Hotel rewards - points, free nights, do you use them?

[imawino]

So on another thread we were talking about unused hotel rewards. Do you belong to a loyalty program? Do you use your points or hoard them for a special vacation "someday"?

I am currently sitting on a ridiculous number of Marriott points, and can't seem to come up with the plan for that perfect trip to use some.

So, where do you use yours?  Do you just use them up as you get them and save the money in little chunks? Do you save them up for a week's vacation? Where would you be taking your awesome vacation if you had, say... 300,000 Marriott points?

What about Starwood points - where would you use those? 

[obelisk]

I just used my IHG rewards during Easter week traveling along the west coast from San Diego to San Francisco. 

[imawino]

May 4, 2016 14:50:34 GMT -5 obelisk said:

I just used my IHG rewards during Easter week traveling along the west coast from San Diego to San Francisco. 

Good for you! Do you feel like you get a good value from their program?

[movingforward]

I get a lot of rewards points through work.  Yes, I use them ALL!  I used my Hyatt and Marriott points in NYC a few weeks ago (changed hotels so I could get free nights).  I am using my Starwood and Hilton points in Vegas next month. 

[obelisk]

May 4, 2016 14:54:44 GMT -5 imawino said:

May 4, 2016 14:50:34 GMT -5 obelisk said:

I just used my IHG rewards during Easter week traveling along the west coast from San Diego to San Francisco. 

Good for you! Do you feel like you get a good value from their program?

I initially joined  IHG with 80,000 points by signing up for their rewards visa and spending 3k in 3 months so I felt like I received decent value.

I also cancelled the card due the $65 yearly fee.

I am currently looking at the Marriott rewards card that gets you 80K points by signing up for the visa and also spending 3k in 3 months.  The annual fee for that one is $85, not sure if the first year's fee is waived like the last one.

[imawino]

May 4, 2016 14:59:31 GMT -5 movingforward said:

I get a lot of rewards points through work.  Yes, I use them ALL!  I used my Hyatt and Marriott points in NYC a few weeks ago (changed hotels so I get free nights).  I am using my Starwood and Hilton points in Vegas next month. 

Sounds like you've been having - and are planning - lots of fun! Where was my invite??

How many points did you have to use for a decent room in NYC?

[Deleted]

There aren't a lot of Marriotts in the places I go.  They seem to be more for the bigger cities and my vacations are away from it all, but I did find out there's one in Duluth.  I try to get up to the North Shore at least once a year.  I think I'll be planning a Fall trip when the leaves are changing.

[movingforward]

May 4, 2016 15:01:07 GMT -5 imawino said:

May 4, 2016 14:59:31 GMT -5 movingforward said:

I get a lot of rewards points through work.  Yes, I use them ALL!  I used my Hyatt and Marriott points in NYC a few weeks ago (changed hotels so I get free nights).  I am using my Starwood and Hilton points in Vegas next month. 

Sounds like you've been having - and are planning - lots of fun! Where was my invite??

How many points did you have to use for a decent room in NYC?

I believe it was 80,000 points a night (that was for Marriott Marquis in Times Square - Nice!).  Last year I used the combo points/cash and I ended up pay around $60 a night for the hotel.  I can't remember how many points I used. 

How many points do you have?  Marriott is pretty much everywhere.  If you are willing to pay for the airline ticket you could go any number of places.  Don't for get to invite me though . 

[imawino]

May 4, 2016 15:14:01 GMT -5 movingforward said:

May 4, 2016 15:01:07 GMT -5 imawino said:

Sounds like you've been having - and are planning - lots of fun! Where was my invite??

How many points did you have to use for a decent room in NYC?

I believe it was 80,000 points a night (that was for Marriott Marquis in Times Square - Nice!).  Last year I used the combo points/cash and I ended up pay around $60 a night for the hotel.  I can't remember how many points I used. 

How many points do you have?  Marriott is pretty much everywhere.  If you are willing to pay for the airline ticket you could go any number of places.  Don't for get to invite me though . 

I have around 375k Marriott points right now.

[saveinla]

We spent down all our Marriott points when we stayed for 5 days in Seattle and 2 days in SFO last year between Thanksgiving and NY.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Another Marriott point hogger here.

I've both used them for free stays (nothing exotic -- lacrosse tournaments) and for emergency stays (ODS developed signs of anaphylaxis on a trip from Maryland to Boston so we stopped and stayed for free at a Courtyard in Delaware rather than chance a medical emergency on the more isolated stretches of 95 in Southern New Jersey).

I currently hold @120k points, I think. We have 2 more out-of-state weddings in the next few months (had one in December) for members of my family's younger generation, so I hope to use them for those. My kids are adult-sized now so I need 2 rooms which quickly increases my travel costs.

[Deleted]

I've tried not to accumulate a giant stockpile of hotel points; they tend to lose value. Hilton was great for years, and DH and I enjoyed free stays in many European cities, with lounge access due to our Gold status. No more. They let their hotels get away with offering only "premium" rooms for reward stays, for 200,000 points a night in prime locations. Executive Lounge access is at the discretion of the hotel.  And, of course, every time a program changes their hotel classifications, more get kicked up into categories requiring more points.


Anyway- DH and I tend to accumulate points in the cheap places, such as Fairfields and Hamptons, on our road trips, and in the case of Hilton, I supplement with e-Rewards points.  You can redeem e-Rewards points for 7,000 Hilton points only every 3 months, but it adds up.  We tend to use them in the expensive places; we'll be staying in a Hilton property near Boston Airport before and after our trip to Iceland, using Hilton points.  The Marriott card is our last loyalty program card and I intend to drop it when it comes up for renewal in March; I prefer the straight no-fee, 2% cash-back Visa from Fidelity.

