Harv62

First of all, thanks to all the posters who have supplied so much useful information. Been lurking here for a while and have had so many questions answered from scrolling through this forum.

We started touring around the USA a few years ago watching baseball, and as we had no set route or schedule we used Hotels.com exclusively to quickly find the closest/cheapest place to stay wherever we happened to be after a day of driving. It worked well enough what with the free night after ten, plus we were buying gift cards on eBay for an additional 20% off so it was all relatively economical. Granted we got a few duds, but for the most part they all blended together into an amorphous blob and no chain really stood out (good or bad). Then in 2019 the cheap Hotels.com gift card supply disappeared, so we started looking at the different loyalty programs to see if maybe there were some benefits to picking a brand. After a few days of comparing rates in various travel scenarios, we stumbled across using Bonvoy points to stay at a Residence Inn during spring training in Arizona. 10 nights there and 5 nights at the Westin Kierland for 400k points seemed like a steal compared to a cash price of over $9k. So we grabbed an Amex Bonvoy card and down the Marriott rabbit hole we went.

And then sat at home for the next two years. Only good thing was we kept stacking Bonvoy points, and with all the covid extensions and incentives we also found ourselves Platinum members. So armed with a bunch of points, a couple of free night certificates and 5 suite night awards, we waited patiently for the land crossings to open up and baseball to begin again. Well, the border opened, and there was much rejoicing. And the baseball lockout started, and there was much anguish. However winter was still a thing, so hoping the baseball gods would smile upon us we threw caution to the wind, loaded the car and headed south towards Marriott (almost) exclusivity. And here is what we found...

Jamestown, ND Fairfield Inn: Cash rate, 1 night. Quite nice overall, no complaints whatsoever. Front desk agent was very pleasant and friendly, noted our status and we were upgraded to a suite.

Council Bluffs (Omaha), NB Fairfield Inn: Cash rate, 1 night. Not memorable in any way. we arrived quite late and left quite early.

Little Rock, AR Courtyard: Cash rate, 2 nights. Not memorable. Think we missed being offered the food & beverage credit, not sure though as we were new to this Platinum status thing.

Pensacola Beach, FL Springhill Suites: Cash rate, 4 nights. Great stay here! Staff were fantastic, property was great, we were upgraded to a room with an excellent view. Favorited this one and we'll be back.

At this time I noticed we were getting extra elite nights, and vaguely remember registering for a promotion on the app just before we left home. Did a little math and figured we would be able to hit Platinum on this trip. Cool. Onwards we go...

Plant City, FL Townplace Suites. Points redemption, 5 nights. Not going back here. The room and hotel itself are quite new and more than good enough. The exterior is laid out backwards though, with the grills, pool and fire pit about 50 yards from I4 on the front side of the hotel against the parking lot where it is incredibly loud and the exact opposite of relaxing. Staff were ok, morning front desk person was not a morning person. No mention of status, no upgrade.

Millennia (Orlando), FL Springhill Suites: Points Redemption, 2 nights. Nice place, nice location, full to the rafters. Staff was friendly, noticed status. $12/night parking fee was annoying.

Bonnet Creek (Orlando) JW Marriott: Points redemption, suite night upgrades, 5 nights. Stayed here to use our suite nights. Heh, a bit of an eye opener to a retired dirt farmer from the middle of nowhere. Staff were great, super friendly and very helpful, hotel was fantastic. A few drinks by the pool, a couple of meals in the restaurants, some resort and parking fees and we were out of pocket $900 plus at least another $100 cash in tips (What's the difference between a Canadian and a canoe? You can get a canoe to tip. :-). Some adjustment in thinking about relative value required if we're going to stay at higher end properties.

Orlando, FL Cypress Harbour Vacation Club: Cash rate, 4 nights. Nice resort, staff were friendly, lots of things to do here. Were invited to a timeshare sales presentation because of our Platinum status, not doing that again unless they up the bribery gift to make it worth the irritation and insults. Otherwise a great time and will return for sure.

Brandon (Tampa), FL Fairfield Inn: Cash rate, 2 nights. Ok I think? Nothing memorable at all.

Brandon (Tampa), FL Residence Inn: Cash rate, 3 nights. Staff was great, older hotel I think and getting a little shabby. Full I guess as we couldn't even get a king bed.

Orlando, FL Grande Vista Vacation Club: Cash rate, 5 nights. Another nice resort with great staff and plenty of things to do.

