Compensation Clinic: Marriott Bonvoy Homes & Villas Gas Turned Off During The Stay Due To Unpaid Bills

A LoyaltyLobby reader sent us a Compensation Clinic case from a disastrous Homes & Villas stay during which the gas company turned off the gas due to unpaid bills. Marriott and the management company tried to fob them off. Remember that you can email us, send […]

May 19, 2025 - 12:45

A LoyaltyLobby reader sent us a Compensation Clinic case from a disastrous Homes & Villas stay during which the gas company turned off the gas due to unpaid bills. Marriott and the management company tried to fob them off.

Remember that you can email us, send a message via Facebook, or use Twitter to include photos, too. We’ll try to cover Compensation Clinic cases here regularly.

You can access Marriott Bonvoy Homes & Villas here.

Reader’s Case:

I’m reaching out for assistance regarding a recent and extremely disappointing experience with Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy, which disrupted what was supposed to be a relaxing and celebratory mini honeymoon for my husband and me.
We got married on Friday, May 2nd, and booked a 5-night stay in Palm Springs through Marriott Homes & Villas from Sunday, May 4th to Friday, May 9th. After a wonderful but hectic wedding week, this trip was meant to be our mini honeymoon — a chance to decompress before our formal honeymoon later this year. Unfortunately, it became one of the most frustrating travel experiences we’ve ever had.
Background:

We were traveling with our two task-trained service dogs, who accompany us on most domestic trips. Our original plan was to stay at the Westin Desert Willow in Palm Desert, but we learned they do not allow dogs in or near the pool — a deal-breaker for us, as our dogs genuinely love to swim and spend time with us outdoors when they’re not on duty.
After reaching out to Marriott Homes & Villas, we were given advance approval for a private home where the dogs would be welcome to swim in the pool with us, which is why we chose the property. We paid just over $2,000 USD for the 5-night stay, which included a $750 USD refundable deposit; plus an additional $495 USD to heat the pool and hot tub ($99/night).
What Went Wrong:

On Monday, May 5th, just one day into our stay, a representative from the gas company arrived and posted a notice on the front door stating that gas service was being shut off due to an unpaid balance of over $10,500. The gas service was immediately disconnected, leaving us without:
•Hot water (we could not shower or wash dishes)
•A working stove
•Heated pool and hot tub, despite paying extra for this service
•A functional dryer, which appeared to be gas-powered (we attempted to dry laundry for 5 hours, unsuccessfully)
These are basic utilities and essential components of a comfortable stay — especially at this price point and under the Marriott name.
Attempts to Resolve:

We contacted Marriott Homes & Villas on both Monday and Tuesday to find a resolution or be moved to another home or hotel. We were told that a ticket had been submitted to the local property manager, APEK Rentals, who would follow up. While APEK did eventually call us on Tuesday afternoon to confirm that the gas would not be restored anytime soon, they did not have a firm alternative for us and left us hanging for several hours.
Concerned that we might be left without a resolution for another night, I called Marriott again around 4:45 PM PST on Tuesday, just before their phone lines closed. The agent I spoke to was unhelpful and dismissive, insisting we continue to wait for APEK to respond. When I asked to speak with a supervisor, the agent refused, telling me a supervisor could only call back at a later time. That call never came, and I’ve still had no follow-up from a Marriott supervisor as of Saturday, May 10th.
APEK did move us to a second property that night, which had working gas. However, the pool had not been preheated, and the hot tub never reached a usable temperature, despite our repeated requests. We were told it could take up to 48 hours to heat, and by the time the pool reached a usable temperature (Thursday afternoon), we had only half a day left to enjoy it. The hot tub was never heated properly at all.
Compensation Offered:

On Friday, May 9th, I received an email from Marriott Homes & Villas acknowledging the issue. They confirmed that:
•APEK refunded the $495 pool heating fee
•Marriott was offering 15,000 Bonvoy points as a goodwill gesture
Frankly, this is inadequate. 15,000 points is worth between $75-$105, which doesn’t come close to compensating for:
•A ruined mini honeymoon
•3 days without hot water or basic utilities
•Inability to enjoy amenities we specifically paid for
•Hours spent contacting Marriott and APEK trying to get a resolution
•Emotional and logistical stress while traveling with service animals
What I’m Requesting:

