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Better off staying in Marriot and transferring to SPG?

Better off staying in Marriot and transferring to SPG?

 
Old Dec 11, 2017, 5:08 pm
  #16  
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Originally Posted by Alex_I
- Sure, if you do 500 SPG Plat amenity and not take breakfast, than the breaking point for SPG PLT 75 will be $333/night for 1 night stay (because Marriott PLT is getting an amenity 500 Marriott points and also breakfast if not resort). I believe Marriott also has MAGC in some places but I forgot whether that is 1,000 points or only 500. Then there is AMEX with 2 SPG points/ vs Chase visa 5 points/$=1.67 SPG point/$ that I did not include in calculation (Marriott Chase would give you free anniversary night in cat 1-5 not not AMEX). So for PLT75 with short stays and amenity in points SPG wins unless staying on an expensive rate.
However, if you are a general member with 2 SPG point/$, Marriott beats SPG with 10 points/$=3.33 SPG Points/$ on the room rate.
This brings an interesting question of what would happen with the combined program in terms of earn/burn rates.
Meanwhile I am happily staying with SPG and will end this year with 79 nights vs. just 2 nights with Marriott.
I have a similar ratio of SPG/MR I would even do more Marriott next year but still no word if 2018 nights will combine for 2019 status.

Agreed that the math favors shorter stays, more MAGC nights, and less expensive ones.
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Old Dec 11, 2017, 5:14 pm
  #17  
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Originally Posted by bhrubin
The MR points only help with airfare packages with lame lower category hotels that most premium class customers wouldnt want to stay in. The SPG points transfer with a 25% bonus to 30+ airlines.
Your going to have to help me with this statement. Not sure I understand. I know that SPG limits the category hotels for its version of the Marriott Travel Package award, but Marriott's TP award can be used for any hotel category including the RC tier awards.
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Old Dec 11, 2017, 5:28 pm
  #18  
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Originally Posted by hhoope01
Your going to have to help me with this statement. Not sure I understand. I know that SPG limits the category hotels for its version of the Marriott Travel Package award, but Marriott's TP award can be used for any hotel category including the RC tier awards.
Sorry if I wasn’t clear. The Marriott air packages require one to use points for combinations of airline miles AND 7 nights of hotels. There is no choice to just get air miles. So you’re forced to waste points for nights most won’t want IMO. Also, the exchange rates to get the airline miles is precipitously worse as you get higher category hotels and/or with various airlines. Most exchange rates aren’t so great. There are none that are easy 1:1 like most with SPG.

SPG point transfers are just for airline miles and mostly are simple 1:1 transfers. For every 20K SPG points, you get 25K airline miles for those 1:1 transfers, too—a 25% bonus. You can’t transfer more than 79,999 SPG points in a day, so you have to transfer up to 60,000 SPG points a day to get the 75,000 airline miles each day. Otherwise, you can keep transferring for as many days as you have points.
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Old Dec 11, 2017, 7:51 pm
  #19  
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Originally Posted by bhrubin
You may be able to earn a slight advantage with MR...unless:

Youre SPG Plat75 or higher, earning 4 points per $1. Thats the equivalent of 12 MR points.
Marriott Plat earns 15 MR per $1. That's 5 SPG. Last time I checked, 5>4. Someone please check my arithmetic.

Originally Posted by bhrubin
You use your points for premium class flights. Then SPG points are worth far more than MR points. The MR points only help with airfare packages with lame lower category hotels that most premium class customers wouldnt want to stay in. The SPG points transfer with a 25% bonus to 30+ airlines.
Did nobody tell you it's possible to transfer those Marriott points to SPG at 3:1? When Marriott earn is better (and it categorically is, in the absence of a promo), you will earn more SPG, and thus more frequent flyer miles staying at Marriotts than you will through SPG.
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Old Dec 11, 2017, 7:52 pm
  #20  
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i think bhrubin was talking about redeeming, maybe replying to someone besides OP

Originally Posted by ncsuactor84FT
I get more SPG points by staying in a Marriot Hotel
4.17 SPG per dollar
3 points per dollar
but watch out for double/triple/quadruple point offers at SPG hotels !
(or are the quadruple offers long gone? i recall for aloft for example)

if youre happy with marriott hotels yes, then consider redeeming for starwood/air
others may prefer staying in starwood/SPG brands rather than marriott brands
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Old Dec 12, 2017, 12:05 am
  #21  
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Originally Posted by Kacee
Marriott Plat earns 15 MR per $1. That's 5 SPG. Last time I checked, 5>4. Someone please check my arithmetic.

