Sometimes a Devaluation is Too Bad to Even Be Believed

Hotel occupancy and average daily room rates are hovering around record highs, and hotel loyalty programs were built as semi-revenue based from the outset.

Nonetheless sometimes a surprise devaluation is so harsh that you know it isn’t true. Still with everyone nervous about what a combined program for Starwood and Marriott will look like, and a 1:3 transfer ratio in place, the idea of 950,000 Starpoints for the Residence Inn in Arlington, Texas for a $94 room right.. jarring, amiright?

Marriott is good at a lot of things. They’re good at managing hotels consistently, even if the Courtyard I spent the last couple of days at couldn’t consistently provide bath gel for me in the shower. They’re good at pricing hotels. I’ve long thought it’s fair to say that IT isn’t a core capability.

(HT: William L.)

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. @Gary
    This makes no sense…
    How many nights is the stay for? It seems all the hotels in your search are on that balloark points pricing
    Could it be a glitch in the system?
    Marriott point rewards are not dynamic so what is the story with this booking?

  2. Factoring in for 5th night frees, 2,280,000 points will get you 142 nights in a Category 6. Or 380 nights in a Category 1.

    …and if you have 2,280,000 Hilton points you can get about 6 free nights at a Hampton Inn;)

  3. Hilton Venice asks for 3 Million points for their Presidential suite! Maybe Trump will take Stormy there!

  4. I’m 99% sure you accidentally selected many multiple nights. I had the same thing happen, was puzzled, and realized my mistake.

  5. Some years ago, I found a redemption rate in the tens of millions of Starpoints for Bora Bora. Well, at least it was a luxury property…

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