When Craig first flagged the current Marriott Homes & Villas promotion, I can’t say it got me very excited. The 30,000 bonus points (worth ~$250) sound great, but it requires a 5-night stay. The last time I had looked at Marriott Homes & Villas, there wasn’t much choice and most places seemed expensive.
The thing is though, I realised that the last time I had looked was literally years ago – pre COVID – and things have changed a lot…
What is Marriott Homes & Villas?
Basically, it’s Marriott’s attempt at being Airbnb. You can rent thousands of apartments, houses, villas, castles, etc, in many different parts of the world. Coverage isn’t global, but it’s pretty good.
The first thing that surprised me was the variety of options now available close to my home in England. In Yorkshire alone, there are 175 properties listed, with everything from city centre apartments in Leeds and York, to cozy seaside options on the east coast, farmhouses in the Dales, and grand stately homes (for $10,000+ per night!).
The second thing that surprised me was just how reasonably-priced many of the properties were (stately homes notwithstanding…). There are cleaning fees to be added on (which mean longer stays tend to offer better value), and prices vary according to the date/season, but it’s possible to find UK options for not much more than $65 per night.
If you’re only paying ~$300 for a 5 night stay, that 30,000 points bonus begins to look like a very good deal indeed!
I then started looking at cheaper parts of the world, and spotted properties in countries like Poland and Turkey for as little as $20-$30 per night
In the USA, there are more than 3,000 properties listed, with plenty of options under $100 per night. Mexico offers tremendous value too.
If you could find somewhere you actually wanted to visit anyway, the 30,000 bonus points (worth ~$250) could be a massive rebate – and the perks of booking with with Marriott Homes & Villas don’t end there.
Earning Marriott Points and Elite Night Credit
One of the biggest attractions of Marriott Homes & Villas is that you can earn elite night credits for status purposes.
In addition, Bonvoy members with elite status earn a small welcome bonus of:
- Ambassador, Titanium, Platinum: 1,000 points
- Gold: 500 points
You would also earn Marriott points on the paid rate – although you only earn 5 points per US dollar spent (you earn 10 points at most hotel brands). Elite bonuses also apply (i.e. 50% for Platinum members, 75% for Titanium members).
How to earn the 30,000 bonus points
To earn 30,000 bonus points per stay, you must:
- BOOK between 16-18 May, 2022 (that’s TODAY!)
- STAY at least 5 nights in the same property
- STAY between 1 June – 31 December, 2022
You can access Marriott Homes & Villas by clicking here.
Bottom line
If you can find a cheap or reasonably priced property that suits your travel plans (and/or are chasing Marriott Bonvoy status), I can’t think of a better accommodation offer available right now.
To grab an extra few percent rebate, don’t forget to click through from TopCashback to book!
Note that this is the link for the UK version of TopCashback, which means you can also earn a sign up bonus of £15 (~$18.50). It’s easy to cash out using Paypal, or you can even convert your cashback to British Airways Avios.
