Does this Mattress Run Make Sense?

I have received a great response to my earlier post – Hotel Deals – When Room Rates are Lower than Breakfast Prices. One of the best questions I was asked was about a great mattress run opportunity. I was glad to know such savvy readers follow my blog.

Question – Mattress Run at JW Marriott Marquis, Dubai

I am copying the question I had received on email (with sender’s consent).

Hey Points of Arabia,

I love to read your blog. I read your post on Marriott hotel deals and I am thinking about a mattress run. As a Gold member, I have 10 nights to go to become Platinum.

I live in Dubai but I have an Amex Marriott Card. Taking advantage of double promo Marriott offer, I could earn 4,200 points per weekend night for 120$. Is this a good deal? What do you think?

Thanks,

Jamie

My Response

I didn’t want to sound stupid, so the first thing I did was to understand where 4,200 points are coming from. The nightly rate was correct (AED 436 = $119).

Being a Gold Elite member, Jamie could earn

• 10 points per dollar as standard earnings – 1,200 points
• Bonus of 10 points per dollar with Marriott Double Promotion – 1,200 points
• 5 points per dollar as Gold Elite benefit (50% bonus on standard earnings) – 600 points
• 6 points per dollar with American Express Bonvoy Credit Card – 720 points
• 500 points for weekend nights

This makes a total of 4,220 points. So, the calculations were accurate.

The next important question is how much are Marriott points worth? In my opinion, 0.9 cents seems like a reasonable value. Although, you could possibly get more value especially with the 5th night free offer.

I have made some great Marriott / SPG redemption in the past at the Sheraton Charles Square, Prague and HUUS GStaad. However, I am yet to make a redemption after the low and high season rates have kicked in.

At 0.9 cents per point, Jamie could earn $38 (0.9 cents x 4,220) per night. This means a discount of 32% which is a great deal any day.

Further, this rate is inclusive of breakfast at Kitchen6 – one of the best breakfast spreads in Dubai. The cost for two people is $80.

Therefore, if you add both the benefits (points earned and free breakfast), Jamie can cover the cost of his room. The tier night earned is a free bonus.

There are still a few weeks to go before the hotel rates increase, so Jamie could get the 10 nights he wants to achieve Platinum status.  However, would he like eating at Kitchen6 every weekend? A lot of the value is coming from the free breakfast.

An Alternative

If the objective is to earn tier nights, I would recommend a cheaper property in Dubai. For instance, Four Points by Sheraton, Downtown, Dubai.

It has a nightly rate of AED 176 or $48. Breakfast is included although I presume it would not be as lavish as JW Marriott Marquis.

For this property, Jamie could earn the following

• 10 points per dollar as standard earnings – 480 points
• Bonus of 10 points per dollar with Marriott Double Promotion – 480 points
• 5 points per dollar as Gold Elite benefit (50% bonus on standard earnings) – 240 points
• 6 points per dollar with American Express Bonvoy Credit Card – 288 points
• 500 points for weekend nights

This makes a total of 1,988 points. Once again, at 0.9 cents per point, it is worth $18 or 37% discount. Or, in other words, every tier night would cost $30.

What do you think? Does the mattress run make sense?