3
May
U.S Travel Association and American Express sponsored Daily Getaways has Choice Privileges points for sale Thursday, May 3 beginning at 12 noon eastern time for pre-sale and 1pm regular sale.
You can like Choice Hotels on Facebook to get the pre-sale code that will be posted shortly before noon to allow access to the noon pre-sale. Read More…
Choice Privileges 8,000 points after two stays from March 8 to May 8, 2012 is a recurring offer. The promotion advertising says stay two times and earn a free night. The actual offer is earn 8,000 total points after two stays. Important to note that this is not 8,000 bonus points after two stays. Spend $200 and earn 2,000 base points and the promotion adds an extra 6,000 bonus points for a total 8,000 points after two stays.
Choice Hotels recently changed its Best Rate Guarantee (BRG) policy to offer a free night for approved claims in addition to matching the lower competing rate.
Choice Hotels are located all over the United States and in 30 countries globally with over 6,100 franchised hotels. Choice Privileges announced last month it has 5,000 hotels in the USA. That number of hotels in the USA alone available for Choice Privileges points earn and burn exceeds the number of hotels globally for any other loyalty program except Wyndham Rewards (over 7,000 hotels).
Choice Hotels consists of 11 hotel brands in the economy to upscale market segments.
Choice Privileges spring promotion allows members to earn 8,000 points after two hotel stays between March 8 and May 8, 2011. The advertising pitch Choice Privileges uses is “Stay Two Separate Times Earn One Free Night” and in smaller print “at over 1,500 hotels”.
Choice Privileges Promotion registration is required. This offer is only available for US and Canada residents.
Choice Privileges hotel rewards start at 6,000 points and the website actually provides a list of hotels at 8,000 points or less.
The two lowest category hotel rewards in Choice Privileges are 6,000 points and 8,000 points. Many of these hotels have average daily rates under $60 per night. The other 4,500 hotels in the Choice Privileges system will cost more points for a reward night with many hotels pushing 25,000 to 35,000 points per night.
Choice Hotels is currently at 11 hotel brands:
There are several fine print details to this offer.
All Choice Hotels brands participate, but stays at EconoLodge and Rodeway Inn economy brands or MainStay Suites and Suburban extended stay brands only qualify for the two-stay 8,000 points with individual stays of two or more consecutive nights. This sort of makes sense since these brands earn points at 50% the rate ( 5 points/$1) of other Choice Hotels brands (10 points/$1).
Loyalty Traveler analysis:
A feature of Choice Privileges members need to be aware of is the reward redemption booking window that is far more restrictive than most other hotel loyalty programs. General members are only allowed to book reward nights in the US or Canada within 30 days of stay and within 60 days for international reward reservations. This window is expanded for elite members.
Choice Privileges Elite Booking Window for Reward Nights
Promotion Offer is 8,000 Total Points and not 8,000 Bonus Points
Choice Privileges promotions are different from most hotel loyalty promotions in that the total points earned will be 8,000 points after two stays, regardless if your two hotel stays cost $140 or $770.
Earning Example 1 is based on $140 in hotel spend.
Assume one $80 stay at Clarion Hotel and one $60 stay at Comfort Inn = $140.
$140 earns 1,400 Choice Privileges base points. Member will receive 6,600 bonus points for 8,000 total points after two stays.
Earning example 2 is based on $770 in hotel spend.
Assume one $420 6-night stay ($70/night) at MainStay Suites = 2,100 points ($420 x 5 points/$1)
Assume one 5-night stay for $350 at Quality Inn ($70/night) = 3,500 points ($350 x 10 points/$1).
Member earns 5,600 base points from these two stays and receives 2,400 bonus points to reach 8,000 total points for two qualifying stays.
Despite the member staying 11 nights in two stays and spending five times the hotel spend in the second earning example, the total points earned is the same 8,000 points as the member earns who stays two nights at two hotels for $140. This makes Choice Privileges promotions a good hit-and-run deal for the not-so-loyal Choice Privileges member.
Update March 26 – I received an email today from a Choice Privileges representative stating the minimum bonus points to be given for this promotion is 5,000 points after two stays. This term is not currently listed in the promotion FAQ.
