Save big on Marriott hotels by booking them through Airbnb
I have found several Marriott hotels sell their rooms for less on Airbnb than on Marriott.com. Marriott disagrees with this and has taken down the specific properties I wrote about. However, the practice continued.
I have even documented instances where the price difference was over $450 per night! It’s amazing that even though hotel chains spend a lot on marketing for you to find the best rates on their rooms through their own websites, hotels are offloading rooms for less through Airbnb. A guest even managed a successful Marriott Best Rate Guarantee against an Airbnb ad.
Hotels sell through Airbnb at:
- reach a different market without searching Marriott.com or Expedia, and
- discriminatory pricing, pick up deals that are more price sensitive while not undercutting the higher rates they get through traditional channels.
Marriott is hurt when it’s possible to book your own rooms cheaper elsewhere, so the practice isn’t actually allowed. Moreover, they have their own home sharing site so Marriott hotel properties are fueling inventory for the competition – and it’s Airbnb that gets a revenue cut instead of Marriott!
To be sure the price is the same, you’ll want to book direct, as
- You will receive elite perks (whereas 3rd party stays aren’t supposed to)
- You will earn points and Airbnb still hasn’t launched a rewards program
- You will earn credit towards elite status
- Sometimes third-party bookings make rooms worse, though it’s unclear how scam properties listing their inventory on Airbnb treat Airbnb guests
However, if a Best Rate Guarantee doesn’t work to match and even lower the Airbnb rate, book on Airbnb as the savings may be worth forgoing the Bonvoy perks.
What is perhaps most striking is that even after reporting to Marriott several of their hotels doing this in November, they did not designate anyone to continue Google “airbnb+[Marriott brand]” to resolve this problem. Although I suppose there is a certain laziness combined with the desire not to irritate the owners – perhaps they consider it better in the short term to let the owners generate additional income and not to give a reason to reflag to another brand (taking their costs with them).
One of the hotels that stopped selling rooms on Airbnb is back, despite Marriott’s warning. It is Moxy in Minneapolis.
Other Marriotts you’ll find on Airbnb include the Waikiki Court and Atlantic City Court and the Aloft Chicago Magnificent Mile and Aloft Savannah Historic District. Interestingly, the Renaissance Chicago North Shore even offers free wifi on Airbnb reservations when it’s supposed to be an advantage to book direct.
Wondering why there are no upgrades available for Marriott Elite members? Here is a junior suite at Le Méridien Dallas through Airbnb. And just pay $119 for a suite at the Sheraton Suites Galleria Atlanta.
Perhaps the biggest offender is Highgate Hospitality which has an incredible 623 ads of their managed properties on Airbnb, from Hilton to Hyatt and IHG as well. It’s not just a Marriott problem, although Marriotts do feature prominently.
Airbnb can be pricey with hefty cleaning fees and booking fees, but hotels — which have in-room housekeeping anyway — are often listed with no additional cleaning fees. It is therefore worth checking how the prices of the hotels available on Airbnb compare to those on their chain’s website.
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