Given the severity of this experience and the significant impact on our trip, I am requesting either:
1.A full refund for the stay (excluding the already refunded $495), and the return of our $750 deposit
OR
2.Compensation in the form of 400,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, which reflects the ~$2,000 cash value of the booking using a common valuation of Marriott Bonvoy points (0.5 cents/point)
We booked through Marriott for the assurance that comes with the brand — reliability, customer service, and accountability. These are all things we’ve come to know and love as Platinum Elite Members for the better part of 10 years. This experience failed on all three fronts. At a minimum, I believe Marriott should offer fair compensation and take accountability for the distress and loss of value we endured.

The reader also forwarded us the replies they had with the Homes & Villas customer support, and this was their last offer:

This is REMOVED from Homes and Villas by Marriott Bonvoy. It has been a pleasure assisting you on this matter. I am extremely sorry that you had to deal with this.
I have been in contact with our Local Property Team and this will be the final decisive action to be taken on this case. We do appreciate your faithful patronage and will continue striving to meet your expectations at every opportunity that we are afforded to do business with you. Please let me know if you need any additional information or assistance from my end. Contact us @US: 833 764 2004/INTL: 786 522 2680.Please let me know if you need any additional information or assistance from my end. Contact us @US: 833 764 2004/INTL: 786 522 2680.

Some may argue that the reader doesn’t have any beef with Marriott here, as all these Homes & Villas are independently owned properties/units likely managed by various entities, but I disagree.

Marriott encourages Bonvoy members to book these because they have supposedly been “vetted” (by whom and under what standards – entirely unclear) and you can trust the Marriott brand, but can you really?

Does Marriott stand by its promises made to Bonvoy members in 2025?

We forwarded this reader’s case to Marriott for a comment, but it had been resolved before we managed to hear back:

I just received this from Marriott Homes & Villas:
“As Mr. Marriott has often said, “Customer needs may vary, but their bias for quality never does”. REMOVED, we are committed to bridging this gap. Thank you for being a vital part of this process. We appreciate you as a Platinum Elite Bonvoy member and will continue striving to meet your expectations at every opportunity that we are afforded to do business with you. Therefore, we have decided to resolve this case by issuing a full refund of this booking which will reflect into your account within 3-5 business days. Given this experience, we’ve also added 40 000 goodwill Bonvoy points to your Bonvoy account. This goodwill gesture will reflect into your account within 7-10 business days. The security deposit is automatically refunded 7 days post check out.
We thank you for taking the time to report this experience as feedback like yours helps us shape the future of the Homes and Villas by Marriott Bonvoy program. We hope that we can host you in a future stay, so that we can provide the experience you have come to expect from the Marriott Brand. Homes and Villas by Marriott Bonvoy now considers this case closed with the above resolution.”
I’m not sure what changed their mind but I’m glad they did. I see the refund as pending on my credit card activity, just waiting on the final $750 as the refundable deposit. They also deducted the points earned from the booking and the 5 EQN from my Bonvoy account. I am still waiting on the 40k points to arrive, hopefully next week.

Conclusion

Let me start by saying that most of these Marriott Bonvoy Homes & Stays are likely exactly as marketed and promised by Marriott and its external partners.

However, based on the cases we have received from readers, things don’t always go smoothly, and Homes & Villas customer support often tries to pass dissatisfied Bonvoy members off to external parties, as if they have absolutely nothing to do with the product they promote or have any control over it.

I am glad that the reader’s case was resolved to their satisfaction, but Homes & Villas really should do a better job of vetting their partners and properties that are put on Marriott’s website, and have the ability to resolve issues when they arise.

What have been your experiences with Marriott Bonvoy Homes & Villas? Please comment below.

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