I was really amazed at how HIGH rates are in PSP for a stay this coming weekend(6/8-6/11)so I think it is becoming less common for real "bargains" to be had.Not like it used to be.
Staying at shadow ridge on the 3rd night free promo netted me $115 for a 1 bdrm. villa

My daughter and friend are currently staying at the Aruba Marriott using a 115k pointsaver (booked prior to category increase)…I hardly call that a ‘scam'.

Furthermore, they have been given an Ocean Veiw upgrade!!!!!!!!!
:D

Where is the smilie for "I know that and was being sarcastic"? :D

Yes, when that hot wind blows and sucks the moisture out of your body faster than you can replenish it, one wonders why one's there.

BTW, that same nuance provides an excellent opportunity, if a Marriott timeshare owner, to pick up a very inexpensive summer week to garner summer 13 month reservation privileges at other MVCI properties. I prefer MDS for this, as summer weeks there have no ROFR and, if used, allow guests access to the JRM and all its facilities.....otherwise, just deposit/rent out cheap to cover MF's and enjoy the benefits elsewhere...

Pat

I'd like a little more step-by-step on this method.

1. When I search for P17 and MR Rewards, it won't let me do it.
2. So I just search on P17 and I get a list of hotels
3. I fill in a date and check availability and it says that that rate is not offered.
4. Not only that, it doesn't provide the "dates flexible" option so I can check a month at a time.

Bottom line, from what I'm doing it appears to be not much better than checking for awards and selecting a pointsaver room (and getting told it's not available).

What am I doing wrong?

OK - never mind.

The trick is to put the dates you want in before you do the search. The result will be only those hotels (if any) which offer pointsavers for the time period you are looking for.

Please ignore snarky post. :) Thanks for the tip.

Courtyard Paris Neuilly
Marriott Rewards category: 6

We have two rooms for two nights in late July (Sunday and Monday night). Standard reward for two rooms two nights was 110,000 points. Pointsavers was 92,000 points for same. It was the only Paris property I could find where I could get three in each room without paying an extra upgrade fee or paying more points for a third room.

Well I think we can safely deduce from the posts above that pointsavers are NOT a scam.......

Amazingly enough, although it is certainly as hot as hell in Palm Springs in the late Spring and Summer, the area is popular with Europeans (especially Germans) when its really hot. Guess you always want what you don't have, here, hot, hot weather.

Nonetheless, I do agree that there might be a better use of points. Lots of folks who live in PS area head for San Diego or Europe in the Summer.

Summer time is when you get the really cheap rates on the top golf courses. I use some dude online called BoB Gibson that books all my golf. HE can get some great deals that include range balls.

There are also great stay and play packages with some of the resorts.

I used point savers 2 times at the JW Marriott Ihilani. Same time each year and even the awesome same room.

If pointsavers are a scam, bring me more of 'em!!!

I've had good luck with them, and I, too, have a couple of nights this summer at Paris/Nuilly(sp?).

I may not be sure how to spell the place, but its a nice little hotel in a lovely neighborhood. I've heard some griping here about it being a little out of the way, but I don't consider a ten minute walk to a ten minute metro ride a major problem. In fact, the walk is quite pleasant. I've never had much of a problem redeeming points/getting upgrades at this hotel, either.