Earn 1,500 bonus Air Canada Aeroplan miles when converting hotel points from nine hotel loyalty programs for at least 10,000 miles. This offer is available through September 20, 2010. This bonus may be earned once for each hotel partner program.

Aeroplan Promotion link.

Here is the number of points necessary to convert into 10,000 Aeroplan miles from each hotel program.

Minimum Points Transfer for 10,000 Aeroplan Miles 

Best Western Rewards: 50,000 points = 10,000 miles

Choice Privileges: 50,000 points = 10,000 miles

Carlson goldpoints plus: 66,000 points = 10,000 miles (100,000 points = 18,000 miles)

Hilton HHonors: 100,000 points = 10,000 miles

Hyatt Gold Passport: 25,000 points = 10,000 miles (50,000 points = 25,000 miles)

IHG Priority Club Rewards: 50,000 points = 10,000 miles

Marriott Rewards: 30,000 points = 10,000 miles (125,000 points = 50,000 miles)

Starwood Preferred Guest: 10,000 points = 10,000 miles (20,000 points = 25,000 miles)

Wyndham Rewards: 25,500 points = 10,200 miles

1,500 bonus Aeroplan miles will be added to your account when you convert enough hotel points to earn 10,000 Aeroplan miles.

In general, your best value in hotel points-to-miles exchanges are with Carlson goldpoints plus, Marriott Rewards, and Wyndham Rewards. SPG and Hyatt are good at the optimal level when 25% bonus miles are added to the exchange, although I consider the hotel points to have greater value for hotels than airline miles.  

Carlson Goldpoints Plus, Hyatt Gold Passport, Marriott Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) are hotel programs with a better exchange rate at an optimal level. The optimal level for the best points-to-miles exchange rate is shown in parentheses for these programs. The other hotel programs use a static exchange rate with no bonus offers or different exchange rate level. 

Hotel loyalty program points-to-miles links:

Best Western International® – Best Western Rewards™ 

Carlson(SM) Hotels Worldwide – Goldpoints Plus(SM) (requires user log-in to see points-to-miles charts)  

Choice Hotels International® – Privileges Choice Privileges® 

Hilton Worldwide® – Hilton HHonors®

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts® – Hyatt Gold Passport™

InterContinental® Hotels Group – Priority Club® Rewards 

Marriott® International – Marriott Rewards®  

Starwood Hotels & Resorts – Starwood Preferred Guest®  

Wyndham® Worldwide – Wyndham Rewards®

Loyalty Traveler related posts:

Hotel Points-to-Miles Conversion Tables for 9 Hotel Programs and 7 U.S. Airlines (March 30, 2010)

Hotel Points-to-Miles Exchange Rates for AA, AS, CO, DL, UA, US, WN (March 28, 2010)

Hyatt Grand Aspen is centrally located around the corner from the Aspen Mountain Gondola and across the street from Ruby Park. The small park space holds an ice rink and the Ruby Park bus transit center for Aspen. In winter busses offer free rides around Aspen and to the ski lifts of surrounding slopes. Roaring Forks Transportation Authority provides regional service for Aspen and regional transportation – RFTA bus service links.

The feature my wife would love about the Hyatt Grand Aspen Residences is the outdoor Silver Circle ice skating rink across the street. Here is a 360 panoramic photo of the ice skating rink showing the Hyatt Grand Aspen residences in the background during the first portion  of the moving photo.

I looked over the http://www.hyattaspen.com/ website and I am surpised by the lack of photos. The video seems to be the best link on the website and there are some floor plans to look over. This website needs a makeover as bad as Loyalty Traveler, but at least I am not trying to sell million dollar timeshares or actually in the “$60s” for entry level buy-in.

Hyatt Grand Aspen had a morning breakfast set-up at The Grape Bar.  EatAspen.com highlights the Grape Bar wine specials. The Grape Bar also offered Happy Hour specials.

The Hyatt Grand Aspen is sometimes available for points using Hyatt Vacation Club Awards. These awards are a great value since a three bedroom condo can accomodate a family at 30,000 points per night compared to 22,000 points per night for one room at a Gold Passport category 6 hotel award at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort near Vail or the $500 to $1,000 per night for The Little Nell or St. Regis Aspen properties which are on either side of the Hyatt Grand Aspen Residence Club.

