I started tracking my Marriott Bonvoy status in 2021 when I signed up for this credit card, and in the last 3-4 years I’ve been able to stay at some AMAZING hotels that I NEVER would’ve been able to afford if I was paying cash.

I’ve used Marriott Bonvoy points to stay in dreamy hotels all over the place, but Hawaii is where I consistently find the best redemption values (i.e. the cash prices are so high and the point values are decent so it seems like a steal).

So if you’re a frequent traveler with Marriott Bonvoy status looking at a trip to Hawaii, or you’re new to the “travel hacking” game and hoping to learn how to make all of this happen, here’s what you need to know

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Marriott in Hawaii

Besides the traditional Marriott marquis hotels, Marriott’s brands in Hawaii also include Sheraton, Westin, Ritz Carlton, Courtyard, Residence Inn, Marriott Vacation Club, and the

Luxury Collection & Autograph Collection (collections of boutique hotels like the Royal Hawaiian, Moana Surfrider, Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, and the Laylow – these are some of my favorites ; )

So there are a LOT of great hotel choices in Hawaii under the Marriott umbrella – whether you’re looking for a once in a lifetime destination resort, a boutique hotel with fun vibes, or a good bang for your buck hotel.

I have stayed at some truly world class resorts in Hawaii for FREE using Marriott points including:

Ritz Carlton Kapalua

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel

Wailea Beach Resort

St Regis Kauai (now the 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay)

And some of these places had cash prices over $1500/NIGHT!!

I could NOT do this without my Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card through Chase.

Now I’ll level with you…you are not going to sign up for this card and book a week long trip at the Ritz Carlton on Maui next week. That’s a longer game ; ) But it’s totally possible if you work the program.

Here’s what you will get as soon as you sign up for this card (and meet the minimum spend requirement): 3 FREE nights to use anywhere you want! The free nights attached to this card are good for hotels worth up to 50K points per night (plus you can add 15K points to each of those certificates) meaning you can book three nights at a hotel that’s valued at up to 65K points per night.

Hawaii Hotels to Use 50K Free Night Certificates

In Hawaii (depending on dates), that could work at hotels like:

Oahu: The Laylow, Royal Hawaiian, Moana Surfrider, Courtyard Waikiki Beach, Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, Waikiki Beach Marriott, Renaissance Honolulu Hotel, AC Hotel Honolulu, Residence Inn Kapolei, and Courtyard North Shore.

Maui: Sheraton Maui Resort, Westin Maui Resort, AC Hotel Wailea, Courtyard Kahului (in August 2024 the Wailea Beach Resort has redemptions for 55K/night!!)

Kauai: Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort, Sheraton Kauai Resort

Big Island: Courtyard King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel, Waikoloa Beach Marriott

Besides the initial free nights, here’s why I love my Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card:

It comes with 6x points per $1 spent at Marriott hotels. Added to the points you get through the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program, and you’ll get 17x points per $1 that you spend at Marriott hotels. That’s hotels anywhere. Need to stay at a Courtyard Marriott overnight on a road trip back home to see the family? Pay for it with your Bonvoy card and those points start to rack up REALLY fast. This is a GREAT card if you travel in general just here and there.

15 Elite Night Credits each year. Marriott’s status tiers are determined by how many nights you stay per year, but there are ways to boost your “night count” without actually sleeping in a Marriott bed. Basically Silver status is 10 nights, Gold is 25 nights, Platinum is 50 nights, Titanium is 75 nights, and Ambassador is 100 nights per year. Elite Night Credits are not free nights, but they’re credits toward your annual night count which determines which kind of perks you get when you DO stay at Marriott hotels. Higher status levels like Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador may have access to perks like suite upgrades, free breakfast, and lounge access. So with this card, you get automatic Silver status and a jumpstart to a higher level of status without having to spend all of those nights in a hotel.

Plus every year on the anniversary of the date you opened your card, you get a free 35K/night free night certificate. I’m using a few of these this year to stay at the AC Hotel Wailea!

But I’ve saved my favorite thing about using Bonvoy points to book Marriott hotels for LAST:

When you book four nights using points, you get a FIFTH NIGHT FREE. So after I use my free night certificates (that have max point values like 50K or 35K per night), I only use my Marriott points for “big” stays where I have enough points to book four nights and get the fifth free. It’s by far the best way to max out the value on your points.

Side note: You cannot combine free night certificates with points to take advantage of the fifth night free promo.

Last year, I cashed in 325K points to stay for 5 nights at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on the Big Island. And I’m getting ready to stay at the Ritz Carlton Kapalua for 5 nights for 330K points.

And obviously, if you’re not staying at premium luxury properties, you can get stays for a LOT less. Or stay a lot longer ; )

Again, use >>this link<< to get 3 FREE nights when you sign up for this card.

I mentioned a list of hotels above that are good places to get the best “bang for your buck” on points and use free night certificates above, but if you’re like me, and you have a “bucket list” of great hotels, here’s also a list of the top aspirational Marriott properties in Hawaii (places that are worth hoarding your points for a big splurge):

Wailea Beach Resort (Maui)

Ritz Carlton Kapalua (Maui)

Koloa Landing Resort (Kauai)

Mauna Kea Beach Hotel (Big Island)

Royal Hawaiian (Oahu)

Moana Surfrider (Oahu)

Turtle Bay Resort (Oahu) ***This hotel is set to join the Ritz Carlton brand later this year!!

Double Up with Marriott

I’ve already told you about how Marriott is my go to hotel chain that I use for travel and using points so I was thrilled when I found out I could “double dip” on Marriott benefits by adding a second Marriott card to my wallet.

Most branded credit cards (Marriott, Southwest, United, etc) only allow you to have ONE of their cards even if they offer 2-4 different versions but the exception to that rule is you can have two cards if one is a business card.

If you’re a small business owner, obviously you’re set. But a lot of people actually qualify for a business credit card who may not realize it. If you’re self-employed, a freelancer or contractor, a gig economy worker, if you own rental properties, etc…you qualify for a business card.

And you don’t need to be registered as an LLC or corporation. You can apply as a sole proprietorship with just your social security number.

Okay, now that you know if this is an option for you or not, here’s why I like this:

My Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex initially came with three free 50K nights (the same as my Marriott Bonvoy Boundless through Chase) so right out of the gate, that was SIX FREE NIGHTS. You can top off these certificates with up to 15K points per night so you can use these free nights at places worth up to 65K points a night. That’s not everywhere in Hawaii, but that’s quite a few places (reference my list above of properties where that could be an option).

So that’s great, but after those nights are used, there are still pretty good perks.

The Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex gives you 15 elite night credits per year towards status. Pair those with the 15 from the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless and you start off the year with 30 elite night credits. That’s immediate gold status.

Since I’ve had both of these cards, it’s been relatively easy for me to hit titanium status every year which I think is the sweet spot with Marriott status. I almost always get room upgrades (sometimes to pretty nice suites), there’s a free breakfast benefit, 4 PM late checkout, and lounge access plus if you’re paying cash for your stay you get 75% more points. Those are pretty nice perks.

PLUS this card comes with a free 35K certificate each year. Combine that with the free 35K certificate from my other Marriott card and that’s two free nights per year (plus a third if you do hit titanium status) which is a nice little weekend away.

The annual free nights are what makes these two Marriott cards my favorite duo. The free night completely covers the annual fee (and I’m always able to redeem it at a hotel that’s worth MUCH more than $95/night).

Use >>this link<< to get your three 50K night certificates when you sign up for this card.