Airbnb is arguably the best-known vacation rental platform. Despite being the best-known rental platform, Airbnb was far from the first. Before Airbnb, there was Vacation Rental By Owner, now known as VRBO. Now, following the success of Airbnb, there are dozens of Airbnb alternatives for vacation rentals. One of these platforms is Marriott Homes and Villas.
Launched in 2019, Marriott Homes and Villas is Marriott’s answer to home-sharing and vacation rentals. While the program pushes its luxurious beachfront vacation properties, the platform now features over 140,000 listings across the globe. Many of these listings are on the premium side of rentals. However, there is also a growing number of more affordable and practical accommodations available through Marriott’s vacation rental platform.
If you’re a big proponent of Airbnb or another vacation rental platform you might be wondering what the benefits of booking Marriott Homes and Villas are. For Marriott Bonvoy members, this platform offers the ability to earn points and elite status nights. But the program offers more than just a link to the Marriott Bonvoy program.
Here is what you need to know about Marriott Homes and Villas.
What is Marriott Homes and Villas?
In short, Marriott Homes and Villas is a vacation home rental platform launched by Marriott. The program is focused on premium and luxury vacation homes and rentals though, features a wide range of rentals. When the platform launched in 2019, it featured just 2,000 listings mainly in the US and the Caribbean. Now, as previously mentioned, the platform features over 140,000 listings.
Like with other vacation rental programs, most of the listings are not directly associated with Marriott. Each property is independently owned, operated, and maintained. Like Airbnb, many of these properties are managed and maintained directly by the owner. Unlike Airbnb, the Marriott Homes and Villas program also features a number of rooms and listings at major vacation rental complexes or timeshares.
Despite focusing on luxury vacation properties, the program has added more economical options. In some markets, Marriott’s platform can even be a substitute for Airbnb.
What are the Benefits of Marriott Homes and Villas?
A major selling point of Marriott’s platform is the more rigid selection process of listings. Pretty much anyone with an extra bedroom or fold-out couch can list on Airbnb. This is not the case with Marriott Homes and Villas. As a result, you are less likely to encounter annoying hosts when you book through the Homes and Villas platform. On the downside, because of the rigid selection process and higher standards, you will often find that Marriott’s platform features listings that are more expensive than VRBO or Airbnb.
With Marriott’s higher standards for listings on its vacation rental platform, the hotel chain claims guests will enjoy a greater level of service, cleanliness, and security compared to other platforms. This is often the case but since nearly all listings are unaffiliated with Marriott, you can still run into the same issues you might experience when booking an Airbnb.
Marriott does ensure that all listings are overseen by professional property managers and that all listings are maintained to a certain standard. This is not the case with Airbnb with the level of service and quality at the host’s discretion. It also promotes its “24/7 customer service” though this is a similar benefit offered by any reputable vacation rental platform, including Airbnb.
Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points and Elite Nights with Marriott Homes and Villas
The best and most noteworthy benefit of booking with Marriot Homes and Villas is the ability to earn both points and elite qualifying nights with Marriott Bonvoy. One of my least favorite aspects of Airbnb is the inability to earn any rewards through the platform. You could book an Airbnb for all 365 days of the year and the only rewards or points earned would come from whatever credit card you used to book your stays. This isn’t the case with Marriott Homes and Villas.
How Are Bonvoy Points and Elite Nights Earned?
Earning points and elite nights on bookings made with Homes and Villas is quite similar to when booking a traditional Marriott hotel. You will earn a base rate of 5 points per dollar spent. Bonvoy members with elite status will also earn a bonus.
- Standard Bonvoy Members: Base Rate: Earn 5 points per dollar spent
- Silver Elite Members: Base Rate + 10% bonus
- Gold Elite Members: Base Rate + 25% bonus
- Platinum Elite Members: Base Rate + 50% bonus
- Titanium Elite Members: Base Rate + 75% bonus
- Ambassador Elite Members: Base Rate + 75% bonus
Select Bonvoy elite members will also earn a welcome gift they do when staying at traditional Marriott hotels. Gold Elites receive a 500-point welcome gift while Platinum Elites and above receive 1,000 points.
Marriott Homes and Villas is also treated the same as Marriott hotels for Bonvoy credit card holders. So, if you hold the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express Card, you will also earn 6x points on stays booked with Homes & Villas.
Elite nights are earned in a similar manner to standard Marriott hotels. For each night you stay at a Homes & Villas property, you will earn 1 elite night. The platform also participates in most Bonvoy promotions so, if double elite nights are offered as part of a promotion, that promotion would apply to stays with Homes & Villas.
Redeem Marriott Bonvoy Points at Marriott Homes and Villas
Not only can you earn points with Homes & Villas, but you can also redeem your points for stays. If you’ve ever booked a Marriott hotel with points, you know that the cash rate doesn’t directly correspond to the number of points needed. With Homes & Villas, there does appear to be a more direct link to the cash rate. Unfortunately, you get very little value when you use your points to book a stay with Homes & Villas.