Did nobody tell you it's possible to transfer those Marriott points to SPG at 3:1? When Marriott earn is better (and it categorically is, in the absence of a promo), you will earn more SPG, and thus more frequent flyer miles staying at Marriotts than you will through SPG.
First, you have to like the hotels at which one stays. It doesn’t much help me if I earn a slightly larger amount of points when I’m staying at a hotel that doesn’t please me. I’d much rather stay at a more chic, more luxurious, and/or more interesting design hotel and earn slightly fewer points. Starwood Hotels, especially in the StR, Lux Collection, W, and Le Mridien brands, as well as many Tribute Portfolio properties, usually are far more interesting to me than the typical bland Marriott, JW Marriott, Autograph and Renaissance hotels. There are a few exceptions (Providence Renaissance, for example)...but not many. There aren’t enough Edition hotels to make much difference thus far, either!

Second, for me, at least, I both earn 4x SPG/$1 and still earn more with SPG hotels because I incur plenty of food/beverage costs for which I also earn SPG points at 4x. The total almost always comes to more than I’d earn at the comparable Marriott—many Brands of which don’t allow earning points on spending on food/beverage.

I did the math. I also did the evaluation as to which types of hotels I enjoy more. For me, SPG wins hands down. Sorry.


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Old Dec 12, 2017, 3:13 am
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For most consumers, you earn more points on higher cost Marriott stays. Marriott/Starwood points are the same currency and redeemable in the same way after transferring, so the points about hotel+air packages vs transferring to airlines are irrelevant. I stay at Marriott, Hilton, Starwood and independent hotels, and I’ve generally got the most bang for my buck with Marriott in terms of earning. However, since the merger, I have basically exclusively redeemed my Marriott points on airline transfers via the SPG link.
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Old Dec 12, 2017, 7:41 am
  #23  
 
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Originally Posted by bhrubin
There is no choice to just get air miles.
Yes you can. https://www.marriott.com/rewards/usepoints/morerew.mi
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Old Dec 12, 2017, 7:50 am
  #24  
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Originally Posted by bhrubin
SPG point transfers are just for airline miles and mostly are simple 1:1 transfers.
Don't forget Nights and Flights. I've used it a number of times and been quite pleased. I think that it's a pretty good deal.
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Old Dec 12, 2017, 8:59 am
  #25  
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Originally Posted by Cledaybuck
1:1 I meant.
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Old Dec 12, 2017, 9:32 am
  #26  
 
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Originally Posted by bhrubin


1:1 I meant.
Some of those are 1:1 or better at 10,000 miles plus, although SPG is the same or better for all redemption levels (except UA). Of course there are a few listed which aren't SPG transfer partners and UA is way better with Marriott.
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Old Dec 12, 2017, 9:58 am
  #27  
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Originally Posted by Cledaybuck
Some of those are 1:1 or better at 10,000 miles plus, although SPG is the same or better for all redemption levels (except UA). Of course there are a few listed which aren't SPG transfer partners and UA is way better with Marriott.
Haha, I think you need to take another look, as none of the Marriott point conversions to miles come even remotely close to 1:1 even with 140,000 MR points (which equate to only 50,000 AS/AA/BA or even Southwest miles, a mere 35,000 CX/OZ/AN/JAL miles, and a pitiful 25,000 B6 Miles).

And even Marriotts better affiliation with United means 112,000 MR points equates to only 50,000 United miles. Heck, 100,000 Starwood points gets you 50,000 United miles.

Sorry, SPG points are worth a ton more than MR points. Thats why Marriott gives 3 MR points for 1 SPG point. Thats also why earning SPG points with the SPG Amex makes it even more lucrative.
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Old Dec 12, 2017, 10:48 am
  #28  
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With Marriott, 270,000 points gets you a 120k-mile Travel Package.
With Starwood, 90,000 points gets you 110k airline miles.

