How to use points in Europe

[dmharris]

Hello, I think I mastered how to use our week over the 18 years owning Marriott. So we're experimenting with points. We have 5050 points and we're going to Amsterdam in May for about 3 nights, Belgium for about 3 nights, Normandy area of France for about 4 or 5 nights and 6 to 7 nights in London.

Is there a way to use these points for lodging? Should I just convert them to Bonvoy points? I know it's not the most economical thing to do.

Some of these are one-time use points from viewing a presentation, so I don't know if they're rentable. This is much more confusing than I think it should be. I've looked at the vacation club website multiple times but it is frustrating. It seems we're locked into only the resorts. Who can help us figure this out?

 

[jmhpsu93]

For Paris you can just them for Village d'Ile de France directly (but that is nowhere near Normandy), though that's a tough get July/August if you're going high season. For London you could book Grand Residences, but you'd run out of points in about 36 hours' worth of a stay.

There just isn't a good way to use our MVC portfolios to stay in Europe for any reasonable conversion. You're better off paying cash in almost all cases.

We took the Bonvoy points for presentations for about five years to get us enough points for 10 days in Italy. Even Bonvoy is a joke anymore.

 

[Fasttr]

You can use Abound points for various hotel stays in Europe (and elsewhere around the world). Sign into MVC, select Use Points, then Cruises, Hotels and More. From the landing page, select Explore Hotels and Luxury Residences. Can’t vouch for the value, but it can be done. Should be able to see which is better, using Abound or converting to Bonvoy at least. Also consider renting the points and using the $$ to book hotel nights.

 

[Hindsite]

I've done all of those locations in the last 18 months and found that paying $$ can be better than using Bonvoy at many of the locations, if you aren't going to be able to take advantage of the Bonvoy points use benefit of 5 nights for the points of 4 nights. For booking hotels via club points, you have to call to see if there is availability for your dates. If you can work with going to the MVC to the east of Paris, that is a good base to explore from and you should be able to use club points for that in May.
Nice trip, enjoy!

 

[ljmiii]

In the past I've used Abound Points stuck in holding to stay at hotels in the Explorer Collection...but I would only use 'normal' points that way as a very last resort. And the only city in your list that has hotels in the Explorer Collection is London. That said, I do very highly recommend St Ermin's and have stayed there using Bonvoy Points. Realistically/financially, your best choices (in order) are...

Find some other use for your Abound Points and pay cash.
Rent out your Abound Points on a website like vacationpointexchange and pay cash.
Convert some of your Abound Points to Bonvoy Points and use them (at least in London, Amsterdam, and Belgium).
Book London through the Explorer Collection.

BTW though I can't recommend it from experience yet, my search for a Marriott hotel in Belgium yielded the Brussels Marriott Hotel Grand Place for an upcoming reservation. Great location in the heart of Brussels (next to restaurants, sights, and train station) and it has a M Club.

 

[Fasttr]

And the only city in your list that has hotels in the Explorer Collection is London.

Amsterdam is there as well.

 

[ljmiii]

Amsterdam is there as well.

Indeed it is...somehow I blipped on "Netherlands"

 

[dmharris]

Thank you all for your comments. A question that goes through my mind is if we're touring Europe all day, how nice of a hotel experience do we need? A good bed and a great shower with maybe a mini fridge is about all we need. And good wifi.

Whereas, for a relaxing vacation like we do at Hilton Head, then the hotel/resort becomes more important. So maybe I'll use the ponts later in the year for a relaxing stay somewhere. I'm less inclined to rent the points because I have never done it and don't want to mess up, get screwed at the last minute or regret it. After all, this points exchange was to be an experiment.

So if we do hotels in 4 locations, that's an other search. I appreciate your insights and thoughts.

 

[PcflEZFlng]

In my case, I was just sitting on a bunch of Bonvoy points, watching them erode like stale bread. I've had most of them since the Vistana acquisition when I still owned TS. There are other places (non-Marriott) that I prefer to stay at domestically, using their loyalty points instead. Since I'm going through London this summer, arriving by air and then leaving by train the next day, I spent them all to reserve a one-night 5-star stay and call it done.

 

[elaine]

if we're touring Europe all day, how nice of a hotel experience do we need? A good bed and a great shower with maybe a mini fridge is about all we need. And good wifi.

This is our thought. We want centrally located and good quality, but it doesn't have to be luxury. We have stayed at Residence Inns in London, free breakfast and washing machine as a bonus and a Tribute property (Duo Nouvo) in Milan (upscale, lovely lobby, tiny room), just a few blocks from train station--perfect for day trips. We were in the room for a quick pre-dinner refresh and then 9pm-9am each day. For me, good location is key, as we prefer to walk as much as possible to see the sights

 

[Ken555]

Hello, I think I mastered how to use our week over the 18 years owning Marriott. So we're experimenting with points. We have 5050 points and we're going to Amsterdam in May for about 3 nights, Belgium for about 3 nights, Normandy area of France for about 4 or 5 nights and 6 to 7 nights in London.