Hyatt Grand Aspen Residences timeshare street ad

Hyatt Grand Aspen entrance

Hyatt Grand Aspen and Aspen Mountain slopes

Hyatt Grand Aspen pool area fountain

Hyatt Grand Aspen pool

Hyatt Grand Aspen pool view of mountains and St. Regis Hotel in center background

Hyatt Grand Aspen hot tubs

Hyatt Grand Aspen Grape Bar

Hyatt Grand Aspen deck outside Grape Bar

Hyatt Grand Aspen exterior

Ruby Park view of Hyatt Grand Aspen left - St. Regis in center

Aspen Hotel Pictorials:

The Little Nell

St. Regis Aspen

The Little Nell seemed to me the best ambience of the four hotels I visited in Aspen. I never got any decent lobby pictures since there were always guests (mostly women) seated around the lobby reading, in conversation, and working. This seemed like the place for star gazing – while indoors. The lobby living room had a welcoming vibe for hanging out until the temperature warmed up enough to bring people outside to the pool.

The basic room size at The Little Nell is double size at 600 square feet for a standard room and 660 sq ft for a premium room. This is a good size basic room for a luxury hotel. Suites will set you back $1,500 to $3,000 per night. The current 3rd night free special brings standard and premium basic room rates down to $400 – $450 per night.

The Little Nell virtual hotel tour is a good video presentation of the property and actually will take you virtually through the streets around the town of Aspen.

The Little Nell is the only AAA 5-diamond hotel in Aspen.

The Little Nell Cadillac fleet

The Little Nell

The Little Nell pool facing room balconies

The Little Nell pool courtyard

The Little Nell Aspen - statues

Aspen Mountain Gondola next to The Little Nell

The Little Nell pool

pool chair - The Little Nell - Aspen

The Little Nell - Aspen - bicycle

Aspen Hotel Pictorials:

Hyatt Grand Aspen Residences

St. Regis Aspen

St. Regis Aspen, Hyatt Aspen Grand Residences, The Little Nell (only 5-Diamond AAA 2010 hotel in Aspen), and Kimpton’s Sky Hotel are lined up in close proximity along the streets at the base of Aspen Mountain (Ajax) ski slopes. Step out the back door of The Little Nell and step right into the gondola center for a ride up the mountain.

The elevation change driving from Glenwood Springs (5,633 feet) to Aspen (8,000 feet) is a bit over 2,000 feet rise although most of the climb is subtle and occurs in the first few miles of the 40-mile trek from Interstate 70 along Highway 82. From Glenwood Springs the road changes speed limit every few miles to allow you to cruise anywhere from 35 to 65 along the highway. But hit some of the heavy traffic commuting in or out of Aspen and that upper speed limit will only be a wishful dream for clear roads. There really is not a lot of parking in the town and overnight parking between 3am and 7am is severely restricted. The Highway 82 roadside bus stops heading into Aspen from Glenwood Springs at 6:30am were crowded with workers heading up the valley.

Flying into Aspen deposits travelers just a couple of miles outside the city and saves a five-hour drive (in good conditions) from Denver.

Unfortunately Frontier and Delta both announced plans July 29 (Aspen Daily News) to eliminate their Aspen flight routes for winter 2011, reducing total seats into Aspen by 20% or 41,000 seats for this coming winter. Frontier is suspending service after September 30 as their parent company phases out its Q400 turboprop planes. Frontier operated about four flights daily for over two years. This past winter Frontier had about a 65% passenger load factor flying into Aspen. Delta operated Salt Lake City to Aspen service for the past four years. The service was underutilized and the elimination of service is a cost savings issue. Delta offered direct flights in winter from Atlanta since 2008 but will also cut that route. This leaves United Express as the only commercial service flying into Aspen.

St. Regis Aspen

St. Regis Aspen gate

St. Regis Aspen bridge

St. Regis Aspen lobby fireplace

St. Regis Aspen lobby

St. Regis Aspen lobby eagle art

St. Regis Aspen balcony view

St. Regis Aspen courtyard

St. Regis Aspen swimming pool

St. Regis Aspen hot tub

St. Regis Aspen courtyard view

St. Regis Aspen courtyard fountain geese

St. Regis Aspen pool area patio in aspen grove

St. Regis Aspen solar power

St. Regis Aspen

The Restaurant - St. Regis Aspen

St. Regis Aspen moose art

St. Regis Aspen

 Website: St. Regis Aspen

Aspen Hotel Pictorials:

The Little Nell

Hyatt Grand Aspen Residences

Kimpton Sky Hotel