Mayflower MVC vs Mayflower hotel

[deniseh]

Looking to spend a few days in Washington DC and trying to decide between using MVC points or Bonvoy points for the stay. Are there any pros/cons between using vacation club points or Bonvoy points?

 

[sponger76]

According to some posts, after recent refurbishment the timeshare units are not nearly as nice as the hotel units.

 

[Superchief]

The Mayflower no longer offers Platinum/Titanium benefits for the timeshare stays. The lounge hasn't been open for a long time, unless that has changed. Members staying with the hotel are provided breakfast in the restaurant. I find the hotel to be less expensive on weekends, and the timeshare is less expensive for week nights.

 

[daviator]

Just in case it wasn’t clear, the Mayflower is two separate properties in one. Most of the property is a hotel, but two (I think) or maybe three floors are MVC timeshares. After a recent renovation, the hotel rooms are much nicer than the timeshare rooms.

Booking with Abound points you will definitely get a room on one of the timeshare floors.

Booking with Bonvoy points, you need to pay close attention as it’s possible, but not likely, to get a timeshare room that way, but much more likely that you’d get a hotel room. I actually think the hotel and the timeshare are listed as different properties in Marriott's reservation system, so if you’re searching at the hotel it should only offer you hotel rooms.

As others have said, you’ll get all the Bonvoy status benefits, potentially including breakfast in the very nice restaurant, if you are staying in the hotel or probably if you’re staying with Bonvoy points. If you use Abound points you will not get breakfast or other status benefits.

You really have to look at what the cost for your stay would be in each currency to decide which is the better deal, then decide whether things like free breakfast move the needle for you or not. Some people never eat breakfast and so they could care less about that; but if you’re a breakfast eater, the hotel breakfast is probably worth at least $25 per person per day.

You probably need to be Bonvoy Platinum or higher to get free breakfast on a hotel stay if I’m remembering correctly.

 

[deniseh]

Just in case it wasn’t clear, the Mayflower is two separate properties in one. Most of the property is a hotel, but two (I think) or maybe three floors are MVC timeshares. After a recent renovation, the hotel rooms are much nicer than the timeshare rooms.

Booking with Abound points you will definitely get a room on one of the timeshare floors.

Booking with Bonvoy points, you need to pay close attention as it’s possible, but not likely, to get a timeshare room that way, but much more likely that you’d get a hotel room. I actually think the hotel and the timeshare are listed as different properties in Marriott's reservation system, so if you’re searching at the hotel it should only offer you hotel rooms.

As others have said, you’ll get all the Bonvoy status benefits, potentially including breakfast in the very nice restaurant, if you are staying in the hotel or probably if you’re staying with Bonvoy points. If you use Abound points you will not get breakfast or other status benefits.

You really have to look at what the cost for your stay would be in each currency to decide which is the better deal, then decide whether things like free breakfast move the needle for you or not. Some people never eat breakfast and so they could care less about that; but if you’re a breakfast eater, the hotel breakfast is probably worth at least $25 per person per day.

You probably need to be Bonvoy Platinum or higher to get free breakfast on a hotel stay if I’m remembering correctly.

Good to know. We are titanium with Marriott and have a lot of Bonvoy points.

 

[ljmiii]

Just in case it wasn’t clear, the Mayflower is two separate properties in one. Most of the property is a hotel, but two (I think) or maybe three floors are MVC timeshares. After a recent renovation, the hotel rooms are much nicer than the timeshare rooms.

Yup. In addition to the new timeshare furniture no longer being as nice as the hotel side (nor as nice as it was previously), there also seemed to be some 'missing' in the suites. There was conjecture that it simply had failed to arrive yet...we have a tentative MVC reservation scheduled in a few months and if we do go I'll report back.

Booking with Abound points you will definitely get a room on one of the timeshare floors.

The only timeshare floor is the 7th. In the hallway opposite the elevators there is a small beverage/snack station that has an automated coffee maker and is where pastries and fruit are served in the morning and cookies/cakes in the evening.

Booking with Bonvoy points, you need to pay close attention as it’s possible, but not likely, to get a timeshare room that way, but much more likely that you’d get a hotel room. I actually think the hotel and the timeshare are listed as different properties in Marriott's reservation system, so if you’re searching at the hotel it should only offer you hotel rooms.

As others have said, you’ll get all the Bonvoy status benefits, potentially including breakfast in the very nice restaurant, if you are staying in the hotel or probably if you’re staying with Bonvoy points. If you use Abound points you will not get breakfast or other status benefits.

The MVC and hotel sides are indeed listed as separate properties and one can choose between them on the Marriott hotel website. And platinum and above do get complementary breakfast at Edgar on Bonvoy point stays (a $27/person credit, max two people when we last stayed that way).