Is it worth using Bonvoy points for Marriott Homes & Villas redemptions?
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A few years ago, Marriott decided to get into the home rental industry.
It started in the UK with a pilot program under the name of Tribute Portfolio Homes. It allowed the brand to offer premium and luxury properties in areas not served by their hotels, competing with Airbnb in the upper segment of the holiday home rental market.
The program has expanded rapidly since then and now operates globally under the ‘Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy’ brand – click for the website.
There are now thousands of properties bookable, with a full global reach.
Marriott is slightly more involved in its ‘curated selection’ of properties than Airbnb. They have teamed up with various established high-end property management companies and presumably can exert some level of control and oversight.
The fact that you cannot simply sign up to list your property with Marriott suggests that it is keen to select properties that fit in the premium and luxury markets.
The benefit of booking Marriott Homes & Villas is that it part of the Marriott Bonvoy network, allowing you to both earn and redeem points. Members will earn 50% fewer points than at Marriott’s full service hotels, so you are only getting 5 points per $1 spent, excluding fees.
If you’re an elite member of Marriott Bonvoy, you’ll also earn elite status bonus points as well as an Elite Welcome Gift or welcome points.
Bookings also earn elite night credit in Marriott Bonvoy. In theory these nights are not meant to count towards lifetime status for reasons unknown, but in reality it seems that they often do.
How to book Marriott Homes & Villas
The original plan was that properties would automatically appear on marriott.com for stays that are three nights or longer.
This no longer seems to be the case, at least for UK properties. There isn’t even a mention or link in hotel search results to Homes & Villas. It’s not clear if this is down to a lack of interest by bookers or Marriott losing interest in the project.
You can browse properties on this dedicated Homes & Villas page. Whilst the nightly rates are shown for many properties, some require you to fill out a form and “inquire” for your preferred dates.
A quick browse search in London for the weekend of 24th to 26th January shows properties ranging from £87 per night (a one bedroom flat in Croydon) to £1,542 per night for a 5-bedroom house in Hampstead.
Is it worth using Marriott Homes & Villas?
It is worth bearing in mind that Marriott does not have exclusive rights to these properties. An image search brought up the same Hampstead house for $3,575 all-in on another site (£2,843) vs £3,125 including fees with Marriott.
As well as showing a cash cost for these rentals, Marriott also allows you to pay with Marriott Bonvoy points. This is a particularly interesting option for families who often struggle to find hotel rooms that can fit everyone in.
I took a look at a variety of properties at various price points in both Europe and the USA and found that, in general, you get a value of around 0.45p per point.
This is 10% lower than our notional Marriott Bonvoy valuation of 0.5p per point and you can certainly do better than 0.5p at peak hotels on peak dates.
Conclusion
On the whole, Marriott Homes & Villas is not a great choice when it comes to spending your Bonvoy points. However, if you are looking for a property a family group then you may appreciate the flexibility that a rental offers over a hotel.
If you book a home or villa via Marriott for cash, you will earn some Bonvoy points (often with large bonuses during their regular promotions) and you can earn elite night credits too – but do check Airbnb, onefinestay etc first to check if the same property is listed elsewhere for less.
You can find out more, and book for cash or points, on the Homes & Villas website 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.
Marriott Bonvoy American Express
20,000 points for signing up and 15 elite night credits each year Read our full review
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.
The Platinum Card from American Express
80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
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.
Polly 
Talay 
Ed 
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