One of the pleasant opportunities that has opened up over the last year or so is the fact that both SPG Moments and Marriott Moments have offered the same exact packages.
This has created a chance for some bidders to get a package they may have missed out on before and it even gave me a chance to get an awesome Father’s Day present (I will have a post on this Sunday – since I don’t want to give it away early!).
Going with Marriott Over SPG Saved This Customer 95,000 SPG Points – For the Same Package!
Well, if you play with both SPG Moments and Marriott Moments, you could save a significant amount of points as well! It seems that not as many people are aware of the Marriott Moments (even some Marriott reps are not aware of it) – and that can be a good thing for many of us! 🙂
It certainly was for the customer who won a Marriott Moments package that was identical to a SPG one that ended a couple of weeks ago. This person saved a huge amount of SPG Starpoints by winning the Marriott Moments version instead of the SPG Moments version – over 95,000 SPG points!
Here was the package as described by the SPG Moments package:
- Photography Master Class in the Al Wadi Desert with UAE based photographer Paul Macleod
- Private and fully customizable photography lesson that includes landscape, lighting, wildlife and sunset photography
- Private session with a Royal Shaheen falcon handler
- Single-night stay at The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al-Khaimah, Al Wadi Desert in a luxury tented pool villa (Dates subject to availability)
- Dinner for two at Farmhouse (Half board menu provided)
- Buffet breakfast at the hotel
- Valet parking included
- Buggy and driver transportation provided for the duration of your stay
- Experience is for two people
This is a nice package, specifically the fact that it can be used on the date of the winner’s choice (for the second half of the year with some date restrictions). This is different from many SPG Moments packages and the single thing that had me seriously considering bidding on it as a trip to take my daughter on.
The Huge Differences in Winning Bids with SPG and Marriott
The SPG package that went for a ridiculous 116,000 Starpoints
The SPG Moments package ended on June 4 at 116,000 Starpoints. That is waaay more SPG points than I thought it would go for! The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al-Khaimah hotel goes for 50,000 Marriott points per night, or about 16,000 SPG points for a night (which, by the way, is a fabulous redemption). That means the winner placed a value of 100,000 Starpoints on the photography lesson, the falcon session, the meals, and the buggy. To me, that is some really ridiculous pricing (though obviously someone thought it was worth it).
The winning bid for the Marriott version – at a very good deal of about 21,000 Starpoints
In contrast, the Marriott Moments version of this package (it was the same exact package) ended just a little while ago for a price of 62,500 Marriott points – or 20,833 Starpoints (since SPG points transfer to Marriott at 1:3). To me, that was more in keeping with the value of the package.
But, that also means that the person who won the Marriott version saved 95,000 SPG points by going for the Marriott package instead of the SPG package.
Another Example
This is a very extreme example but many others exist as well. Reader Hal won the Marriott version of the photography package for Israel with 2 nights at the Ritz-Carlton. He saved 12,000 SPG points by going for the Marriott version instead of the SPG version.
What Does This Mean for You?
For the next couple of months, we will have both the Marriott and SPG Moments sites. This means that you can play the two sites against each other to get the best price on many of the same exact packages. However, remember that they do not end at the same time! I would suggest to check both sites but I think that the Marriott site will yield some of the better deals.
A Current Example – Tour de France
Take this package into consideration – the chance to be at the finish line of the Tour de France and photography it with a professional photographer. The Marriott version just ended today at the total of 157,500 Marriott points (or 52,500 Starpoints). The SPG version does not end for 2 weeks and is currently at just 25,000 Starpoints (or 75,000 Marriott points). If this stays anywhere near that, it could be an awesome deal for the bicycle enthusiast!
I bet it’s a psychological thing too. When you see the large number of Marriott points, your brain automatically stops you from bidding. Despite the fact that the similar SPG auction is actually more expensive.