Hi,
I'm curious on other peoples' thoughts here. Traditionally, I have used my MR points at higher end properties which seemed like a decent use of points. On a recent trip, I thought it would be a good idea to use some points but was shocked at some of the discrepancies.

Lets consider Madrid, where I saw this:
- 1 night for 30,000 points or 96 EUD
- 1 night for 30,000 points or 220 EUD
- 1 night for 10,000 points or 100 EUD
- 1 night for 10,000 points or 46 EUD

30,000 points or 96 EUD? One property is 100 EUD or 10,000 points yet the property that is 96 EUD is 30,000 points!? These just don't seem to add up and it seems more like a craps shoot hoping the hotel you want to stay at happens to have better value.

Screen shots below:
https://secure.flickr.com/photos/118...6773/lightbox/
https://secure.flickr.com/photos/118...0634/lightbox/

Is there a rhyme or reason to this? I guess it is just based on however they categorize these properties?

Point values per night are pretty constant dependent on the hotel's category. Costs however fluctuate based on a number of factors such as day of week, time of year and availability. So you can be smart about when you use your points so that they give you the highest value.

While there may be a number of factors that go into a hotel's "category level", one of the major factors is award use at that hotel. The more awards used, the higher the category will go. So even if the rate just doesn't seem like it justifies a particular level, if people keep using awards there, the category level will stay high.

Also note that some hotels may have big rate swings based on seasons, location, etc. Thus it may have very expensive rates for weekends or certain seasons (i.e. skiing, etc.) but be very in-expensive at other times. But Marriott really doesn't have a mechanism to change the category levels throughout the year. Thus it may look very out of whack for some nights/seasons, yet look like a bargain for other nights/seasons.

Agree with posts above. An example close to you-when in DC is Marriott Dulles Suites. $279 during the week. $67 on the weekends. They are charging based on the market. However, award category is fixed so it will always be same number of points/night any day of the week.

dupe whoops

This is where being a good FTer has a lot of value!

As an example, I recently booked a stay at The Cosmopolitan in a Terrace Suite that was selling for about $850/night inclusive of taxes. I was able to book the same room with 40,000 points + $100 (a value of about $0.018/point, which is on the high side for marriott rewards points). However, I paid cash for another night during that stay which was significantly less expensive.

Most redemption opportunities I see are usually around half a cent per point…

As noted, prices value year-round, points categories don't. The ratios between the two obviously varies and you need to look at both to make a decision on which to choose.

Some ski resorts, for example, are very good bargains on points if you can get a room in February, or during Christmas/New Year's week. In May, not so much.

This.

Yes, and yes (although your second question is really more of a statement in which you pretty much answered your own question).

As others have pointed out, a hotel's category level is based on an algorithm of number award nights that were redeemed at that hotel.

Thanks for the responses. Most of my holiday trips are kind of spur of the moment and I find myself looking for things very last minute. I think the fact that most of my recent travel has been to eastern Europe in the winter may account for this . The rates are double in the summer. I wouldn't put Madrid in this category though. As a result, all of my Marriott stays in Europe this year have been <100 USD per night so I would rather earn the nights than spend 20,000+ points.
It does seem much better value to use the points at higher end properties (London, Paris, New York, Cosmopolitan, etc) but I find myself staying at these places using other methods. For instance, comped rooms at Vegas or AirBnB in Paris.
I guess this is the reason I tend to horde so many Marriott points!

You're not the only one -- I've earned 1.8m lifetime points with marriott and am sitting on 1.5 right now.

Thanks for the feedback. I guess the best use of points for me is the ridiculously priced properties that I would never spend cash on. I was able to recently use 10,000 Hilton points for what seemed like brand new hotels in Romania and Vietnam. I guess I need to get over the fact thinking I will get good value for these Marriott points. Looking at properties in Barcelona at the moment. Many of the AC hotels are <100 EUD a night yet higher than category 6 so I can't even use a cat 5 cert on them!

By far the best value from Marriott points is through redeeming travel packages in which a seven consecutive night hotel voucher is combined with miles deposited in your frequent flyer account.

Agree or some Cat 9/Tier 5 properties that sometimes go for the $1,000+ a night.

I will add another "favorite" of mine to this thread. Favorite because its a Category NINE Courtyard in Ocean City MD. 45k points/night year round. High season its about $400/night-crazy IMHO for a CY-no breakfast! But, the market supports it I guess. But, less than $100 in the off season. (still 45k points though)