With over 8,000 properties in 139 countries, Marriott is one of the most popular hotel brands in the world. To get the most out of your Marriott stays, it’s worth joining the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program. With five levels of elite status, Marriott Titanium elite sits near the top, just beneath Ambassador, the highest-level Bonvoy status.

In this article, we'll share what perks you'll receive as a Titanium member, how to earn this top-tier status and what else you should know about the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program.

Marriott Titanium elite benefits

The W London — Leicester Square, a Marriott Bonvoy property. (Photo courtesy of Marriott)

As a Marriott Titanium member, you'll receive valuable perks to improve your stay, save money, and earn additional points from your stays. Here are some of the most popular Marriott Titanium elite benefits.

75% bonus points

Earn 10 base points per dollar at most Marriott properties, plus 75% additional bonus points as a Titanium member. That means you'll earn up to 17.5 points per dollar on paid Marriott stays, including eligible room charges.

Lounge access

When you stay at Marriott properties that have lounges, you'll have full access to the lounge and receive complimentary breakfast.

Enhanced room upgrades

You're always eligible for room upgrades, including to select suites, at arrival based on availability.

Late checkout

Titanium members receive a guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout, when available.

Complimentary United Airlines elite status

Titanium elite members are eligible to receive complimentary United Premier Silver status.

Annual choice benefits

When you reach 50 nights, you can choose an additional reward from a list of benefits, including a free night certificate, suite upgrades, a gift of Gold elite status, and more. When you reach 75 nights, you’re eligible to choose another benefit.

How to become a Marriott Titanium elite member

Aloft Dublin, a Marriott Bonvoy property. (Photo courtesy of Marriott)

You must reach at least 75 elite night credits per year to become a Marriott Titanium elite member. Below are several ways to earn Titanium elite status and enjoy its benefits. Many members who reach Titanium status use a combination of these methods to obtain it each year.

Paid stays at Marriott properties

Many Titanium members earn elite status by paying for stays at Marriott locations worldwide. With 30 different brands to choose from, Marriott has properties that fit a variety of budgets and travel styles.

Free night stays at Marriott properties

When booking reservations using your Marriott Bonvoy points or free night awards, those nights also count toward earning elite status.

Earn elite night credits with a Marriott credit card

All six Marriott credit cards include 15 Elite Night Credits each year. It’s also possible to hold both a personal and a business Marriott card, meaning you could earn up to 30 nights per year.

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card also allows cardholders to earn one Elite Night Credit for every $5,000 spent on the card. However, to achieve Titanium status purely based on credit card elite night credits, you'd need to spend $300,000 per year.

Events held at Marriott properties

For every 20 room nights booked in coordination with your Marriott event, you'll earn one Elite Night Credit. There is a maximum of 20 Elite Night Credits that you can earn for each event.

How much is Marriott elite status worth?

In NerdWallet’s annual analysis of the best hotel elite status programs, we sought to determine how much value the major U.S. hotel loyalty programs deliver to guests. Here's how Marriott Bonvoy did.

The value you receive as a Titanium member may vary from these estimates, depending on how often you travel, which Marriott brands you stay at, and how important each benefit is to you.

How Marriott Titanium compares to its competitors

According to our annual analysis of hotel elite status programs, Marriott Titanium handily bests the other ultra-level status offered by the brands we reviewed. If you're going to spend the time (and money) to earn one of these ultra-level status tiers, Marriott Titanium will deliver the highest return on your investment.

What else you need to know

Take advantage of promotions

Marriott offers numerous promotions throughout the year. They may offer additional points, free nights or elite status credits when you complete certain activities. For example, promotions running when this story was written include 5,000 bonus points per stay at a Marriott Courtyard in Salt Lake City and 3,000 bonus points per stay at a Residence Inn in London.

We recommend signing up for Marriott Bonvoy emails to receive a notification whenever a new promotion launches. And, even if you don't have immediate travel plans, register for the promotion anyway — you never know when you'll need to book a room.

You can request a status match

Many hotel loyalty programs offer a status match to encourage travelers to try out other brands.

Marriott tends to status match to lower levels, so it may be difficult to match to Titanium status from a different brand.

Because of the Marriott-United Airlines partnership, Titanium members can match to receive United Premier Silver status, while United's customers receive Bonvoy Gold status.

How long does Titanium status last?

Marriott Bonvoy elite status is earned based on calendar year activity. When you earn elite status, you enjoy the benefits for the remainder of the current year and the 14 months that follow.

Marriott does not offer Lifetime Titanium status

Bonvoy members can earn lifetime Silver, Gold or Platinum elite status based on the number of qualifying nights and years as an elite. For example, you'll achieve lifetime Platinum elite status after 600 qualifying nights and 10 years of Platinum elite status or higher. However, Marriott does not currently offer lifetime Titanium status, so you must renew your Titanium status each year to continue receiving benefits.

The Marriott Titanium elite phone number

For U.S. and Canada residents, the general phone help line for Marriott elite status holders is 1-800-228-2100. For Titanium-specific services, dial 1-800-399-4229.

Those who live elsewhere can call the hotel’s general international line at +1 402-390-1647.

If you want to earn Marriott Titanium elite status

If you enjoy staying at Marriott properties, you should consider working toward Marriott Titanium elite status. While you must have 75 elite night credits to earn Titanium status, there are multiple ways to earn those credits, including by holding one of Marriott’s co-branded credit cards.

With Titanium elite status, you'll receive numerous benefits that save money, earn additional points and improve your stays.