Originally Posted by
flannbarr
Very true but we don't usually spend much at Marriott. We earn most of our points using the credit card. In the past 4+ years, I have only earned 32,000 points from Marriott expenses.
So you only spent $6,400 in Marriott brand hotels over a FOUR YEAR period? In that context, your posts are not making a lot of sense!
Originally Posted by
OMCA
I think you have to look closely at what you can get for the SPG points. Personally, I frequent a Four Points a lot that is a Category 2 and only requires 3,000 points for a weekend stay. That's monster value compared to what I get with my Marriott Points that require 10,000 for a similar Courtyard nearby. Everyone's situation is unique, it depends on what you can get with your mountain of points. I'm still new on the Marriott scene but have been taking advantage of the stay 2, get one free promos. But once those are maxed, I'm back to SPG where my Plat status gets me a whack of benefits...
No offense intended to anyone, but IMO, using points for cheap hotels with any chain is a terrible return on value! A 3,000 point hotel at SPG, or a 10,000 point hotel with Marriott brands (for a 2 day stay) to me, is madness! I have historically have spent my points at hotels which run $450/night or more, such as Paris, London, Hawaii. A hotel which would cost 10,000 points would probably sell for less than $70/night MAX, so what's the point of that? However, at a hotel which goes for $700/night (which I have stayed at before on points), and which I would never pay for with my own money, that is a valuable use of points for me, because if not for points, I would not be staying there at all.
When you add to that the MR benefit of 'use points for 4 nights, get the 5th night free,' then the value increases by 25%, and at high $$$ properties, that is huge. That means that I could stay at a $700/night hotel for 5 nights, which would cost $3,500 if I was paying out of my pocket, for 140,000 points, that is a great deal, and a true benefit. That is true without even thinking about travel packages, which make points even more valuable!
[QUOTE=flannbarr;19934144]
Originally Posted by
shoreline
Very true about difficulty maintaining gold status with Marriott if I continue with my SPG credit card. I originally started out thinking I would switch my credit card back to MR. The gold rewards are great--I just received them in NYC. Marriott has more locations. I usually use my points in large cities where Marriott and Starwood both have a presence. I can get a lot more nights from 100,000 points in a Westin compared to a similar Marriott.
Since on hotel spend only (meaning no credit card points, no elite points, etc.) you only get 2 points/$ spent at SPG hotels, while you get 10 points/$ spent at Marriott hotels, that means that 10,000 SPG points are approximately equivalent to 50,000 MR points, so it is not a proper/reasonable comparison to say 100,000 points redeemed at a Westin (or any SPG hotel) is comparable to 100,000 points redeemed at a Marriott.
For a proper/reasonable comparison to be made, for 100,000 points redeemed at a Westin/SPG hotel, you must compare 500,000 points redeemed at a Marriott hotel. Before you object, remember that if you spent $50,000 at a SPG hotel, you would have 100,000 points, but for that same $50,000 at a Marriott hotel, you would have 500,000 points. It is never the redemption alone which is comparable, because it isn't, the earning accrual must also be included in the equation, otherwise the calculation is completely faulty.
Originally Posted by
sophiegirl
flanbarr -
what am I missing?
In the first post you are leaving SPG because of bennies, property mix, and nicer properties - along with a ressie system glitch annoyance.
Two posts later you are switching back to SPG because they fixed the system glitch.
What happened to the bennies, property qualities and mix?
Then back to Marriott due to the great bennies - but your earnings are primarily through the credit card?
You keep mentioning the Gold Bennies at Ren TS being "aplenty". What exactly do you mean by that? I have stayed at the Ren, and was not impressed with the bennie package!
Here are some thoughts -
1) if you do not travel very often, "bennies" should be the least of your concerns. Good pricing (with a free breakfast or other family friendly activity) will pay off far more for you - especially in resorts.
2) "Bennies" only really apply at top hotels in each chain. You mention SPG has no comp to CY - there are no bennies in a CY!
Instead of comparing properties solely on points, try looking at the room size, offerred activities your families will enjoy, hotel location.
You can always use your "points" for airfare!
I agree with Sophie, and further feel that the OP's reasoning is very inconsistent and faulty. Bottom line, if the OP wants status and meaningful benefits for his hotel stays (and credit card usage), since it sounds like the OP does not actually
stay at hotels all that much, that maximizing earning and status will require sticking to JUST ONE chain, and
ONE CHAIN ONLY. Otherwise, the OP's meager earnings and status will seem even more meager. Or, as Sophie suggests, use points earned for airline miles instead of redeeming for the actual hotel rooms on your family vacations.
So, pick one and stick with it, or, to paraphrase Yoda "...either do, or do not, there is no try..."