I just got the 7 ngiht TP with southwest compansion pass.

I am from Philly. Anyone had a suggestion where to go (southwest only) and where to stay for 7 nights (cat 1-5)?

Agree...and to expand further some advice...with lessons learned over the years. I do EVERYTHING regarding a TP cert over the phone. Whether its attaching it to a reservation or detaching (if my plans changed). I make sure the rep knows exactly what I want. They do it-always very helpful. Then I refresh my account to make sure all is correct. Several times I have canceled reservations with a TP cert attached. Instead of returning to my account-its gone.

YMMV but this is my SOP now.

I'm going to guess that there was an internal memo about this around the time the blogger(s) were telling people to call and then HUACA if necessary.

It seems pretty clear now that the 5-nighters are off the table unless you own a timeshare.

working it
 

Redacted

Anyone get a cert recently who is banking on getting it extended after one year to be able to redeem at SPG properties (hopefully) in 2018? Trying to determine if I want to risk this with the knowledge that Marriott isn't required to extend the certs and may choose to stop this practice as they integrate SPG and have so many more hotels available for redemption.

Just got my cert and plan on using in 2018. Mainly got the package for the CP, the 7 nights are a bonus in my eyes.

When I called to redeem, the agent stated that the certs can be upgraded and extended without me asking the question. I agree that Marriott isn't required to extend the certs but it seems like in almost all cases they do. The SPG integration does add an interesting twist, they could alter the program significantly and remove extension, or it could add more hotels to redeem the certs at.

I'm planning on using in '18, although I had planned on just booking the stay this sometime year at an existing Marriott brand. I hadn't considered the SPG possibilities, simply because I totally expect a big round of serious category creep when the programs merge.

I expect that Marriott Rewards structure to be the one that survives. I even expect the TP's to survive: they've been the signature award for this program for almost the entire life of the program. It's still the best award in any program, and for me personally the primary value prop for staying with Marriott for many years. (Other programs treat their elites much better and match or beat Marriott on ROI when you're redeeming a simple hotel award for a couple nights. Marriott only wins when you get to the TP level.)

If the Travel Packages go away, then Hyatt becomes a clear choice for those who like high-touch elite treatment and Hilton becomes a better choice for people who just want to earn massive amounts of points per dollar for free nights.

However, when the programs integrate, I'm somewhat expecting the categories to go to 10-11 if they move the St. Regises into the Ritz tiers, or 12-13 if they get rid of Ritz tiers. Then it becomes really easy to bump everything up a category or two.

No reason why they wouldn't, on Southwest is making changes to TP redemptions on their side

It seems like there's anxiety every year about whether or not the TPs will go away. This year more than most since the merger is coming.

Airlines have come and gone in the past. And airlines have changed their treatment of hotel miles in the past. AA is in both of these categories: it was once a Marriott partner, and the miles transferred counted towards LT status. I wouldn't be LT Gold without Travel Packages. Then AA went away entirely. Then it came back, but the miles don't count for LT.

The underlying TP itself has survived, and my guess is that it will continue to do so as long as Marriott Rewards itself survives.

Does Marriott usually have a specific time of yea where they announce category changes ?

I want to use out Cat 7 cert in November 2018 at the Courtyard Ft Lauderedale Beach so I have to check and make sure it's category doesn't change.

Thanks

I want to say Feb/March-ish is when they announce category changes. (I could easily be wrong on this.) They announce the changes, give you about a month to book at old rates, meaning you can lock in a stay about a year out from when they announce the category changes.

So for a Nov 2018 stay, you have to survive 1 round of Category Creep.

A big IIRC, yes, middle of next month. They used to give until mid May to book at old rates but that's been severely cut back in recent years, maybe 2 weeks or so.

Marie will come on once a year with big fanfare to announce a heads up for FT members and we won't hear from her again.

90% chance, IMO, that property will increase.

There ought to be a law against Category 8 Courtyards. Sorry.

