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The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Reviews
How I triple stacked and earned 210,000 points and miles on an epic Marriott Homes & Villas booking
Former executive editor Scott Mayerowitz is one of the nation's leading travel experts, having covered all aspects of the industry for the past 15 years. He has extensive knowledge about the airline, hotel and cruise sectors, plus the loyalty programs and credit cards that power them.
March 18, 2022 • 9 min read
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By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
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Quick summary
A traveler chose a luxury condo rental in Vail through a major hotel group's home rental platform, prioritizing space, privacy and loyalty perks.
Booking through the hotel group's platform offered elite-qualifying nights, loyalty points and a more flexible cancellation policy, despite a higher price than booking directly with the property manager.
The rental experience included thoughtful amenities, attentive property management and a private hot tub, enhancing the group's ski trip.
Additional rewards were earned by using an airline shopping portal, contributing to elite status in the airline's loyalty program.
What to consider
The hotel's home rental platform may display a higher base price that includes extra fees, which can affect how many points are earned.
Points are awarded only on the 'base rate,' not on taxes, cleaning fees or other charges, and the actual base rate may differ from the initial quote.
A double points promotion was available for bookings of three nights or more made by March 31 and completed by April 30.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed breakdown of how loyalty points, elite nights and shopping portal bonuses can be stacked for maximum value on home rentals.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
I'm a hotel guy. I always have been and probably always will be.
But hotels are not perfect, so lately, I've started dipping more into the world of home rentals.
First, it was a few pre-pandemic trips with a very large group of friends and their kids. Then, as schools and offices closed due to the pandemic, it was family escapes from our Manhattan apartment that allowed us to enjoy more space.
While I'm still not sold on home rentals in cities, for small groups or even at beachfront resorts, I am more open to reserving them now than I was several years ago.
So, when I booked a last-minute ski getaway with four friends to Vail, Colorado, I searched for both hotels and condo rentals before opting for a rental with easy access to the slopes and plenty of room to stretch out. Here's what the experience was like — and why my loyalty accounts are thanking me for the decision.
Choosing the right property
(Photo by Scott Mayerowitz/The Points Guy)
We were a group of longtime friends, all in our 40s. Wives and kids were staying behind at home, but we still wanted space and the privacy of separate bedrooms at this stage in our lives.
When we found most of the good hotels in town sold out, we broadened our search to include condo rentals.
Plus, with Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite status and a double points promotion, I knew I could earn lots of points to apply toward a future vacation.
So, I decided to rent through Marriott again.
(Photo by Scott Mayerowitz/The Points Guy)
The company doesn't actually own or manage any of its rentals but instead contracts with third-party management companies to offer a curated list of high-end properties. While I was able to track down the same rental via Triumph Mountain Properties for about $300 less for our five-night stay, the more generous cancellation policy, the lure of points and the ability to earn five elite-qualifying nights toward status swayed me to book via Marriott.
Let me be clear: This was not a cheap rental.
Skiing during peak season is expensive. My friends and I wanted to be comfortable during this trip, so we knew we'd need to splurge.
In total, our five-night stay came to $15,347.13 after taxes, cleaning fees and other charges. If we had 2.6 million Bonvoy points, we could have redeemed them for this condo, but at 0.8 cents a point, that wouldn't have been a good deal.
(Photo by Scott Mayerowitz/The Points Guy)
The condo itself was terrific. It was a short walk to the slopes and came with linens, a welcome bottle of Prosecco, housekeeping after three nights and essential toiletries like soap and shampoo.
Our property manager met us at the garage, helped with our luggage and skis and gave us a brief tour of the unit before we settled in.
Sure, the decor was a bit dated, but it was still a very comfortable spot for our ski getaway. Plus, after a long day on the slopes, it was great to have our own private hot tub overlooking the mountains.
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Earning Bonvoy points
Just like staying at a Marriott hotel, guests earn points off a home's "base rate," which is the nightly room rate, excluding any taxes or fees.
However, the Homes & Villas by Marriott site did not do a great job of detailing what the base rate, taxes and various fees were when I started the booking process. It wasn't until I talked to the company's public relations team later on that I received a full breakdown for my stay.
