May 1 Update: Etihad not an Aeroplan partner quite yet, Marriott entering the home rental market & more!

Rewards Canada Team Uncategorized

Yesterday was quite the Air Canada Aeroplan day on
our site with six blog posts covering Air Canada and Aeroplan (and one
more today to boot!) Two of those posts, the ones looking at Market Fare Rewards and Etihad becoming an Aeroplan partner stemmed from my visits to the Aeroplan site yesterday to find offer examples for the A look at how the current TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card sign up offer of up to 30,000 miles can provide huge value!
post. If you visit the site regularily you’ll know that on the bottom
left hand side of the home page there is a section called ‘Latest News’.
I was surprised when I saw a couple of ‘May 1’ posts in the Latest
News section seeing that it was April 30. Turns out this may have been a
mistake on Aeroplan’s side and those were removed sometime later. One
of the pieces of the news, the More Value For Your Aeroplan Miles is now
back on the Aeroplan site however the Etihad news is not. So if you are
reading our Etihad post from yesterday you’ll find the link now lands
on a blank page on Aeroplan. The Etihad news seems legit but obviously
it is not ready to be released just yet! I’m guessing it will come soon
though now that the cat’s out of the bag!

Yesterday Marriott announced a new initiative targeting airbnb, Homeaway and other home rental companies! Called Homes & Villas by Marriott International, the new Marriott ‘brand’ will challenge others in the space by being integrated into the Marriott Bonvoy program where members will be able to earn and redeem points for stays on these home rentals! Find out more here

Marriott International (NASDAQ: MAR) announced Homes &
Villas by Marriott International, a home rental initiative
offering 2,000 premium and luxury homes located in over 100 destinations
throughout the United States, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America.
Starting next week when the offering launches, we expect members of
Marriott Bonvoy can earn and redeem points at these highly-curated
homes, providing even more choice of accommodations that suit a range of
travel needs around the world.


“The launch of Homes & Villas by Marriott International reflects our ongoing commitment to innovation as consumer travel needs evolve,”
said Stephanie Linnartz, Global Chief Commercial Officer, Marriott
International. “What started out as a pilot a year ago is now a global
offering, providing our guests with the space and amenities of a home backed by a trusted travel company, and the very best in loyalty benefits.”

Marriott’s expansion into home rentals was developed as a result of
the 2018 pilot under the brand extension Tribute Portfolio Homes. Of the
guests who booked a home during the pilot, which was only available in
select European cities, nearly 90 percent were members of Marriott
Bonvoy and over three-quarters were traveling for leisure with family
and friends. During the pilot, the average guest stay was more than
triple the typical hotel stay. These insights, along with Marriott’s
commitment to providing travelers with unique and different
accommodations including spacious homes with one or more bedrooms, large
kitchens, in-unit laundry and more, played an important role in guiding
the selection of luxury and premium homes, as well as the key leisure
markets available at launch that complement the core offerings of
Marriott’s hotel portfolio. 

Luxury & Premium Offerings

The introduction of Homes & Villas by Marriott International adds
nearly 40 new leisure destinations for Marriott Bonvoy members to earn
and redeem points, including Sorrento, Italy and the Amalfi Coast,
Italy; North Lake Tahoe, California; and St. Barts in the Caribbean.
This curated selection of homes aims to connect travelers to thousands
of rental properties around the world and sets the stage for guests’
most treasured travel moments – home-cooked dinners with extended
family, lawn games in the backyard or celebrating a milestone birthday
with family and friends. Homes include:

  • A four-bedroom cottage on six private acres of California wine country.
  • A six bedroom villa in Sorrento, Italy with an infinity pool overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and a wood-fire pizza oven.
  • An oceanfront villa in Anguilla with private beach and a personal butler and house staff.
  • A 18th century Irish Castle that sleeps 17 and features a private lake for boating and fishing.
  • A six-bedroom townhouse in London with a children’s playroom and climbing wall.

Marriott is launching Homes & Villas by Marriott International
with select property management companies that are already managing
these homes. These trusted property management companies provide guests a
professionally cleaned home with 24/7 support, high speed Wi-Fi,
premium linens and amenities, and family-friendly conveniences upon
request. At launch, the property management companies selected by
Marriott include TurnKey Vacation Rentals, LaCure, Loyd & Townsend
Rose, Veeve, London Residents Club as well as current hotel owners and
operators like Mainsail Lodging, and Reserva Conchal. Over time,
Marriott expects to introduce Homes & Villas by Marriott
International in additional markets as well as increase the number of
homes offered in these launch destinations.

“Our approach to home rentals allows us to curate an incredible
collection of homes that deliver an elevated travel experience,” said
Jennifer Hsieh, Vice President, Homes & Villas by Marriott
International. “By working with a select group of professional
management companies that understand and operate in this dynamic
landscape, we are able to focus on what we do best – selecting a breadth
of homes in inspiring destinations, setting standards for responsive
service and designing a seamless booking experience that helps our
guests navigate an increasingly complex and uncertain set of home
rental choices.”

How to Book

Starting next week, we expect travelers can search and book homes on the Homes & Villas by Marriott International site – www.homesandvillasbymarriott.com. At that time, travelers searching on Marriott.com for
accommodations for three-plus nights in markets where home inventory
exists will see links to Homes & Villas by Marriott International,
promoting home rentals as an offering to meet their needs. Marriott is
in the process of determining how it will sell Homes & Villas by
Marriott International through other channels, including the Marriott
Bonvoy app and travel advisors, and will provide an update in the near
future. 


Posts since our last update:

Travel Deals

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Remember to visit Rewards Canada’s Travel Booking site to book travel directly with many of your favourite airlines, hotels and more!

Canadian Bonus Offers

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Other Bonus Offers

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