Finding a hotel room on points for a family of five or more is difficult. Most points redemptions are for rooms that only fit four people.
Earlier this year, I wrote about the Best Hilton Hotels for Families of Five or More and the Best Hyatt Hotels for Families of Five or More. Today, I continue this series for Marriott/SPG properties. Keep in mind that because Marriott acquired Starwood hotels, you can transfer points between Marriott and SPG as necessary for award nights.
Hotels Near Theme Parks
Springhill Suites Orlando at Flamingo Crossings/Western Entrance near Disney World in Florida. Rooms sleep up to six people and cost 20,000 Marriott points per night. The hotel has free breakfast (with Mickey waffles!) and a paid shuttle to the Disney Ticket and Transportation Center.
Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance near Disneyland in Anaheim, California. This hotel has a water park and is quite possibly the nicest off-site hotel near Disneyland. Standard rooms fit six people with two queen beds and a bunk bed. The hotel is just a five-minute walk to Disneyland and costs 40,000 Marriott points per night.
Marriott’s Cypress Harbour Villas near Disney, Universal and Sea World in Orlando. Two-bedroom suites that sleep up to eight people with a full kitchen run 45,000 Marriott points per night. The resort has multiple pools and a KIDS CLUB for Parent’s Night Out!
Springhill Suites Hershey Near the Park in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Rooms sleep up to six people for 35,000 Marriott points per night. Hotel has free airport shuttle!
Sheraton Carlsbad Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. This resort is only one mile from Legoland, California! Standard rooms run 10,000 SPG points per night + $25 per night for a rollaway for the 5th person (or 8000 points per night with the 5th night free). The resort has a heated outdoor lagoon pool, onsite spa and free shuttle to Legoland.
Hotels On/Near the Beach
Sheraton Sand Key Resort near Clearwater Beach, Florida. My family stayed here earlier this year on points. This hotel’s location can’t be beat! SPG allows you to book 2 adults and 3 kids in one room with two queen beds. Hotel staff will bring a rollaway for $10 a night, but my family just used an inflatable mattress we brought from home. This hotel costs 10,000 SPG points per night, but with the 5th night free it’s 8000 points per night for five nights.
Clearwater Beach Marriott Suites on Sand Key. This hotel is right across the street from Sheraton Sand Key Resort. Although it faces a bay instead of the ocean, it has a small beach on the bay and is just a short walk to Sand Key Beach Park. The pool area looks fabulous! Standard rooms are suites with a separate bedroom and sleeper sofa that sleep up to six people. 40,000 Marriott points per night.
Bethany Beach Ocean Suites Residence Inn in Bethany Beach, Delaware. Located right on the Bethany Beach boardwalk, standard rooms fit up to six guests for 45,000 Marriott points per night. Includes free breakfast and an indoor/outdoor pool.
Springhill Suites Virginia Beach Oceanfront. Right on the beach! Hotel has indoor and outdoor pools and hot tub. Standard rooms sleep up to six people, and the hotel includes a free breakfast. 40,000 Marriott points per night.
Courtyard Miami Beach South Beach in Florida. This hotel is a historical landmark with a rooftop pool that is within walking distance to the beach. Rooms fit up to five people with a sofa bed and cost 40,000 Marriott points per night.
Hotels in Big Cities
Courtyard Jersey City Newport near New York City. Although technically in New Jersey, this hotel is only one train stop away from NYC. Standard guest rooms with two queen beds fit a rollaway for the 5th person and cost 35,000 Marriott points per night.
Boston Marriott Copley Place in Downtown Boston. This hotel accommodates a rollaway for the 5th person and costs 40,000 Marriott points per night. Boston Marriott Copley Place has an indoor pool and is within walking distance of many attractions.
JW Marriott Denver Cherry Creek in Denver, Colorado. This is the first JW Marriott I’ve seen that allows a 5th person with a rollaway. The hotel is located near many boutique shops and restaurants. 40,000 Marriott points per night.
