Choice Privileges brings back 8,000 points for two stays disguised as a $50 gift card offer.

Earn 8,000 points after two qualifying stays from May 23 through August 31, 2013.

Choice Privileges promotion registration required prio to completion of first stay.

The offer is promoted as “Take Two Trips and Earn a $50 Gift Card.” What actually happens is after two stays the Choice Privileges members receives bonus points added to base points earned for the two paid stays to reach 8,000 total points. Generally there is a minimum bonus of 5,000 points for members who earn more than 3,000 base points from the two paid hotel stays ($300 to $600 in spend.)

All Choice Hotels properties globally are participating (except Nordic Choice countries which have their own separate loyalty program).

Trips must be a minimum of two consecutive nights at:

• Econo Lodge®,
• Rodeway Inn®,
• Suburban Extended Stay Hotel®, or
• MainStay Suites® hotels

$50 Gift Cards

The price to redeem points for a $50 Gift Card from a variety of merchants is reduced during this promotion to 8,000 points per card.

$50 Gift Card Options

U.S. Resident Options
Amazon.com
BP
Bahama Breeze
Chevron/Texaco
Chili’s
Exxon/Mobile
LongHorn
Macaroni Grill
Macy’s
Maggiano’s
Olive Garden
On The Border
Red Lobster
Seasons 52
Shell
Sunoco
Canada Resident Options
Canadian Tire
Esso
FutureShop
The Gap
Harvey’s
Kelsey’s
Milestones Restaurant
Montana’s Cookhouse
Petro Canada Gift Card
St- Hubert
Swiss Chalet

Take Paris rather than the gift card

The better redemption option, in my opinion, is saving points for international travel. Through June 30, 2013 there are dozens of hotels in Europe for 8,000 points per night in places like Paris and London where the published room rates are in the $200 per night range.

Great Paris value Choice Hotels 8,000 points reward nights (4-15-13)