Even if you never set foot in the hotel room, Marriott wins. (Long ago I read where you could redeposit the hotel cert for a nominal "refund"; not sure if that's a thing anymore.) Plus, I don't know where anyone got the notion that most people don't want the 1-week hotel stay. Whether you want a Cat 5 Marriott (which can be very good in the Middle East or Asia) or a top-tier Ritz, the Travel Packages are an excellent award. I always use the room, even if for 5 or 6 nights.

I think a lot of people miss the point when they extoll the virtues of the SPG 1:1 airline transfers: the real benefit there is that you're permitted to do those transfers in very small increments. Marriott doesn't give you that.

As for earning on stays, a top-tier Plat can top out at 21 Marriott pts/$ at Marriott and 18 Marriott pts/$ at Starwood. So honestly, at that point I think of them as pretty equal. The amenity can tip things in Starwood's favor and usually (but not always) promotions do too. At the Plat level, I'd probably just pick the better hotel for my situation.

At the Gold level, Marriott looks better thanks to lounge access. Earnings across the two are still reasonably close....18.5 MR at Marriott vs. 15 MR at Starwood if I'm doing my math right.

I don't know why anyone would suggest that Marriott Travel Package users would use the miles for premium cabin any more or less than Starwood 1:1 conversion users. I often use the miles that come from a TP to book long-haul J/F. They're just miles at that point.
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Old Dec 12, 2017, 11:14 am
  #29  
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Originally Posted by pinniped
With Marriott, 270,000 points gets you a 120k-mile Travel Package.
With Starwood, 90,000 points gets you 110k airline miles.

Even if you never set foot in the hotel room, Marriott wins. (Long ago I read where you could redeposit the hotel cert for a nominal "refund"; not sure if that's a thing anymore.) Plus, I don't know where anyone got the notion that most people don't want the 1-week hotel stay. Whether you want a Cat 5 Marriott (which can be very good in the Middle East or Asia) or a top-tier Ritz, the Travel Packages are an excellent award. I always use the room, even if for 5 or 6 nights.
Your package numbers are only true for airlines with weak international First Class products like American and British, not to mention plenty of airlines that dont have an actual international First Class like Delta and Virgin Atlantic. So again, for premium airline awards, Marriott transfers are weaker than you presume compared with SPG.

The same 270,000 MR points only gets you a 85k-mile travel package with great First Class product airlines such as ANA, Cathay Pacific, Singapore, Asiana, Lufthansa, JAL, Emirates, Etihad, etc. For anyone wanting a good international First Class award, the Marriott conversion is far weaker than SPG.

It may be true that Marriott customers like the 7 night cert for a category 1-5 hotel...but Id argue that few nice hotels exists in that group. Even in the Middle East and Asia. From an SPG perspective, for those who more often stay at aspirational St Regis, Luxury Collection, and W hotels, there is NOTHING remotely comparable for category 1-5 and rarely even category 6-9! There are 25 Courtyards in Category 8 and even 2 Courtyards in Category 9 for Gods sake!

Once you get into aspirational airline premium flights and aspirational hotels, Im sorry to say that the higher expectation for the average SPG customer makes it obvious that the SPG conversions are vastly superior...because the Marriott conversions give us weak airline options and even weaker hotel options that are completely wasted or worthless for most of us.
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Old Dec 12, 2017, 12:19 pm
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Originally Posted by bhrubin


Haha, I think you need to take another look, as none of the Marriott point conversions to miles come even remotely close to 1:1 even with 140,000 MR points (which equate to only 50,000 AS/AA/BA or even Southwest miles, a mere 35,000 CX/OZ/AN/JAL miles, and a pitiful 25,000 B6 Miles).

And even Marriotts better affiliation with United means 112,000 MR points equates to only 50,000 United miles. Heck, 100,000 Starwood points gets you 50,000 United miles.

Sorry, SPG points are worth a ton more than MR points. Thats why Marriott gives 3 MR points for 1 SPG point. Thats also why earning SPG points with the SPG Amex makes it even more lucrative.
I don't think you understand (even though you say below 3 MR=1 SPG). You can convert your points back and forth between MR and SPG. 140,000 MR=46,667 SPG, hence better than 1:1. 112,000 MR=37,333 SPG hence much better than 1:1 and would even beat SPG with the 5,000 point bonus at 20,000 if they did UA 1:1 (which they don't). If you convert 100,000 SPG to 50,000 United, you have failed miserably when you could have had 100,000 UA +1,000 MR+25,000 SPG.
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