Grand Universe Lucca - New Marriott Tuscany Hotel (Best Bonvoy Redemption!)
Editors Note: While still a great deal, as of August 2021, this hotel has been moved stealthily to Category 4 without any announcement from the Marriott team.
The Grand Universe Lucca, Autograph Collection Hotel is a new hotel in Tuscany that offers a luxurious vacation opportunity for a reasonable price. I’ve booked the hotel for myself, but I thought I’d share this great opportunity to use Marriott Bonvoy points.
With several promising vaccine candidates, I’m personally starting to get excited about Summer 2021 travel. I’ve already booked two big trips that I’m looking forward to, but I’m always on the hunt for new options. When I came across the Grand Universe Lucca, Autograph Collection Hotel, I knew I had to make a speculative booking!
What are Autograph Collections?
Autograph Collection hotels are a collection of 200 hotels in the Marriott chain that are “Celebrating boutique hotels that are unique in design and thoughtful in spirit.” Mostly concentrated in the United States, the hotels are a collection of upscale boutique hotels that range from uber-modern (like the Civic Hotel in Surrey) to historic (The Algonquin Resort St. Andrews by-the-Sea, Autograph Collection)
Algonquin Resort (Canadian Geographic)
Bonvoy Platinum Elite members and above get 1,000 points per stay or $10 Food & Beverage credit per stay. In addition, if the lounge is closed or the hotel does not have a lounge, hotel’s are required to offer daily breakfast in the restaurant for 2 or 750 points/day.
Overall, expect to be treated really well at an Autograph Collection hotel.
The Grand Universe Lucca
The Grand Universe Lucca looks stunning! According to Forbes, the hotel is a restored, 16th-century palazzo in Tuscany. Its 55 rooms and suites put guests in the heart of town overlooking two important piazzas. The hotel will offer pasta and pastry making workshops as well as honey, wine and olive oil tastings and pairings. In addition, according to TopHotels.news, the building now comprises a fine-dining restaurant, a lounge area with classical piano, a rooftop bar with views over the city and a wine-tasting cellar set among remnants of an ancient wall.
Needless to say, the pictures do it justice.
The common spaces are lovely
Lucca is located in Tuscany and is famous for its preserved Renaissance-era walls. In addition, Lucca is a perfect base for exploring the area, as there are multiple direct daily trains that take you to Florence in under 80 minutes. In addition, Pisa is less than 20km away, making it the perfect base for a trip to the region.
King Room (Marriott)
Booking
Here’s the best part, this place is only a Category 3! The hotel is pricing out at 200 Euros a night during the Christmas period (without the usual crowd of tourists)
But only 15,000 points a night, the standard rate for Marriott Bonvoy Category 3 hotels. That’s over 2 CPP, much higher than a normal redemption.
It gets better! In the summer, the rates are over 250 Euros a night, pricing out at 287 Euros in July.
The same night’s prices out at 37,500, a cool 2.37 CPP, a fantastic redemption. Though, the calendar is wide open for the summer, with some nights even being priced as Off-Peak.
The Point
Move-in quickly before Marriott rightly moves this hotel up to a Category 5 or 6! This Grand Universe Lucca is an amazing base for Tuscany is at a rate that can’t be beaten - I’ve booked a stay for myself and my parents in the fall of 2021.
