Review of Homes & Villas by Marriott

On September 21, 2023 By Travels with MelindaIn Airbnb, Homes & Villas by Marriott, marriott, Travel, travel tips, Uncategorized24 Comments

As a loyal and longtime Marriott Bonvoy traveler, I have always used Marriott hotels for my shorter (week or less) stays around the world. For longer trips, I stay at Airbnb’s for more space and a kitchen, washer/dryer, etc. When I found out that Marriott had started renting apartments/homes, I was so excited to switch from Airbnb to Marriott. What could go wrong? The ability to earn Marriott Bonvoy points on long stays-sign me up! How could it not be a better experience than Airbnb when Marriott was willing to put their global brand on the program? I do expect high standards with the Marriott brand and have rarely been let down on my global hotel stays. Unfortunately, my first experience with Homes & Villas by Marriott in Paris was disappointing at best. Marriott-do better. Please.

When we arrived after a very long day/night of travel and the house cleaner was still working away at cleaning the Paris apartment, we rented for our Girls Trip 2023 (finishing the clean after the official check-in time) and I quickly spied a huge spider that I had to kill with my shoe, I cringed. Yikes-this might not be the upscale experience I expected.

Launched in 2019 to appeal to their Bonvoy customers who want a travel brand that they trust but the space and amenities of an apartment/home, Marriott needs to improve in order to keep customers like me coming back. With that in mind, here is my feedback on my stay for Marriott:

Show customer ratings and reviews like Airbnb. Customers tell it like it is, both good and bad. I would not have rented this expensive apartment had there been customer reviews which described the neighborhood. Our block included a boisterous group that met every night on the corner under our windows (which had to be open-no a/c). It was crazy loud until the wee hours every single night.
Ensure that every apartment comes with a manual (similar to Airbnb) so that you don’t have to watch a YouTube video to learn how to use the combo washer/dryer, which we had to do. I had to take a picture and send to the property management company to translate the front panel.
Conduct Marriott property visits to ensure that appropriate ongoing maintenance is being done by local property management companies. Our apartment had duct tape holding cabinets together due to broken door hinges, peeling paint on the bedroom wall and kitchen appliances (oven and dishwasher) that didn’t work. These issues do not create a “premium and luxury” experience for the traveler.
Under promise, over deliver. If you are going to promise High-Speed Wi-Fi, television and kitchen essentials, then you better make sure these are indeed included. Our apartment had slow Wi-Fi that negatively impacted our ability to work remotely and enjoy entertainment since the television only had local channels all in French, the bedroom televisions hadn’t even been set up, and the Wi-Fi wasn’t strong enough to use our technology to stream shows via Google Chromecast.

Below is Marriott’s program statement detailing the travel experience they offer with Homes & Villas. I was looking forward to enjoying this premium experience in Paris. I did not get it:

Marriott’s published program statement: Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy offers a curated and growing collection of premium and luxury whole home rentals located in prime destinations throughout the world. Leveraging Marriott International’s deep knowledge in delivering exceptional hospitality experiences, each home is professionally managed and meets the company’s design, cleanliness, safety and amenity standards. Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy is part of the Marriott Bonvoy travel program, providing numerous benefits to both property management companies and travelers. Members of Marriott Bonvoy can earn and redeem points at all homes, providing more choice for a range of travel needs as a complement to Marriott International’s core hotel business.

Top 5 tips to book an Airbnb stay

On May 18, 2023 By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Airbnb, Europe, Travel, travel hacks, travel tips, travelling, Uncategorized, vacation2 Comments

Gazing out the window at the lively Montmartre cafes, I truly felt a part of the Parisian culture on a recent trip. This is one of the reasons I book an Airbnb for our stays that are a week or more. While I love my Marriott hotel stays, those work best for just a few days. An Airbnb is great for longer term stays and for groups like for our girls’ trips because we need more bathrooms and beds than a hotel room can provide. In Florence, we rented out an apartment in a villa (see top left pic below) where the family lived in one section, and we enjoyed three levels of living in a separate wing of the building. When my husband and I travel, often I will be working remote for a month or longer, so having strong Wi-Fi and a washer are necessary. I just booked our stay in an apartment in Strasbourg, France for a month, where I’ll be working remote during the week and taking day trips all over France on the weekends. My girls trip this year will be a stay in Paris on the Ile Saint-Louis Island in an amazing Airbnb with a water view. So much to look forward to!

Doing research before booking your Airbnb is crucial to having a happy stay so please read my tips below before you hit that “reserve” button and enjoy your journey!

