Marriott Bonvoy this week had a 40,000 bonus points promotion for bookings made for Homes & Villas during a three-day long Flash Sale (read more here and here).
Marriott tweaked the promo terms two or three times on the first date to make the promotional less lucrative (booking amount requirement and later USD/EUR/GBP) – read more here.
You can access Marriott Bonvoy Homes & Villas here.
READ MORE: Marriott Bonvoy Rate & Bonus Points Offers
Marriott’s Email:
Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy – IMPORTANT READ
Dear Homes & Villas Guest,
We are excited for your upcoming stays with us. We have noticed that you booked with us during our 40k Bonus Points Promotion. We wanted to remind you of our Promotion Details and Terms and Conditions (linked for your reference):
Promotion applies to a minimum 4-night ‘stay,’ which is considered one or more consecutive nights at the same Participating Property regardless of check-in and check-out activity.
You cannot earn or receive benefits at multiple Participating Properties for the same stay date(s).
You must be present and complete your stay at the home rental in order to earn Points and Elite Night Credits.
If you are unable to complete your stay, please review the cancellation policy for your reservation and take action as appropriate. We look forward to welcoming you soon.
Sincerely, Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy Team
Marriott’s problem is that there must be Bonvoy members who merely made the booking(s) to get the bonus points and elite qualifying nights without actually caring about the stay portion.
When we published a preview of this offer, some readers commented that you could book Homes & Villas for three/four days in some markets for less than $200, and the 40,000 bonus points are worth about that or more.
Homes & Villas 40,000 Bonus Points Offer Coverage:
Marriott Homes & Villas 40,000 Bonus Points Offer Terms & Conditions Changes
Conclusion
This promotion was not correctly executed at Marriott’s end. Nobody thought that some would book these Homes & Villas to merely collect the bonus points in markets where they are cheap.
During the early morning hours on Monday, the T&Cs were amended once or twice, trying to make the offer tighter and less financially draining by having first the minimum spend requirement and later that the booking must be in USD/EUR/GBP.
Now, some members might be left with overlapping bookings that they may not even use or use completely.
Marriott here clarifies that members who don’t consume the stay or have overlapping stays won’t get the bonus points per the T&Cs of the program and promotion.