This changes the example points calculation originally posted to:
Member earns 5,600 base points from these two stays. However, because the points required to meet the 8,000 point threshold is 2,400 points and that is below the minimum bonus for the promotion, the member will receive a 5,000 point bonus on top of the 5,600 base points, for a total 10,600 points.
Also, a stay of 3 or more nights at Choice Hotels earns a $50 Restaurant gift card
This offer looks stackable with the concurrent promotion of a $50 restaurant gift card for a 3 night or longer stay in one of six cities. Book by March 15 for a stay completed by April 15. This Loyalty Traveler post describes the restaurant deal. The six cities will likely change in the next couple of weeks after the March 15 booking deadline. Check back to see if there is a new selection of cities later in March for the restaurant deal.
Conclusion: 8,000 points is a good bonus for two inexpensive stays. I picked up 8,000 points last year and I’ll probably pick up another 8,000 points when I hit the road over the next two months and drive through places where Choice Privileges is one of the better hotel choices in a small, rural town of California.
Choice Privileges offers a $50 restaurant gift card for a stay of 3 consecutive nights or more at a Choice Hotel in one of six cities by April 15, 2012. You must book your hotel stay between February 23 and March 15 to be eligible for this offer. You still have almost two weeks to book for a 3 night or longer stay by April 15.
Choice Privileges ran this same offer last month with six different cities.
There are around 240 participating Choice brand hotels in these six metropolitan areas and the promotion fine print states hotels within 50 miles of the city center participate in the promotion:
Restaurant Gift Card is valid for:
You must return this rebate form to earn your gift card.
Loyalty Traveler Analysis
The $50 restaurant card is a good deal for someone on a 3-night stay around one of these cities.
The $50 restaurant rebate form process is a tedious step, but this $50 gift card offer is a great offer for someone already needing a 3-night hotel stay in one of these locations.
Choice Privileges has a new promotion for 8,000 bonus points after two stays running March 8 to May 8, 2012. Registration for this promotion is open now. The 8,000 bonus points offer for two stays is stackable with the restaurant card offer.
Register now for Choice Privileges 8,000 bonus points after two stays March 8-May 8, 2012. I’ll follow up with a separate write-up on the 8,000 points bonus offer.
Rate Analysis of Promotion
Assume $70 per night rate at a Comfort Inn on a 3-night stay.
$210 x 10 points/$1 = 2,100 points + $50 restaurant gift certificate.
Choice Privileges has over 1,500 hotels where reward nights are 6,000 or 8,000 points. Choice Privileges points are valued at $8/1,000 points by NerdWallet.com based on the rate points are earned compared to redemption cost of Choice Hotels using Choice Privileges points in several cities.
Choice Privileges offers a $50 restaurant gift card for a stay of 3 consecutive nights or more at a Choice Hotel in one of six cities by March 15, 2012. You must book your hotel stay between January 26 and February 16 to be eligible for this offer.
There are around 200 participating Choice brand hotels in these six metropolitan areas and the promotion fine print states hotels within 50 miles of the city center participate in the promotion:
Restaurant Gift Card is valid for:
You must return this rebate form to earn your gift card.
Loyalty Traveler Analysis
The rebate form process is tedious and I don’t like promotions requiring mail-in rebates, but this $50 gift card offer is a great offer for someone already needing a 3-night hotel stay in one of these locations.
The restaurant gift card offer looks to be stackable with Choice Privileges main promotion for double points or points & miles for stays through February 29. You must register for the promotion to earn double points.
The restaurant gift card requires a 3-night stay and miles are per stay, so the higher value is likely to be earning double points.
This is a good deal for someone on a 3-night stay around one of these cities.
Assume $70 per night rate at a Comfort Inn on a 3-night stay.
$210 x 20 points/$1 (2x points promo) = 4,200 points + $50 restaurant gift certificate.
Choice Privileges has over 1,500 hotels where reward nights are 6,000 or 8,000 points. Choice Privileges points are valued at $8/1,000 points by NerdWallet.com based on the rate points are earned compared to redemption cost of Choice Hotels using Choice Privileges points in several cities. 4,200 points is about $32 rebate value.
