Both the hotel and casino worlds were upended last summer when MGM announced it was ditching Hyatt in favor of a new partnership with Marriott. After more details were released last month about what to expect in terms of elite benefits, many of MGM's Vegas properties are now bookable online using Marriott Bonvoy points.

So how much does a night in Sin City cost when using Marriott points? Mid-week rates start as low as 5,000 Bonvoy points per night, but … you'll still be on the hook for those pesky resort fees.

You won't find those rock-bottom rates at MGM's top-end casino resorts but even some nicer properties like the New York-New York and the MGM Grand can be booked for as few as 9,000 and 15,000 Bonvoy points per night, respectively. While those point prices seem great, cash rates at some properties start at $28 per night (plus resort fees) so booking with points might not always be the slam dunk it seems. Still, using your Bonvoy points – or free night awards earned through one of Marriott's co-branded credit cards – on the pricey Las Vegas Strip is a nice option.

Let's take a closer look at which properties can now be booked with points and whether or not it's a good deal to do so.

 

Which Properties are Bookable Through Marriott?

At the time of publication, only MGM's Excalibur, New York-New York Hotel & Casino, MGM Grand, and The Signature at MGM Grand are bookable with Bonvoy points. These properties are all a part of the newly formed “MGM Collection” under Marriott's brand of hotels. But Vdara Hotel & Spa, NoMad Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, and the Luxor Hotel & Casino should be joining them soon.

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is also bookable with Bonvoy points as part of a long-standing partnership between Marriott and the Las Vegas hotel. The Cosmopolitan is currently a part of Marriott's Autograph Collection of hotels and will also become affiliated with the MGM Collection effective March 6, as noted on The Cosmopolitan's website.

Marriott Bonvoy terms for The Cosmopolitan

 

Other Las Vegas MGM properties expected to become available to book through Marriott include the Bellagio Resort & Casino (which will join the Marriott Luxury Collection), Aria Resort & Casino (which will join the Marriott Autograph Collection), and the Park MGM (which will join the Marriott Tribute Portfolio). Noticeably absent from this list is the Delano Las Vegas, which was available through MGM's previous partnership with Hyatt.

Outside of Las Vegas, five additional MGM properties are expected to fold into Marriott's new MGM Collection and be bookable with points and eligible for reciprocal elite benefits.

  • Borgata (Atlantic City, New Jersey)
  • Beau Rivage (Biloxi, Mississippi)
  • MGM Grand Detroit (Detroit, Michigan)
  • MGM National Harbor (Oxon Hill, Maryland)
  • MGM Springfield (Springfield, Massachusetts)

The MGM properties not yet bookable through Marriott already appear on Marriott's website and say “Opening Soon Mar 2024.” If the March 6, date posted on The Cosmopolitan's Marriott Bonvoy terms and conditions page is any indication, we should know pricing for the remaining properties shortly.

 

Is This a Good Use of Marriott Points?

With award rates starting at just 5,000 Bonvoy points per night, booking one of these MGM properties through Marriott seems like a no-brainer … but is it?

Just how good of a deal you get depends on how long you're staying and the cash price of the hotel. The unfortunate reality is that all these MGM properties have resort fees in the $40 to $50 per night range so even when you're using points for a free night, it'll still cost you real money.

For example, MGM's Excalibur is among the cheapest Las Vegas properties bookable with either Bonvoy points or cash. During off-peak summer months, it's not hard to string together a handful of nights for just 5,000 points each. If you've got a Marriott co-branded credit card in your wallet, you'll also be able to take advantage of the card's fifth-night free benefit where the cheapest night in your reservation of five consecutive nights is free. That means you could book a five-night stay at the Excalibur Hotel & Casino for just 20,000 points all in.

 

Excalibur points reservation with 5th night free

 

At first glance, that seems like an amazing deal. You'd be hard-pressed to find a single night at a Fairfield Inn or Courtyard by Marriott off the strip at that price. But once you proceed with the booking you get hit with the hotel's $41.95 per night resort fee and that cheap stay starts to feel a little more expensive. Suddenly, you're looking at forking over 20,000 points and $209.75. Yikes.

 

Excalibur five night award booking with resort fee

 

If you were to book those same five nights with cash only, it'd cost you $382.09. In that case, you're essentially trading 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for $172.34 in value. To be clear: That's not a terrible deal, as you'd be getting reasonable value out of your points – but with the added resort fees it's no longer the clear win it previously appeared to be.

 

Excalibur five night cash booking

 

And remember, if you don't have a Marriott Bonvoy co-branded credit card, you won't have access to the fifth-night free benefit. That means this same stay would actually cost you 25,000 points and $209.75 in fees … further changing the math and making the cash booking look like a better deal.

Other properties like the New York-New York Hotel & Casino provide a similar value per point compared to the cash cost. Understandably, you can expect to pay more in both points and cash when booking weekend nights.

For example, a three-night weekend stay in October at the New York-New York will cost you 174,000 points and $142.86 in resort fees.

 

New York New York Weekend points booking

 

Without using points, that same stay would cost you a whopping $1,297.07 for the same three-night stay. In this case you're spending 174,000 Bonvoy points to save a little over $1,100.

 

New York New York cash

 

That's comparable value to what you'd get by using your points to book at the Excalibur … albeit, you'd need a whole lot less of them.

 

How to Earn Marriott Points

The good news is that piling up the Marriott Bonvoy points needed to book these properties is quite easy thanks to the hotel chain's relationship with both Chase and American Express. With six different co-branded credit cards to choose from – each with its own welcome offer – you shouldn't have any trouble finding a card to fit your needs … the only question is: Which one?

Here's a look at the current new card offers to kick-start your Marriott Bonvoy point earning:

Each of these cards also comes with additional perks like Marriott elite status, annual free night awards, and bonus elite night credits just for having the card which makes them keepers for the long term. If you've never had a Marriott Card before you can pick from any of the above options without worry – however, if you currently have one of these cards or have in the past, you'll need to first make sure you're eligible before applying.

Alternatively, you can transfer points from both Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards to Marriott on a 1:1 basis. So if you've got a card like the *chase sapphire preferred* or the *amex gold*, you could transfer 5,000 points from either bank and have enough to book a one-night stay at the Excalibur.

Read more: Amex vs Chase: Which Points are Best?

 

Bottom Line

Marriott and MGM announced a new, multi-year partnership last summer and now nearly six months later, we're finally seeing it come to fruition. After announcing reciprocal elite benefits and point-earning last month, a handful of MGM properties are now bookable with cash or points through Marriott. The remaining MGM properties are expected to be folded into Marriott's booking channels as early as next month.