Clearwater Beach, FL Fairfield Inn: Points redemption, 3 nights. Great staff, nice hotel, good location. Valet parking. No upgrade.

At this time I get an email stating we've reached Titanium status. Yay! All those bonus nights really added up quick. Now we're really somebody! Almost as exciting as seeing our name in the phone book (anyone remember Steve Martin in The Jerk?). Also at this time we give up on spring training and start heading back home, naturally the lockout ends and they start up the day after we leave. Ah well, next year.

Atlanta, GA Waldorf Astoria: Used up the last of our Delta Skymiles to stay here for two nights in a suite. Amazing staff, nice hotel and very odd corner room layout. Was kinda cool to try, but a bit too upscale for our comfort zone.

Pigeon Forge, TN Courtyard: Cash rate, 3 nights. Great staff, great hotel. Noted our Titanium status, no upgrade. Still not being fully aware of how the welcome amenity works at various brands just took the points instead of the food & beverage vouchers. Will return here for sure.

Florence, KY Hyatt Place: Used up a leftover Hotels.com gift card on this for one night to see what the Hyatt brand is like. Not going back here. Nope.

Dayton, OH Fairfield Inn: Points Redemption, 1 night. Very friendly staff, nice hotel and downtown location. Noted status and upgraded us to a corner suite.

Rockford, IL Fairfield Inn: Points Redemption, 1 night. Nothing memorable.

Bloomington (Minneapolis), MN JW Marriott. Cash and free night certificates, 4 nights. Paid cash for two nights in a suite, then had two free night certs which they upgraded so we didn't have to change rooms. Nice hotel, very nice suite, staff were great. Somehow though the bill for breakfast exceeded our $40 voucher on 2 mornings, even though we had the identical order every day. Very convenient being attached to the Mall of America.

And finally another Hotels.com gift card used at a Country Inn and Suites in Minot, ND. No Marriotts to be found here in any case, and we've stayed here multiple times now.

So that was a nice tour of a few different types of Marriott brands. A couple of standouts, but for the most part they're all pretty generic to us and the way we stay. Next trip we're going to get off the interstate a ways and seek out some of the other brands for some variety, even the smaller cities have a pretty good mix in their downtown areas it looks like.

And maybe in the future we should be asking for room upgrades at check-in? We just used the checkin through the app before arrival assuming we would get an upgrade if available, but from doing some reading that might not be the optimal method? Not big deal for the one night stays, but the extra space would be nice on the multi-nighters.

Otherwise no regrets going with the Bonvoy program so far. Already looking forward to our next trip and trying some new and different places.

dadgummit

Thank you for this! It is very useful to get data points on some of the less "aspirational" properties (I stay at many of these). Best of luck in your travel journeys; I love how you've figured out a strategy that works for you!

hedoman

A very nice read. Chalk the trip up to a learning about Bonvoy experience. You'll know much more about program benefits next time. It's good you got the ripped off feeling of the higher end properties out of your system. And Nebraska is NE, not NB. Any good Canadian should know that, despite only a handful of Americans outside the Midwest knowing.

Harv62

Rats, there is no Omaha, New Brunswick nor is the B key close enough to the E key to claim a simple typo. Busted.

{edit:} I just noticed we didn’t make it into Nebraska anyways. We never went across the Missouri into Omaha itself, so were actually in Iowa that night.

Out of my Element

Great post and I love how you tell a story

Harv62

Thanks! I really don't do reviews (yet anyways) so might as well try to make it a little entertaining and mildly interesting. As most of these are interstate type stays the bar is set pretty low anyways. Been looking at different routes we might take next year and seeing some Marriotts, Westins and the like we could try instead of the cookie cutter Fairfields and Courtyards. And then there are the Aloft, AC, Moxy types that we've never looked at...might be worth staying at a few of these and really breaking out of our comfort zone. Our experience with some of these might be good for a chuckle or two.

hedoman

Long after one chuckle comes the pain of trying to make the best of your stay. And the pain of knowing you actually paid for it. This being said after recent Lisbon Moxy stay. The other two not as crippling, but once is enough.

Harv62

Here we are a year later, and with greatly renewed optimism that baseball would actually, finally, be a thing in Florida we headed south once again. After last year’s grind through far too many hotels we lengthened some stays, as well as picking some (hopefully) nicer hotels along the way. We also added the Amex Hilton Aspire card this year to give us some extra flexibility at a couple of locations.

