Vail Marriott
 

I was wondering if breakfast is provided for Platinums at the Vail Marriott. I know some resorts are exempt per the Terms and Conditions. I am looking at the available rooms and I could book a "Lodge" or Studio" room in a Stay Anytime reward that includes breakfast for 117,000 points instead of a Standard room for 78,000 points.
If breakfast is included for platinum, I will probably book the standard. If Breakfast isnt I will book Stay Anytime as I will get a better room and breakfast. Would also appreciate comparing Lodge and Studio room types.

Thanks

It is a resort so no free breakfast for Plats. The breakfast buffet is very very good but not cheap (nor is anything else in Vail). Figure on $20-25 per adult for the buffet. The ldge rooms are quite a bit nicer than the standard rooms imho. Do a search, much has been written on this property.

Breakfast is not included for plats. I stay there 3-5 weeks per year and have been staying there for the past 8 years. Regarding the buffet breakfast, it is not forth it at 19.95 per person. I order off of the menu. American breakfast for much less and it includes your choice of eggs and meat and comes with hash browns, juice and coffee. When I order Eggs Benedict I do the free coffee in the lobby, although depending on your server they may not charge you for coffee/juice (but they are suppose to).

It never ceases to amaze me how the same class of people who think nothing of tipping a bellman $2 a bag or paying $85 for a lift ticket work their butts off to find the "free coffee in the lobby" at a 4-star resort. :D :D :D

How do you think the rich get to be that way?

Not to mention free cookies and cider in the afternoon. :D

I really should have been more specific in my previous post, but for the sake of brevity it resulted in a post that was open to interpretation. To be a bit more specific… I stay on east coast time when I am out there and am awake and down in the lobby working at 5 AM for a couple hours. Todd, the night auditor, is very nice and gets a cup of coffee from the kitchen for me since the complimentary coffee service in the Avalanche Pub is not available until 6:30. So it is not that I make a special effort to get free coffee downstairs, it is that I have already had a couple cups and if it is not included with the breakfast entrée I wish to order then I don't order it. So as you can see the only work it takes me to do coffee in the lobby is being down there "Working" in the first place.

Oh, and FWIW I don’t pay $85 for a lift ticket. And, my guess is you don’t either. I do tip the porter a couple dollars per bag, and I also tip Todd $5 every couple days for the coffee he gets me from the kitchen.

BTW, I am currently in Breck and just stopped in for lunch. MVCI here is really getting a bit ragged. Snow is good. Well back out to the slopes.

You're supposed to be on vacation - start acting like it! :D :D :D

And believe it or not, I've often seen "rich" people pay rack rate for lift tix. Although it sounds like you may be on a VRI multiplan.

Colorado Pass. Oh, and I am not rich. If I was I would be buying one of those 1705 sq. ft. 2 bedroom 3 bath Ritz Carlton Residences for $3.8 million.

I take 8-12 weeks of vacation a year (4-6 weeks skiing at Vail/Breck). Working while on vacation affords me that luxury. It's no different than working from home (my office) except the ski slopes, dive sites, etc. are right out the door.

I book paid stays when I find good rates, try to use points otherwise. The last few years have worked well. All I can find so far for next year is stay anytime, bummer.

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: Sweet Jesus! How dumb do you have to be to buy into that! :eek: :eek: :eek:

Dumb? Dumb as in...many of the buyers will flip them in six months or so for, say, $4.5 mil? It's still that hot in Vail real estate, my friend.

I doubt that rich people get rich by saving $2 on a cup of coffee. I've replaced my incandescent light bulbs for fluroescent ones and go around turning them off all the time when no one is in the room. Sure wish that would make me rich.:p

After years of being slammed by Marriott Rewards people who saved up hundreds of thousands of points for their single "vacation of a lifetime" in the only Marriott product of quality in the Colorado mountains...I think the property has finally wised up. It was a good ride for MR peeps while it lasted.

Breakfast or no breakfast (love that crunchy French toast with a side of bacon...), what a great hotel! We hadn't stayed there since before the fire & we're totally impressed with what a good job they did of rebuilding, how nice the staff were & loved our double upgrade from a studio suite to a Mountain suite - fantastic room with 1 1/2 baths, 2 balconies, kitchen, living room w/ dining table, mountain views, fireplace... (Rooms #102 & #104 - had booked a standard room for the kids & this had the single door opening to a foyer with doors to each of the rooms - perfect set-up. Their room #102 was pretty small & I'd be unhappy if I'd paid $469 for a standard & got only that, but with our upgrade, I wasn't complaining... I'm assuming ((hoping)) it's only used when adjoining rooms are requested.)

As everyone knows, Lionshead especially is pretty torn up - Bridge Street was the only still pristine looking, non-construction area in town. Was very happy for that non-construction view room, as that was about the only time we weren't looking at building equipment.

Yeah, but the views in summit cnty are much better since the mountain isn't at the end of your nose and the highway noise at night is a cricket noise killer. :p Sorry...biased. Will take a dump in Frisco anytime over a night in Vail.

As of the past few days there are no Standard Rooms available anytime during the period of Jan 5 - Feb 16 (Feb 9-16 being available for booking just today). Also effective the last few days there are also no Stay Anytime awards available. It appears as though they have not loaded their full inventory, whether this is intentional or an oversight is yet to be seen. I will call them when I return home in about 10 days to fidn out what gives.

Probably will load Monday or Tuesday. I don't know the exact parameters needed for minimum inventories of Standard Awards and Stay Anytime Awards (although it sounds like you probably do :D :D :D) but I'm convinced the property will load the minimum, and ONLY the minimum, numbers needed to satisfy any contractural obligations with Marriott.

And why would anyone expect a hotel that will fill up during that timeframe to do anything else?

I don't. I suspect others hope otherwise. As I've been trying to say in previous posts, I think Vail Marriott has been quite liberal in award stay policy in the past, but will be less so in the future. It was a good run while it lasted.

No luck either at Park City
 

Yes, things are much different now. I also couldn't find any available standard reward stay during Jan-Feb 15, 2008. I checked the Park City Marriott (not even comparable to the Vail resort) and found what I needed but... cancellation deadline is March 5, 2007. Impossible to commit to that at this point. It looks I will have to spend my points elsewhere and pay for my stay on the slopes.

OK, due to all of our guessing I decided to follow up on this yesterday in order to get more definitive information.

I tried contacting the hotel directly but was unable to get through to anybody who handles award inventory. In order not to make a fuss, like calling the GM, I called Marriott customer support to see what they could do. They put me on hold and contacted the hotel and informed me that the hotel has not yet release reward availability past November 2007. She then connected me with Guillermo at the Vail Marriott who booked a January 2008 Standard reward for me. He also confirmed that they had not yet gotten around to releasing inventory for next year's ski season (might have something to do with being in the midst of this year's ski season - that's my guess).

Oh and a couple side notes:

Be careful who you talk with and what they say. A few weeks back the reservations people, when I inquired about rewards at Vail Marriott, said they were practically fully booked for January 2008 and no reward inventory would be available. Not true per customer support or Guillermo at the hotel.

They have to offer Stay Anytime if Standard rooms are available. Actually all of their Stay Anytime award rooms are Lodge rooms which are 40 sf larger than standard and have a separate shower and tub. (the latter per Guillermo)


I hope frisbeeace and any others seeking Vail Marriott rewards find this info helpful and are successful in their pursuit of these elusive rewards.

thanks aaupgrade for such valuable information. By the way, which cancellation deadline were you given for your booking?

He verbally told me that I must cancel at least 30 days prior to arrival or I would be charged for the entire stay, but the reservation only shows 15 days.