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A Beginner's Guide to Homes and Villas by Marriott

Marriott

In the world of travel and tourism, whether it be for personal or professional reasons, Marriott International has established its name as one of the elite providers of quality accommodations that suit a variety of budgets. Between motels, hotels, and resorts, Marriott offers variety, all based on what a guest needs. In addition to larger-scale accommodations, Marriott also offers Homes and Villas, which is accessible on its own website. According to its landing page, the option to travel lighter with 24/7 customer service support with premium home essentials is a priority to establish a clean and safe stay for the guest. Due to the concerns and game-changing policies that have evolved since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are extra measures now in place to ensure any health and safety concerns a potential guest has are covered.

About Homes & Villas by Marriott International

Since 2019, Marriott International has been offering home rentals at a global level, focusing primarily on premium and luxury tier accommodations in home-style settings. Marriott directly works with professional home management companies to ensure each home listed measures up to the Marriott International standards. This way, when guests book with Marriott, they have access to a unique collection of private homes that have been perfectly primed to serve visitors at the same quality level as Marriott's lineup of hotels and resorts. Marriott International only deals with professionally managed homes, who in turn only offer homes that have been fully evaluated before it is listed on Marriott's Homes and Villas site. Marriott works specifically with property management partners who provide guests with professionally cleaned homes and a 24/7 local support team. Each home must be able to provide high-speed Wi-Fi, premium linen and amenities, and family-friendly conveniences upon request. When Marriott International reviews the regional and national home management companies, this is done so to suit a specific market and will only work with companies that have the expertise and credibility in order to comply with Marriott International's standards. These property management companies work directly with the homeowners to verify each home meets what Marriott expects in regards to quality, safety, design, and service.

Because Homes and Villas by Marriott International is still a relatively new entity as this only began in 2019, there hasn't been a flood of reviews about this service that has come in yet. Furthermore, due to COVID-19 and its restrictions, domestic and international travel has been severely impacted, as has the travel and tourism industry. However, people are traveling and these home rentals are being booked. Travelers opting for a quieter surrounding that feels more like home as opposed to staying in a hotel room or suite, are favoring home rentals and villas. What Marriott International has done is take a more professional approach to the rising trend of home rental accommodation arrangements that has actually been around much sooner than Marriott's 2019 start date into this venture. Marriott's entry raises the standard to ensure travelers who opt for the home rental option receive the best possible experience, both in quality and in safety.

Homes and Villas Roster

According to Marriott, new homes and villas are added each week as the demand for more personalized travel destinations continues to increase. From one corner of the globe to the other, Marriott has home-style accommodations lined up, ready to be booked based on what the traveler is looking for. On the bookings site, there is a search bar at the very top that simply needs the check-in date, check-out date, and destination city. Once entered, the search is on for the traveler to go over and find that one home that meets every need. Because of the COVID-19 regulations in place, which vary from nation to nation, be sure when placing that booking that you find out if there is any extra information you need to know before proceeding. While the booking with Marriott may seem easy enough, understanding what the community's policy the home is located in will greatly enhance the stay experience. Usually, Marriott is very thorough with all the information a guest needs, regardless of where it is they choose to travel.

There are options between apartments, beachfront bungalows, condo units, cozy cabins, flats, grand chateaus, penthouses, and sprawled-out villas. There is even the odd castle that can be rented as well. There are no two homes exactly alike and have different types of owners that may see a frequent traveler that is away from home often enough where a paying guest is welcome to use the place while they're gone. Other homes may be merely second homes that are rarely occupied. As for the personal belongings of a homeowner, there is no need for the visiting guest to worry about it as such concerns are dealt with in a manner where the home feels just like staying at a cabin or room of an accommodation facility. There are some home rentals where items belonging to the homeowner may be kept in a storage area, but will always be marked and mostly locked up so it's of no concern to the guest.

Should luck have it the home you seek is not anywhere near the destination city you're going to, Marriott will offer the option for the nearest hotel. Just like the homes and villas, the hotels and resorts under the Marriott International banner carry out the same level of high standard accommodations, striving to match all the needs of each guest. However, if you wish to simply perform a search on various destinations to see which regions have homes and villas in their location, simply choose the Destination option at the top of the main Homes and Villas by Marriott page and it will proceed to a page that features the available nations on the top left and a map immediately to its right. From there, you can either select a nation of choice or scroll down and view the destination regions to see what's there.

Saved Homes

Sometimes, the interest to travel to a specific destination is merely in the planning stages without forming any real solid commitment that has set dates in mind. While the destination of choice is more or less established, it's now a matter of timing and perhaps money. The Homes & Villas website by Marriott also offers the Saved Homes option, which allows a browser to discover whatever homes may be available in the desired area. In so doing, there is the option to set specific dates in mind as a reference or go with the "I'm Flexible" option. Should you look up a specific location and it isn't there, Marriott offers alternatives in hopes to match what you're looking for as closely as possible. Keep in mind, however, while the home you seek may not be available in the location and timing of your choosing doesn't mean this will never be the case. With programming algorithms in place, the site keeps track of what's being requested and will be on the lookout for homes the company can acquire as a means to satisfy the demands requested by potential visitors.