For what it's worth, my 120,000 Southwest points arrived in my account about 21 hours after I phoned Marriott for my TP. ^


Not that I really needed them that fast, but still...Marriott gets a ^ for it anyway.

I actually prefer this Courtyard over the CAT 8 Marriots in the area..........far from your typical CY

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/trave...derdale-beach/

Cat 5 would be my limit if I was king...

I had a relative who did the package for WN CP. He was a few hundred points short of the package he wanted, and they rounded up. Impressed with the service!

I've stayed at a couple Cat7 Courtyards, and.... I must say.... that when you walk into a hotel and smell the oxidized frying oil that they use in their disgusting kitchens throughout the entire lobby.... they are not deserving of anything more than Cat5.

This is the case at many of the CY hotels I stayed in through the last few years.

Would like to convert an existing rez of 7 nights to a travel package, but on my account it is showing as 5 nights + 2 nights. I think this might be because I originally reserved 5 nights and had to call and have them add 2 later. Is this a problem for booking the 7-night TP? If I try to create a new reservation, I'm offered only a king, and I need the 2 queens that I have in the 5+2 rez.

Tried calling MR today but when it transfers me over to operator from auto menu, phone cuts off. Every time.

Here's what my rez says:

Hotel Reward: 5 Nights, Category 8 Hotel 1 160,000
Hotel Reward: 2 Nights, Category 8 Hotel 1 80,000
Total points for stay: 240,000

Update: I finally got through to MR on the phone. So for future reference: 7-night award certs don't exist. It's always 5 + 2. To confirm this, I booked a dummy award rez for 7 nights at a random Marriott. Voila: 5 + 2.

I did look but have a dumb question. Can I book a travel package on line. and since I do not know where I want to go, can I leave the destination open?

Just want to get it done before the loop hole closes for WN.

I'll answer what I think you are asking. Ask again if I have it wrong.

I believe the only way to redeem a travel package is to call. And in my experience their award desk is closed on Sunday (though it was open on the Sunday right after the ability to move points was announced).

When you redeem a package, you identify the airline where you want the points to go. You do not need to book specific flights. You also do not need to book the hotel where you will use that portion of the award. Rather, the award goes into your account.

How did I do? Did I swing and miss?

you are Karnak the magnificent . (I think that's how they spell it.)

You perfectly answered my question.
thank you

I was looking at a couple of different hotels that when I click "Use Points" tell me that they are not available. Is using points the same as using one of these certificates? I've accumulated a number of Marriott points over the years, but I don't have much (any?) experience actually redeeming them.

Correct. Using the cert. is the same as an award stay. Points availability has to be available to use your cert.

Good to know. I just called in for the TP this morning and want to book some WN flights asap. I'll keep checking back for the points. Did your CP post at the same time as the points?

With the merger of SPG and Marriott, I managed to convert 120K SPG points to 360K Marriott points and got Marriott Travel Package with the following:

- 7 night Cat 8 certificate, which I used to book Sakura Tower Tokyo, Autograph Collection for 7 nights;
- 120000 British Airways Avios, which I used 80K Avios to get 4 * JL J NRT-HKG (5 hour flight) award redemption, with 40K Avios left.

This worked out really well as Avios is excellent for short and short-medium haul flights, especially great for intra-Asia travel from HKG and Japan. I could have convert them to AA or UA or AS miles but in this case, Avios fits the best for my immediate need.

It really is a great deal and I hope that the TP will remain in the restructured program going forward.

Given I am based at Australia, WN CP is no use for me but I can see why a lot of people here just send all the miles to WN.

How last minute can I request and apply a travel package?

Let's say on a Monday I am holding a seven night category six reservation (180000 points) starting on that Wednesday (with a Tuesday cancellation deadline) for a hotel that is sold out. If I have enough points -- that is 300000 total (including the 180000 points that would have gone for the stay) -- can I get a travel package for that stay, on Monday?

