Marriott Bonvoy Membership Programme (in Malaysia Context)

Friends who know me well enough knows that I used to travel a fair bit within Malaysia and also a hotel person. I enjoy good hotels as they provide good ambience and enhance travel experience or even provide a nice weekend getaway (especially during RMCO where I still don't feel safe enough to travel to places outside Klang Valley). 

It's a privilege that I was able to enjoy staying at those 5-stars hotel - JW Marriott Hotel Bukit Bintang, The Westin KL, Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur etc and the bills were footed by company. I joined the membership programme and I am now a lifetime Silver. I used to be a Platinum member of SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest) before they merge with Marriott Rewards and rebranded as Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott now has one of the world's largest and finest hotels collection and new properties are popping up in various towns in Malaysia.

Now, let me introduce what it takes to be at different tier of the membership programme and maybe look at if it's right for you? Membership at a glance:

For those who is familiar with the rewards programme, you will know the "powerful" and "almighty" Platinum status - it gives you free breakfast, free lounge access, late check out at 4pm and free room upgrades etc.

We also know that in the US, there are ways like having Chase Marriott Credit card which will help you to 'leap frog' to Gold or Platinum status or significantly reduces the required nights to achieve platinum. Unfortunately for us here in Malaysia, there is no co-brand cards that allows us to enjoy the perks. So for a person who aspire to enjoy the platinum status, what can he/she do?

First, let's explore what it takes to be a Platinum Member? To be a Silver Member, you will need 10 qualifying nights (nights that are paid or redeemed with points). To be a Gold member, you will need to stay at least 25 nights. And to be a Platinum Member, you will need a total of 50 nights! I am not going to mention Titanium and above as our aim here is to qualify for the bare minimum Platinum to allow us to enjoy the perks.

https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/terms/default.mi

Let's say you have stayed for 50 nights in 2020 and voila you're a Platinum member now! Your will remain Platinum for the remaining of Year 2020. By end of 2020, your Platinum status will be continue to run for another 14 months before you'll be downgraded (if you're unable to meet the 50 nights requirement). That will be on 1st March 2022 that you'll be downgraded to Gold Elite status.

Since in Malaysia we do not have co-brands card that will 'leap frog' our status, but don't be despair, there are some tips and tricks that will work things out for you:

1. Stay at Category 1 (aka cheaper hotels) - hotels like AC Hotels, Four Points all have lower pricing as they are 3 - 4 stars hotel. Marriott Bonvoy did not say "how much you need to spend" to earn "1 qualifying night". A night's stay is a night anyway, regardless of a night's stay in The Westin or AC Hotel KL. 

2. Plan ahead and book rooms with free cancellation at lower prices. Prices are normally lower if you book in advance. Look for deals which allows free cancellation (i.e. cancellation 1 or 3 days prior to the stay). 

3. Plan for staycations - there are plenty of hotels in KL under Marriott brand which you can go and stay for a night or two for the family to enjoy without breaking your pocket.

4. Use points when it's worth it - i.e. Marriott occasionally have points promo where  you can redeem a room at lower points. 

5. Book on behalf of friends and family - this is a little bit tricky but it works! I used to book for friends and family members so that they enjoyed the same platinum priviledges. The trick is that you book under your name, check in on behalf and put your friends/families' name as room guests upon check-in. This allows them to reactivate their key cards just in case something is wrong with their cards.  

6. Sign up for promotions and deals - Marriott Bonvoy constantly have promotions and deals to attract travellers to stay with them. They offer extra points, lower room prices or bundled deals (dinner/breakfast + room). 

I took advantage of the promos during COVID19 and stayed a few wonderful nights at those 'high end' hotels in KL. During Promotion time, 5000 points is enough to book another room (this means that my 2 nights stay at Majestic KL + Element KL earns me another night stay somewhere).

So what are you waiting for? Start planning if you're keen to  enjoy some hotel stays and be a 'lifetime Silver, Gold or even Platinum'.

Where to buy cheap paint in KL? A myth or truth that Paint specialist shop is the cheapest?

I used to hear that Mr Paint Shop sells the cheapest paint in town. My dentist told me and my friends in Property Management told me the same. I never had the opportunity to verify this until one of my properties needed a fresh coat of paint. Believing that Mr Paint Shop is the cheapest, I went and bought 15L of Jotun Jotashield and paid RM305 for it.

A few weeks passed and my whole house repainting started and I needed a lot of paint so I went to GST Hardware, which is my usual shop where I shop for paint and general hardware. I was so surprised to find out that they were selling the same paint and with the same paint code at RM258 for 15L! 

GST Hardware vs Mr Paint Shop: RM 258 vs RM 305!

One Sunday, I needed some extra paint hence I went down to Mr Paint Shop again (Plus point for them is they are opened almost everyday). Managed to chit chat with the employees and asked them prices of the paints I used to buy. Again, was really shocked that despite them being the 'specialist' shop in selling paint, they are selling paint at RM5 to RM10 more for 5L paints and even more for bigger buckets of paints. Those who frequent Mr Paint Shop knows that they sells all types of painting related accessories and also paints but for GST Hardware they sells almost all types of hardware including paint. I also found out from my paint receipts that Mr Paint shop is not cheaper than any ordinary hardware shop.

    

GST Hardware Puchong. Their HQ is at Sri Petaling.

Hence, my suggestion to all fellow readers is to call the shops to ask for prices before going down to buy them. Yes most of them will not tell you the price and will ask you to come down to the shop first. This is a smart tactic to ensure that we will 'buy the paint irrespective of the price' since we are already there. Be a smart consumer especially during this tough COVID times, every penny counts! Do you agree with me?

Disclaimer: I am just an avid DIY person and has no business affiliation with either shops mentioned.