In 2021, TPG began receiving reports of erroneous redemption surcharges for certain stays booked with points or Free night certificate from Marriott Bonvoy Program.
Unfortunately, reports continue to come in from readers of additional properties to which these fees have been applied.
In short, if you Marriott points used (or redeemed certificate) for a hotel stay within the past few years, you should check your bill(s) to ensure that you are not accidentally charged for this privilege. And if that’s the case, you’ll be eligible for a refund of surcharges and any related taxes.
Here’s everything we know so far — including what you can do if you’re charged.
Overview of these additional fees
As noted above, we have seen several instances in which TPG readers were incorrectly charged for the privilege of booking an award stay at Marriott. In each case, using points or certificates will result in a section labeled “Rm Chrg — Redeem Rewards” on the final page for each night of stay.
It is important to clarify that these are Are not resort or destination fees.
While it’s worth noting that Marriott doesn’t waive those fees for award stays, they are legitimate fees — even though most travelers don’t like them. Additionally, resort fees are often displayed on the final booking screen.
Finally, these reports also differ from what happened at select resorts in summer 2021 – when three properties were advertising “Marriott Bonvoy Redemption Fee” for award stays is clearly contrary to Marriott’s terms and conditions.
Instead, these fees stem from a “property clerical error,” as a Marriott spokesperson described in an email to TPG — and you can have them canceled at the front desk or by email. How to call the hotel after your stay.
Daily newsletter
Gift your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers to get breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive offers from TPG experts
Where have we seen these Marriott surcharges?
This issue was first raised by TPG in mid-2021 by a reader who used points to stay at the Perry Lane hotel in Savannah, Georgia – part of Marriott’s Luxury Collection. She booked a three-night stay (one with cash, the other two using points), but when she reviewed her bill after departure, she was surprised to see a pair of $129 charges (labeled ” Rm Chrg — Redemption”) on both awards nights.
Please note that the screenshot above clearly shows a “Destination Convenience Fee” of $32 with an additional redemption surcharge.
Then, just a few weeks later, another report about these surcharges came out. This time, TPG reader Shannon spent two nights at the Westin Kansas City at Crown Center in Kansas City, Missouri — and he incurred a $53 fee.
In December 2021, TPG reader Nicholas noticed that he was also charged a fee ($37) when redeeming points at the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place in Springfield, Massachusetts.
And unfortunately, the reports continue to come in as recently as this month.
In 2024 alone, readers reported these incorrect charges to TPG at the following properties:
- Sheraton Sioux Falls Hotel
- Le Meridien Dallas by Galleria
- Elemental Arundel Factory
- St factor Louis Midtown
- Sheraton Suites Wilmington City Center
- Aloft New Orleans City Center
- Four Points of Sheraton Nashville Airport
- Sheraton Salt Lake City Hotel
- Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center
- Sheraton Overland Park Hotel at the Convention Center
- The Westin Wilmington
Each time, the additional fee had the exact same description (“Rm Chrg – Reward Redemption”), which is a key indicator that this is not a mandatory resort fee.
These fees are completely inaccurate, according to the statement TPG received from a Marriott spokesperson:
Situations like this are often due to a clerical error on the part of the property… If this occurs, members should contact the front desk and/or manager on duty to request correction and deletion from their profile.
While Marriott did not confirm exactly what those fees are, industry experts told TPG that they are likely related to fees Marriott is paying hotels for award stays .
In fact, after we published an update to this story in June 2022, management at Renaissance St. Elm Dallas Downtown reached out to TPG to say they had never heard of this mistake until reading this story:
We were previously unaware of this issue, and when we learned about it through this story, we determined that there had in fact been clerical errors on some of the papers. We are fixing this issue immediately and acknowledging anyone who was charged incorrectly. We apologize to you for this error.
Fortunately, you will be able to get a refund for these fees.
How to check your own length of stay
If you’ve redeemed points at a Marriott property anytime in the past few years, you should probably review your records and make sure these fees don’t appear on any of them. there. You can find your email again, but you can also do this in the Marriott Bonvoy app:
- Open the Marriott Bonvoy app (and sign in if necessary).
- Tap “Account” in the bottom right, then select “Account Activity.”
- Change the filter at the top from “All types” to “Hotel stays” to only see your completed stays.
- Tap on the stay you’re viewing and then tap “Hotel bill” to see a detailed breakdown of charges.
Unfortunately, online receipts only apply to stays completed in recent months, so you may have to cross-reference your email and credit card statements to find details of previous stays.
Additionally, you can visit “Contact Us” page on Marriott’s website to request your receipts for any stays within the past year. Select “Copy of hotel invoice” from the drop-down menu and enter details about your stay (including comments, this is a required field). Then, click “Send.”
What happens if you get charged by Marriott?
If you find you have to pay an additional fee when redeeming points, your first action should be to contact the individual hotel. Try to connect with the finance office or billing department and be armed with the full details of your booking – including your confirmation number and dates of stay.
If that doesn’t get you anywhere, you should escalate the matter to Marriott Bonvoy’s customer service department. Here, I recommend starting with the online form as it will automatically generate (and email you) a case number for your request. This allows you to keep track of it if you eventually need to call.
Here’s how to submit that form:
- Go “Contact us” on Marriott’s website.
- Select “Holiday Compliments/Concerns” from the drop-down menu, then select “Concerns.”
- In the “Question/Issue Subtopic” menu, select “Payment Accuracy”.
- Search for your hotel, then enter details about your stay — including your confirmation number and fee details.
- Click “Send.”
Here’s a real-life example of why it’s important to Double check your hotel bill before you check out. It’s usually much easier to fix a problem right away than after you leave.
Again, I want to emphasize this Are not Applies to any fees labeled as resort, destination or amenity fees. This guidance specifically applies to guests who see a “Rm Chrg — Redeem” line item on the invoice for a stay they booked with Marriott points or certificates.
Bottom line
Redeeming hotel points can be a great way to save money on your travel, especially when cash rates soar during the busy travel season. Unfortunately, some TPG readers have reported errors regarding redemption surcharges for select stays at Marriott Bonvoy hotels over the past few years.
If you recently redeemed Marriott points for a stay, it’s likely you were charged an incorrect fee for doing so. Thankfully, this was not a change to the Bonvoy program but a clerical error at each property.
If you see a charge like this, notify hotel management immediately – and if you’ve already left, contact the hotel’s billing department to request a refund.
We also want to hear from you about these incorrect charges, so please email us at [email protected] Include a screenshot or attachment of your hotel invoice showing the charge.
