Savvy To The Experience Economy, Marriott Bonvoy Auctions Once-In-A-Lifetime “Moments”

This year, Marriott’s loyalty program received a revamp, creating a sort of super-program called Bonvoy. The new travel program for Marriott International replaced Marriott Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards. Members can earn and use points to visit a large portfolio of global brands located in 132 countries and territories.

To encourage membership while rewarding loyal clientele, the company launched an experience arm called Marriot Bonvoy Moments. These “moments” are experiences that include exclusive travel, sports and culinary access like reservations at Per Se and The French Laundry, to kitchen tours and culinary masterclasses with chefs. In fact, there’s an entire team devoted to dreaming up, devising, and executing these experiences which, frankly, sounds like a pretty cool job.

To provide perspective, Marriott Bonvoy has 133 million members. That’s a lot of competition when bidding on Bonvoy Moments, these money-can’t-buy-but-your-points-can roster of curated experiences. Indeed, the most over-the-top auctions have tallied redemptions of thousands, even millions of points.

Though now closed, peek at this culinary-focused experience with Chef David Bouley. The Moment, called “Explore a Private Estate in Grand Cayman + Boat Excursion + Cooking Masterclass with Chef David Bouley,” generated the highest redemption of any auction at 2 million points.

The singularity of that auction is a great example of what’s been done, and what’s on the horizon, especially with Marriott’s new luxury home rental division called Homes & Villas by Marriott International. The vacation rental portal features upscale, vetted properties meant to compete with sites like VRBO, AirBnB, and OneFineStay but with the benefit of allowing customers to pay with points or earn points on stays.

Seems like a good time to be a Bonvoy member. Now check your account and start bidding on these five upcoming moments.  

Access the 2019 NFL Mexico Game with Premium Tickets + Pre-Game Sideline Passes + Meet an NFL Legend + Hotel Stay: Get ready for a Monday Night showdown in Mexico City when some of the biggest teams in the league go head to head for the 2019 NFL Mexico Game. Kick off this incredible day with access to the VIP Reception before the game where you will have the chance to meet a NFL Legend at the famed Azteca Stadium. Then, head down to the sideline where you will experience the intensity of warm ups with pre-game field passes before taking your premium seats for the game. Top of the experience with a hotel stay. Link to full experience details HERE.

• Location: Mexico City, Mexico
• Dates: 11/17-11/19
• Tickets per package: 2
• Current bid: 285,000 loyalty points (ending Oct 22)

Take a Private Surquillo Market Tour with Renowned Chef Jaime Pesaque, Dine at Mayta + Stay at AC Hotel Lima Miraflores: Go on a culinary journey through Lima, Peru, with a guest. Discover the city’s Surquillo market on a private tour with Chef Jaime Pesaque, and dine at Chef Pesaque’s prestigious Mayta Restaurant. As part of the experience, stay for two nights at the newly opened AC Lima Miraflores, a contemporary hotel boasting an unbeatable location, and receive VIP round-trip transportation from the AC Hotel Lima Miraflores to Mayta. Link to full experience details HERE.

• Location: Lima, Peru
• Dates: 11/15-11/17
• Tickets per package: 2
• Current Bid: 60,000 loyalty points (ending October 24)

Private concert by Mi Casa + Sushi Masterclass + two-night stay at Crystal Towers: Stay at the vibrant Cape Town Marriott Hotel Crystal Towers, and rock out with award-winning South African band, Mi Casa. Then channel your inner chef, and learn how to make your own sushi, in a one-on-one sushi-making class with our Head Sushi Chef. The best part: eating the actual sushi that you have personally made, complimented by a classic signature Crystal Mojito. End your experience with two full body massages at the award-winning Life Day Spa. Link to full experience details HERE.

• Location: Cape Town, South Africa
• Dates: 11/15-11/17
• Tickets per package: 2
• Starting bid: 50,000 loyalty points (ending Oct 30)

Celebrate the Artist Canaletto with a Chef’s Table Five-Course Dinner + Suite Stay at Hotel Danieli: You and a guest are invited to celebrate one of the most influential landscape painters of his time, Giovanni Antonio Canal today known to the world as Canaletto, with a five-course tasting dinner inspired by his paintings and the tradition of 18th-Century Venice, at Restaurant Terrazza Danieli. Tour Venice’s famed Rialto Market with the Executive Chef. Stay in a Dandolo Suite at Hotel Danieli, A Luxury Collection Hotel, steps away from the Bridge of Sighs and Piazza San Marco. Link to full experience details HERE.

• Location: Venice, Italy
• Dates: 11/15-11/17
• Tickets per package: 2
• Current bid: 175,000 loyalty points (ending Nov 1)

Experience the World-Famous Dîner en Blanc in Sydney + Kick off the Party with Exclusive Sparkler Lighting: Join thousands of people in Sydney for the invite-only world-famous Dîner en Blanc, where people dress in all white and experience a mass chic picnic in a public space. Receive two seats at a VIP Marriott International catered table, savor gourmet culinary creations and curated wine selections, and signal the dancing of the night with the sparkler lighting signal. Over the course of the evening, celebrate this magical event with guests brought together from diverse backgrounds by good taste and a love of beauty. Le Dîner en Blanc recalls the elegance and glamour of high French society, and guests engage one another, knowing that they are taking part in a truly spectacular event. Guests must dress in all white as part of the tradition of this prestigious, exclusive event. Link to full experience details HERE.

• Location: Sydney, Australia
• Dates: 12/30
• Tickets per package: 2
• Current bid: 27,500 points loyalty points (ending Nov 4)