After its merger with SPG , Marriott Bonvoy has now a massive footprint worldwide and become arguably the most popular hotel loyalty program globally.
One of the major fun you get from toying with such programs is exchanging your points for hotel stays, which can sometimes generate extremely outsized value at certain properties or during certain times. And today let’s have a look at such options with Marriott hotels in the United Kingdom.
Just a reminder – Marriott Bonvoy has eight redemption categories at the moment, and the number of points required for standard / off-peak / peak are slightly different:
1. Courtyard Oxford City Centre Cat 2 / 12,500 points
I personally make this hotel top of my list, given its great location and how expensive accommodation in Oxford can easily get – it’s trivial to realise more than 1.5p-per-point value if you are staying here in the summer.
I stayed here last year on points and was quite happy about the stay. Of course it is just a Courtyard so nothing to get too excited about, but the hotel is very new, and nothing can really go wrong at this price.
2. Aloft Liverpool Cat 4 / 25,000 points
It used to the best UK SPG redemption sweet spot in the past, as a weekend night cost only 3,000 points (or 9,000 Marriott points). Unfortunately the price has almost tripled nowadays and it’s no longer outstanding, but assume a point stay can still save you loads on event days.
The building itself is very stylish and full of history. I’m not sure why it’s converted to a low-end Aloft, instead of W or at least Sheraton.
Honourable mentions the Liverpool Marriott hotel is also Cat 4 and full-service, which may be more favourable if don’t care about the Aloft’s background that much.
3. University Arms Hotel Cat 4 / 25,000 points
I don’t think we can get away from mentioning Oxford but not Cambridge 🙂 Likewise the University Arms is one of the few decent hotel choices in the university town, but with a much longer history.
I stayed here last year in the summer and the experience was positive, however I can’t for my life justify paying £200+ for a night here. In terms of points it costs twice as much as the Courtyard in Oxford, but you can’t really compare an Autograph to a Courtyard!
4. Moxy Aberdeen Airport Cat 1 / 7,500 points
This is the only Category 1 hotel left in the UK now, which is definitely something not miss out. As it is an airport hotel, I can’t recommend it for tourist purpose. However, if you are a few nights short of reaching Marriott elite status, you could fly to Aberdeen to “buy” some cheap ones here 🙂 After all, 5 nights at this hotel should cost you only 30,000 points, assuming standard pricing.
Honourable mentions Aberdeen Marriott and Aloft Aberdeen TECA are both only Category 2 too.
5. Abbey Hotel Bath Cat 4 / 25,000 points
25,000 points a night is a bargain for a weekend getaway in Bath, although this hotel seems to close its redemption options at busy times.
The hotel is very boutique, but similar to many hotels in old buildings there were a few teething issues during my stay, including creaky floor and rain leaks from the window.
6. Trump Turnberry Hotel Cat 5 / 35,000 points (Update: no longer Marriott-affiliated)
One of the few top-end resort hotels in Marriott’s UK portfolio. It’s a pain to get there (from London) so I’ve never set afoot yet, but all my friends who’ve been there were quite impressed.
35,000 points compared to the retail price is a steal. However do check the website or Virtuoso as they tend to have pretty good sale prices from time to time with good perks including dinner or golf rounds.
7. Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel Cat 5 / 35,000 points
I went to Bournemouth for the first time recently and really liked the city. The Marriott is probably one the of the best located hotel in Bournemouth, with a great sea view and quick access to the beach.
Standing at 35,000 points, the redemption is not cheap, but more than reasonable in summer seasons.
8. The Langley Cat 7 / 60,000 points
Another luxurious resort in the Luxury Collection portfolio, and pretty accessible given its proximity to London. I did finally manage to stay here earlier this year in the Spring, and had an overall pleasant experience.
Since its opening its redemption price hiked from 35,000 points to 60,000 points in just two years but it was hardly a surprise. However its cash price usually hovers around £400, so 60k points still isn’t a lot to ask for.
9. Moxy York Cat 3 / 17,500 points
There has been a number of additions to the hotels in York city centre in recent years. Like Bath, accommodation cost is steep on weekend nights, especially when it’s warm.
Personally I’m not a big fan of the Moxy brand and there isn’t much information available for this new hotel. However if you just need a bed to sleep on it should be sufficient, and the location is great.
Honourable Mentions Moxy Southampton and Moxy Milton Keynes are another two moxies that opened quite recently, and they are both Cat 2 which requires only 12,500 points per night.
10. Leicester Marriott Hotels Cat 3 / 17,500 points
To be honest I know very little about Leicester or this hotel, and it seems quite far out. However the reviews are pretty good, and there’s an executive lounge which is good news to Platinum members 🙂
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