$210 for 3 nights at a Comfort Inn earns a rebate around $82 or about 40% with 4,200 points and the $50 restaurant card.
This is a solid 3-star promotion offer from Choice Privileges in my calculations.
Choice Privileges launches a winter promotion for earning either Double Points or Miles + Points for stays from December 1, 2011 to February 29, 2012 booked on ChoiceHotels.com or by phone at 800-4CHOICE.
Promotion Registration is required before your stay to earn bonus. This offer is limited to Choice Privileges members with U.S. and Canada addresses. You cannot change your earning preference during the promotion period once you register for Double Points or Miles + Points.
I favor 2x points personally and that is how I registered.
About Choice Privileges
Most Choice Hotels brands earn 10 points per US$1 including Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites and Ascend Collection. Extended stay brands MainStay Suites and Suburban earn 5 points per US$1. Budget hotel brands Rodeway Inn and Econolodge earn 5 points per US$1.
Double Points with the winter promotion earns either 10 or 20 points per $1, depending on hotel brand.
Choice Hotels has the second largest number of hotels globally of any hotel loyalty program with about 6,100 hotels. Only Wyndham Rewards has more hotels globally with over 7,000 properties.
One of the best values in Choice Privileges are hotel partner rewards with Preferred Hotel Group and Barcelo Resorts.
Airline Miles and Points
Choice Privileges has ten North America airline partners and most stays earn 250 miles per stay. This is half the miles earned for stays with Hyatt and Hilton, but your typical hotel will likely be at least half the rate of the upscale chain hotels. Southwest points are a good value at 600 points per stay. This is comparable to other hotel programs.
Amtrak Guest Rewards are also included in this promotion offer for Miles + Points.
Chocie Privileges North American Airline Partners
The international airline partner selection is modest.
Choice Privileges International Airline Partners as of 11-30-11.
Choice Privileges Airline Partners.
Loyalty Traveler Analysis
Double points looks like the best deal here. 20 points per $1 in hotel spend can pick up a significant number of bonus points. Reward nights start at 6,000 to 8,000 points and the website now has a list of these properties. Most hotels in my area of California are more like 16,000 to 20,000 points.
Choice Privileges periodically runs discounts on Preferred Hotel Group and Barcelo Resort awards. 20,000 points can be a free resort night for just $1,000 in hotel spend. Less money if you have elite status and earn points faster.
Choice Privileges Dec 1, 2011-Feb 29, 2012 Double Points or Miles + Points
Book on your phone via Choice Hotels mobile apps and complete your stay between October 1 and November 15, 2011 at any Choice Privileges hotel brand to earn 1,000 bonus points per stay. Choice Hotels has free mobile apps for both Android and iPhone and a mobile web interface on ChoiceHotels.com.
Choice Hotels mobile apps Promotion link.
Choice Hotels brands:
Choice Hotels fall 2011 promotion is 4x points per stay offering 40 points per $1 at most brands or 20 points per $1 for Mainstay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay, Rodeway Inn and Econo Lodge through November 3. These bonuses may be combined.
Marriott, Starwood, Best Western and Choice have free night promotions allowing you to pay now and stay free later on another trip. They all have restrictions on the type of free night allowed, so read the rules carefully and see if the free night looks like one you can use.
Marriott Rewards – One Free Night after Two Stays June 1 – August 31.
Marriott International hotel brands: Marriott, JW Marriott, Marriott Vacation Club, Renaissance, Fairfield Inn, Residence Inn, Courtyard, SpringHill Suites, TownePlace Suites, Autograph Collection, Ritz-Carlton, Edition. (AC Hotels is Marriott’s new brand in Europe, but AC Hotels are not listed as a participating brand for this promotion.)
Strategy for Marriott Rewards promotion: My wife and I have traveled where one night at a hotel is a reservation in my name and the second night is a reservation in her name. First person should check out and get a hotel stay folio before second person checks in under different member account to be sure the stays credit appropriately to each member’s account for the free night credit.
This allows longer stays without changing hotels while maximizing promotion credit. Just tell the hotel you are staying on two different reservations to maximize the Marriott Rewards promotion and you might not need to change rooms during your hotel stay.
