Marriott Rewards - Cat 5 Hotel in US or INTL

So I just found 2 of the old travel package 7 night certificates that were issued prior to the "enhancement" at the beginning of this year. If you'll remember, MR used to issue your 7 night certificate when you did the Miles+Hotel travel packages under the old system. Both of these certificates expire at the end of the year.

The nature of my occupation allows me to work from anywhere and since I have some gaps in business travel between now and the end of the year, I was hoping to use these certificates to travel to somewhere pleasant where I could find a few hours of diversion each day and a nice work environment to catch up on the end of year madness during the balance of my time.

My problem is I rarely have the discipline to moderate and stay at Cat 5 properties, so I'm not familiar with many. I'm looking for somewhere in the continental US or outside the US, so long as the hotel is in a city served by AA. Easy transportation to and from the airport would be a huge plus.

Anyone have some suggestions for me?

I am not sure you want to stay that long in ZRH, but the REN is only cat. 5 and has a decent concierge floor with lounge.

Duplicate post

Without knowing more, I'd say JW Phuket is the best option.

Marriott's in Waikoloa, Vienna, Berlin, Munich and Montreal are all good choices. The Courtyard outside Paris in Neuilly is not bad.

Marriott has a couple of Cat. 5 resorts in or near the Florida panhandle. One is the Bay Point Marriott Golf Resort & Spa in Panama City Beach, FL and the other one is Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa in Point Clear, AL (just outside of Mobile.)

Neither is on the beach, but both are very nice resorts. (And if you like to golf, both will please you.)

I'm looking for somewhere in the continental US or outside the US, so long as the hotel is in a city served by AA.Paid with upgrade (AA only), paid or award ticket (AA and partners) in a premium cabin? Makes a huge difference in destinations. I too would recommend Phuket, but only if you can get award availability or are willing to pay for premium cabin. Going that far in Why is murder IMO.

You didn't say what your primary interest was for your "diversions" (beach?, nightlife? golfing? etc.) and if you have an area in mind, you could always check marriott.com yourself.;)

I'll throw one oddball out: The Courtyard San Francisco downtown is a cat. 5. It's not the finest property in the area (those are cat. 6) but there is plenty you can do without a car and the internet is free for when you want to do work. AA goes there all the time.

I think my short list would be SoCal, NorCal, NYC, and DC if I need to stay put for one full week in the U.S. and do a mix of business and leisure.

But if I picked NYC, I'd want to be in Manhattan, which probably rules it out with the Cat 5 cert.

I think SF would be my #1 choice, but I would have to be convinced that it's an outstanding Courtyard to want to spend a week there. I think I could get past the breakfast issue if it's a great property, but without knowing that it isn't a tired, older CY I'd be hesitant.

DC has a lot of good Renaissances and Marriotts in desirable neighborhoods at Cat 5. With this certificate, I think DC might become my #1 choice. Lots of restaurants/bars walking distance from at least three of the Cat 5's I've stayed at there. (It's where I tend to use those Visa certs.) No rental car necessary, but on a 1-week stay I'd probably find a nearby Hertz Local Edition and do a daytrip or two out into Virginia.

Thanks for all the responses.

Paid with upgrade (AA only), paid or award ticket (AA and partners) in a premium cabin? Makes a huge difference in destinations. I too would recommend Phuket, but only if you can get award availability or are willing to pay for premium cabin. Going that far in Why is murder IMO.

Y is out of the question, thus my preference for a destination served by AA. My intention (depending on where I start my flying from and where I am going to) would be to purchase a Y ticket and upgrade or, if on a 3class route and the price is right, purchase a D (or even I using our new-found ability to upgrade) and upgrade to F.

That would mean a strong preference for destinations served by AA metal but also a secondary preference for OW destinations.

You didn't say what your primary interest was for your "diversions" (beach?, nightlife? golfing? etc.) and if you have an area in mind, you could always check marriott.com yourself.;)

I'll throw one oddball out: The Courtyard San Francisco downtown is a cat. 5. It's not the finest property in the area (those are cat. 6) but there is plenty you can do without a car and the internet is free for when you want to do work. AA goes there all the time.

Obviously I'm aware of marriott.com ;). Since I normally breakdown and use points of USD to stay at Cat 7+ properties, I don't know which of the Cat 5 properties on marriott.com would be livable for 7-14 days.

For example, I've stayed at the Ren ZRH (mentioned above) and the JW PVG and loved both of these Cat 5 hotels. I've stayed at others that were horrible, in a bad neighborhood, looked like a set from Boogie Nights, etc.

As far as my preferred diversion goes, I would prefer someplace that has a good area for walking (my favorite conference call activity) and/or maybe a beach. Golfing and Nightlife aren't really my bag.

As far as my preferred diversion goes, I would prefer someplace that has a good area for walking (my favorite conference call activity) and/or maybe a beach. Golfing and Nightlife aren't really my bag.Park City Marriott. No the beach, but beautiful mountains and nice for walking about town and skiing or snowboarding for that matter. Get in some early season skiing or riding between T'gvg and Xmas.

BTW, I also telecommute, hence my 3+ months of leisure (aka alternate office) travel. Vail Marriott (cat 6 sorry) is my winter home away from home for 4-6 weeks each year. Only 2 weeks this coming ski season due to my first, of what hopes to be many, RTW trip.

DillMan: once you're into Category 5, 6, and 7, the specific category is more driven by award demand and the avg. revenue of the hotel than basic quality.

In other words, a medium-cost city can have an excellent Category 5 hotel. If you're in SF or NYC, a Cat 5 probably isn't a great place to spend a week. That's why I would say that if SF is on your wish list, research that Courtyard closely. Some of the newest CY developments in the heart of large cities are quite nice "near FS" hotels. Some of the older ones fall into that "okay for a night but wouldn't want to spend a week there" category.

I'm staying at the Marriott Cairo in two weeks, a Category 4. With rates at about $250/nt. all in, it's a good value at 80,000 points for 5 nights. By all accounts I've read, it's a perfectly acceptable Marriott which gets solid reviews both on FT and elsewhere.

Maybe consider Cairo? AA metal could probably get you to within 3-4 hours of CAI. Take a OW partner from there. (Worst case: LHR-CAI on BA.)

Maybe consider Cairo? AA metal could probably get you to within 3-4 hours of CAI. Take a OW partner from there. (Worst case: LHR-CAI on BA.)Cairo is definitely a neat place to visit and the Marriott on the Nile is in a great location. There is also the JW Marriott there which is a very nice and new resort hotel with its own waterpark, but it outside of the downtown area and you would need a taxi ride to get most anywhere from the JW.

If we are looking anywhere in the world, then China might be a very nice trip. The Shanghai JW Marriott is one of the nicest Marriott's I have been to in the world. It has one of the best CLs and the couple of times I was there, I was even upgraded to multi-room suites. And it is only a Cat. 5. ^ There are number of places to walk to and see fairly close and taxis there are fairly inexpensive as well.

The Shanghai JW Marriott is one of the nicest Marriott's I have been to in the world. It has one of the best CLs and the couple of times I was there...I think hte OP is already aware of that. ;)
For example, I've stayed at the... JW PVG and loved both of these Cat 5 hotels.

I think hte OP is already aware of that. ;)Are you trying to tell me that I should actually remember what the OP wrote? :p BTW, I did read the OP, but just plain forgot. :o

As mentioned above, Park City Marriott is a great property. You could get a shuttle from the airport and then use the free local transportation options.

I also like the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, the location is perfect for walking.