There’s a new Ritz-Carlton property opening up in the Masai Mara, but if you’d like a different type of safari experience – and one that costs far fewer points – there’s a new Marriott opening up soon in Jim Corbett National Park in India.
Bookings are available for stays starting from April 25, 2025, with the majority of nights in the coming year being bookable for 24,000 points per night or thereabouts.
The Marriott website describes the property as follows:
Surrounded by Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, Northern India, our resort is surrounded by vibrant flora and wildlife, including Bengal tigers, leopards, and wild elephants. Easily accessible from Pantnagar Airport or via a scenic 4.5-hour drive from New Delhi, the resort features luxurious rooms and suites with stunning views of the Kosi River and the national park.
Savor a unique dining experience at Malani Grill, our outdoor restaurant inspired by the five natural elements, or unwind at Sal Bar with modern Indian spirits. For casual dining, The Corbett Kitchen offers delicious all-day fare.
Our resort also boasts the region’s largest outdoor lawns and pillarless ballroom, perfect for meetings, weddings or events of any size. Rejuvenate at Quan Spa for a truly relaxing stay. Families reconnect through a variety of activities, from guided nature tours and jungle cooking sessions to stargazing and morning yoga. Unwind with loved ones and create lasting memories in the heart of nature.
Based on the quick research I did, it doesn’t look like you can do a self-drive safari in Jim Corbett National Park like you can in places like Kruger National Park in South Africa. Instead, you’ll have to pay to go on an organized safari.
Room rates start at ~$250, so at a points redemption cost of 24,000 points per night, you’re looking at getting better than 1 cent per point (cpp) of value from your Marriott Bonvoy points which is very good. You can do even better than that though on a longer stay. Marriott has a ‘Stay for 5, pay for 4’ feature which removes the cost of the cheapest night of your stay for every five nights you stay. Unlike Hilton where you have to have Silver status or higher to take advantage of their somewhat similar feature, with Marriott you’re eligible for the benefit regardless of your status – all you need is enough points in your Bonvoy account. If all five nights were at the 24k points pricing, you’d therefore only have to redeem 96k points total for a five night stay. If any of the nights are more expensive than 24k points though, your total would be higher seeing as Marriott only deducts the cost of the cheapest night rather than giving the 5th night free or reducing the total cost by 20%.
There are four room types bookable with points – Deluxe Guest Rooms with one king or two queen beds, as well as Deluxe Guest Rooms with a balcony and garden view with one king or two queens. The latter room types cost ~$35 more per night, so it’s nice that you can book those slightly upgraded room types with a standard number of points too.
Marriott often seems to launch with lower award pricing on new, desirable properties such as this, later increasing pricing – sometimes drastically. Seeing as you can currently get better than 1 cent per point of value by booking with Marriott Bonvoy points, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see its award pricing increase in the future to the 35k-40k range. If you have any interest in a stay at this hotel, it might therefore be prudent to book now to lock in this pricing. Just be sure to verify the cancellation policy for your dates; points bookings on the dates I searched showed as being freely cancellable two days before arrival, but the policy might be different depending on the time of year.
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