Here’s an example of some bookings you could make using cash or Bonvoy points:
- Cash Rate: $136, Points: 24,000
- Cash Rate: $120, Points: 37,000
- Cash Rate: $1490, Points: 266,000
- Cash Rate: $2670, Points: 477,000
On average, if you use your points to book a stay with Homes & Villas, you will receive $0.005 in value per point. That’s less than a cent per point! AwardWallet’s latest points valuations put the average value of a Bonvoy point to be $0.0094. So, you’re getting significantly less value from your points when you redeem them for vacation rentals than a traditional hotel booking.
Here’s an example of some bookings you can make with traditional Marriott hotels using points or cash:
- Cash Rate: $224, Points: 23,500
- Cash Rate: $226, Points: 20,500
- Cash Rate: $303, Points: 25,500
- Cash Rate: $660, Points: 57,000
Of course, the value of your points when booking a Marriott hotel varies significantly. However, you will still, on average, get significantly more from your points when booking hotels compared to vacation rentals. In those examples, the lowest per-point value is 0.96 cents with the highest being 1.22 cents. Now, compare 1.22 cents to the average 0.50 offered by Homes & Villas bookings. The bottom line is you shouldn’t redeem Bonvoy points to book Marriott vacation rentals.
It’s also important to note that there are some features of the Bonvoy program in which the Homes & Villas program does not participate. Here are some of the more notable features not available when booking with Homes & Villas:
- Free Night Awards
- Cash + Points Redemptions
- PointSavers Awards
- Earn Airline Miles
- Same Day Cancellation for Select Members
Related: Guide to Buying Hotel Points
What Properties Can I Book On Marriott Homes and Villas?
There is a growing number of listings offered through the Homes & Villas platform with over 140,000 currently available to book. These properties are found on all 6 inhabited continents though, many of these listings are found in North America and Europe.
The type of properties available on the platform is dependent on the destination you want to book. For example, if I wanted to book a rental in St. Louis, MO, there are plenty of modest apartment and home rentals in addition to more upscale properties. However, if I wanted to book something in Grand Cayman, most of my options are going to be larger and more luxurious beachfront villas.
In the case of St. Louis and many other US cities, you can often substitute Airbnb with Marriott Homes and Villas as you will find similar options at similar price points. At top vacation destinations like Cabo San Lucas or Aspen, CO, Homes & Villas functions more as a premium vacation rental platform. That being said, as a whole, Marriott’s rental platform offers a wide range of options.
Here are a few of the different types of rentals you can book on Marriott Homes and Villas over the next few months:
Explore Chicago in a newly renovated apartment in the West Loop neighborhood
Stay in a luxury condo near the Cabo Marina in Los Cabos
Book an upscale modern apartment in St. Louis’ Central West End
Stay in a villa near the Swiss Alps in Leukerbad
Relax on a ranch in a remote area of Wyoming with room for 12
Book a massive beach house with room for 18 in the Cayman Islands
These are just some of the listings I found after a few minutes of searching the Marriott Homes and Villas platform. There’s a wide variety of options including both budget-friendly and luxury listings.
Related: My Fantastic First Experience with Airbnb
Do I Have to Pay Cleaning Fees on Homes & Villas Bookings?
Unfortuantely, yes, you may have to pay those dreaded cleaning fees on bookings made with Marriott Homes and Villas. Fees are hit or miss on Marriott’s platform. Larger properties that sleep more than 2 to 4 guests almost always have a cleaning fee. An exception to this is in some countries and cities in which all fees are required to be baked into the nightly rate.
You will also find that some of the more luxurious and unique properties have additional fees. This is especially frustrating as these are simply listed as “Other Fees.” Some larger properties also require a security deposit. All security deposits are fully refundable.
If you’re booking a property in the Americas you will often find that most listings also have a separate cleaning fee. Just like Airbnb, your initial search will not include these fees in the price you see displayed alongside each listing. To make things worse, unlike with Airbnb, you cannot select to see listings with all taxes and fees included. So, just know, that the price you see will often be substantially higher.
The Bottom Line
Marriott Homes and Villas is Marriott’s vacation rental platform designed to be a more premium alternative to Airbnb or VRBO. Launched in 2019, the platform now features over 140,000 listings worldwide, catering to a variety of preferences and budgets. One of the best selling points of Homes & Villas is the ability to earn and redeem Marriott Bonvoy points. While earning through the platform is a great way to get closer to status and rack up points, using your points with Homes & Villas is not a great idea.
The types of properties available and pricing vary depending on your destination. In some US cities, you can find listings that are comparable to those on Airbnb. In popular luxury vacation destinations, Homes & Villas listings are often significantly more expensive than VRBO or Airbnb. Additionally, just like those other platforms, you might encounter additional fees including the dreaded clearing fee.
Have you ever booked a stay with Marriott Homes & Villas? What is your preferred vacation rental platform?
More from TravelUpdate:
- Guide: What You Need to Know About Airline Miles and Points
- Review: What It’s Like Flying Qatar Airways Business Class from Doha to Dublin
- AvGeek: Flying Aboard a Qantas Boeing 717
- Guide: Everything You Should Know Before Renting an Electric Car
- Gift Guide: Best Gifts for Frequent Flyers and Traveling Dads
