5 Top Orlando Hotels Using Marriott & Starwood Points

December 14, 2016 By Million Mile Secrets

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Planning a trip to Orlando and wishing for an affordable hotel stay? Fairy tales can come true if you have Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, or Starwood points.

Because you can use your Marriott points to stay at Starwood hotels, and vice versa! So whether you’re visiting for business, family, or Disney World, you’ll have plenty of hotels to choose from.

Orlando Marriott And Starwood Hotels With Points — Headed to Orlando? Here Are the Best Places to Use Your Marriott or Starwood Points for an Enjoyable Stay

Here are 5 highly rated hotels in Orlando where you can stay using Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, and Starwood points. And a bonus hotel option for folks who prefer stretching their points by staying at lower category hotels!

Top Marriott & Starwood Hotels With Points Index

Orlando Marriott and Starwood Hotels With Points

You can redeem Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, or Starwood points for award nights at all 3 hotel chains. And you can instantly transfer points between your Starwood and Marriott accounts at a 1:3 ratio.

And you can book luxury hotel stays at Ritz-Carlton hotels using Starwood points. Because Marriott and Ritz-Carlton essentially have the same rewards program, just with different branding and marketing.

Before you book your stay, be sure to link your loyalty accounts to get an instant status match. This way, you’ll enjoy all of the perks regardless of which hotel chain you choose.

I haven’t personally stayed at all these hotels, but they get great reviews! And if you’re visiting for Disney, check out my series on visiting Disney with Small Money!

1. Marriott Lakeshore Reserve

Marriott Lakeshore Reserve is rated among the top 2% of hotels in Orlando on TripAdvisor!

Folks like it because it’s near Disney World (~9 miles away), but distant enough from all the bustle. Plus, there is plenty to do at the hotel, with swimming pools, water slides, and a lazy river!

The hotel also has billiards, ping-pong, shuffleboard, and much more! And it shares its property with the Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott. So you can use their facilities, and you’re surrounded by a pretty golf course.

Plus, parking is free!

This is a category 7 hotel, so you’ll need 35,000 Marriott points per night (though occasionally there are PointSaver nights available for 30,000 points per night!). Standard rooms at this hotel generally cost ~$280. But you can upgrade to a 1-bedroom villa, worth ~$400, for just 5,000 more points!

So you can have your own villa for just 40,000 Marriott points per night! Or you can transfer 14,000 Starwood points to Marriott. All taxes and fees are included!

The villas are truly like houses. They come with full kitchens, washers and dryers (with detergent supplied by the hotel), and dining areas. But this is a Marriott Vacation Club hotel (timeshare), so you might receive a sales pitch to buy a timeshare.

2. Marriott Cypress Harbour Villas

Marriott Cypress Harbour Villas is~4 miles away from Disney World, and less than 2 miles from SeaWorld. It sits in the middle of a beautiful golf course.

It has plenty to offer the family, like 3 pools, mini golf, basketball courts, and fun scavenger hunts for the kids. And wine tastings, cocktail mixing, and evening entertainment for the grown-ups!

This is a category 7 hotel. You can book a 2-bedroom villa, with a 2-person Jacuzzi in the master bedroom, for 45,000 Marriott points, including taxes and fees. There are also PointSaver rooms available for 40,000 Marriott points per night through late March 2017.

If you don’t have Marriott points, you can transfer 15,000 Starwood points (14,000 for PointSavers nights) to Marriott.

Rooms tend to sell for between $250 and $350, depending on the season.

This is a Marriott Vacation Club hotel (timeshare), so you’ll likely encounter a sales pitch!

3. Courtyard Orlando Downtown

The Courtyard Orlando Downtown is one of the highest rated Marriott hotels on TripAdvisor, and also one of the most affordable!

The hotel is conveniently located near the highway, and less than 2 miles away from lots of major attractions, like the Orlando Ballet, Orlando Opera, Science Center, Orlando Magic stadium, and Center for Performing Arts.

Folks on TripAdvisor cannot say enough about the hospitality of the hotel staff!

This hotel is located just outside of downtown Orlando. If you’re visiting the area for a magical Disney experience, this hotel is probably not for you. Because Disney World is 17 miles away.

This is a category 4 hotel, so you’ll pay 20,000 Marriott points for an award night (though there are sometimes PointSavers nights available for 15,000 Marriott points per night). Or you can convert 7,000 Starwood points to Marriott.

Rooms here frequently sell for $250+.

4. Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes

The Ritz-Carlton Orlando is ~9 miles away from both Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando.

