(EXPIRED) Marriott escapes: up to 25% off many properties

Marriott has released its latest list of “Escapes” properties (which include countries all around the world, though I only highlight US properties below), with cash rates discounted up to 25%. While I normally don’t put a lot of stock in these discounts because it is hard to know if “regular” rates were jacked up to compensate, I happen to have an upcoming trip to New York City and have been checking rates daily (sometimes several times a day) and taking note of price fluctuations. In this case, I see several properties with these specials that represent a true decrease of 20-25% from prices I saw yesterday, so there may in fact be some deals to be found. I list examples in the details below.

The Deal

• Marriott Bonvoy Escapes has a new list of properties with discounts for bookings made by March 1, 2020 for stays through March 22, 2020
• Direct link to this promotion

Key Terms

• Discount is valid 7 days a week at resorts or for Friday and Saturday nights in cities
• Rates are prepaid and nonrefundable if cancelled more than 1 day after booking

Quick Thoughts

I haven’t booked one of these rates and will not because they are prepaid/nonrefundable. I rarely ever book a nonrefundable rate because plans sometimes change. That said, the savings here could be significant for those who are confident enough to go the nonrefundable route.

As noted at the top, I’ve been closely watching rates at several New York City properties for an upcoming trip, so I happened to have a solid handle on where rates were before this list came out. I didn’t take screen shots of all of these hotels yesterday, so you’ll have to take my word for it on “yesterday’s” prices. That said, I’ve literally been looking about 3 times a day and have a clear recollection of yesterday’s prices versus today’s “Escapes” prices in the cases noted below. Here are some of the example discounts (Note that in some cases, yesterday’s best rate may have been a AAA rate because I always include those in searches, but the “Escapes” discount is based on the “standard” rates. It is also worth noting that standard rates may have increased or decreased since yesterday as those rates often fluctuate — some of the below show more than a 25% drop since yesterday because of those fluctuations):

• Courtyard Manhattan/Fifth Ave
  • Yesterday: $159
  • Today: $130
  • Discount: 18.9%
• Marriott Vacation Club Pulse
  • Yesterday: $180 (this has been as high as $220 and as low as $170 over the past week for my dates)
  • Today: $130
  • Discount: 27.8%
• The Chatwal
  • Yesteday: $508
  • Today: $401
  • Discount: 21%
• The Westin New York Grand Central
  • Yesterday: $132
  • Today: $115
  • Discount: 12.9%
• W New York Times Square
  • Yesterday: $220
  • Today: $159
  • Discount: 27.8%
• Fairfield Inn & Suites New York Midtown Manhattan / Penn Station
  • Yesterday: $118
  • Today: $93
  • Discount: 21.2%
• JW Marriott Essex House
  • Yesterday: $413
  • Today: $344
  • Discount: 16.7%

That said, not every change is a deal. Here are two that I saw that are not deals:

• New York Marriott Downtown
  • Yesterday: $121 (this was a AAA rate; I did take a screen shot of this)
  • Today: $130 via Escapes, but there is a AAA hot rate (also nonrefundable) of $125:
  • Discount: None. The price has increased
• W New York Downtown
  • Yesterday: $127 (also a AAA rate and I took a screen shot)
  • Today: $127 via Escapes, but there is a AAA hot rate (also nonrefundable) of $114
  • Discount: None. You can do better with the AAA hot rate.

I imagine there will be similar variance in other areas. As I haven’t been shopping for hotels in other cities, I can’t speak to the actual discounts, but if they follow the pattern in New York you may find some deals.

Here is the entire list of US properties included (see the promotion page for all countries worldwide)

USA

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