Starwood Preferred Guest – One Free Night at a Starwood Resort after Three Stays, May 1 – July 31.
Starwood Hotels brands: Westin, Sheraton, Four Points, Aloft, Element, St. Regis, Luxury Collection, W Hotels, Le Meridien.
Choice Hotels – 8,000 points after Two Stays, May 19 – August 11, 2011.
Choice Brands: Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Sleep Inn, Quality Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, Ascend Collection, MainStay Suites, Suburban, Rodeway Inn, EconoLodge.
Best Western Hotels – One free night after three stays June 19-August 14, 2011.
Best Western hotels are all one brand, but in 2011 three tiers were created with most of the worldwide 4,000+ properties remaining Best Western and about 800 hotels as Best Western Plus and around 100+ hotels (mostly outside U.S.) as Best Western Premier.
Where to find Best Western Rewards promotion registration link
The competitive advantage of Choice Privileges is the number of hotels in remote locations where road travelers will find no other loyalty program hotels. My recent trek into the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California revealed small towns with options for Choice Hotels, Wyndham Hotels and Best Western where Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn and Courtyard had no presence.
Choice Privileges advertises this recurring promotion as “Stay Twice, Earn a Free Night”, but actually the member earns 8,000 points which are sufficient for a free hotel night at the two lowest tier reward levels of 6,000 and 8,000 points. Two thirds of Choice properties are in the 10,000 to 20,000 points categories.
There are about 1,500 hotels in the 6,100 member hotel chain franchise offering free nights at the 6,000 and 8,000 points level. Loyalty Traveler published a hotel reward category analysis of Choice Privileges on May 1.
This bonus offer is valid for stays from May 19 through August 11, 2011 and only for US and Canada residents. Choice Privileges General members and Gold elite members may earn the bonus up to four times for 32,000 points. Platinum and Diamond elite members may earn this bonus up to 10 times during the promotion period for 80,000 points.
Loyalty Traveler analysis:
Choice Privileges promotions are different from most hotel loyalty promotions in that the total points earned will be 8,000 points after two stays, regardless if your two hotel stays cost $140 or $770. Elite member bonuses are additional points earned to the promotion bonus points.
Example 1: Earning is based on $140 in hotel spend.
Assume one $80 stay at Clarion Hotel and one $60 stay at Comfort Inn = $140 hotel spend.
$140 earns 1,400 Choice Privileges base points. Member will receive 6,600 bonus points for 8,000 total points after two stays.
Example 2: Earning is based on $770 in hotel spend.
Assume one 6-night stay for $420 ($70/night) at MainStay Suites = 2,100 points ($420 x 5 points/$1)
Assume one 5-night stay for $350 ($70/night) at Quality Inn = 3,500 points ($350 x 10 points/$1).
Member earns 5,600 base points from these two stays and receives 2,400 bonus points to reach 8,000 total points for two qualifying stays.
Despite the member staying 11 nights in two stays and spending five times the hotel spend in the second earning example, the total points earned is the same 8,000 points as the member earns who stays two nights at two hotels for $140. This makes Choice Privileges promotions a good hit-and-run deal for the one-night stand Choice Privileges member.
Bottom line: Choice Privileges has the best value promotion for summer travel compared to Wyndham Rewards and Best Western Rewards. My road trips this summer will take me to several places where my only choices are Best Western, Choice and Wyndham or no loyalty program. I view Choice Privileges as the most rewarding option for best bonus points promotion for this summer’s travel.
Choice Hotels – Choice Privileges
Choice Privileges free night promotion link.
Hotel Brands: Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban, EconoLodge, Rodeway Inn, Ascend Collection.