[wvugurl26]

My IHG ones I intend to cash in during football season. Typically end up with a couple hotel stays then.

My free Marriott night from the mega bonus I'm holding onto for now. I only have 31,000 points with them.

For 375k I'd be in Aruba or something. Hawaii maybe.

I don't have the credit cards. I do find Marriott to be worthwhile. IHG I probably won't be getting anymore of those. Work is tending towards Marriott these days. Wyndham I'm letting expire. That one I don't find useful. Starwood I let go of too. Marriott is everywhere.

[Cookies Galore]

^^^^ Ooh, yes! The Aruba Marriott is so nice!



We have a free night from Kimpton to use by January. We'll do a night somewhere for our anniversary. That's about the extent of our hotel rewards.

[TheOtherMe]

I tend to stay at Hamptons, so those are the hotel rewards I go after.  I just try to keep the airline rewards alive by surveys, etc. because I don't fly enough to accumulate that many.  I do have enough for a one way ticket on one airline now.

[alabamagal]

Last year when I was doing weekly commute for my new job I accumulated enough points at choice hotels for a few free nights. I donated to my DD when she had to go somewhere for a job interview and then when she was moving for her new job.

[giramomma]

We're Marriott users.

We tend to use up the points as soon as we get enough for a free room, and it's usually used on vacation. We did use a free night once, on our anniversary, when we had minimal kids.

[Deleted]

I had another thought on this: hotel options are changing. When we went to Iceland last year, we stayed in a good hotel, located just on the edge of everything, with breakfast included. We can't do hole-in-the-wall places because DH wears out earlier than I do and needs nice surroundings to put up his feet, turn on the TV and pour himself a cold one. He also wakes up sometimes with sweating and itching from his polycythemia and it's better if there's a separate sitting area.

So- last year the Hotel Holt was a little over $200/night. This year that's doubled. I don't know why. Other hotels with the features we want in Reykjavik are priced similarly. I have no idea if we got lucky last year, or what. Anyway- I turned to airbnb. We're getting a full apartment with a view of the bay, downtown, for about $200/night. Having been there last year, I know where the nearest stores are for getting supplies and I know it's also close to all the action but not in the middle of it.

I had a bit of trepidation handing over the $$ for a 10-night stay 6 months ahead of time (although it's to airbnb, not the owner of the apartment); it's cancellable on pretty short notice on our side but if the owner were to cancel for any reason we'd be up a creek. We'll see what happens but if this works out we may be cutting loose from hotels in Europe, which makes hotel points less valuable to us.

[hsclassic]

I primarily use Best Western. We signed up for the bwriders program through our National HOG membership. (Big benefit for us to find biker-friendly motels.) No charge for Best Western's reward program.

I've used points to pay for my Key West and Washington DC hotel rooms - nice. Plus, we get offers for a $25 gift card for 2 separate stays in X weeks time frame - no problem during our vacations. Just add a note in my online reservation I am paying in part with the gift card.

Best Western has really spruced up their properties and, with 1 exception, have had enjoyable stays. (I complained about the 1x and had immediate phone calls from BW corporate and the property GM.)

[imawino]

May 5, 2016 8:00:36 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

I had another thought on this: hotel options are changing. When we went to Iceland last year, we stayed in a good hotel, located just on the edge of everything, with breakfast included. We can't do hole-in-the-wall places because DH wears out earlier than I do and needs nice surroundings to put up his feet, turn on the TV and pour himself a cold one. He also wakes up sometimes with sweating and itching from his polycythemia and it's better if there's a separate sitting area.

So- last year the Hotel Holt was a little over $200/night. This year that's doubled. I don't know why. Other hotels with the features we want in Reykjavik are priced similarly. I have no idea if we got lucky last year, or what. Anyway- I turned to airbnb. We're getting a full apartment with a view of the bay, downtown, for about $200/night. Having been there last year, I know where the nearest stores are for getting supplies and I know it's also close to all the action but not in the middle of it.

I had a bit of trepidation handing over the $$ for a 10-night stay 6 months ahead of time (although it's to airbnb, not the owner of the apartment); it's cancellable on pretty short notice on our side but if the owner were to cancel for any reason we'd be up a creek. We'll see what happens but if this works out we may be cutting loose from hotels in Europe, which makes hotel points less valuable to us.

I need to hit you up for some Reykjavik info then.  I am planning to go in the fall, and I do not want to pay $400 a night for a hotel!  But, I am planning on going solo, so it absolutely has to be in a location that is safely walkable to restaurants and such at night for a single female. 

[TheOtherMe]

Last Thanksgiving when I visited Colorado, I stayed four nights at a new Hampton Inn near Boulder, all on points.  That gave me $ to upgrade seat on plane.

[tcu2003]

I used IHG points last summer for our hotel at the College World Series. I got the room fairly last minute (week before), and it wasn't that many points, and ended up as the perfect location as the hotel offered free shuttles to the stadium.

Unfortunately, I go to not great locations for work travel, so I can't always stay with the same hotel chain. I currently try to choose between Holiday Inn Express and Fairfield Inn, when available. I also really like Hampton, but they're typically out of our budget for work travel. A

[imawino]

May 4, 2016 15:18:49 GMT -5 imawino said:

May 4, 2016 15:14:01 GMT -5 movingforward said:

I believe it was 80,000 points a night (that was for Marriott Marquis in Times Square - Nice!).  Last year I used the combo points/cash and I ended up pay around $60 a night for the hotel.  I can't remember how many points I used. 

How many points do you have?  Marriott is pretty much everywhere.  If you are willing to pay for the airline ticket you could go any number of places.  Don't for get to invite me though . 

I have around 375k Marriott points right now.

Well, now I only have 215k.   Because I just booked a 5 night stay in Barcelona with 160k! Yay me.