*Terms and conditions: Member must register at ChoiceHotels.com before arrival and book their trips at ChoiceHotels.com or 800.4CHOICE at qualifying rates. Member may also book through a travel agent or corporate online booking system. Choice Privileges member number must be provided upon check-in. After a second qualifying trip with arrival between 5/23/13 and 8/21/13, member will be awarded enough bonus points to reach the 8,000 point level, which can be redeemed until 11/1/13 for one (1) $50 gift card at defined retailers on ChoiceHotels.com/giftcard. Only members earning this bonus qualify to redeem for the $50 gift card. Only members that register for the promotion are eligible to earn the defined promotional gift cards during the promotion. Terms and conditions apply to $50 gift card options. See card for details. Choice Privileges Diamond and Platinum members who register and book through ChoiceHotels.com will receive an additional 100 Choice Privileges bonus points with every qualified trip during the promotional period. For Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites or Ascend Hotel Collection hotels, a trip is defined as a stay that is any number of consecutive nights at one hotel regardless of check-ins or check-outs. For Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, or MainStay Suites hotels, a trip is defined as a stay that is two (2) or more consecutive nights at one hotel regardless of check-ins or check-outs. Allow 72 hours from check-out for points to post. You must maintain an address in the U.S. (including U.S. territories) or Canada to be eligible for this promotion. For Choice Privileges program details, eligible rates, eligible countries and point redemption rules, visit choiceprivileges.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the “Two Stays Pays. Earn a $50 Gift Card.” promotional offer?
Choice Privileges® members will receive enough Choice Privileges points to redeem for a $50 gift card of their choice for a participating dining, shopping, or gas retailer after completing their second qualifying trip when booking at ChoiceHotels.com or 800.4CHOICE. Members must register at ChoiceHotels.com/giftcard in advance of their trip to be eligible.
What are the dates for the “Two Stays Pays. Earn a $50 Gift Card.” promotion?
This promotion applies for trips with arrival between May 23 and August 21, 2013.
Is registration required to participate in the “Two Stays Pays. Earn a $50 Gift Card.” promotion?
Yes. Choice Privileges members must register at ChoiceHotels.com before their first trip to earn an unlimited amount of gift cards during the promotion.
How is a “Trip” defined?
For Comfort Inn®, Comfort Suites®, Quality®, Sleep Inn®, Clarion®, Cambria Suites® or Ascend Hotel Collection® hotels, a trip is defined as a stay that is any number of consecutive nights at one hotel regardless of check-ins or check-outs.  For Econo Lodge®, Rodeway Inn®, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel®, or MainStay Suites® hotels, a trip is defined as a stay that is two (2) or more consecutive nights at one hotel regardless of check-ins or check-outs.
Is there a booking requirement to be eligible for the “Two Stays Pays. Earn a $50 Gift Card.” promotion?
Yes. Trips must be booked at ChoiceHotels.com or 800.4CHOICE with arrival between May 23 and August 21, 2013.
Are bookings made through my mobile device on ChoiceHotels.com eligible for the “Two Stays Pays. Earn a $50 Gift Card.” promotion?
Yes, bookings made through your mobile device are eligible for this promotion.
As a corporate traveler, are bookings made through a travel agent or corporate booking system eligible for the “Two Stays Pays. Earn a $50 Gift Card.” promotion?
Yes, bookings made by Choice Privileges members through a travel agent or corporate booking systems are eligible for this promotion.
Is there a booking requirement for Elite Diamond and Elite Platinum Choice Privileges members?
Elite Diamond and Elite Platinum members can book directly with a hotel, however if they book through ChoiceHotels.com and are registered for the promotion, these members will receive 100 additional Choice Privileges points with every qualifying trip.
How do I redeem my Choice Privileges points for a $50 gift card for dining, shopping, or gas?
You can redeem your Choice Privileges points for a $50 gift card for a participating dining, shopping, or gas retailer only through your online profile at ChoiceHotels.com or by calling Choice Privileges Reservations. During this promotion, a $50 gift card for a participating dining, shopping, or gas retailer is discounted to an 8,000 Choice Privileges point level.
Can any guest earn a $50 gift card for a participating dining, shopping, or gas retailer?
Choice Privileges members must maintain an address in the U.S. (including U.S. territories) or Canada and register at ChoiceHotels.com/giftcard in advance of trip to be eligible for this promotion.  Only members earning this bonus qualify to redeem for a $50 gift card for a participating dining, shopping, or gas retailer.
Is there a deadline to redeem a $50 gift card for participating dining, shopping, or gas retailers?
Yes. Members have until November 1, 2013 to redeem their Choice Privileges bonus points for a $50 gift card for a participating dining, shopping, or gas retailer.
What are the participating retailers included in the “Two Stays Pays. Earn a $50 Gift Card.” promotion?
For U.S. resident members, the participating retailers includes: Amazon.com, BP, Bahama Breeze, Chevron/Texaco, Chili’s, Exxon/Mobil, LongHorn, Macaroni Grill, Macy’s, Maggiano’s, Olive Garden, On The Border, Red Lobster, Seasons 52, Shell, and Sunoco. 
For Canadian resident members, the participating merchants includes: Canadian Tire, Esso, FutureShop, The Gap, Harvey’s, Kelsey’s, Milestones Restaurants, Montana’s Cookhouse, Petro Canada Gift Card, St-Hubert, and Swiss Chalet.
How many times can I receive a $50 gift card bonus during the promotion?
Choice Privileges members can earn an unlimited amount of gift cards during the promotion. A $50 gift card bonus can be earned after completed each second qualifying trip with arrival between May 23 and August 21, 2013.
Can I use the Choice Privileges points earned any way I choose?
You may redeem the Choice Privileges points earned for any redemption option you wish, however during the promotion you can redeem your bonus points earned through November 1, 2013 for a $50 gift card for a participating dining, shopping, or gas retailer for 8,000 points.  You can use the points as soon as you receive them, or retain them until you accumulate enough points for higher reward levels or other redemptions.
Are international trips included in the promotion?
Yes.  All hotels included in the Choice Privileges program will count towards the promotion, as long as a qualifying trip is booked at ChoiceHotels.com or 800.4CHOICE.
When will the bonus points post to my account?
After completing your second qualifying trip, allow 72 hours from check-out for the bonus points to post to your Choice Privileges account.
When do my Choice Privileges points expire?
Choice Privileges points expire on December 31, two years after the year in which they were deposited into your account unless forfeited or canceled earlier due to membership inactivity or otherwise in accordance to these rules and regulations.
Who do I contact if I have further questions?
If you have further questions please contact Choice Customer Support.
Where can I learn more about the Choice Privileges program? 
To learn more about the Choice Privileges program visit choiceprivileges.com.
What is the Advanced Purchase Rate?
Advance Purchase Rate means that the reservation must be made on ChoiceHotels.com using your Choice Privileges number and must be made at least 7, 14, 21 or 30 days in advance, which will vary based on the hotel for which a reservation is being made. The rate starts at 15% off Best Available Rate, is non-cancellable, non-changeable and non-refundable. Your credit card will be charged for the total reservation amount within 24-48 hours of booking. Learn more.