(Screenshot of an email from Marriott)
What was almost perfect, though, was the estimate about how many points I would earn.
While the Marriott site listed my base booking at $14,211.55, it turns out that the eligible base rate was actually $11,025. (More on that in a moment.)
So, all told, I earned 152,594 Bonvoy points, plus five elite-qualifying nights. My points total came out as follows:
5 points per eligible dollar for booking with Marriott, netting me 55,125 points.
A 75% bonus for being a Titanium Elite member, for 41,344 more points.
A 1,000-point welcome bonus for being a member with at least Platinum Elite status.
A limited-time, double-points promo that awarded me twice the base points, for an additional 55,125 points.
(Screenshot from marriott.com)
TPG currently values Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.8 cents each, meaning I earned $1,220.75 worth of points for the stay — well worth the extra $300 or so in cost for booking via Marriott.
I already have a five-night stay booked for later this summer at the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino. That trip cost me 230,000 points, so it will be nice to replenish part of my account.
For those considering making a booking, Marriott Homes & Villas is once again running a double base points promotion on all stays of three nights or more booked by March 31 and completed by April 30.
Speaking of base points: Like I noted above, the Marriott site listed a base price of $14,211.55, but in reality, that base was $11,025. Apparently, Marriott includes a lot of the extra fees and commissions paid to the third-party property managers in the public-facing base price, so don't expect the listed base price to be accurate.
“Some fees charged by property managers are included in the base price, however, future technology enhancements will provide more comprehensive fee information,” a Marriott spokesperson told TPG via email.
At least the point estimate was only off by 1,000 points. I just wish there had been a bit more clarity in what counts as the base rate up front.
One final thing to note: The $11,025 base price counted toward the $20,000 in annual spending needed to hit Marriott's top-tier Ambassador Elite status. I'm still far, far off from reaching that membership level's spending requirement (not to mention, the 100 nights needed with it). But, the year is young.
(Screenshot from Marriott app)
Adding on a shopping portal bonus
Now, of course at TPG, we always look to maximize our travel, so there is more to this tale.
We always suggest checking online shopping portals before making a purchase. I did so for this booking knowing that Homes & Villas by Marriott happened to be on several portals.
Since I'm looking to get status on American Airlines through its new Loyalty Points program and remembered that the Marriott home rental program is on American's shopping portal, I went through that platform to make my reservation.
I accrued 1 mile and 1 Loyalty Point for every dollar I spent on this home rental. Well, every base dollar, anyway.
(Screenshot of an email from aadvantage e shopping)
It takes 200,000 Loyalty Points to hit top-tier AAdvantage Executive Platinum status. Because this one rental netted me 11,025 miles, it brought me 5.5% of the way toward my elite status goal. Not bad for one purchase.
If I wasn't chasing American status, I probably would have used Rakuten, which was offering 1.5% cash back or 1.5 American Express Membership Rewards points per dollar spent.
Using the right credit card
Normally, I would have put this charge on my Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card to earn 6 Bonvoy points per dollar spent, which would have netted me 92,083 more Bonvoy points for this booking.
However, given the upcoming changes in the Bonvoy program to dynamic pricing, I decided that I shouldn't go out of my way to earn that many more Marriott Bonvoy points.
So, I put the charge on my Chase Sapphire Reserve, which earns 3 points per dollar spent on travel (or a total of 46,041 Chase Ultimate Rewards points, in this case).
I forgot, though, that I had an Amex Offer for $200 back on my Bonvoy card. I'm not sure if that would have changed my calculus for this trip, but chances are it probably would have swayed me.
(Screenshot from americanexpress.com)
Bottom line
This was my second home rental via Marriott, and I was very impressed with the customer service and quality of the property.
Call me picky, but I really like having somebody vet a rental for me.
The points and elite qualifying nights I earned were nice bonuses, though they were not worth going out of my way to receive.
For me, the less generous cancellation policy available with the property management company made it worth spending a little more for a better policy with Marriott that would provide added peace of mind.
And the double points bonus and shopping portal bonus were what really sealed the deal for me, as they put my earnings over the edge.
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