Read the reviews. If there are complaints about noise and the beds being uncomfortable, look elsewhere. You need a good night’s sleep when you travel. If there are no reviews, don’t book it. The listing may be new and that’s the reason for zero reviews but let somebody else try it out first. The host should disclose any issues with the rental in the description (one posting I just read stated that “If you are 6-feet +, consider other bookings because one area of the ceiling has a clearance of 5’11”) but sometimes hosts aren’t so forthright so reviews are where you will discover the truth.
Choose a Superhost if at all possible. They will care more about providing a clean, consistent experience because they want good reviews. If something is amiss, they will be more likely to make it right. We checked in to one apartment in London and the cleaners hadn’t shown up yet, so we had to drop our bags and leave once they did come. However, the host gave us a full night’s credit back to our Airbnb account which was absolutely the best outcome of a situation that can happen.
Check out the neighborhood before you book. Some hosts provide the address up front, and others will only show a location in the general neighborhood “exact location provided after booking”. Either way, do your due diligence and investigate. We got a super deal on a place in Lisbon, Portugal but the neighborhood was a little rough, so we didn’t feel comfortable going out at night so now I go to Google maps and look at street view level to get a feel for the neighborhood before I book. Usually, the host will include details in “Getting around” section about what you can walk to like a market and public transportation nearby. Is accessibility an issue for you or members of your group? Is the neighborhood hilly or are there stairs to climb to the local market? All good thinks to know in advance.
Consider the cancellation policy. Cancel policies vary by property so make sure you check. You will usually see for each listing either: “Free cancellation before (insert date)”, which is usually 30 days prior to start of reservation OR “Free cancellation for 48 hours”. Believe me, life can happen and with a restrictive cancel policy you will lose your entire payment. My husband had a heart attack, and we couldn’t go to NYC on a planned trip. Even after explaining the situation to the host, he refused to refund our money and he was within his rights to do so given that apartment’s published cancel policy. I was still upset, and, after that incident, I now refuse to book a place that doesn’t have a more lenient policy where I can get a 100% refund within 30 days of start of reservation.
Check amenities and accessibility. I have stayed in Airbnbs all over Europe. Many places have steep stairs to not only get to the apartment but also within the unit. Elevators are as rare as air conditioning, dishwashers and dryers in many countries. If these are important to you, check to make sure the place you have picked to rent has them. Even small details like having a coffee pot for me are important. One place we rented had nothing but an electric kettle which is fine for tea. We had a lovely time shopping in the local neighborhood for a french press and coffee, leaving it all behind after our week’s stay so the next renter might enjoy it. If you will be working remote and need strong Wi-Fi, check the reviews to see if other renters have had any issues and check with the host. Where we stayed in London recently not only had 5 flights of stairs inside the unit but the Wi-Fi and cell coverage was weak and only worked in a few places inside the unit, which was just inconvenient for us. At our New Zealand cottage on the water, the host provided free use of kayaks and we had an amazing paddle around the bay. Our France rental this fall has use of bikes to get around the city which I am sure we will use on our month-long stay.

I hope these tips help you book an amazing place. Safe travels!

Top 10 Tips for Airbnb Hosts

On July 3, 2017July 4, 2017 By Travels with MelindaIn adventure, Airbnb, Boise, Family vacation, hotels, Travel, travelling, Uncategorized, vacation, wanderlustLeave a comment

Does the lure of extra money tempt you to rent out an extra bedroom or your vacation home? Sounds good but if you decide to profit by sharing your personal space with complete strangers, use these tips from my experience as an Airbnb host to make it a successful experience.

The last three years we have rented out our second home, a cute 1912 cottage in Boise, Idaho when we aren’t using it. As an Airbnb host, there are definitely great moments when that rent money is deposited into your account or guests rave about your property but temper those delightful moments with the calls at midnight when the renter is drunk and lost their key or when the lovely 2 person renter in reality turns out to be a raucous house party that trashes your home. With this reality firmly in mind, here are my top 10 tips for Airbnb hosts.

