Marriott Bonvoy announces new promotion for double points on home rentals
Just in time for the late-summer vacation season, Marriott Bonvoy has announced a new promotion for its members, offering double points for home rentals through its Homes & Villas program through January of next year. The booking period begins July 11 and runs through July 29 — giving you a relatively short window of time to lock in your plans.
The program offers a good opportunity for Bonvoy members to earn additional points on late-summer home rentals, as well as those looking to book home rentals with family or friends over the Thanksgiving and winter holidays.
And the promotion is yet another sign of just how aggressively hotel brands are expanding into the home rental market.
Promotion details
In order to earn double points, Bonvoy members must book a Marriott home rental property through the Homes & Villas by Marriott website sometime in the next three weeks — between July 11 and July 29. The home rental period must be completed by the end of January 2023, and you must stay a minimum of three consecutive nights.
The program has no blackout dates, meaning you'll be able to redeem this bonus for home rentals this summer as well as popular family vacation times in December and January — as long as you find availability, of course.
Bonvoy members normally earn 5 base points per dollar spent on the rental (excluding additional items like taxes, cleaning or optional rental services). The promotional bonus will be awarded after the rental is complete, giving you a total of 10 points per dollar spent. This is an effective return of 8.4% based on TPG's most recent valuations.
The terms indicate that the additional points should be deposited in your account three to six weeks after the stay. In addition, members choosing to receive miles rather than Bonvoy points are ineligible for the bonus, so no double-dipping here. However, the points are in addition to elite bonus points earned during the stay.
The reservation must be made with cash, so stays booked with points along with points-and-cash redemptions are not eligible for the promotion.
Related: How I triple stacked and earned 210,000 points on an epic Marriott Homes & Villas booking
Home rentals are a growing trend
Marriott promoting non-hotel properties may be a surprise to some people, but its well-established Homes & Villas program has become an important part of its brand. Established in 2019, Marriott's rental program now has more than 65,000 properties in more than 700 destinations around the world, including the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Related: You can now earn Marriott Bonvoy points with home rentals in Australia and New Zealand
While independent property management companies are in charge of the operations of the homes in Marriott's program, the booking is fully integrated into Marriott's loyalty system. This allows you to use points for participating properties and offers the ability to earn points on your stays — and includes bonuses like this one.
The rise and popularity of home and apartment rental programs like Airbnb, Vacasa, Vrbo and other independent companies have been putting pressure on hotel brands to keep up with the trend. The vacation rental option is becoming popular with both the millennial demographic looking for a unique experience and family travelers looking for something affordable and flexible, particularly during these times of inflation and high prices.
Mandarin Oriental and Accor have recently entered into the vacation rental business, seeing the opportunity to expand their customer base and cater to the specific needs of their existing users.
Expect to see more hotel brands get into the home rental business going forward, as well as additional promotions and opportunities to leverage your points -- both in terms of redemptions and earning possibilities.
Related: The future of the hotel guest experience? Less Moxy, more Airbnb
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