The Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card comes with a great sign up bonus when you first get the card along with a great everyday earn
rate but it also has a decent offer for holding on to the card beyond your
first year. Upon your card’s anniversary you’ll receive a free
Marriott Annual Free Night Award for up to 35,000 points at eligible hotels and resorts worldwide. You get this benefit each and every year you have the card. This means you could redeem it for hotels that fall under the Category 1 to 5 levels in the Standard category:
You can even push it to Category 6 if you can find a hotel that is running an Off Peak PointSavers rate as those are only 35,000 points as well.
For many hotels, especially
the Category 4 and 5 hotels, this means saving more money than the $120 annual fee
the card carries when you hit that anniversary date. For example, one night at the Toronto Marriott City Centre Hotel is only 35,000 points which means you can use the certificate for this stay:
And the cash price for the same room:
That’s a pretty good deal! Spending $120 on the credit card fee to get a hotel room worth $411! And you’re not even taking into account all the other benefits on the card like the points earning, silver elite status and the 15 night elite status credit.
In Canada you have
quite a few choices that you can use the certificate, namely 237 hotels in total that fall into the following categories:
- Category 1 – 8 Hotels
- Category 2 – 35 Hotels
- Category 3 – 85 Hotels
- Category 4 – 57 Hotels
- Category 5 – 52 Hotels
From those 237 hotels these are our top 10 picks to use your certificate at for travels within Canada:
Calgary Airport Marriott In-Terminal Hotel
Category 5
One of the newer Marriott hotels in YYC, the Calgary Airport Marriott
In-Terminal Hotel was their flagship hotel in terms of design
and services when it opened in 2016. Rewards Canada was able to try out the hotel just after it
opened. Check out our review here.
With rates easily running over $200 per night not only does the
certificate save you a good chunk of change you are staying at a great
new hotel!
JW Marriott Edmonton ICE District
Category 5
The newest luxury Marriott Hotel in Canada to JW Marriott Edmonton is in the thick of the things in YEG being situated in the ICE District and connected to Rogers Place Arena. A quick check of rates for December showed a 2 queen room going for $347 and there was availability for use of the Free Night Award.
The Algonquin Resort St. Andrews by-the-Sea, Autograph Collection
Category 4
Over 100 years old the Algonquin Resort is one of Canada’s most iconic
seadside hotels! Use the certificate to have a night of elegance or in
the case of the Rewards Canada family, maybe some ghost hunting!
The Hotel Saskatchewan, Autograph Collection
Category 3
Another opulent hotel in Marriott’s Autograph Collection in Canada,
Regina’s The Hotel Saskatchewan makes for that great stay-cation or if
you require to overnight in downtown Regina for business and you need to
cover the hotel room cost yourself you may want to use your certificate
here!
AC Hotel by Marriott Montreal Downtown
Category 5
Perfectly located in downtown Montreal, this was the first AC Hotel in Canada and is still new by hotel standards as it only opened in 2018. Rooms typically run well over $200 per night so it is a great place to use your Free Night Award at.
Delta Hotels Ottawa City Centre
Category 4
A beautiful hotel in downtown Ottawa that regularly runs over $150 per
night is an ideal spot for that stay in YOW. Less than a kilometer from
Parliament Hill this another good hotel to use your certificate at.
Toronto Marriott City Centre Hotel
Category 5
Located within Rogers Centre this hotel is perfect if you have tickets to a Blue Jays game! Using the certificate at this hotel is a great way to enhance that game experience by extending it with a stay. Nothing like turning a baseball game into a mini vacation. Rates here are typically in the $200 to low $300 range but when we checked a random night in November a king room with city view was $411 and there was 35,000 point availability for that room.
Category 5
Close to all the action in downtown Ottawa and for visiting Parliament
and the Rideau Canal is great hotel choice to use your certificate at.
This hotel runs well into the high $200 to $300 range so using your
certificate here can generate a huge return for you.
The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver
Category 5
Situated right on the water and within walking distance of Stanley Park, the Westin Bayshore is an ideal hotel to use your Free Night Award at for a stay in downtown Vancouver. This hotel sees hotel rates starting in the mid-$200 range on many nights with lots of availability for the Free Night Award
Delta Hotels Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort
Category 5
Probably the second most iconic hotel on Victoria Harbour, the Delta Hotels Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort is only a short water taxi ride from all the action in Downtown Victoria. And it has some of the highest ratings/reviews of all Marriott Hotels in Canada so that must tell you something.
What about you? Comment below and let us know what your favourite Marriott Hotels in Canada are to use your certificate at!
Learn more about and/or apply for the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card here.