Originally Posted by
factory81
Renaissance Lucerne has no standard award availability in over half a dozen random dates checked throughout 2020. Many of the dates show Deluxe/Superior room availability; but they do not offer cash + points on those room types always. Typically offering cash + points on just the junior suite and above.
Mighty disappointing to see. Marriott points aren't worth much at all these days
Originally Posted by
matravelguy
I checked the calendar instead of picking random dates. You are right: there is no award availability at all in the second half of May or in June, July, August, September, or October. There are plenty of standard rooms available throughout those months (the same rooms that are available on points when the hotel does make award rooms available).
Add me to that - they want 170 CHF additional payment for the "junior suite". The other Marriott brand wants 100 CHF for a "corner suite" on the dates in May we are checking...
Well, since we do not have to stay at Lucerne, (and we can also use pts at Radisson Blu if we want to), we simply just skip the town for overnight and head straight to the Italian lake, our real "destination".
I would not say BonVoy pts are useless - it all depends on where the redemption is popular or not. The Ren at St, Petersburg, Russia being a Cat 3 is a reasonably good value.