Here’s a travel secret that might just blow your mind: Marriott hotels are quietly offering rooms on Airbnb for up to $450 less than their own website—and corporate seems powerless to stop it. Yes, you read that right. Despite Marriott’s efforts to promote their website as the go-to place for the best rates, some of their properties are listing rooms on Airbnb at significantly lower prices. And this isn’t just a one-off occurrence—it’s been happening for years, with travelers like me uncovering these deals time and again. But here’s where it gets controversial: Marriott isn’t happy about this, and they’ve tried to crack down on specific properties, but the practice persists. Why? Because hotels are leveraging Airbnb to tap into a different market—one that isn’t searching on Marriott.com or Expedia—and to price discriminate without undercutting their higher rates on traditional channels. Is this a sneaky loophole or a smart business move? Let’s dive in.
Take, for example, the Marriott Denver South, which was recently called out on Reddit for offering lower rates on Airbnb than on its own app. Or the Moxy Minneapolis, which resumed listing rooms on Airbnb despite Marriott’s warnings. Even more shocking? I’ve documented cases where the price difference was over $450 per night. One savvy guest even successfully used Marriott’s Best Rate Guarantee to match an Airbnb listing—though Marriott often denies valid claims, which can be frustrating. Why does this matter? Because when Marriott rooms are cheaper elsewhere, it undermines their brand and their own home-sharing platform, Homes & Villas by Marriott. Instead of Marriott taking a cut, it’s Airbnb profiting from their inventory.
But before you rush to book on Airbnb, consider this: booking directly with Marriott comes with perks like elite benefits, earning points, and progress toward elite status. Plus, third-party bookings sometimes result in less desirable rooms. However, if the savings on Airbnb are substantial—and Marriott won’t honor their Best Rate Guarantee—it might be worth forgoing those perks. Is Marriott turning a blind eye to this practice? It’s hard not to wonder. Even after I’ve pointed out specific hotels to them, they haven’t seemed to prioritize monitoring Airbnb listings. Could it be a mix of laziness and a desire not to upset property owners, who might otherwise switch to another brand? Or is it a calculated short-term strategy to let owners boost revenue?
This trend isn’t limited to Marriott—I’ve found other hotel chains doing the same—but Marriott properties are the most frequent culprits. So, the next time you’re planning a stay at a Marriott, like the Aloft Savannah or Courtyard Edgewater near New York, it might pay to check Airbnb first. But here’s the real question: Should hotels be allowed to undercut their own rates on third-party platforms, or is this a betrayal of their brand promise? Let me know what you think in the comments—this is one debate that’s far from over.
