Marriott Hotel + Air Travel Packages – Everything You Need to Know

BY 

Katie Seemann

- UPDATED: March 17, 2021   |     17

1. Use Points  / 
2. Use Hotel Points

17

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If you have a large stash of Marriott Bonvoy points you might be wondering what to do with them. You can book a hotel, transfer your points into frequent flyer miles, or maybe book a vacation package.

But have you ever considered a Marriott Hotel + Air Travel Package? Different from vacation packages, Hotel + Air packages consist of a 7-night hotel stay plus a stash of airline miles.

Sound good? Then you’re in the right spot. Here’s everything you need to know to purchase a Marriott Hotel + Air package plus some analysis to see if they are a good deal.

What is a Marriott Hotel + Air Package

A Marriott Hotel + Air Package is 1 way to redeem your Marriott Bonvoy points. This is not the same as a vacation package that includes a hotel, flight, and/or rental car. When you buy a Hotel + Air Travel Package, you’ll get a certificate for a 7-night hotel stay plus a certain number of airline miles ranging from 50,000 to 110,000 (depending on your chosen package).

A few things to keep in mind when using your Hotel + Air Package:

• The airline miles you receive don’t need to be used in conjunction with your 7-night hotel stay.
• If you want to stay less than 7 nights, you won’t receive a discount or points rebate. The certificate is only good for 7 consecutive nights at the same hotel.
• There is a lesser-known option available only to Marriott Vacation Club owners that consists of a 5-night hotel stay plus airline miles.

Bottom Line: A Marriott Hotel + Air package is different from a Marriott Vacation Package. Marriott Vacation Packages can be booked through vacationsbymarriott.com and consist of a hotel, flight, and/or rental car. A Marriott Hotel + Air Package consists of a 7-night hotel stay plus airline miles.

How to Purchase a Marriott Hotel + Air Package

Finding the Marriott Hotel + Air Travel Packages can be a little tricky if you don’t know where to look.

First, go to Marriott.com and scroll to the bottom of the screen. Click on Redeem Points.

Next, scroll down until you see Travel Packages.

Here you’ll find all of the Marriott Hotel + Air Package pricing. You have to call Marriott at 800-321-7396 to book your package.

You don’t need to know the specific hotel you want to book to purchase a Marriott Hotel + Air package, but you should know the category level that you’ll be comfortable with. You’ll just purchase your package by hotel category, then once you know which hotel you want to book, you can complete your reservation online using your 7-night hotel certificate.

It’s not possible to upgrade or downgrade your Hotel + Air package.

Are Marriott Hotel + Air Travel Packages a Good Deal?

To understand if Marriott Hotel + Air Packages are a good deal, you must first understand how they work. When you get to the Hotel + Air page you’ll notice 2 pricing charts — 1 is for United Airlines and the other is for all other airlines.

Hotel + Air packages are a great way to convert Marriott Bonvoy points to airline miles at a better ratio than normal. Usually, Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to most airlines at a 3:1 ratio with a 5,000 bonus for every 60,000 points you transfer. This means 60,000 Marriott Bonovy points would equal 25,000 airline miles. The exceptions to this 3:1 transfer ratio are:

• Air New Zealand Airpoints that transfer at a 200:1 ratio
• JetBlue TrueBlue that transfers at a 6:1 ratio
• United MileagePlus that transfers at a 3:1.1 ratio (10% bonus)

But, when you purchase a Hotel + Air package, your transfer rate can be much better!

Hot Tip: Keep in mind that when you are booking 5 consecutive award nights at a Marriott hotel, your fifth night is free. That means for a 7-night stay you are really only paying for 6 nights.

Marriott Hotel + Air Packages with United Miles

The Marriott Hotel + Air Packages that come with United MileagePlus miles offer a better deal than other airlines because they come with 10% more miles than the other packages. Keep in mind, this 10% bonus is offered on straight transfers, too — it’s not exclusive to Hotel + Air packages.

You can purchase a Marriott Hotel + Air package with 2 different amounts of United miles — 55,000 or 110,000 miles.

The following charts explain all of the options in detail:

Package #1: 7-Night Stay With 55,000 United MileagePlus Miles*

*Points are based on standard award prices 

You can see from the chart above that it only makes sense to book this package if you plan to stay at a Category 4 or 5 hotel. You’ll save 18,000 points by booking a Marriott Hotel + Air Package.

Package #2: 7-Night Stay With 110,000 United MileagePlus Miles*

*Points are based on standard award prices 

If you are purchasing this package with 110,000 miles, you will come out ahead if you book a Category 3 or above. The best value comes with packages for a Category 4 or 5 hotel — you’ll save 66,000 points over booking the hotel and transferring the points separately.

