The T and C states "Conversions for hotel and air packages from Hotel Partners are not included for this offer. "

Thx! I should have paid more attention what was written.

The bonus had been available for travel packages previously but that option was removed recently.

How long for transfer of miles with the flights+ miles package?
 

Waiting for a few days now to my aa account yet no miles yet...

Managed to convince a Marriott supervisor to downgrade my Tier 5 cert to a Cat 8 and refund the 180k point difference even though conversions between Marriott and Ritz tiers are apparently not normally allowed. Looks like Ritz will be bookable for 60k/night as of August, but I suspect the Cat 8 hotel I've been looking at will end up increasing in price.

Yeah im a Ritz guy and some of them will be at the higher level in 2019... im gonna have to maximize this perk till the end of the year.

So if a RC hotel is going down to 60,000 a night would we be safe in sticking with a Tier 1-3 package or should I upgrade to Tier 4-5 package (and hope for a refund of points).

I currently have a 1-5 Cat voucher that lasts until April 19. My intention before the changes was to upgrade it to a Cat 7 or 8 voucher and redeem for one of the hotels I wanted in that category in either Hawaii or Whistler (still making up my mind which trip to do). Does anyone have any idea as to what the best approach is? I.e. upgrade and book now, hold until Aug then book etc. Also, what is the policy on new package buys? Before or after Aug?

When you guys opt to use a 7-night cert for only a 5-night stay, do you typically make a booking of 7 nights and just leave the hotel prior to your check-out date? Or do you make a booking of 5 nights and apply the cert towards that?

Surely it would be beneficial to do the former, given the extra elite nights you'd earn? Is there a chance of the hotel penalizing you when it finds out that you've bailed a few days earlier?

Wish I could be convinced to pull the trigger on one of these, but I have so many airline miles, which are hard to use, vs MR points, which even though capacity controlled, are easier to use.

seems like I’ll run out of MR points before airline miles.

and since I was ready planning a week at a Cat 6 next year, getting them at 60k vs 100k in the new scheme, and 105k in the old SPG (converters to MR) values, that trumps the boost from swapping MR points for airline miles.

Airline miles are much more valuable than Marriott points if you have travel flexibility and are using them for high-value redemptions (e.g., international business or first class travel). With the number of transfer partners Marriott has, you can often find some redemptions that you wouldn't be able to access if you were limited to your "home" airline program. That said, not everyone has that kind of flexibility or the desire to use the points in that manner. :)

I'm confused by your numbers though, or why you think your property is going from 60K (per night? per week?) to 100K.

Do agree that the packages may not be a good option for mile-rich person, but it's a best tool for me. Currently planing an Asia-Dubai-SFO Emrates A380 1st for my parents. Don't know why taking a shower on the flight is a big deal for them though. Only way I can reach the goal is TP to Alaska. 900K MR is definitely better than 15k cash.

Nope, you can book stays for less than 7 nights using the 7 night certificates.