Courtyard by Marriott has turned 30 years old in what was once the upper moderate hotel brand, but now firmly in the upscale hotel market segment hotel brands based on the room rates and STR U.S. Chain Scale 2013 rankings.
Since launching in 1983, Courtyard has grown to more than 900 hotels in 40 countries. Courtyard is Marriott International’s largest hotel brand and expected to reach 1,000 hotels worldwide in 2015.
Courtyard launched with the plan to populate suburban locations with hotels.
Lately I have been seeing Courtyard and Residence Inn commercials frequently. The Residence Inn commercial with the penguins is cute.
After a couple of weeks I realized that I was seeing this commercial during NFL football games. An interesting feature I see with Residence Inn is an adjacent Courtyard hotel in dozens of locations. I think of these two brands as ‘buddy’ hotels.
NFL Weekend Package Rate at Courtyard by Marriott
Book a weekend stay that includes at least a Friday or Saturday night through February 2, 2014 using code VZZ, pay with Visa and you can get the NFL weekend package:
- $20 Visa® Gift Card
- NFL MVP Combo Snack Pack
- -2 Pepsi® drinks
-2 Bud Light® beverages
-2 Frito-Lay® snacks - Late Checkout (as available)
Courtyard is the NFL official hotel sponsor.
This is year two of Courtyard’s multi-year sponsorship of the NFL which explains why I keep seeing penguins in hotel rooms every Sunday, Monday and Thursday the past couple of months.
Loyalty Traveler Analysis
Anytime I see a special rate code for a hotel package, I know there is a good chance the rate is not the lowest rate available.
This is true with the NFL Weekend package rate.
I checked a couple of hotels and the higher rate for the NFL Weekend Package means this offer is only a deal if staying one night using the VZZ rate and even one night stays might not be a good deal.
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Courtyard Fremont Silicon Valley, Fremont, California, Sat. Oct 25
- King Room NFL Package = $99
- King Room Standard rate = $79
- King Room AAA rate = $75
- Suite AAA Rate = $104
Courtyard San Jose Airport, San Jose, California
- King Room NFL Package = $129
- King Room Standard rate = $119
- King Room AAA rate = $113
Courtyard Fremont room rate is $20 higher than the Standard Rate and $24 AAA rate for the NFL Package which is a $20 Visa gift card, two beers, two sodas and chips. And there is tax on that extra $20 which can add another $3 to the final bill. These are break even rates if you really want Bud Light and soda and chips.
Courtyard San Jose Airport room rate for the NFL package is only $10 higher than the Standard room rate. This hotel offers a better rate deal and the buyer will come out a little ahead with the $20 Visa gift card.
Whether the beer, soda and snack chips have value is up to the consumer.
NFL Weekend Package Terms & Conditions
Offer valid for weekend stays September 12, 2013 — February 2, 2014 at participating Courtyard properties, in the U.S. and Canada. Must reserve using the promotional code VZZ in order to receive this offer. Stays must be booked on or between August 22, 2013 — February 1, 2014. Visa® card payment required.
Must stay over a Friday or Saturday night to receive the offer. Minimum 1 night stay required.
Upon payment for stay using a Visa® card, guest will receive one voucher for a $20 Visa® gift card* per room, per stay and a container with two Pepsi® drink products, two Bud Light® products, and two Frito-Lay® snack products. Including alcohol in the package is subject to local and state alcohol laws. Other Pepsi products will be substituted if inclusion of Bud Light products is not permissible. Maximum gift card value is $20, regardless of total length of stay. Guests can elect to redeem voucher for either a Visa® gift card distributed in U.S. dollars or Canadian dollars at point of redemption. Guest has 30 days from checkout to register to receive gift card on the website listed on the promotional voucher provided. A gift card will be mailed to qualified guests within 4-6 weeks after online registration. Terms and conditions apply to gift card: For U.S. cardholders see www.myprepaidbalance.com; For Canadian cardholders see www.myrewardcard.ca for full gift card terms & conditions. For gift cards in U.S. dollars, after the 12th month of inactivity, a monthly maintenance fee of $2.95 will be assessed to the gift card until the card is used or the balance is zero. For gift cards in Canadian dollars, there is no monthly maintenance fee; however, the gift card expires after 12 months, on the last day of the month printed on the card. This offer is not available on the Stay for Breakfast® rate, which includes breakfast for up to two adults and children age 12 and under. Offer not applicable to groups of 10 or more. A limited number of rooms are available and blackout dates or other restrictions may apply. A stay is defined as continuous nights spent at the same hotel, regardless of check-in/check-out activity. Must be a registered guest to receive offer. Limited quantities available while supplies last. No rain checks or substitutions will be issued. Visit www.courtyard.com/NFLpackage or call 877.MARRIOTT (877-627-7468) for complete offer terms and conditions.
© 2013 Marriott International, Inc
*Visa® gift card cannot be reloaded, resold, transferred for value, redeemed for cash, or applied to any other account. If you select to receive a Visa® gift card in U.S. dollars then the gift card will be issued by MetaBankTM, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Incorporated. The gift card can be used wherever Visa® debit cards are accepted, and use is governed by the terms in your Cardholder Agreement, which you will receive with the card. For complete terms and conditions, see www.myprepaidbalance.com. If you select to receive a Visa®† gift card in Canadian dollars, then the gift card will be issued by Citizens Bank of Canada. Gift card use is governed by the terms in your Cardholder Agreement, which you will receive with the card. For complete terms and conditions, see www.myrewardcard.ca and select the Cardholder Agreement link.
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Ric Garrido of Monterey, California is writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler.
Loyalty Traveler shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests. Check out my page of collated current hotel promotions.
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