News

You can now earn Marriott Bonvoy points and elite nights by renting houses in Australia and New Zealand

Tanner SaundersSenior hotels reporter
Tanner Saunders is a Webby Award-winning senior hotels reporter for TPG based in Brooklyn. He covers everything from breaking hotel news to in-depth features on the world’s best hotels.

June 15, 2022 • 8 min read

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Quick summary

Australia and New Zealand have reopened to tourists, with new options for home rentals through a major hotel group's platform in both countries.
The home rental service offers curated properties managed by professional companies, allowing loyalty program members to earn and redeem points, plus elite qualifying nights.
Over 350 homes are now available in popular destinations like Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Queenstown, expanding choices beyond traditional hotels.
Booking can be challenging due to minimum stay requirements, fluctuating nightly rates, and additional fees such as cleaning and security deposits.

What to consider

Many properties require lengthy minimum stays, especially outside peak tourist months, due to local regulations.
Displayed nightly rates may not reflect the true cost, as taxes, cleaning fees and refundable deposits can significantly increase the total price.
Availability may be limited since some homes are listed on multiple rental platforms, and local laws restrict short-term rentals in certain areas.

What you'll miss from the article

A detailed comparison of booking costs, perks and availability between this hotel group's home rental platform and competitors like Airbnb and Vrbo.

Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.

If you haven't heard, Australia and New Zealand are once again welcoming tourists from many countries around the world after being shut down and isolated for the better part of two years.

In true TPG fashion, we had reporters on the ground in the two countries to check out what changed during the pandemic, what it's like to visit now and even review a few hotels, like the Park Hyatt Auckland and The Tasman, part of Marriott's Luxury Collection.

And now, for Marriott Bonvoy loyalists planning a trip to the Southern Hemisphere, hotels aren't the only way to earn or redeem points Down Under. This week the company announced that its home rental arm, Homes & Villas by Marriott International, is operating in select destinations in both Australia and New Zealand.

While companies like Airbnb and Vrbo are usually front of mind when thinking about home rentals, many hotel brands are taking a shot at the business, including Accor and Mandarin Oriental. Marriott, which entered the space back in 2019 and recently celebrated the collection's third birthday, now has over 60,000 listings across 700 locations.

Homes & Villas by Marriott is different from its competitors in many ways, starting with the fact that it offers a hotel-like experience in the comfort of a home.

All of the collection's rentals have been specially curated to meet Marriott's brand standards and are all managed by private management companies rather than a regular person with a vacation home to rent when they're not using it.

The main difference is that with Homes & Villas, Marriott Bonvoy members have the opportunity to earn and redeem points on stays, plus elite qualifying nights. And we're all about chasing points and status here.

Now, you can take that chase to the other side of the planet with over 350 homes added to Homes & Villas in popular destinations like Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Orange, Australia, as well as Auckland and Queenstown, New Zealand, among other locales.

For a stunning view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, you could rent an apartment with three bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathrooms in Kirribilli (pictured at the top of this article) starting at 700 Australian dollars ($480) or about 84,000 points per night, as shown on the search page.

However, when I clicked into the listing to see how that initial price compared to selecting actual dates, things got a little messy.

First, to book for two nights between June 27 and June 29, the price skyrocketed to AU$1,168 (about $800) per night, and included a AU$2,000 ($1,372) refundable deposit, AU$300 ($200) cleaning fee and AU$233.77 ($160) in taxes for a grand total of AU$4,871.43, or $3,505.48 as shown directly on the booking page.

When I started clicking around to see what dates the displayed AU$700 nightly rate was available, multiple times I encountered a notification that the minimum stay required for my dates was 21 nights.

Not until the calendar hit November did I find stays bookable for less than three weeks, but still with a three-night minimum. This time for the same AU$1,168 rate as broken down above.

Doing my due diligence, I clicked into a less expensive apartment offering "World Class 360° Sydney Harbour Bridge & Opera House Views." This one was initially shown as AU$232 (about $150) or 28,000 points per night.

Again, I found that stays before November required a 21-night minimum stay. For the November dates that were available for a mandatory three-night minimum, prices were significantly higher than initially shown, this time AU$872.35 (nearly $600) per night.

