This ledger covers the Berlin stay itself: three hotel nights (all with breakfast included), one structured culinary experience, and on-property dining. Incidental city spending is intentionally excluded. (Flights addressed separately).
Hotels and experience ledger
Component | Cash paid | Points used | Observed Value |
|---|---|---|---|
Hyatt – East Berlin (Night 1) | $287.25 | — | $287.25 |
Ritz-Carlton Berlin + Gourmet Odyssey (Night 2 + experience) | $103.33 | 80,000 Marriott pts | ~$1326 |
Hyatt – Ku’damm (Night 3) | $105.52 | — | $105.52 |
Totals | ~$496 | 80,000 pts | ~$1719 |
What’s included in the Ritz + Odyssey line:
One night at the Ritz-Carlton Berlin with breakfast (observed cash rate: $457)
€100 on property F&B credit plus the $103.33 incremental spend (total on-property F&B: $219)
Berlin Gourmet Odyssey culinary experience (conservatively valued at $650)
Combined observed value: ~$1326
Hyatt nights are shown at actual cash paid.
Net points position
The Berlin Gourmet Odyssey was booked for 80,000 Marriott points.
After the Ritz stay posted, 6312 Marriott points were earned back through:
base and bonus points on the stay,
Q4 Marriott promotions,
and points earned on the small portion of Ritz food and beverage not covered by the credit.
Net Marriott points used: 73,688
Additional points earned:
5774 Hyatt points (hotel stay plus card spend)
So, on balance, 73,688 Marriott points produced:
~$1223 of travel value ($1719-$496); plus
an additional 5774 Hyatt points.
(Observed value and cash totals are shown in the table above).
Separate note on flights (kept out of the hotel math)
Flights were booked independently and are intentionally excluded from the hotel and experience ledger.
Cash fares: $560 round-trip for two
A late-year Ritz-Carlton card upgrade unlocked a $300 calendar-year travel credit, applied against those flights
Standard earning generated 2220 airline miles