Now Bookable with Marriott Points: Elegant Hotels All-Inclusives (Barbados)

Marriott Bonvoy All-Inclusives in Barbados

Just two days ago, I was scanning for potential holiday hotels in the Caribbean to book with points over the coming winter holidays. I stumbled on some interesting all-inclusives that were joining Marriott’s Bonvoy program, but earn and burn was listed as later in 2021.

There are 20 Blue Diamond all-inclusives joining later this year still, in places like Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and St Lucia. You can see those here. I’m sure I’d read about this when announced in, but sort of forgot about it.

But today I was looking at Barbados specifically, and discovered that there are 7 “Elegant Hotels” properties that are now accepting reservations using Bonvoy points and they can actually be a heck of a deal with one caveat – I’m not too familiar with the brand. If you just want to take a peek at these properties “at a glance,” this Marriott website is for just that. They seem to have become bookable just within the last day or two.

They sell for quite a bit, though – from around $400 to over $1,500 a night depending on time of year. Six are listed as part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection (which should include upgrades) while one, which is not all-inclusive – is branded as Luxury Collection.

Worried about free breakfast? Don’t be – because every meal is included here 😉

The Seven Marriott Bonvoy “Elegant Hotels” in Barbados

The properties are:

• Turtle Beach by Elegant Hotels – All-Inclusive (Autograph Collection)
• Waves Hotel & Spa by Elegant Hotels – All-Inclusive (Autograph Collection)
• Crystal Cove by Elegant Hotels – All-Inclusive (Autograph Collection)
• Tamarind by Elegant Hotels – All-Inclusive (Autograph Collection)
• The House by Elegant Hotels – All-Inclusive, Adults Only (Autograph Collection)
• Treasure Beach by Elegant Hotels – All-Inclusive, Adults Only (Autograph Collection)
• Colony Club by Elegant Hotels (Luxury Collection) – NOT all-inclusive

Marriott Bonvoy Categories

All of these hotels are Category 8, meaning you will spend 70,000 points off-peak, 85,000 points standard, and 100,000 points peak – with the 5th night free.

It’s worth noting that these is the highest category and you are spending the same amount as the Ritz Carlton or St Regis in the Maldives or the Gritti Palace in Venice, for example.

Since they are Autograph Collection and not independent, I think we should feel comfortable that they will adhere to the brand standards for Autograph Collection properties – although at first glance they don’t quite strike me as looking like Autograph style resorts…

The House All Inclusive

Using The House as an example of where you can get some pretty good bang for a Bonvoy point (it seems to consistently be the most expensive), you can book this room type on points:

Luxury Garden View, All-Inclusive Adults Only, 1 Bedroom Suite

The cost for a random 5 night stay in November (19th to 24th) is 340,000 Bonvoy points or $4,085 per room. That’s 1.2 cents per Bonvoy point – roughly twice their average value. Of course, you do get the 5th night free on an award.

I actually just booked a December stay for 400,000 points at The House as there is a “chance” we may be there anyway. For my dates, the price was a rather insane $8,485 so if we complete have the stay – which I kind of doubt we will because it’s most of my points balance – we’d be getting over 2 cents per Bonvoy point.

I urge you, though, to not get hung up on cents per point. It’s only a good redemption if you actually want to stay there and your points balance supports it! That said, the reviews for The House are pretty amazing with a 5.0 out of 5.0 review on TripAdvisor with 792 reviews. Wow!

Here’s what’s included in a room at The House:

• All-inclusive dining with premium drinks to include champagne breakfast, afternoon tea and evening canapes.
• One complimentary 30-minute Jet Lag Revival Massage per guest
• 24-hour Ambassador service and Romance Concierge
• Complimentary beach and pool Ambassador service including bottled water, fruit and frozen treats
• Complimentary Wi-Fi available in rooms and public areas
• Air-conditioned fitness room
• Complimentary motorized water sports including snorkeling, sailing, boogie boards, kayaking, Hobie Cat and waterskiing (available at adjacent Tamarind hotel)
• Water Taxi between select Elegant Hotels West Coast properties (weather permitting) Boutique Spa and Fitness Centre Wedding Coordinator
• Taxes and service charges
• Please note that the Barbados Room Levy of USD 17.68 per night/per room is not included on the rates quoted.

Here are a few pictures of The House from their website:

Earning Marriott Bonvoy Points

Ever since the Marriott/SPG merger, it’s gotten much harder to earn Marriott points at scale because of the restrictions on getting multiple Bonvoy cards within two years of each other.

Generally, though, there are 3 Marriott Bonvoy credit cards that you can currently apply for which will give you a 6 figure points boost (or close). They are:

• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card – 100,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend $3,000 in your first 3 months (Limited Time Offer)
• Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card – Earn 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend $3,000 in your first 3 months plus up to $150 in statement credits. See Terms. (Rates and Fees)
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card – Get 75,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend $3,000 in your first 6 months plus up to $200 in statement credits for purchases at US restaurants in your first 6 months. (Rates and Fees)

MilesTalk Musings

The bottom line is that it’s fantastic news to have 7 all-inclusives available to book now with Marriott Bonvoy points in Barbados. It also implies we may be close to getting the ability to book all of those 20 Blue Diamond resorts with points soon.

Hyatt has stepped up its game in a big way ever since it added the SLH collection to World of Hyatt and they have the Zilara and Ziva all-inclusive brands in addition to Miraval. These hotels help increase Marriott’s competitive position in this area.

As I have no familiarity with the Elegant Hotels brand, I would absolutely love it it any readers that have ever stayed in one of these properties to share your experience with the rest of us.

If I do go, I’ll certainly report on the stay!

Thoughts?

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You can find credit cards that best match your spending habits and bonus categories at Your Best Credit Cards. 

New to all of this? My “introduction to miles and points” book, MilesTalk: Live Your Wildest Travel Dreams Using Miles and Points is available on Amazon and at major booksellers.

The following American Express cards were discussed in this article: Rates and Fees for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card | Rates and Fees for the Marriot Bonvoy(TM) Business Card from American Express