Hotel Reward Partners: Preferred Hotels Group, Barcelo Resorts
Comfort Inn Monterey Bay
Promotion Terms & Conditions:
Reservations must be made at ChoiceHotels.com or 800.4CHOICE at qualifying rates and Choice Privileges member number must be provided upon check-in. After a second qualifying stay with arrival between 5/19/11 and 8/11/11, you will be awarded enough bonus points to redeem at the 8,000 point Choice Privileges reward night level. For Econo Lodge®, Rodeway Inn®, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel®, or MainStay Suites® hotels, a stay is defined as two (2) or more consecutive nights at one hotel regardless of check-ins or check-outs. For Comfort Inn®, Comfort Suites®, Quality®, Sleep Inn®, Clarion®, Cambria Suites® or Ascend Collection® hotels, a stay is defined as any number of consecutive nights at one hotel regardless of check-ins or check-outs at any property included in the Choice Privileges program. Members that register for this promotion may earn up to four (4) free nights, Platinum and Diamond members that register for this promotion may earn up to ten (10) free nights, and members that do not register for this promotion may earn up to two (2) free nights. Allow 72 hours from check-out for points to post to your account. A free night at most Choice Privileges locations requires more than 8,000 points. You must maintain an address in the U.S. (including U.S. territories) or Canada to be eligible for this promotion. For program details, eligible rates, eligible countries and point redemption rules, visit choiceprivileges.com.
Related Loyalty Traveler post: 100% Bonus Miles for Choice points to United Mileage Plus through June 6.
2,500 Choice points = 1,000 UA miles.
I am developing a new interest for Choice Privileges. Why my interest in Choice Hotels?
Yesterday I located a spreadsheet created by FlyerTalk member “SC Flier” in May 2010. The spreadsheet is one year old now and I am just happy to finally have seen it. SC Flier is a name I come across frequently on FlyerTalk with good value information and now I learn he has some great computer skills too.
I added country and state columns to allow an easy sort by point levels and geography. Several observations from these sorts give me a much clearer picture of how Choice Hotels compares with other major hotel loyalty programs.
Choice Privileges covers 11 hotel brands with seven hotel brands earning 10 points per $1 in hotel spend, and four budget brands and extended stay brands earning 5 points/$1.
Driving from Monterey to Las Vegas for Easter week also opened my eyes to to the fact that the 500 mile drive offers only one Starwood Hotel with Four Points Bakersfield and there are no Hyatt Hotels on this route. IHG, Marriott and Hilton options averaged around $100 or more per night while many of the towns along the way offered Choice Hotels options for under $60 per night.
Reward Challenges with Choice Privileges
One difficulty with Choice Privileges is the lack of a master list for hotel reward tiers with a list of hotel properties in that tier.
Another anomaly with Choice Privileges is seasonal variation in reward cost.
For example, Choice Privileges Hotels currently show reward cost for April 16 to June 30, 2011 and July 1 to September 15, 2011. The cost of a free night can swing wildly in those two seasons.
Monterey, California EconoLodge is 8,000 points from April 16 to June 30, 2011 and then increases to 20,000 points for July 1-September 15, 2011. Clarion Collection Rendezvous Hotel in Auckland, New Zealand is 40,000 points from April 16 to June 30 and then drops to just 8,000 points from July 1 to September 15, 2011.
The third unique aspect of the Choice Privileges program is short booking windows for hotel rewards using points. Choice Privileges members with no elite status can only book reward nights for U.S. and Canada hotels within 30 days of stay. Hawaii and International hotels allow 60 days advance booking using points. Elite status is valuable for Choice Privileges members traveling U.S. and Canada and planning to use points for reward nights with extended booking windows for Gold elite to 50 days, Platinum elite to 75 days and Diamond elite to 100 days.
Unlikely this will become my primary program, but there is great utility in accumulating Choice Privileges points for locations where there are no Starwood or Hyatt hotels and the rates of Marriott, Hilton, and IHG are twice the cost of a Choice Hotels option.
Some statistics based on the 2010 reward levels.
I have never seen a distribution of Choice Privileges reward tiers posted anywhere. Analyzing one year old 2010 reward levels in Choice Privileges is useful as a benchmark for what value in points the Choice Privileges hotels had in recent time and see how trends evolve in reward changes for 2011 and beyond.
The only general trend I noticed is many hotels in Canada appeared to increase in reward cost from 2010 to 2011. The Canadian dollar is worth about 6 cents more than the U.S. dollar right now (USD $1 = CAD 94 cents), so an increase in points is an expected adjustment.
