Homes & Villas Experiences

[marks]

I recently used the Homes & Villas option in AKL.
Bonvoy's AirBnB offering.

I had 1bd unit in Wakefield street. Very comfortable and I wanted a kitchen for this trip.
I thought I'd try it out for the points & night credits.

Pros:
Great range of properties.
Points & nights on your bonvoy account.
A stay in a neighbourhood setting.

Cons:
Immediate payment and deposit. While it was a NZD rate, all the transactions are in USD. And they aren't the best rates either.
Hard to get a receipt/invoice. This was a pain for expense re-imbursement.
The deposit took 2 weeks extra to refund and I had to send emails to chase. Still haven't got the points credited yet. The 3rd party provider had sent me a message that the unit was fine & the deposit can be returned.
Emailed on the points & they are saying to wait 6 weeks and try again if nothing comes through.

Would I use again? Perhaps not., and then perhaps only for a personal trip where I'm not chasing paperwork for the company.
It looked reasonable pricing, but with the rates being tied back to USD then back to AUD, the double dipping adds plenty of cost on this.
A usual Bonvoy stay will have the points credited in 48hrs.

Anyone else used Homes & Villas?

 

[drron]

I have been thinking about it for Tokyo and the family Christmas next year. May have to rethink.

 

[sudoer]

Thanks for the report. I had looked at this a few times when considering whether to attempt retaining my Bonvoy status, but I think I'm going to let Bonvoy lapse now that I can easily re-attain it through the new Amex US Bonvoy credit card.

I've wondered especially about booking on behalf of friends or family (who aren't interested in accumulating miles/status) given there's unlikely to be any form of ID changing hands at 'check-in'

 

[marks]

You are paying a premium for the points and nights.
I did have to submit my id (passport) about a week before arrival

 

[thatsthatmattressman]

I too have been frequently looking at the site for opportunities and intend to book one soon. This tie up with Alloggio should really broaden the portfolio.

Alloggio partners with Marriott's rental platform to 'supercharge' growth - Hotel Management

Short-term rental operator Alloggio has entered a distribution partnership with Marriott International which will see 1300 of its holiday rentals available on Homes & Villas by Marriott International.

www.hotelmanagement.com.au

 

[marks]

So the points & nights were credited one month after the stay. The points were approx half the earn rate from hotels for me.