Reservations

Booking a reservation on the Homes and Villas by Marriott website is easy enough to do online. At the moment, there is no other method to do so and it needs to be done a full forty-eight hours in advance. This is to make sure the home is clean and ready before the guest's arrival. After choosing the destination, then it's a matter of choosing the check-in and check-out dates. There is usually a minimum stay requirement of three nights unless otherwise notified, which the booking system on the website will illustrate. Like a regular hotel reservation, it's simply a matter of booking the accommodation, the dates, and then proceeding with payment arrangements. There is a security deposit at the time of booking, as well as a cleaning fee. The price point of the deposit and the cleaning fee depends on the price point of the booking itself. This is always displayed at the time of booking so there are no unpleasant surprises. While the security deposit is refundable after the stay is completed without incident, the cleaning fee is not. As for the taxes involved, this is usually handled by the home management company, based on the region and the circumstances. Some regional governments require additional taxes based upon occupancy and are estimated using the maximum occupancy assumptions that are later added to the nightly rate. Following the booking, the professional home management company will work with the guest to ensure the correct crediting of these tax variances is based on the actual occupancy of the home. Sometimes, the reservation procedure may see no taxes applied at all, but is included in the initial price of the booking.

At the timing of the reservation booking, all the key information the guest needs to know about the home they're booking will be made available so that there are no unpleasant surprises that pop up that make the experience any less than it deserves to be. Whether the points from this loyalty points program are used or not, for each booking that is made, points are awarded to members of the Marriott Bonvoy program. For guests who are not members, you don't need this in order to book, but it does come recommended as the membership program doesn't simply apply to the Homes and Villas by Marriott. Any property belonging to or affiliated with Marriott International is part of the program. For interested guests who wish to know more about a home before booking, there is the option to contact the home manager that can provide in-depth knowledge about the place, as well as any tourism-related questions concerning the destination of choice. Once you've made your reservation, you will be emailed a confirmation notice. To ensure no issues arise, make sure to have it saved so that you can safely access it at any time. Should you need to look up  your reservation or make changes, having that information with you will make the process much easier.

More About Marriott Bonvoy

Loyal Marriott customers already know what the loyalty program known as Marriott Bonvoy is. As for potential guests who may not know, the Marriott Bonboy is a program that accumulates points each time there is a Marriott International booking. This applies to the Homes and Villas, as well as any property belonging to Marriott International. When enough points are accumulated to redeem, they can later be redeemed towards a home, room, or villa rental. In addition to the points program, there are also special discounts and offers that add even more incentive to sign up for and make good use of what Marriott Bonvoy has to offer its members.

Pet Policies

Some home rentals allow pets yet some do not. When shopping for that home or villa to rent, be sure to thoroughly view the full page and all that it offers. It will notify whether or not the rental allows pets and whether or not there is an extra pet fee involved. At the time of booking, it is the guest's responsibility to provide the information that a pet is accompanying.

Additional Information

When booking online with Homes and Villas by Marriott International, the upfront payment may be done by credit card or with redeemable points available by Marriott Bonvoy. At the moment, Marriott Bonvoy Free Night Certificates are not accepted as a form of payment, nor are any of Marriott's gift cards. Sometimes, just a partial payment is required and sometimes the full amount. This depends on the policies laid out by the property management. Should there be any credit card-related issues that arise at the time of booking, Homes, and Villas by Marriott will make contact by email, providing a link to resolve the issue within seventy-two hours. If the matter is not resolved by that time, the reservation will be canceled. Any refunds that come into question are subject to whatever policies are in place by the property manager involved. No two properties are exactly alike where some may have extra amenities and services available, including equipment rental. It varies from home to home, which is usually covered in the home's listing when visiting the web page to learn more about it. When looking for a home rental, or any accommodation arrangement for that matter, it is advised to be aware of any advisory concerns that may have a direct impact on the experience of your trip.

Dana Hanson

Written by Dana Hanson

Dana has extensive professional writing experience including technical and report writing, informational articles, persuasive articles, contrast and comparison, grant applications, and advertisement. She also enjoys creative writing, content writing on nearly any topic (particularly business and lifestyle), because as a lifelong learner, she loves to do research and possess a high skill level in this area. Her academic degrees include AA social Sci/BA English/MEd Adult Ed & Community & Human Resource Development and ABD in PhD studies in Indust & Org Psychology.

Read more posts by Dana Hanson

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