Part 3: Marriott Low Category Hotels in Canada. Book Now or After August 1?

Posted on July 17, 2018 by Andy Shuman • 0 Comments

Delta Hotels Winnipeg

PART 1: Marriott Category 1 and 2 Hotels in the U.S. Book Now or After August 1?

PART 2: Marriott Category 3 Hotels in the U.S. Book Now or After August 1?

OK, so let’s get something off my chest. I know even less about the best travel destinations in Canada than in the United States. There, I said that.

Having said it, however, how much do you need to know to recognize the value of a cheap hotel in the center of a major Canada city? Like Ottawa, for example.

Marriott Low Category Hotels in Ottawa

RED: WAIT! Book AFTER August 1, 2018
GREEN: Book NOW before the price goes up on August 1, 2018

Courtyard Ottawa Downtown	20,000	17,500	-2,500
Courtyard Ottawa East	10,000	17,500	7,500
Residence Inn Ottawa Downtown	25,000	17,500	-7,500

Marriott Low Category Hotels: Calgary

Let’s move to Calgary. What to do in Calgary? US News has a few suggestions (11 to be exact). And I have the 12th and the 13th. Banff National Park is less than 1.5 hours away. And there are 5 low category Marriott hotels in Calgary, 2 of them downtown.

Saddledome at Night, Calgary

Courtyard Calgary South	15,000	7,500	-7,500
Residence Inn Calgary South	15,000	7,500	-7,500
Delta Hotels Calgary South	20,000	12,500	-7,500
Delta Hotels Calgary Downtown	20,000	17,500	-2,500
Fairfield Inn & Suites Calgary Downtown	20,000	17,500	-2,500

Marriott Low Category Hotels: Red Deer

If you’ve never heard of Red Deer, I guess, you aren’t big on walking on the water.

But seriously, this seems to be an interesting place worthy of an overnight stay, especially if you find yourself driving between Calgary and Edmonton – Red Deer is right in the middle.

TownePlace Suites Red Deer	7,500	7,500	0
Sheraton Red Deer Hotel	21,000	12,500	-8,500

Marriott Low Category Hotels: Edmonton

Edmonton is also known as Canada’s Festival City, and the more I’m reading about it, the more I’m convinced it’s totally worth a few days’ visit. Aside from numerous festivals and events, it has the largest mall in North America, complete – wait for it – with a water park and an amusement park. And for actual parks, the ones with real trees, you can head to Edmonton’s North Saskatchewan River Valley, which is home to 20 of them.

There are plenty of Categories 1-3 Marriott hotels in Edmonton, and depending on your interests, you might not necessarily want to stay downtown, but there are 2 central hotels so you can – Courtyard Edmonton Downtown and Delta Hotels Edmonton Centre Suites. Courtyard costs only 10,000 points until August 1, so book fast.

William Hawrelak Park, Edmonton, Canada

Fairfield Inn & Suites Edmonton North	10,000	7,500	-2,500
Courtyard Edmonton West	10,000	12,500	2,500
Element Edmonton West	12,000	12,500	500
Four Points by Sheraton Edmonton South	21,000	12,500	-8,500
Four Points by Sheraton Edmonton West	12,000	12,500	500
TownePlace Suites Edmonton South	10,000	12,500	2,500
Courtyard Edmonton Downtown	10,000	17,500	7,500
Delta Hotels Edmonton Centre Suites	20,000	17,500	-2,500

Marriott Low Category Hotels: Niagara Falls

This Four Points hotel is close to the Falls – unfortunately, it’s on the “wrong side” of the Falls. You want to stay on the Canadian side to enjoy the Falls fully; however, there are things to do on the U.S. side, so you might want to stay one night there instead of driving over the border back and forth.

If you’re planning to, book it before August 1 before the redemption rate goes up.

Four Points by Sheraton Niagara Falls

12,000

17,500

5,500

Marriott Low Category Hotels: The Thousand Islands

The Thousand Islands in the St. Lawrence River on the border of the U.S. and Ontario is a stunningly beautiful area, comprised of 1,864 islands that, according to Wiki, “range in size from over 40 square miles to smaller islands occupied by a single residence, or uninhabited outcroppings of rocks .” I cruised its waterways over 20 years ago, and loved every minute of it. The hotels over there can be extremely expensive in the summer, so this Courtyard in Kingston can be a good deal for 17,500 points.

The Thousand Islands in the Saint Lawrence River

Courtyard Kingston Highway 401/Division Street

20,000

17,500

-2,500

Marriott Low Category Hotels: St. John’s

St. John’s is Newfoundland’s colorful capital and it’s totally worth visiting. It looks like a beautiful and very romantic place, and 2 St. John’s hotels are going down in price – both by 7,500 points.

Fairfield Inn & Suites St. John’s Newfoundland	20,000	12,500	-7,500
Courtyard St. John’s Newfoundland	25,000	17,500	-7,500

Marriott Low Category Hotels: Saint John

Delta Hotels Saint John (NOT Newfoundland) in New Brunswick is located in the city’s historic uptown. Saint John is famous for the Bay of Fundy tides – the world’s highest. Make sure to visit at the highest and lowest level and walk the ocean floor admiring the incredible rock formations.

Bay of Fundy — Hopewell Rocks

Delta Hotels Saint John	15,000	12,500	-2,500

Marriott Low Category Hotels: Winnipeg

In 2016, Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba, made National Geographic’s list of best trips in the world. Funnily, it was the only Canadian city in the list, so it’s gotta mean something, I guess. My short “research” yielded quite a few interesting things. The Arctic Glacier Winter Park surely sounds cool, but there are other things to do for warmer seasons. And consider these hotels to save cash. Delta looks quite attractive to me, if you can book it before August 1 while it’s still 15,000 points.

Fairfield Inn & Suites Winnipeg	10,000	12,500	2,500
Four Points by Sheraton Winnipeg South	21,000	12,500	-8,500
Delta Hotels Winnipeg	15,000	17,500	2,500

And one more thing, although I know I’ve said it before.

Always check the cash rates (plus tax) of a hotel room before booking a rewards stay. They fluctuate widely during the year, so please don’t presume that redeeming a low-cost reward is always a great deal. Nothing can be further from the truth. Also remember that if you have a longer stay, your 5^th night is free.

See that white space under the word “Comment?” This is for you, my dear readers, to share your thoughts. Research-intensive posts like these take some serious time to write, so if I don’t hear back, I start doubting myself. Do they actually help anyone or anything, other than my own curiosity?

This can’t be healthy, right?

NEXT: Cheap Marriott hotels in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America

Photo Credits:

Calgary by Gorgo

Edmonton by Lyle Richards

1000 Islands by Teresa Mitchell

Bay of Fundy by Siderd