Defiant Ritz-Carlton Singapore Joining Marriott Bonvoy… Finally!

The world’s only Ritz-Carlton that doesn’t participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program will finally be joining, which seems long overdue. I can’t imagine the hotel will be particularly generous, but we’ll see! Ritz-Carlton Singapore joins Bonvoy as of December 2026Why are the Ritz-Carlton Singapore owners backtracking?Bottom line Ritz-Carlton Singapore joins Bonvoy as of December 2026 The 608-key Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore will be joining the Marriott Bonvoy program as of December 1, 2026. So as of that date, Bonvoy members will be able to earn and redeem points, and take advantage of Bonvoy elite perks, when staying at the hotel (admittedly Bonvoy elite perks at Ritz-Carlton properties are fairly limited, as breakfast isn’t a benefit for any elite tier). As I covered in late 2025, this property is the only Ritz-Carlton in the world that doesn’t participate in the Bonvoy program. The backstory here is that the hotel opened back in 1996, and at the time, Ritz-Carlton didn’t have any sort of a loyalty program that awarded points. In 2010, the Ritz-Carlton Rewards program started awarding points for hotel stays, as a parallel program to Marriott Rewards. The ability to earn and redeem points came at a cost to individual hotels, but it was intended to boost occupancy and average daily rates. Initially, hotels had the option of whether they wanted to opt in or out of the program. Most hotels bought into the concept, though the Ritz-Carlton Osaka and Ritz-Carlton Singapore were the two hotels that opted out. The Ritz-Carlton Osaka eventually decided to participate, leaving the Ritz-Carlton Singapore as the only hotel that’s not participating. Ultimately when the Marriott Bonvoy program formed as the combination of Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest, the hotel could still stick to its legacy contract of not having to participate in the program. Clearly the owners of the hotel have now had a change of heart… or something! The Ritz-Carlton Singapore is joining Marriott Bonvoy Why are the Ritz-Carlton Singapore owners backtracking? Obviously we don’t have any sort of an official explanation for the reason that this Ritz-Carlton property is finally backtracking. I can’t imagine that Marriott gave the owners an ultimatum, given that Marriott is known for letting hotel owners get away with anything, as long as they get paid. My guess is that the competitive realities just finally caught up with this hotel — Singapore is an increasingly competitive hotel market, this is a massive hotel with 600+ rooms to fill every night, and the hotel is also a bit past its prime. The truth is that loyalty programs exist for a reason, as they’re a great tool for getting heads into beds. Obviously the hotel will be on the hook for some additional loyalty fees, but I imagine this will make the hotel more appealing to people who otherwise wouldn’t have considered it. I also have to imagine that even though the hotel did a decent job communicating its lack of participation in Marriott Bonvoy, I still suspect many guests didn’t realize this, and ended up being disappointed. Loyalty programs do a good job filling hotel rooms! Bottom line As of December 1, 2026, the Ritz-Carlton Singapore will be joining the Marriott Bonvoy program. This is the only Ritz-Carlton hotel in the world that hasn’t participated in Bonvoy, so this is great to see. The backstory is that the hotel opened before Ritz-Carlton had a loyalty program, and then when a program was finally formed, participation was optional. Literally every other Ritz-Carlton in the world saw value in this… except this one, apparently. Fortunately they’ve now come to their senses, or something, so it’s great to see that this will be changing. What do you make of the Ritz-Carlton Singapore joining Bonvoy? Save posts to read later Saving posts is a member feature. Become an OMAAT member to build a reading list you can come back to from any device. Become a member Already a member? Log in Meet Ben Schlappig, OMAAT Founder