Dallas Marriott Las Colinas in Dallas, Texas. This hotel is unique because it’s located on a lake that offers gondola rides (just like Venice, Italy!). Standard rooms fit up to five people with a rollaway and cost 20,000 Marriott points per night. This is a great location to visit attractions in both Dallas and Fort Worth.
Hotels Near National Parks/Monuments
Springhill Suites Pigeon Forge near Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Rooms sleep up to six people for 35,000 Marriott points per night. Hotel has heated outdoor pool with water slide and hot tub as well as an indoor pool and free breakfast.
Springhill Suites Vernal in Utah near Dinosaur National Monument. This hotel is a Marriott Category 1 hotel that costs only 7500 points per night. The hotel has an indoor heated pool and hot tub and offers free breakfast. Standard rooms sleep up to six people.
Four Points by Sheraton Niagara Falls Falls View in Ontario, Canada. Standard rooms fit up to five people. The hotel has an indoor pool and hot tub as well as an arcade. This is a Category 2 SPG hotel that only requires 3000-4000 points per night. What a bargain!
Springhill Suites Kalispell near Glacier National Park, Montana. This hotel is 30 minutes from the entrance to Glacier National Park and 20 minutes from Flathead Lake. Rooms fit up to five people and cost 15,000 Marriott points per night.
Accumulating Marriott and SPG Points through Credit Card Bonuses
For many veterans in the miles and points hobby, accumulating Marriott and SPG points is more difficult than other hotel brands. That is because the Marriott personal card (and sometimes the business version) is subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule, and the Amex SPG cards only allow one bonus per lifetime.
The Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card has 80,000 bonus points after spending $3000 in the first three months. You also get 7500 for adding an authorized user who makes a purchase within the first three months. The $85 annual fee is not waived, but you do get a free night certificate for a Category 1-5 stay each year after your card anniversary.
The business version of the Marriott card has 80,000 bonus points but the annual fee is $99. It also comes with the free stay certificate at your card anniversary. The card has 2X points at office supply stores and on internet, phone and cable bills. For both personal and business cards, you may not receive the bonus if you have had the bonus within the past 24 months.
The Amex Starwood Preferred Guest Card currently has a bonus of 25,000 SPG points after spending $3000 within the first 3 months. The annual fee is waived the first year.
The business version of the Starwood Preferred Guest card currently has a higher bonus of 35,000 points if you spend $6000 within the first three months and an additional $4000 within the first six months (offer ends on 11/1). This is a great deal if you have enough business expenses to trigger the higher bonus.
As I mentioned above, you can transfer points between your Marriott and SPG accounts at a ratio of 1 Marriott point to 3 SPG points.
Families of five or more, do you have a favorite Marriott or SPG hotel that I don’t have on this list?
Click here to view various credit cards and available sign-up bonuses
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
Hi..love your blog. I’m getting so many ideas on family vacation.
I would like to take my kiddo (5 yr old) to Florida for a spring break/summer vacation, non-Disney world trip, More beach/relaxing and sightseeing. There are so many nice beaches in Florida.
Which beach/city/area do you recommend for first Florida beach vacation? We are coming from Southern California so around 5-6 hr flight. I would appreciate any recommendation.
HI Lea! I recommend the Clearwater Beach Area. You can fly into Tampa, and it’s just a short drive. The water is clear and the waves are not too strong for kids. My family also really loves Daytona Beach, but it has a rowdier spring break crowd and bigger waves (which is great for surfing). There are so many nice beaches in Florida, I don’t think you can go wrong no matter which one you choose.
@Lea I recommend you look into Captiva and Sanibel islands. Really neat area in Florida! Summer rates should be reasonable. For points options, check out this Hyatt Resort https://milesforfamily.com/2017/03/22/two-nights-paradise-hyatt-regency-coconut-point/
Thank you for the recommendations. I will start planning in January. We are near a Southwest & Jet blue hub so flights with these airlines will factor into our decision.