Fortunately the rates have not increased across the board for international hotels.
SC Flier spreadsheet shows 5,236 hotels in Choice Portfolio from mid-2010. Here are some numbers derived from hotel sorts using mid-2010 data. I checked about 50 hotels for 2011 Q2 (April 16-June 30, 2011) reward rates and 2011-Q3 (July 1 – September 15, 2011) reward rates. I found mixed results, but most hotels were within 4,000 points of 2010 levels, and about evenly up and down.
While the distribution of hotels across reward categories may be essentially similar between 2010 and 2011, individual hotel reward rates may be up, down or the same depending on local economic conditions. Check hotel properties individually for current Choice Privileges hotel reward rates.
Choice Hotels in this analysis = 5,236 hotels worldwide.
Q2-2010 Choice Privileges reward levels:
Reward Tiers and Number of Properties based on 2010 Q2 (April 16 -June 30, 2010) and Q3 (July 1-September 15, 2010) point levels:
Choice Privileges had over 1,500 hotels in the lowest tiers for 6,000 points or 8,000 points per night. This can be as little as $100 in spend to earn 8,000 points during Choice Privileges recurring promotion for 8,000 points after two stays. When Choice Privileges offers double points then these low tier rewards take just $300 to $400 in hotel stay spend to earn a free night at any of 1,500+ hotels.
6,000 Points Reward Tier Q2-2010 = 624 hotels (11.9%) and Q3-2010 = 471 hotels (9.0%).
8,000 Points Reward Tier Q2-2010 = 977 hotels (18.7%) and Q3-2010 = 1,187 hotels (22.7%).
10,000 Points Reward Tier Q2-2010 = 968 hotels (18.5%) and Q3-2010 = 972 hotels (18.6%).
Earning a free night takes $1,000 in hotel spend at 10 base points per dollar for most brands except extended stay brands of MainStay and Suburban and budget brands EconoLodge and Rodeway Inn that earn 5 points/$1 in hotel spend.
12,000 Points Reward Tier Q2-2010 = 889 hotels (17.0%) and Q3-2010 = 821 hotels (15.7%).
$1,200 in hotel spend for free night or far less spend when taking advantage of promotion bonus points.
16,000 Points Reward Tier Q2-2010 = 942 hotels (18.0%) and Q3-2010 = 787 hotels (15.0%).
$1,600 in hotel spend for a free night. This tier has some of the higher quality Choice Hotels properties in the U.S.
20,000 Points Reward Tier Q2-2010 = 534 hotels (10.2%) and Q3-2010 = 640 hotels (12.2%).
Top tier hotels in U.S. cities and resort locations fall in the 20,000 points to 25,000 points range. These hotels require $2,000 to $2,500 in hotel spend or as little as $300 for an elite during an 8,000 points per two stays promotion that is not limited to one or two bonuses.
25,000 Points Reward Tier Q2-2010 = 228 hotels (4.4%) and Q3-2010 = 290 hotels (5.5%).
Most hotels 25,000 points and above are located in New York City and international countries. The spreadsheet by SC Flier shows many hotels in Italy at 40,000 points and these hotels were all 6,000 or 8,000 points for Q2 and Q3 reward nights in 2011. Australia and New Zealand comprise most hotels 30,000 points and more. Peak rates are only for select seasons. Many of the 40,000 points hotels in Australia and New Zealand drop to 8,000 points in July and August 2011.
30,000 Points Reward Tier Q2-2010 = 49 hotels (0.9%) and Q3-2010 = 41 hotels (0.8%).
40,000 Points Reward Tier Q2-2011 = 24 hotels (0.5%) and Q3-2010 = 26 hotels (0.5%).
75,000 Points Reward Tier Q2-2011 = 1 hotel
75,000 Q2-2011 and 8,000 Q3-2011 = 1 hotel (Clarion Collection Edgewater Palms, Paihia, New Zealand)
I spent a week in Paihia at Bay of Islands in New Zealand in August 2005 and I thought it was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I loved it. I didn’t stay at the Clarion Edgewater Palms, but at 8,000 points per night I’d give it a go.
Bay of Islands, New Zealand (outside Russell, near Paihia)
