Save 10% on Marriott Homes & Villas rentals for 2021 – but be wary of paying with points

Of all the major hotel groups, Marriott has taken the biggest strides into competing directly with Airbnb with ‘Homes & Villas by Marriott’.

Marriott is currently offering a 10% discount if you book a home or villa rental for next year.

Paying the balance with Marriott Bonvoy points recently became less attractive, as I will show.

What’s the deal?

If you book any property through Homes & Villas by Marriott between now and 31st December, you will receive a 10% discount.

The Homes & Villas by Marriott home page is here.

The small print is:

• Your ‘homes and villas’ stay must begin between 1st January and 30th November 2021

• You must book by 31st December 2020

• A small number of properties are not participating, but there are no blackout dates or length-of-stay restrictions

• The 10% discount applies to both cash and redemption stays

You can find full rules on this page of the Homes & Villas website.

One important point to note is that many of the homes featured by Marriott are not exclusive to its platform. It is worth checking to see if the same property is listed on Airbnb (earning you Avios when you book) or Vrbo (ex HomeAway) at a different price or with different terms.

Do I get Marriott Bonvoy points with a homes and villas rental?

Yes.

You earn at the same rate as Marriott’s long stay hotel brands. This means 5 points per $1 spent.  You do not earn points on booking fees, taxes, cleaning fees and extra add-ons during your stay.

If you have Marriott Bonvoy elite status, you also earn a tier bonus:

• Silver Elite: 5 points per eligible dollar plus 10% bonus
• Gold Elite: 5 points per eligible dollar plus 25% bonus
• Platinum Elite: 5 points per eligible dollar plus 50% bonus
• Titanium Elite: 5 points per eligible dollar plus 75% bonus
• Ambassador: 5 points per eligible dollar plus 75% bonus

Gold Elite members and higher also receive a welcome gift:

• Ambassador Elite, Titanium Elite, Platinum Elite: 1,000 points
• Gold Elite: 500 points

Do I earn elite night credits too?

You also earn elite night credits for each night you stay. These nights count towards your annual status renewal but do not count towards lifetime status.

Are homes and villas bookings flexible?

Fairly flexible, yes.

For bookings until 31st March, you can cancel up to 10 days before arrival. There will be a $75 cancellation fee for cash bookings but no fee on points bookings.

Bookings for stays from 1st April will be subject to the standard cancellation policy of 14-90 days depending on property.

Can I pay with Marriott Bonvoy points?

Yes. However, Marriott has recently made the rate worse.

There is no reward chart for ‘Homes & Villas’. It is pure revenue-based redemption, with each Marriott Bonvoy point you redeem having a fixed value.

When launched, 1 Bonvoy point was worth 0.7 cents (0.54p) when used for a ‘Homes & Villas’ redemption.

This has just been cut to 0.6 cents (0.46p) per Bonvoy point.

I value Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.5p each. In theory, this means that using points for ‘Homes & Villas’ now becomes a poorer deal. It isn’t that simple, of course:

• getting 0.5p per point is trickier than it used to be at the moment, given that hotel room rates have collapsed in most places whilst Bonvoy pricing has remained constant

• if you need to redeem for a family, ‘Homes & Villas’ is a welcome option which can easily provide you with the space you need

That said, I am typing this in a Bonvoy resort where I am getting an impressive 1.5p per point (story to follow). Whilst 0.5p is a good ‘average’ figure, you will always do better than this if you sit on your points until the planets cross. Wait until you find yourself needing a room in an expensive place at an expensive time.

Conclusion

10% isn’t a hugely attractive additional discount, but as long as the cancellation policy works for you then it does no harm to lock in a booking now for next Summer.

You may want to reconsider using Bonvoy points to pay, given the recent drop in value. That said, if you travel as a family then this is an easy way of getting a points redemption which will sleep a larger group.

The Homes & Villas by Marriott home page is here.

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (April 2025)

There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.

You can apply here.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.

We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (50,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy points is 2:3.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points.