Marriott Rewards?

[jtw999]

Our family is going on a Med cruise in 2011 and I'd like to plan a few days in Paris. Being a family of 5, it's very challenging to find a hotel that is reasonably priced. The DLP Marriott is recommended by many, but it still pricier than my DH wants.

Does anyone have any experience with Marriott Rewards? I would love to find a way to offset the costs.

 

[c&m]

The Marriott Rewards program can give you discounts occasionally by sending you e-mail alerts of special deals.

I have a Marriott Rewards card. However, it hasn't given me the greatest deals. I get a better rate using an AAA rate or a government rate (DH works for govt.). Also go to the Marriott.com site to find any special deals and packages. That's open to the public, not just for Rewards guests. Also go directly to the hotel you want; there are sometimes specials specific to the hotel.

If you want free nights, you'd have to accumulate a lot of reward points from previous stays. I've never accumulated enough as my points are actually directly transferred to Airmiles (which I find I use a lot more).

Also keep an eye out on www.travelzoo.com. There are sometimes good deals there. If you're lucky (and I've been a few times), the hotel I wanted had a sudden sale listed on Travelzoo.

 

[alohamom]

I am a Marriott Rewards member and have to agree witht he above poster about the point level for free night redemption being high. It took me a few years to get to elite level have now and even then the perks are just ok, not fantastic. I have never had any problems with booking with Marriott point though.

 

[jtw999]

Thanks for the input. I think I'll keep with my air miles card, as we find it useful for all the perks we get with it.

I never thought about gov't rate though. My husband is a gov't employee, too. Thanks!

 

[rella's fan]

You can also change your Marriott Rewards into Southwest Rapid Rewards if you fly Southwest. I only needed 2 more rewards for a free SW flight so I used some of my Marriott Rewards to get the 2 credits I needed.