Do your research before you commit to being an Airbnb host. Stay at several Airbnb‘s yourself and see what you like/dislike. Go through the booking process, examine how other hosts present their properties, look at reviews of properties where you stay and properties that are located near your property.
Have an emergency plan. We have a family member who lives locally and oversees our property for us. If you aren’t lucky enough to have a friendly family member to assist you, then you will need to hire a property manager. In addition to handling emergencies, this person/company can check people in and walk guests through your property so they have a great experience. We also keep a lockbox on property in case of emergencies. A guest WILL lose a key so, to prevent midnight calls, get a lockbox that goes on a door knob with a code you change after every guest. Stuff happens. Be ready.
Cleanliness is key to bookings. Guests will let you know in their reviews if there are housekeeping issues and then you will miss out on future income. Face it, no one wants to stay in a dirty place. We deep clean every time we visit and our property manager handles the cleaning after each guest leaves. Have cleaning supplies handy for guests to use as needed, especially if you have long-term clients staying longer than a few days. Same goes for toilet paper, paper towel, garbage bags, etc. Extra is better. If a guest runs out of toilet paper, you are guaranteed a less than stellar review.
Little touches make a difference. We provide complimentary bottles of shampoo and body wash, coffee/tea/sweeteners, umbrellas, strong Wi-Fi, board games, cards, a Frisbee and a couple of bikes. Guests love the bikes at our cottage as we are close to downtown Boise and parks and tend to attract an outdoorsy clientele. We are kid-friendly with a port-a-crib available as well as kids books/,movies, and games. After a client leaves, Airbnb will send an email to guests so they can leave a review. When we check in a guest, we encourage them to complete the reviews. Great recommendations will get you listings. The more, the better!
Comfy bed, linens and towels are essential. We learned the hard way that cheap towels don’t last. Buy everything in white so you can bleach out the crazy stains you will find and spring for nice quality, not WalMart specials, so they last longer with frequent use. Same with your mattress. When we rent an Airbnb for vacations, I always read the reviews specifically looking for a great bed that won’t torture our backs.
Tourist information is up-to-date and plentiful. We gather the latest tourist brochures and magazines from downtown hotels and restaurants when we stay at our cottage and leave the information for our guests so they know awesome places to eat and visit in Boise.
“Above and beyond” perks are appreciated by all. We have stayed at Airbnbs all over the world and the best perks were: Bluetooth Bose speaker at our Waiheke Island, New Zealand Airbnb so we could listen to our playlists while lounging in the giant beanbag chairs on the patio and fresh soda bread upon arrival at our thatched roof cottage in Galway, Ireland. That’s great service!
Fully loaded kitchen with everything needed to cook. I know many people go on vacation to eat out at restaurants but I like to explore the local groceries and cook to save $$ that we use on other travel splurges like zip-lining, shopping, and concerts. Upon arriving late in Portugal, we found out that coffee was not a big deal there so thus no coffeemaker just instant coffee and a hot water pot. Bummer. I will be first to admit I am a coffee snob who grinds beans fresh every morning. We immediately went out and bought a coffee press for the apartment which we left for the next guest. Also, we supply salt and pepper as well as plastic wrap, Ziploc bags, tin foil and every kitchen utensil, pot and pan that you need to make a meal at our cottage. Guests love it!
Safety first. Provide a fire extinguisher just in case. Hopefully no one will need it. Of course, you should have working fire detectors and carbon monoxide alarms too. We don’t provide candles or a grill due to fire safety concerns with our wood cottage. Be prepared for the worst and provide a first aid kit. I was injured on the ferry ride to our Airbnb cottage in New Zealand and the host promptly provided a cold pack for my injured hand.
Finally, expect to make money but understand the expenses you will incur. First, price your property within similar market offerings but not at the low-end. Airbnb might encourage you to drop your price but we did our research and kept our pricing firm. Guests may try to do side agreements to sidestep Airbnb but we politely refuse. You run risks if you don’t have backing of Airbnb in case of damage and there will be damage. We’ve been lucky with only one issue and the guest paid for the damage quickly so we didn’t even have to get Airbnb involved. We allow only dogs due to my husband’s allergies to cats, which helps bookings because not very many properties allow dogs. In our three years as hosts, we have only had people “acting like animals” damage and no true animal damage. Go figure! To save on energy costs, we installed a programmable thermostat that we can monitor via an app on our phones to make sure that in between guests, the temperature is appropriate. You will need to have a landscaper, pest control, HVAC person, handyman and plumber identified and use as required. The costs do add up–a broken water line here and an ant invasion there will reduce your profit. Save some of that rent $$ for regular needed maintenance and emergency repairs or you will be sorry. If you plan to occupy the property like we do on a regular basis, it will be convenient for you to have one closet locked and for your use only for your personal toiletries and extra clothes. We just bought a mini fridge for the basement so we don’t have to keep throwing out condiments after each of our personal visits between guests. Buying ketchup, mayonnaise, and butter every visit can add up and you can’t really leave food stuff for guests to use.

Hopefully these tips will help you if you decide to become an Airbnb host. Overall, it’s been a good experience for us and a great assistance financially to help us pay for our second home to spend time near our family. Good luck and happy hosting!