A LoyaltyLobby reader sent us a case about unsatisfactory Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy stay where Marriott is not taking ownership of the issues, despite all the promises it makes when promoting this brand.
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You can access Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy here.
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Reader’s Email:
We reserved a Marriott Home & Villas property in Madeira. Upon arrival, the property had a strong mildew odor. We then found multiple problems with the property, including broken furniture, stained drapes, peeling wallpaper, a broken freezer, and cockroaches on different days. We politely asked Marriott Home & Villas to provide alternative lodging, but that was not an option.
The stay was miserable, as we expected to find cockroaches and other problems each time we came back.
The Marriott Home & Villas team was polite and provided a 700 EUR refund and 20K points. That equated to one night’s stay, which we don’t believe is sufficient. We did pay mostly with points, so we contacted Bonvoy customer service. They advised we had to work with Home & Villas, where we’ve been told no further resolution can be provided.
And:
Thanks – stay was for 7 nights. 450,000 points and also paid 3,318.28 EUR. Bonvoy status is Titanium.
We chose the property based on the strength of the Marriott name. Disappointing they don’t stand behind the Home & Villas brand.
The price that the reader paid for this 7-night stay was very significant.
And the property in question:
The reader shared the following images:
And the images on the Homes & Villas website:
We have contacted a Marriott spokesperson regarding Homes & Villas and this reader’s stay but haven’t received a response by the time of publication.
The reader makes a critical point here. Marriott promotes these under its brand, and if you book one of these units, you can count on receiving the “trusted” Marriott standards and know that these have all been “vetted.”
But how can you trust Marriott if they don’t stand by these promises and merely direct you to communicate with Homes & Villas by email, who then blames these outside providers/management companies?
It is also unclear who vets these units because the Marriott or its Homes & Villas unit certainly does not do any vetting.
Pros & Cons of Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy
Pros
- Offers a variety of properties that are often much better suited for families than what hotels can offer.
- You can earn Marriott Bonvoy points & elite qualifying nights.
- Frequent bonus points promotions.
- Homes & Villas spending is Ambassador-qualifying.
Cons
- Properties are inconsistent in quality.
- Same properties are often significantly cheaper through Airbnb, VRBO, or other similar platforms.
- A limited number of reviews.
- Property details are not always precise and lack significant information.
- Problem resolution is convoluted, and Marriott takes zero ownership of any property issues and merely refers you to the Homes & Villas, who then directs you to the management company.
Conclusion
Marriott promotes and tries to create an illusion that they back these Homes & Villas properties/units, a brand you can trust, and that they have been vetted.
This method obviously works as long as the properties are as advertised and Marriott and its Homes & Villas division promptly resolve issues with properties.
Obviously, most of these Homes & Villas stays must be as advertised, but there will always be management companies that list these properties on multiple platforms (and usually charge a higher price on Homes & Villas to account for Marriott fees) and don’t really care if they get a complaint through the Marriott channel.
We frequently get feedback from our readers about Homes & Villas, and I wish Marriott had better support for these issues because you can only fool each Bonvoy member once.
