Originally Posted by
tth6133
IMO, had Marriott not massively devalued the TPs, there wouldn't be so much interest in the current TPs. TPs went from among the best redemption options to no value at all or worst in the new combined program. Here's the new TP redemption chart with implied cost per hotel night (IC/N):
______________ 50K mi ________ IC/N _______ 100K mi ______ IC/N ________ Compared to Single Night Cost w/o TP
Cat 1-4 _______ 225K ________ 22.5K ________ 330K ________ 15K ______________________ 25K
5 _____________ 315K ________ 32.5K ________ 390K ________ 25K ______________________ 35K
6 _____________ 435K ________ 52.5K ________ 510K ________ 45K ______________________ 50K
7 _____________ 495K ________ 62.5K ________ 570K ________ 55K ______________________ 60K
8 _____________ 675K ________ 92.5K ________ 750K ________ 85K ______________________ 85K
IC/N is calculated after subtracting the MR points necessary to get the same number of airline miles without the TP and then the difference is divided by 6 (the 5th night is always free so the cost of 7 nights is really 6 times the cost of a single night). For example, for the new category 8 TP for 50K miles, the net cost for 7-night cat-8 hotel is 675K - 120K (the cost of 50K miles in a direct transfer without TP) or 555K. 555K divided by 6 is 92.5K
As you can see, in this case (and all the ones shaded red), the cost for the hotel portion of the TP actually exceeds the regular season cost. Who would do that in their right mind? You lose the flexibility of LOTS of transferable points (airline mile transfers are one-way), lock yourself into 7 nights of stay at a single hotel within a fixed time frame, and have the pleasure to pay MORE for each night?
Don't disagree with your conclusion of poor value in new travel packaging causing some of the fervor. But the new TP reflect Peak night cost, so the price per night should be higher, which isn't applicable for the next 6 months. That said, you may not need peak dates, so you're overpaying, but I understand why they did what they did as to keep it simple and avoid the situation where "I booked a 7 night package a Cat X hotel but can't use it when I want because 1 night is peak?!".
It would have been nicer if they provided a points value (per night or total) such that you could use it at an off-peak higher cat (if the math works), be refunded the difference if you don't use all the point value, or even be able to reshape your package by Cat/# of nights to the max cert value based on actual prices for the days of your stay. But that is all way to complicated from all angles to support.