So off we go, with a whirlwind tour of 9 Marriotts, 3 Hiltons, a Ritz and a Waldorf over a couple of months in early 2023…


Hampton Inn & Suites, Jamestown, ND. 1 night, cash rate. First ever stay at a Hampton, everything was fine, breakfast was standard fare. Nothing memorable.

The Farnam Autograph Collection, Omaha, NE. 1 night, points. We were upgraded to a visionary suite at check in, very nice room (and hotel). Valet somehow managed to snap a key dangler off the car key fob and then hid the evidence in a cup holder when we left, probably should’ve gone back to get his tip and my key dangler back. Had to ask about breakfast in the morning and was given 2x $14 coupons for grab and go items in a little coffee shop behind the lobby. Nice place to visit, probably won’t go back as it’s downtown and a bit off our beaten path.

Marriott’s Willow Ridge Lodge, Branson, MO. 3 nights, cash. A Vacation Club property that we stopped at for a couple of days to have a look around the area. One bedroom suites were quite affordable at just over $100/night in the (very) off season. Nice property and would go back if we’re feeling touristy in the future.

Fairfield Inn & Suites, Jackson Airport, Pearl, MS. 1 night, cash. Standard fare, very good overall, nothing memorable.

Springhill Suites, Pensacola Beach, FL. 2 nights, cash. Upgraded to a large gulf view suite (with bunk beds! I didn’t know bunk beds were a thing at hotels) at check in, very spacious and quite nice. Pools were clean and warm, property is great overall and right on the beach. Good standard breakfast and there was coffee available all day. Still unable to see the US Naval Aviation Museum so we’ll be back here when it’s open to the public again.

Embassy Suites, Brandon, FL. 2 nights, cash. Stayed here to see some friends that live nearby. Very nice, excellent location, breakfast was great and the staff were fantastic. Will be back for sure.

Marriott’s Cypress Harbour Villas, Orlando, FL. 30 nights, cash. Somewhat difficult to book a large block of nights as a non-owner, annoying timeshare presentation and rates keep going up but having a fully equipped 2 bedroom on a great property for a month is well worth it for us.

Hampton Inn, Hollywood/Aventura, FL. 1 night, cash. Went to see Def Leppard & Motley Crüe and stayed here because of the 9.2 rating. No way this should be a 9.2 rated hotel. It isn’t bad, just not that good. Very strong and lingering cleaning product smell that will make your eyes water.

Fenway Autograph Collection, Dunedin, FL. 6 nights, points. Upgraded to a one bedroom suite overlooking the pool at check in. Great hotel, great staff, great live music, great ambiance and most importantly it’s within an easy walk of the Blue Jays’ TD Ballpark. Already booked next year’s stay here. The room could use some updating but was perfectly serviceable. The HiFi rooftop bar was always busy, and the sunset ceremony was fun. Only oddity was we received a voucher for $20 off the menu items or a complimentary French breakfast, but had to pay $1.40 tax for the “free” breakfast. Somewhat strange I thought.

Waldorf Astoria, Atlanta, GA. 1 night, FNA. Stayed here using the FNA from the Aspire card, we were upgraded to a high floor Premium King Room in the app prior to check in. Very very nice but still a bit out of our comfort zone, although we’re slowly adapting. Will keep going back if we continue to hold the Aspire.

Courtyard Inn, Pigeon Forge, TN. 3 nights, cash. We were upgraded to a nice 1 bedroom suite at check in. Wanted to see a few more things in the Gatlinburg area so stayed here again. Nice property, people were great, breakfast sandwich was excellent, Cobb salad was very good. Will return here again if we venture back to the area.

Marriott at the University of Dayton, OH. 2 nights, cash. Booked a Parlour Suite, oddest layout of any hotel room I’ve ever seen…huge mostly empty main room with a long (and I mean loooong) mostly empty hallway leading to a tiny vanity with sink and then a shower/toilet room that was cramped enough that you had to stand in the shower to close the door behind you. Also had a postage stamp balcony looking over a large courtyard…being able to open a window/door was nice. Room was good though, but the main hallway carpeting had tall enough ripples to trip over. Lounge was decent, food was ok, staff were fantastic.