As others have said, the locations for resorts are limited and not in ideal locations. I suggest reviewing TripAdvisor for the exact location you want to stay and find a hotel or B&B, etc.

I drove through part of Normandy two years ago and it’s likely you’ll find an independent hotel in a small town that’s more appealing.

Is there a way to use these points for lodging? Should I just convert them to Bonvoy points? I know it's not the most economical thing to do.

Please don’t. You know the answer.

In the smaller towns you’ll typically find relatively reasonable hotel prices. I’ll be in Europe soon and have several five night Marriott award stays booked, including in London, and have been watching prices daily due to this horrible dynamic award pricing system they now have. Some days the price is less and I rebook (for one stay I’ve rebooked six times as they reduced the price over time). For London in particular, IMO most of the Marriott hotels are charging way too much for award redemption relative to the cash rate. I’m using my Marriott points since I want to use them (and I still have over 1M left) but there are cash rates at other hotels which are much more palatable, if that’s an option for you. And there are so many nice, or even just acceptable, hotels in London. Over the last 5-10 years I’ve noticed that every time I visit London I seem to be staying further and further out from the center of the city due to the extreme pricing there, when booking on points. I remember staying directly across from Green Park on multiple stays back in the Starwood days for a reasonable amount…


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[PcflEZFlng]

You are so right about the award prices in London. They're terrible, especially with their dynamic pricing. In my case, I only need one night in London in a preferred location, right next to St. Pancras Station so I can walk right over to my Eurostar train in the morning. My night cost 66K points (about the size of my leftover points balance) plus 100 GBP when I booked, and now the rooms start at 76K plus 200 GBP. I'm glad to be rid of my rapidly-eroding points, and I don't plan on "earning" any more of them.

 

[Ken555]

You are so right about the award prices in London. They're terrible, especially with their dynamic pricing. In my case, I only need one night in London in a preferred location, right next to St. Pancras Station so I can walk right over to my Eurostar train in the morning. My night cost 66K points (about the size of my leftover points balance) plus 100 GBP when I booked, and now the rooms start at 76K plus 200 GBP. I'm glad to be rid of my rapidly-eroding points, and I don't plan on "earning" any more of them.

I’d suggest a cash stay at an independent hotel in that area instead, and save your points for a more valuable use. But, it sounds like you just want to get rid of them at this point and I certainly don’t blame you.


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[Tucsonadventurer]

Hello, I think I mastered how to use our week over the 18 years owning Marriott. So we're experimenting with points. We have 5050 points and we're going to Amsterdam in May for about 3 nights, Belgium for about 3 nights, Normandy area of France for about 4 or 5 nights and 6 to 7 nights in London.

Is there a way to use these points for lodging? Should I just convert them to Bonvoy points? I know it's not the most economical thing to do.

Some of these are one-time use points from viewing a presentation, so I don't know if they're rentable. This is much more confusing than I think it should be. I've looked at the vacation club website multiple times but it is frustrating. It seems we're locked into only the resorts. Who can help us figure this out?

I'd get a Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card for 5 free nights, 50,000 pts a night with the ability to add 15,000 pts. We used ours in Maui last summer

 

[dmharris]

You are all so right! For a week in London at a nice, older, historic hotel, to reserve last week was 386,000 points. Two days ago it was 412,000. Today it was 420,000. This is Cow Poop! If you know what I mean. Dynamic pricing sucks. I can see me checking prices every day and rebooking, just like you did Ken! And Tucson Adventurer, I'm going to look into that card if it will qualify for international hotel stays. Thanks!!

 

[claraj]

I can see me checking prices every day and rebooking,

I check twice per day because I notice it changes around 2pm ET.

 

[dmharris]

I'd get a Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card for 5 free nights, 50,000 pts a night with the ability to add 15,000 pts. We used ours in Maui last summer

In the fine print it disqualifies you from applying if you already have premier Bonvoy/Marriott cards through Chase. Sigh. I may try anyways.

 

[Ken555]

In the fine print it disqualifies you from applying if you already have premier Bonvoy/Marriott cards through Chase. Sigh. I may try anyways.

Why double down on Marriott when there are other options?


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[dmharris]

Why double down on Marriott when there are other options?


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What are you referring to. Other hotels chains? Or other credit card options?

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[Ken555]

What are you referring to. Other hotels chains? Or other credit card options?

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Other hotel chains. I now have two Marriott cards, two IHG cards, and a Hyatt card. If I get another, I suspect it will be Hilton. I can justify the annual fees by the inclusion of a "free" night per year with each of these cards, so anything extra is a bonus. I also have a travel cash back card (and a pure cash back card). I don't spent much on the Marriott credit cards anymore, since the points value is poorer than these other options. YMMV.