Global List: Ritz-Carlton Marriott Bonvoy 35K Free Night Certificate Redemptions
35k Free Night Certificates can be earned through Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless and Amex Marriott Bonvoy Business Card that cost $95 and $125 in annual fee respectively. Despite how basic a 35K FNC looks, it’s still possible to redeem them at luxurious Marriott properties like Ritz-Carlton.
We now know that Marriott still secretly assign categories to their hotels, and with that information, we can infer the possibility of our Free Night Certificates, as we can top them up with up to 15,000 Marriott points. In case of 35k FNC’s, we could redeem a hotel that would charge 50,000 Marriott points at most.
Here’s the secret Marriott award chart:
| Category | Minimum/Night | Maximum/Night |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5,500 | 16,000 |
| 2 | 10,500 | 23,000 |
| 3 | 15,500 | 25,000 |
| 4 | 24,000 | 46,000 |
| 5 | 31,000 | 69,000 |
| 6 | 43,000 | 77,000 |
| 7 | 50,000 | 102,000 |
| 8A | 70,000 | 130,000 |
| 8B | 71,500 | 106,000 |
| 9A | 80,000 | 132,000 |
| 9B | 82,000 | 126,000 |
| 9C | 96,000 | 150,000 |
| RC Reserve Zadun (Cat 11) | 131,000 | 212,000 |
| RC Reserve Dorado Beach (Cat 12) | 170,000 | 254,000 |
| Nujuma, RC Reserve (Cat 12) | 163,000 | 299,500 |
For context, I will add the set Category level for each Ritz-Carlton hotels listed below. In terms of 35k FNC redemption at Ritz-Carlton hotels, only Cat 4-6 are the ones you should look out for. Here’s what each Category means:
- Cat 4: Guaranteed & may or may not need topup (topup is within the range of max amount of points charged)
- Cat 5: Good chances except during peak times; topup most likely required
- Cat 6: Topup required; must be very picky with dates and plan trip around hotel redemption. Sometimes impossible on resort properties.
Here’s a list of possible Ritz-Carlton hotels around the world by countries, and hotels with links are ones I’ve personally stayed at and reviewed:
Azerbaijan
- Ritz-Carlton, Baku (Cat 5)
Bahrain
- Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain (Cat 5)
Chile
- Ritz-Carlton, Santiago (Cat 6)
China
- Ritz-Carlton, Beijing (Cat 5)
- Ritz-Carlton, Beijing, Financial Street (Cat 5)
- Ritz-Carlton, Chengdu (Cat 4)
- Ritz-Carlton, Haikou (Cat 4)
- Ritz-Carlton, Harbin (Cat 5)
- Ritz-Carlton, Macau (Cat 5)
- Ritz-Carlton, Nanjing (Cat 4)
- Ritz-Carlton, Sanya (Cat 6)
- The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai (Cat 5)
- Ritz-Carlton, Shenzhen (Cat 6)
- Ritz-Carlton, Tianjin (Cat 4)
- Ritz-Carlton, Xi’an (Cat 4)
Egypt
- Ritz-Carlton, Cairo (Cat 5)
Germany
- Ritz-Carlton, Wolfsburg (Cat 5)
- Ritz-Carlton, Berlin (Cat 6)
Hungary
India
- Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore (Cat 5)
- Ritz-Carlton, Pune (Cat 4)
Indonesia
- Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Mega Kuningan (Cat 4)
- Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Pacific Palace (Cat 5)
- Ritz-Carlton, Bali (Cat 6)
Jordan
- Ritz-Carlton, Amman (Cat 5)
Kazakhstan
Malaysia
- Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur (Cat 5)
Oman
- Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel (Cat 6)
Portugal
- Penha Longa Resort (Cat 5)
Qatar
- Ritz-Carlton, Doha (Cat 4)
- Ritz-Carlton, Doha, Sharq Village (Cat 5)
Saudi Arabia
- Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh (Cat 6)
Spain
- Ritz-Carlton Tenerife, Abama (Cat 6)
Türkiye
- Ritz-Carlton, Istanbul (Cat 5)
United Arab Emirates
- Ritz-Carlton, Abu Dhabi Grand Canal (Cat 5)
While there are Ritz-Carlton hotels in Dubai, only the one in Abu Dhabi is within the realm of possible 35k cert redemption.
United States
- Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner (Cat 5)
- Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta (Cat 6)
- Ritz-Carlton, Chicago (Cat 6)
- Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte (Cat 6)
- Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland (Cat 6)
- Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis (Cat 6)
Most Ritz-Carlton hotels in the US that are within the possibility of 35k cert redemptions are in Category 6, but Tysons Corner is the lowest Category Ritz-Carlton in the US that can help improve your odds in redeeming the certificate.
Conclusion
With over 100 Ritz-Carlton hotels around the world, almost half of them are within the possibility of a 35k free night certificate redemptions! However, you’d most likely have to go beyond the US to do so where lower categorized Ritz-Carlton hotels are present, majorly in Asia, Eastern Europe, and Middle East.
If the lack of free breakfast from Ritz-Carlton stirs you away from the brand, then you may want to go for the St. Regis, Luxury Collection, JW Marriott, or W Hotels instead, as they have attractive 35k certificate redemptions across the globe too.
For best chances in redeeming 35k FNC’s, aim for hotels set at Category 4 or 5. Cat 6 will be harder, and you must be willing to plan your trip around the hotel redemption or possibly travel during less favorable seasons.