It appears that in New South Wales, short-term rentals have various caps, including only 180 days per year in the greater Sydney area for homes where the owner isn't present or minimum stays of at least 21 days, according to the NSW Department of Planning and Environment website.

In the Southern Hemisphere, the warmer summer months take place during the Northern Hemisphere's winter, which is most likely why shorter rental terms are available during those months as travelers flock to busy tourist areas like Sydney.

Aerial photo of house with courtyard in front of bay and snow-capped mountains — (Photo courtesy of Marriott)

In Queenstown, a property called "Jaw-dropping lake and mountain views" initially appears in the search box for $445 per night (the search in New Zealand was listed in U.S. dollars versus the search in Australia that appeared as Australian dollars) or 74,000 points per night. Not a bad deal for a five-bedroom, three-bathroom house.

But again, it was a flustering experience attempting to book this property as there was only one available booking option for all of 2022: Aug. 12, with a five-night minimum.

It's worth noting as well that many homes that participate in home-sharing programs are available on multiple platforms, which is often a reason availability is limited beyond local ordinances.

For example, this property is also available to rent on Vrbo where the calendar shows it's fully booked except for the same dates as shown on Homes & Villas.

This time the rate was also significantly higher than initially listed, coming in at 1,017 New Zealand dollars (about $632). It also added a NZ$750 ($465) refundable security deposit, a NZ$386 ($240) cleaning fee and NZ$319 ($198) in taxes for a total of NZ$6,540, or $4,287.62 as shown in the booking window.

These prices aren't too far from what the property is being listed for on Vrbo, where everything is shown in U.S. dollars. There, the nightly rate was $637.11 with a $241.95 cleaning fee, $199.95 in taxes and a $470.10 refundable deposit. The total on Vrbo came out to $4,097.57, as shown below.

There's about a $200 price difference between booking on Vrbo and through Marriott. Booking through Vrbo doesn't have the obvious perks that you'll get booking through Marriot, but if you do go this route there are ways to maximize your spending to earn points and miles in other ways.

If you do book through Marriott, the booking window also conveniently shows you how many Marriott Bonvoy points you'll earn if you're signed in to your account (as shown below for me) or an estimate of how many points you could earn if you're not signed in. For this particular stay, I would earn 15,829 points.

Normally, you earn 5 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on Homes & Villas stays, while those with elite status can earn up to 75% additional bonus points.

Right now, the program is offering a promotion where members who book a stay of at least five consecutive nights at a single Homes & Villas by Marriott property by June 22 and complete the stay by Dec. 31 will earn double points and a free night certificate for use at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels.

While finding available dates can be a finicky process with Homes & Villas, the rewards can be substantial — especially compared to Airbnb where you might have similar issues finding dates or where surprise cleaning fees change the entire booking.

The program also offers favorable cancellation policies that appeal to guests as we continue trekking on through a slightly more normalized version of life during a pandemic.

Bottom line

In some ways, it feels like the wild, wild west in the world of home-sharing. However, Homes & Villas by Marriott is one alternative that provides an elevated service that comes with the perk of earning or redeeming points and elite qualifying nights.

The introduction to New Zealand and Australia is very fresh, but we hope that properties open up more availability within the program so members can actually take advantage of it when it makes more sense to book a home than a hotel.

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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Rewards rate

Rewards rate
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Pros + cons

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Cons

Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits

More details

You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™.
Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App™, or purchased directly from airlines.
Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
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Book two nights or more with The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ and receive a $100* credit towards eligible charges at over 1,400 upscale hotels worldwide. *Eligible charges vary by property.
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Pros

Valuable dining and food-related credits
Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
Multiple travel and purchase protections
No foreign transaction fees
Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)

Cons

Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits

You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™.
Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App™, or purchased directly from airlines.
Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
$120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
$100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
$84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
$120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
Enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
Book two nights or more with The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ and receive a $100* credit towards eligible charges at over 1,400 upscale hotels worldwide. *Eligible charges vary by property.
Book your travel through the Amex Travel App™ with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
No Foreign Transaction Fees.
Annual Fee is $325.
Terms Apply.