Also, I clicked the box that said “notify me of new comments via email” but I don’t it emailed me.
P.S. You can contact me at the email on file with my comments, if you’re ever in the Disney/Anaheim area and need hotel discount just let me know. I work in the hotel industry and I’ll try to help 🙂 I find your blog so very helpful…I follow a lot of travel blogs and this one has become a favorite and I look forward to reading thru the archives.
@Lea Thanks so much for your kind words as well as your offer! Sorry you didn’t get a notification on the follow-up comments. Hmm, not sure what’s going on. I’m not very savvy when it comes to nuts and bolts of this blog, but will take a look.
Flights and schedule definitely plan into equation. I do recommend you spend some time on the west coast of Florida and perhaps Florida Keys. If you have enough time, it’s possible to stay inClearwater beach, drive to Sanibel and go to Keys from there. You can fly out of Fort Lauderdale, which is served by Jet Blue and Southwest. So many possibilities! I also love St. Augustine, but the nearby beach is not as nice as one in Clearwater.
We stayed at the Residence Inn Raleigh Downtown a few months ago and our room was huge, with more than enough space for us and the four kids. Recommended if you’re in the area.
@Nick Thanks for the recommendation! Sounds like a good place.
We’ve definitely looked into that Amex Starwood card but decided against it because of the annual fees. But maybe it would be worth it… something to think about!
We usually stay at our timeshare, but gosh, these all look and sound great. My kids would freak over that slide/pool area.
xoxo,
Angelle
http://www.dashingdarlin.com
@Angelle Timeshare condos are great for large families!
Oh nice! We are only a family of two (soon to be three) right now but I’m definitely holding on to this – especially if we plan on traveling with our little one and say, my mom/my boyfriend’s mom!
@Emily Congrats on your upcoming family expansion! 🙂
I have always used 4 on the reservation and just show up with our family of 5. We have done this many times with no one having an issue with it yet.
@Erik I’m glad this has worked for you! Do you bring an inflatable bed, or squish into the existing beds? I wanted to bring a bed to a Residence Inn near my parents’ home for a visit, but luckily I stayed there by myself first and realized that the rooms were so small there was just no way an inflatable bed could fit anywhere on the floor. We had to pick another hotel.
Hi Nancy, our kids are five, six, and eight so none of them mind sleeping in the space between the two beds. In fact there’s usually a fights of who gets to sleep on the floor versus the bed. Typically we just ask for an extra comforter from the front desk or sometimes we’ll bring a sleeping bag with us.
@Erik That’s great that your kids don’t mind sleeping in between the beds on the floor. I wonder if any of mine would do that….
For our Disneyland trip, we booked our stay at a Residence Inn nearby. Still walkable, and slightly farther than the Courtyard, BUT breakfast is included at the RI and it was a cheaper redemption rate.
For Washington, D.C., we stayed at the Marriott Crystal City Gateway and had to do a rollaway bed to make it work for our family of 5, but it was connected by underground mall to a Metro stop.
@sensetosave A free breakfast is a great amenity for families that is hard to turn down. Sounds like a great choice for the Disneyland area! Also, very cool that you could add a rollaway at the Marriott Crystal City Gateway. One of these years I want to take the kids to D.C.
I have 4 sisters so I remember well the struggles of squeezing a family of 7 in on vacation! It’s great to read some tips about how to accomplish that on a budget.
@Jordan I can imagine that vacationing as a family of 7 had its challenges! My family growing up also had 5 people, but it was a little bit easier back in the 80s. Most hotels had rollaways handy and we could fit in one room. Nowadays, hotels have imposed fire codes (supposedly) as a reason to limit each room to 4 people.
Awesome! It is so true that most places only cater to the ‘standard’ family of four… Very helpful, thanks!
@Sarah-Jayne I’m glad you found it helpful.