I would have 300000 points total to work with, not 300000 plus 180000 , I am not that point rich.

Is this definitely doable, possibly doable or not doable?

Thank you

I don't see why not. If you've got the award rez in place, the CSR can simply apply the TP hotel cert to that rez immediately in the same phone call. You wouldn't need the 180k + 300k.

Your comment re late checkout on last night (rather than use it to sleep in beds) really convinced me to pull the trigger on the 7-night TP. The thought of basically throwing away 40k was hard to stomach.

So here's what we're doing: 7 nights booked with TP but checkout at ~8 PM for 10:45 PM flight out of Maui on final night. This will actually be nice b/c the alternative (to save points originally) was MR Gold late checkout mid afternoon (if they'd let me), and then have car loaded with luggage for 4-5 hours. This way we can have a full day at the hotel and enjoy the pool, beach, etc then shower and get ready for red eye to LAX.

Thanks for suggesting this. I'm thrilled with the WN CP that I have coming. We will use our 120k WN easily and I'm now figuring we'll get at least $2000 worth of CP usage over the next 2 years.

UPDATE: 120k WN points posted, along with CP, exactly 24 hours after TP booked.

As already stated, it is doable, but you need to be just a bit careful. Marriott's reservation system automatically runs a check on reservation about a week end advance. If there is no award cert attached to that reservation, I do believe the system will automatically try to order one from your account. So if you have the points, you will notice a decrease in your balance. :eek: That should be easily taken care of when you call in to order your reward though.

The issue could be if you don't have enough points in your account for the system to order you an award. Based on comments here in FT, I think the system will send you an email notice of the fact that you don't have a cert attached to the reservation and that it is now less than a week away. I'm not sure exactly what the reservation system will do if you don't call in to MR Reservations to deal with it. I've never waited so close to the date to "test" out how the system responds that situation. So you might want to reverify your account and that reservation about a week or so before your stay, just to make sure Marriott's system doesn't do something (i.e. cancel, convert to cash, etc.) to the reservation before you order that cert and apply it.

Thanks -- look
 

I have the points right now at Starwood, and am holding off ordering the travel package now for two reasons
1. In case the trip gets cancelled for medical reasons
2. In case pointbreaks gives me an adequate 5000 points holiday inn -- I consider ihg points much less valuable.

I will know about the possibility of pointbreaks about six days prior, and over 72 hours prior I will have either booked at ihg or not.

So I will keep 300000 points at Marriott a month or more prior to the trip, monitor it, and either call and apply for the travel package or cancel the reservation 72 hours prior to check in.

I imagine that if the hotel changes categories between now and stay date, that that is irrelevant correct?..???? , since I already have a points booking at the current presumably lower rate. Or might that be an issue that will prevent them being able to convert from a seven night category six stay to a seven night category six travel package if the hotel is by then a category seven or eight ?

I purchased a category 8 package to get southwest companion pass. Can I use the certificate for a lower level reservation?

Yes. The cert is good for the stated Category level and all lower levels as well. Though you might be able to call MR and get them to refund the TP cost difference for a lower Category level. It would be worth trying.

If you want to downgrade, just call MR customer service and they will reissue the certificate portion of the travel package and refund the difference in points.

5 night package booked no issues
 

I just called the Marriott platinum reservations line and was able to book this on both my account and my dad's (im platinum he's gold). No questions or concerns about me booking 5 night cat 1-5 certificate. No discussion whatsoever about any 7 night minimum.

Dang. Are you a timeshare owner? Honestly I tried 12x and it was a solid full stop NO GO.

No, not a timeshare owner. Just a platinum and gold. I was going to try calling the Hong Kong reservations hotline (or another semi-English number) but didn't have to try that because lady on platinum desk did it with no issue. Maybe try another country's Rez hotline.

What's their platinum reservations line #?

it shows up as the contact number when you're logged into your platinum account. Also on your platinum card. You can probably google it too, I'm just not comfortable posting it out, sorry.