Trying to get a best practice here...want to use miles for a stay in Chicago, is it better to use airline miles (UA in this case) or Marriott miles? Checked around, UA miles is approx. 25k miles and Marriott is 11k miles.

Or is it better to just pay and save for int'l stay or a better "resort" stay? Just wondering, it would cost ab $130 in this case.

Silly question I know, but was just wondering what everyone does...

Thanks.

It all depends on how you like to use your airline miles and hotel points.

Generally speaking - airline miles are worth the most when used for airline flights; hotel points are worth the most when used for hotel stays. In your example, I'd never use 25,000 United miles for a $130 hotel room. I'd use that when I needed to take a flight that was quite a bit more expensive...say, a U.S.-Canada transborder trip.

11k Marriott points for a $130 room is a pretty good deal...but I have to ask: what property and where did you see the 11k redemption amount? (11k isn't a regular category in Marriott Rewards.)

I tend to value my MR at 1.3 cents per point, so your room is in a range where I'd consider booking the award.

(Is it possible you have your United and Marriott mile/point levels reversed? 25k Marriott is a Category 5 hotel, and 11k United sounds like what their car/hotel portal would offer for a $130 room.)

A lot of us here *do* save our points for bigger awards - Travel Packages, 5 night awards, etc. But that implies that you're able to earn points at a pretty high rate through paid stays. I participate in other programs where I don't earn many points and just burn 'em when I have enough for 1 free night. Marriott Rewards *may* get overhauled in 2019 as a result of the Starwood merger, so I wouldn't embark on a long slow journey to an aspirational award 3-4 years down the road.

Thanks pinniped. You're right, I did get them mixed up, 25k MR or 11k UA miles. You're right, for 1 night here and there, its better off to pay $ and save up for the extended stays abroad or with travel packages. Thanks for the tip.
If anything I will consider the 11k UA miles, with a valuation of 1.5 cents, it makes more sense...