So, I've recently gifted a trip to Prague for my college student brother & his girlfriend, and I'm now looking for a hotel for two nights. This will be in the summer high season, so prices for full-service hotels are steep, but the Courtyard Flora looks like a pretty good compromise. My question is, how to best gift it?

The easier option is to get it on points (38k for two nights), in which case they have to pay nothing. However, it's a Cat 4 so the pointwise cost seems a little high, and they don't get breakfast.

The other option is to pay for it: the same room is 119 euro/night with full breakfast for 2 included (or 114 without), and I have a conveniently expiring US$50 Bonus Buck to ease the pain. But is there any way I can authorize the hotel to charge my credit card for the balance? And paying for a Marriott without getting any points out of it just seems wrong...

Second opinions appreciated ^