Originally Posted by
hockeyinsider
There are some Marriott/Ritz-Carlton beach/resort properties in Indonesia and Malaysia that are below category five, if you're willing to travel that far.
If they're tagged as "resorts", then you get no benefits (which is basically what this thread is about). Same holds true for Ritz.
Originally Posted by
ohmark
Interestingly, much of the above also describes St Petersburg FL.
Downtown St Pete has become nationally recognized for its art, cultural attractions, and restaurants. It's within a 15-25 minute drive from some of the USA's finest beaches including Fort Desoto, St Petersburg Beach, Clearwater Beach, Treasure Island Beach and others. And there are Marriott brands all over the area, including full-service non-resort properties, a Ren golf/tennis resort, and a Residence Inn right smack on Treasure Island Beach. Oh, and while Spain's Dali Museum is about 100 miles from Barcelona (give or take), the USA's spectacular Dali Museum is smack on Tampa Bay, in downtown St. Petersburg.
I've only spent 1 day in St. Pete - this past year as part of a baseball trip - and I have to admit the downtown area looked pretty cool. I could tell even driving through that there was life - a cultural oasis in the middle of Florida. We spent an afternoon over at St Pete Beach and it was a really great beach, especially if you're looking for one with perfect sand and calm waters that kids can enjoy... The Clearwater area is crowded, but many miles of the beach are wide open with few other people in sight.
Originally Posted by
Old Hickory
I apologize for being disruptive to the subject but can someone please explain to me why a free hotel breakfast is a priority when deciding on a travel destination? Am I missing something?
Hotel elite benefits aren't usually a driver for me picking a destination. If there's a city in this world I want to visit, I'll make plans to go there even if there are no Marriotts, Hiltons, etc. In some parts of the world, I actually love the local guesthouses, B&B's, whatever... But if I've settled on an area and am looking at different award options, we have this (stupid, IMHO) distinction within Marriott that it can't be a "resort" if you want elite benefits. Thus this thread: where are good non-resort options near resort-y places?
Plus there's something psychological: it feels like Marriott is ripping me off at resorts. I have a resort-ish stay coming up, using a Travel Package, but it's at an MVCI. (I found an elusive 7-night award at MVCI!!!
) That doesn't bother me at all, because I always had zero expectation of elite benefits at MVCI. Hilton and Starwood don't provide benefits at their timeshare brands either. I don't feel like it's being taken away from me arbitrarily. And I have a kitchen, so I don't need the hotel to provide me breakfast.