You can definitely upgrade the category using points with no penalty, but not online. I've done it a few times over the phone. I typically redeem my TP's as Cat 5 because I usually don't know where I'm going to use the hotel part. I assume (but have not tested) that you can't downgrade a redeemed cert penalty-free.

I've done it as both Gold and Platinum. I don't think the agents were doing anything out of policy for me.

There's no mechanism to pay any kind of difference in cash. Has to be points. (I suppose you could buy the points, within limits.)

I want to use it in HI they only have Cat 7 and 8 there

You can upgrade a 7-night Cat 5 cert to any of the higher categories by adding additional Marriott points.

Thanks,

How about availability for the certificate stay, does the hotel need to have rooms that are bookable with points, or does the certificate have expanded availability?

Has to have 7 nights availability w/ points.

Yes you can. I am planning to do this to a Cat5 package I am currently sitting on.

No expanded availability or anything like that. But if you have a stay longer than 7 nights, the 7 "award" nights do not have to be contiguous. IOW, if you had a 9 night stay, you could have a couple of paid nights during any of the 9 nights.

Finding space for a week on Kauai
 

I'm new to redeeming a travel package, and wonder if the hotel inventory for these certificates is the same as that for individual room bookings with points?

I've never had a problem booking rooms for up to several nights through points, but now that I look for week long stays in Hawaii at the Kauai Lagoons vacation club, I can't find any availability for week long reward bookings in April or May 2017.

Has anyone been able to book week long stays at the Kauai vacation club properties (Lihue or Poipu), and if so, how far in advance was the space available?

Correct. Travel packages use MRP inventory. So, you must be able to see points availability for the nights you are seeking. Keep in mind, this cert will only get you the "guest room" portion of a villa-if you find availability . You will need additional points or cash to upgrade for 1BR/2BR villas.

Thanks, and from this thread, it looks like Marriott Vacation Clubs are now rarely available through points. Disappointing, but at least I know not to look for something that is rarely there:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marri...roperties.html

It all depends on the property and the time of the year you are looking for.

I just had a very nice award stay (2 bedroom unit as well) at the Aruba Ocean Club back in May. So even "tropical" locations can and do have award availability, but don't expect it during high seasons. And yes, there will always be some locations that will very likely never have much (if any) award availability.

Obviously, a different property, but, in January, I redeemed for a Travel Package stay at the Kauai Marriott Resort for October.

Thanks for sharing this. So there is hope on Kauai after all! I guess October is pretty much the low season. I'll keep looking for May though.

There's plenty of availability at Kauai Marriott Resort in May 2017 with the exception of the nights of May 16 and 17. At Kauai Marriott Resort web page do My date are flexible search of 1-night stays to see availability.

If your travel dates includes the nights of May 16 or 17, then do a 8 or night night stay with those two nights paid as you can use a 7 nights certificate for 7 award nights as long as they are part of a contiguous stay. While you might be able to do this online, I would call and have a Marriott reservations agent set it up.

For redemption of a 7 night Marriott Travel Package for a cat 1-5 hotel, is this how it should look? I had made the 7 night reservation online and called in to MR and asked to have the cert attached.
This is what I see in my account for the reservation::
"This reservation has e-certificate(s).
Your Reward certificates will be sent to your hotel.
Summary of Charges
Reward Description Qty Points
Hotel Reward: 5 Nights, Category 3 Hotel 1 60,000
Hotel Reward: 2 Nights, Category 3 Hotel 1 30,000
Total points for stay: 90,000"

Back story:
I had acquired a Marriott Travel Package cat 1-5 hotels back in April 2015. My plans changed and I could not use the hotel certificate within 12 months, so I extended it in April 2017. The certificate then appeared in my account as partial travel certificate 65,000 points.

Between the partial cert showing up in my account as 65000 points and this displaying as two separate rewards, I am concerned that something is wrong and I am expected to provide an additional 30,000 points before check in. The MR CSR did not say there was any issue and I did say it was a 7 night cert, but it looks odd to me. But then I have never redeemed one before.

THANK YOU