.
Marriott International's (MAR) newest brand is expected to offer some of its cheapest rooms. That should please some travelers—though not the ones who obsess about status.
Marriott tells prospective guests at the StudioRes brand, its 32nd, to "unpack your bags and get comfortable." One wrinkle: It won't offer loyalty members any elite nights for staying there, unlike with all its other brands.
Although StudioRes, which the company calls "a new-build, midscale extended stay" brand, is part of Marriott's Bonvoy loyalty program, "members do not earn Elite Night Credits (ENCs) for stays," the chain says. ENCs help Bonvoy members earn elite status, which come with increasing benefits at each level that can include bonus points, later checkouts, and room upgrades.
Some travel watchers have noticed. "To see no elite nights at all for a Marriott brand… huh?!?" wrote Ben Schlappig of travel site One Mile at a Time. "Like, not even a quarter of an elite night, or one tenth of an elite night?!"
The company did not respond to Investopedia's request for comment.
Bonvoy Members to Earn 4x Points for StudioRes Stays, Below Marriott's Norm
Bonvoy members will earn four points, which can be spent to book free rooms, per $1 spent at StudioRes properties. Some travel-industry experts have said that that level is below the company's norm.
"Stays at most brands earn at least 5x points, and stays at most full service brands earn 10x points," Schlappig said. "Bonvoy members won't earn elite bonuses on those 4x points, so even elite members won't earn more points per dollar than that."
According to Marriott's website, a StudioRes property will be opening in Fort Myers, Fla., in June, but is not available for bookings yet. StudioRes "closed 2024 with 35 properties (4,037 total rooms) in the pipeline, anticipating its first opening later this year," Marriott said.
Bonvoy—a nod to the French phrase "bon voyage," which means "good journey,"—had nearly 228 million members at year-end, the company said in its fourth-quarter earnings report last month.
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