Folks on TripAdvisor love the attentiveness of the staff, and the personalized feel. It has 2 restaurants that rank in the top 4% in Orlando. If you’re not visiting the city for an all-out Disney experience, this is a great option!

The Ritz-Carlton Orlando is a Tier 2 hotel. You’ll need 40,000 Marriott points to reserve a night. Or transfer 14,000 Starwood points to Marriott. However, you’ll pay a resort fee and taxes & fees that amount to $90 per day, plus a parking fee of $22 per night!

Still, rooms at this hotel frequently sell for $600+, so 40,000 Marriott points is a steal!!

5. Walt Disney World Dolphin

If you want the convenience of staying near the Magic Kingdom, it’s hard to beat the location of Starwood’s Walt Disney World Dolphin.

This hotel sits in the heart of Disney World, so there is plenty of excitement and noise from families with children.

If you stay here, you likely have kids of your own contributing to the commotion! You’ll appreciate the convenience, and the feeling of Disney magic that comes with this hotel.

If you prefer quiet, this may not be your best bet.

This is a category 4 hotel, so you’ll pay 10,000 Starwood points per night. Or you can transfer 30,000 Marriott points to Starwood. You’ll also pay ~$30 in taxes & fees.

Rates at this hotel are ~$300.

Bonus – Four Points by Sheraton Orlando International Drive

The Four Points by Sheraton Orlando International Drive is an exceptional value for your points. It’s just ~2 miles from Universal Orlando and ~9 miles from Disney World.

This is a no-frills category 2 hotel that’s great for folks who are trying to stretch their points. Parking is free, and it’s just 4,000 Starwood points per night! Or you can transfer 12,000 Marriott points to Starwood.

Rooms generally cost ~$120 per night.

Need More Marriott or Starwood Points?

1. Chase Marriott Cards

Link: Marriott Rewards® Premier Credit Card (personal)

Link: Marriott Rewards Premier Business Card (small business)

With the personal and small business version of the Marriott Rewards Premier card, you’ll earn 80,000 Marriott points after completing minimum spending requirements.

If you get the personal version of the card, you can earn another 7,500 bonus Marriott points when you add an authorized user and make a purchase within the first 3 months of opening your account. The $85 annual fee is NOT waived for the first year.

The $99 annual fee on the small business version of the card is also NOT waived for the first year. You can read my review of the offer here.

2. Chase Ritz-Carlton Card

Link: Ritz-Carlton Rewards® Credit Card

You can earn 3 free nights at participating Ritz-Carlton Tier 1 through 4 hotels after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of opening a Chase Ritz-Carlton card.

You’ll also get 10,000 Ritz-Carlton points when you add an authorized user and make a purchase in the same time frame.

The $450 annual fee is NOT waived the first year, but the card offers perks that offset the annual fee. Here’s my review of the deal.

Even if you’ve opened 5+ new cards in the past 24 months, you’re still eligible for the Ritz-Carlton card.

2. AMEX Starwood Credit Cards

Link: Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express

Link: Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express

You can earn 25,000 Starwood points after completing the minimum spending requirements on the Starwood Preferred Guest personal or small business card.

When you pay for hotel stays using your Chase Marriott or Ritz-Carlton card, or AMEX Starwood card, you’ll earn bonus points at all 3 hotel chains.

For everyday non-bonus spending, I recommend the AMEX Starwood cards. Because you’ll earn 1 Starwood point per $1 you spend, which you can converted to 3 Marriott or Ritz-Carlton points. That’s much better than the 1 Marriott or Ritz-Carlton point per $1 you spend you’ll get with the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton cards!

And, AMEX cards are easier to get than Chase cards. That’s because Chase made it more difficult for folks to be approved for cards (excluding the Chase Ritz-Carlton card and a few others) if you’ve opened 5 or more credit cards (from any bank) in the past 24 months (except for certain business cards).

But keep in mind you can only earn the bonus on any AMEX card once per lifetime.

Bottom Line

You can use Marriott and Starwood points to stay at fabulous and family-friendly hotels in Orlando! And if you’re visiting for Disney, check out my series on visiting Disney with Small Money!

You can stay at 5-star hotels like the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, or Marriott Cypress Harbour and book directly into a 2-bedroom villa!

Redeeming points can save you hundreds of dollars compared to the cash cost of a room night!

Before you book, link your Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, and Starwood loyalty accounts. This way you’ll enjoy the benefits of your elite status across all 3 hotel chains!

Which hotel Starwood or Marriott hotel would you recommend for a trip to Orlando?