Bottom Line: When booking a Marriott Hotel + Air package with 55,000 United miles, only Category 4 or 5 hotels offer any savings over booking separately. When booking a Marriott Hotel + Air package with 110,000 United miles, booking a Category 3 or above will save you some points, but Categories 4 and 5 offer the best deals.

Marriott Hotel + Air Packages with Other Airline Miles

Marriott Hotel + Air packages are also available with lots of different types of airline miles:

The following charts explain all of the options in detail — if you want to skip ahead, look out for the bold numbers and Hot Tips for the best options.

Package #3: 7-Night Stay With 50,000 Airline Miles (Any of the Above Airlines Except United)*

*Points are based on standard award prices 

In this case, only Category 4 and 5 hotels will be a good value for a Hotel + Air package — these will save you 15,000 points over booking the hotel and transferring the miles separately.

Hot Tip: If you want to transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to Air New Zealand, a Hotel + Airline package is the way to go. Since the normal transfer ratio is terrible (200:1), you will get a much better deal through a Hotel + Airline package.

Package #4: 7-Night Stay with 100,000 airline miles (any of the above airlines except United)*

*Points are based on standard award prices 

In this case, only Category 3 to 7 hotels will be a good value for a Hotel + Air package. When purchasing this type of package, Category 4 and 5 will get you the most value — you’ll save 60,000 points over booking the hotel and transferring the miles separately.

Bottom Line: No matter what Marriott Hotel + Air package you choose, purchasing one for a Category 4 or 5 hotel is your best bet. You’ll save the most points by purchasing a package for 7 nights in a Category 4 or 5 hotel plus 110,000 United miles. This will save you 62,000 Marriott Bonvoy points over booking the hotel and transferring the points separately.

Great Category 4 and 5 Marriott Hotels

Since you can see that no matter what Hotel + Air package you choose, the most value comes with Category 4 and 5 hotels, let’s take a look at what types of hotels you can find in Categories 4 and 5.

Don’t think that Category 4 and 5 hotels are all budget accommodations — there are many resorts and higher-end properties available in those categories, too.

Marriott Category 4 Hotels

Here are just some of Marriott’s best Category 4 hotels (to search for all of the Category 4 options, click here):

• Houston Airport Marriott at George Bush Intercontinental (Texas, U.S.)
• Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort (United Arab Emirates)
• Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa (Thailand)
• Sheraton Orlando Lake Buena Vista Resort (Florida, U.S.) 
• The Stones Hotel – Legian Bali, Autograph Collection (Indonesia)
• The Westin Panama (Panama)
• World Golf Village Renaissance St. Augustine Resort (Florida, U.S.)

Marriott Category 5 Hotels

Marriott Category 5 hotels are the sweet spot in the Marriott award chart — they offer the best value when purchasing a Marriott Hotel + Air package and can also be booked with a free night certificate from a Marriott Bonvoy credit card. There are over 1,100 Category 5 hotels around the world.

Here are just some of the best Marriott Category 5 hotels (To see a complete list, click here):

• Domes Miramare, a Luxury Collection Resort, Corfu (Greece)
• Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center (Colorado, U.S.)
• Inn at Bay Harbor, Autograph Collection (Michigan, U.S.)
• JW Marriott Hotel Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
• JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa (Arizona, U.S.)
• The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa (Arizona, U.S.)
• Renaissance Aix-en-Provence Hotel (France)
• The Ritz-Carlton, Istanbul (Turkey)
• St. Kitts Marriott Resort & The Royal Beach Casino (St. Kitts and Nevis)
• W Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

Marriott’s Annual Free Night Credit Card Benefit

Marriott Category 5 hotels are also the sweet spot when it comes to the annual free night certificate that comes with 2 of the Marriott co-branded credit cards.

These cards both offer a free night certificate each anniversary year for hotels up to 35,000 points per night. Category 5 hotels cost 30,000 to 40,000, depending on whether you’re booking off-peak, standard, or peak times.

The Marriott Bonvoy Business card rewards cardholders with a second annual free night after spending $60,000 in purchases within a calendar year.

How to Earn Enough Points to Purchase a Marriott Hotel + Air Package

If you would like to purchase a Marriott Hotel + Air Package, you might be wondering how you can earn enough points. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here are many great ways to earn lots of Marriott Bonvoy points.

Marriott Credit Cards

A great way to earn a big chunk of Marriott Bonvoy points quickly is by applying for a co-branded Marriott credit card. There are currently 4 Marriott credit cards available — 2 from Chase and 2 from American Express.

Here are the Marriott credit cards that we recommend:

Right now the welcome bonuses on these cards are ranging from 30,000 to 75,000 points each. 