Ritz Carlton, St Louis, MO. 5 nights, points. Pretty…errr…ritzy for a dirt farmer. Upgraded at check in to a 15th floor larger premium room with a little balcony and a view of the Arch. Nice place, very nice people, reasonable drive to the ballpark for opening week Cardinals vs Blue Jays. Still having trouble reconciling $27 for a Caesar salad with some chicken in it or $26 for a couple of scrambled eggs. Really, lettuce is lettuce and eggs are eggs, made the $18 ballpark hotdog look almost economical. Anyhoo, beautiful and comfortable room and a great time.

JW Marriott, Mall of America, Bloomington, MN. 4 nights, points and a FNA. Tried to use SNA’s here but they failed for some reason, however on check in we were upgraded to a one bedroom suite which we think was nicer than the executive suite we had last year. The lounge was open, lots of tasty bite sized options in the evening and breakfast was very good also. Will be back every year without a doubt.

And finally the trusty Country Inn & Suites in Minot, ND before arriving home. It’s getting a little bit worn since our first stay years ago, but it is comfortable and hopefully it’ll get a reno someday.

So after over 11,000 kilometres of driving and many stops we’re back in SK. Was a great trip with a few more brands sampled, and we received some pretty good upgrades along the way. Only a couple of disappointments that were more than offset by the rest, and we’re starting to get more of a feel of what the different brands have to offer and what we want/expect from a stay. Already looking forward to seeing what the next trip will bring for new experiences.

Oh, as an added bonus this year we rubbed shoulders with some baseball royalty…Mark Shapiro (president and CEO of the Blue Jays) at the Fenway, and Joe Torre (formerly of the Cardinals and Yankees) at the Ritz. Fun stuff.

Out of my Element

Another nice report. Any idea why a hotel would be called "Fenway" in Blue Jay territory?

We stayed at that Ritz for a wedding 2 years ago. I forgot my tie and the desk agent let me chose from any tie in the shop to borrow for the event. I will never forget that courtesy (but yes, the breakfast was 'spensive!)

yyzflyer

Thank you for your most recent report. We did the Spring Training thing regularly prior to Covid - sometimes as an add-on to a month of "snowbirding" elsewhere in Florida. Although I've driven by the Fenway several times we've yet to stay there, preferring a longer term at nearby limited service properties. It's interesting the Jays' entourage staying there - they used to use the Vinoy in St. Pete. This year we skipped baseball entirely but still spent almost 50 nights in various hotels (including the drive down and back). Our only upgrades on the entire trip came at two different Fairfields and a Hampton, despite several full-service properties in the itinerary. One of our regulars - the Marriott Cleveland East - is going to get passed next time.

RobOnLI

NB = New Brunswick, Canada
NE = Nebraska, USA
IA = Iowa, USA, where you actually were for Council Bluffs :-D

Great reports and sounds like you have a few locations you like to go back to. Interesting that the one you have gone back to and enjoyed both times is definitely a higher end property (JW Marriott in MSP).

Keep enjoying the road trips and baseball!
-RM

FiduciaryBooty

I stay at this hotel annually to visit family and it's a consistently average stay for the nicest Marriott in town. I think I know this room, or at least a few of the parlor suites, which are large rooms but furnished with the same furniture set as a standard room. It can be useful to have all that empty space with a small active child, but it's not exactly luxury. And don't get me started on the open shelving as closet space. That being said, though, the last time I stayed and they couldn't honor my SNA, 30 minutes after checking in I got an excited call from the FD asking if I still wanted a suite, as one had just cancelled. She moved us into an actual furnished suite with a dining table, a really nice upgrade for a seven night stay over the holidays.

Harv62

Thanks! I think The Fenway predates the Blue Jays by a few decades, but the name did cause some confusion when we were chatting with various folks about where we were all staying in the area. Some looked at us like we were clueless Canadians with no concept of US geography, while others thought we were from Boston (minus the accent of course). Made for a couple of humorous discussions as we worked it all out.

The staff at the St Louis Ritz are amazingly friendly and helpful alright. Maybe it’s just all part of the Ritz “experience”, but with one exception they all seemed quite genuine and were just nice people.

Harv62

Thanks! Yeah, the JW in Minneapolis is perfect for us at the end of our trip to just relax and shift mental gears before getting home. It’s very nice, lots of food options, the mall is perfect to just stroll around in and we usually catch a couple of movies all without needing to actually go outdoors at any time. Not the most inexpensive option, but it is super convenient and we usually have enough points banked from the previous weeks to park here for a few days and make sure the weather is good for the last two days of driving.