Marriott Homes & Villas by Marriott International is a high-end, luxury alternative to hotels and resorts aimed at people who prefer to stay in something closer to a private home than a high-rise resort and the crowds they often attract.
The people behind Marriott Homes & Villas would likely complain a bit having their luxury vacation rental home options described as “aspirational Airbnb”, but that description is fairly accurate for a vacation rental opportunity featuring high-end, luxury homes typically offered at around $2000 per reservation.
Homes & Villas by Marriott International
This venture began in 2018 as an experiment in Europe, and has since grown to over 100 international locations including parts of California. The target market for these destinations? People who are frequent travelers who would rather stay in a “luxury tier” home.
The Airbnb concept we mentioned at the start of this article? That’s where this program is a bit different. Typically, Airbnb operations are run from someone’s primary residence or a guest house.
Home & Villas by Marriott International is different as these high-end properties are “generally owned” by frequent travelers. The home you stay in may be a vacation house, or it may not be occupied at all when it’s not being used by a traveler.
The properties managed by Marriott (or by a third party in partnership with Marriott) must meet specific standards of design, they must undergo a vetting process, and access to the properties is handed primarily through lock boxes and check-in codes. Typically no interaction with the property owner is required to access a reservation for the first time.
Orange County Marriott Homes & Villas
Here are the home and villas available in Orange County:
In addition to Orange County there are Marriott homes and villas in California including Big Bear, Lake Arrowhead, Lake Tahoe, Mammoth Lakes, Napa, Temecula, Palm Springs, San Diego, Los Angeles and many more cities.
Booking at Marriott Homes & Villas
There are more than two thousand locations available for rent around the world. This company prefers to locate these rentals in areas that are underrepresented by Marriott Hotels. Aspen and Big Bear are just two locations stateside that will appeal; there are several of these homes in the Bay Area in California alone.
In general, the California coastline is a great place to make these reservations, but other popular destinations include the Hamptons, in the Tennessee mountains, and beachfront properties on the Carolina coast.
You can make reservations and get more information at the Mariott Homes & Villas official site, but if you are trying to book via Mariott.com, you won’t have any luck–at press time this site is still used for more traditional hotel reservations.
If you are a member of Marriott Bonvoy, you can earn points by making reservations with Homes & Villas International. You could earn as much as five Bonvoy points for every dollar spent on a reservation, and on the official site you can filter a search for available luxury rental homes by how many Bonvoy points you could earn staying there.
After booking online, you’ll be sent a confirmation email that includes the company’s cancellation policy, contact information, how to make payment, and the local property management’s contact details
Checking In To A Marriott Homes & Villas Rental
As mentioned above, checking in does not require you to interact with a property manager or owner. Instead, you can use a lockbox code which is sent to you after you book your property.
What To Expect At Your Rental
Each rental worldwide should include most or all of the following:
- 24 hour check-in
- 24 hour support
- High-speed Wi-Fi
- Television
- Kitchen essentials
- Bathroom essentials
- Washer
- Hair dryer
- Professional cleaning (before and after your visit)
- Kid-friendly amenities on request
Marriott Homes & Villas Cancellation Policy
The official site lists cancellation policies for each individual home. These policies are complex, and you should review the policy for the specific home you are booking before committing to the reservation. In general, the cancellation policy varies depending on how early or late you booked, and how soon after booking you choose to cancel. If that sounds complicated to you, you are not alone.
For reservations made at least 15 days in advance and canceled within 48 hours of booking, there is a 100% refund policy. In such cases you can also qualify for a full refund if you cancel 15 days or more before arrival. When booking 15 days out or more, you are required to pay 50% up front and 50% within two weeks of arrival.
But there are different rules for different time frames. For example, if you booked 11-14 days in advance you get a full refund if you cancel within 48 hours. There is NO refund if you cancel after 48 hours. This booking window requires 100% up front payment.
There are more cancellation policies depending on when and how you book. Read the terms and conditions carefully before you pay.
Reservations can be canceled on the Homes & Villas website; cancellations can be made under the Lookup Reservation function of the official site.
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