Transfer Points From Chase Ultimate Rewards

Marriott is a Chase transfer partner which means you can transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Marriott at a 1:1 ratio.

It’s not the best way to use your Chase points, but if a Marriott Hotel + Air package is what you are after, then it can be a great way to bulk up your Marriott Bonvoy points balance.

If you haven’t opened 5 or more cards in the previous 24 months (see the Chase 5/24 rule for more information), you can check out some of these great Chase credit card options.

Recommended Chase Credit Cards (Personal)

Hot Tip: Don’t forget that to transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Marriott you need to have a premium Chase credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, Chase Sapphire Reserve card, or the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.

Transfer Points from American Express Membership Rewards

Since Marriott Bonvoy took over Starwood Preferred Guest, American Express is now a direct transfer partner for Marriott at a 1:1 ratio.

There are lots of great American Express cards to choose from. If you are looking to earn lots of Marriott Bonvoy points fast, look to cards that are offering a large welcome bonus and those that offer great bonus categories.

The American Express Gold card is a great one to rack up points fast. This card earns makes it easy to earn big with everyday spend. For details, refer to our review of the Amex Gold card.

Credit Card

Key Benefits & Info

New Welcome Offer American Express® Gold Card Apply Now (at Amex's secure site)

Earn 35,000 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first 6 months. Rose Gold is back. You can now choose between Gold or Rose Gold. Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points Restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery, plus, earn 4X points for Uber Eats purchases too. Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at US supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com. Good to Excellent Credit Recommended (670-840) Annual Fee: $250 Terms Apply. For rates and fees of the Amex Gold Card, click here. Bonus Valuation*: $1,320 Must Reads: For more info on the Amex Gold Card, see our guides on its benefits and perks, as well as our full review.

The Platinum Card® from American Express offers a good welcome bonus, although it’s been as high as 125,000 points, and earns 5 Membership Rewards points per $1 spent on flights booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel.

Amex Card

Benefits & Info

New Welcome Offer The Platinum Card® from American Express Apply Now (at Amex's secure site)

Earn 60,000 75,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Earn 10x points on eligible purchases, in your first 6 months of Card Membership, on your new Card at U.S. Gas Stations and U.S. Supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases). Earn 5X Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year) plus earn 5X Membership Rewards points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Access 1,300+ airport lounges across 140 countries, including the amazing Centurion lounges. (This is our favorite lounge access card.) Up to $200 Uber Savings Annually. Up to $200 Airline Fee Credit. Up to $100 fee credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. Up to $100 annual Saks Fifth Avenue credit. Good to Excellent Credit Recommended (670-850) Annual Fee: $550. Terms Apply. For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here. Bonus Valuation*: $1,650 Must Reads: For more info on the Amex Platinum, see our thoughts on its benefits & perks, travel insurance coverage, and unbeatable airport lounge access. Take a look here for our full review. If you're a business owner, see our review of The Business Platinum Card from American Express.

Hot Tip: For more information about how to transfer your Marriott Bonvoy points, check out our guide to Marriott Bonvoy transfer partners.

Refer-A-Friend

Don’t forget about a refer-a-friend bonus! You can earn lots of Ultimate Rewards points or Membership Rewards points by referring your friends. You can transfer those points to Marriott to purchase a Hotel + Air Travel Package.

For more information, explore our articles on the Chase Refer-a-Friend bonus and American Express Refer-a-Friend bonus.

You can also earn points by referring your friends to the Marriott Bonvoy program.

Earn Marriott Bonvoy Points Through Hertz

If you have Hertz Gold Plus Rewards points, you can transfer them to the Marriott Bonvoy program. This isn’t an instant transfer, so initiate the transfer early — points could take up to 8 weeks to appear in your account. For every 600 Hertz points you transfer, you will get 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

Bottom Line: There are lots of ways to earn Marriott Bonvoy points — for all the details, check out our guide to the best ways to earn Marriott Bonvoy points.

Final Thoughts

A Marriott Hotel + Air package is a way to redeem your Marriott Bonvoy points for a 7-night hotel stay plus airline miles, different from a Marriott vacation package.

Purchasing a Marriott Hotel + Air package can be a good way to convert your Marriott Bonvoy points into airline miles because you can get a better rate than doing a straight transfer. The sweet spot in the Marriott Hotel + Air package pricing is for Category 4 or 5 hotels. These packages will always get you a better rate for transferring points into airline miles than by transferring the points separately.

Once you’ve earned enough points to purchase a Marriott Hotel + Air package, all you need to do is figure out where you want to go. But, thankfully, that’s the fun part!

The information regarding the Chase Freedom Unlimited® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.  

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.