Having been a school teacher for ten years I have a thing about being on time. This morning I woke up in the Comfort Inn Durango, Colorado. A nice hotel with a price under $80 after tax. And one stay away from 8,000 points with Choice Privileges stay two times promotion through May 15.

An email from Randy Petersen Thursday night reminded me the Boarding Area blogger conference started at 3pm Friday, May 10. I had it in my mind the conference opened at 7pm.

Colorado is one wide state and I still had over 300 miles of driving to get from Durango to Colorado Springs.

For the first day this week I woke up to clear skies all around. Colorado Highway 160 goes across Colorado to I-25, yet Google Maps indicated driving through New Mexico was the fastest route.

The countryside of Colorado was so gorgeous outside of Durango that I decided to stay on Highway 160 even if it meant an extra hour of driving. Starting at 7am, I figured seven hours of driving would get me to Colorado Springs at 2pm in time to check into Cheyenne Lodge Resort (complimentary of Randy Petersen for conference attendees) and make it in time for Randy’s opening session.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

Utah has a beauty that not all people find appealing. I loved this quote I saw in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Visitor Center in Escalante, Utah:

“When one of us says, ‘Look, there is nothing out there,’ what we are really saying is ‘I cannot see.’ “ – Terry Tempest Williams

Colorado River at Glen Canyon, Utah.

The stark beauty of Utah is not everybody’s definition of beauty in the way that the  lush Rocky Mountains of Colorado give broad inspiration.

Pagosa Springs looks like a town that is booming in real estate ventures. The place has a resort feel. Being just an hour into my six or seven hour drive, I did not even stop to take pictures. Well, actually I tried to take a photo in Pagosa Springs only to realize I had left the memory card for my camera in the computer from last night’s photo dump.

I stopped for gas at the end of town in Pagosa Springs and retrieved my memory card and fueled up on gas so I could drive all the way to Colorado Springs. When I parked the car in front of the gas station store window to use the toilet I saw in the store window reflection my passenger side car headlight was out. Not only was I pressed for time to make it to the opening of the Boarding Area conference, BAcon, in Colorado Springs by 3pm, but now I had to figure out how I was going to get my headlamp bulb replaced over the weekend before heading back home to California on Sunday.

Heading up to Wolf Creek Pass, Colorado (10,857 ft.) in the San Juan Mountains between Pagosa Springs and South Park, Colorado.

Climbing up Wolf Creek Pass with two lanes was not too bad, but coming down with a single lane and a big rig truck slowed me down. I guess the mountains are the time limiting factor that had Google Maps suggesting a faster route through New Mexico.

Wolf Creek Pass (10,857 ft.) Colorado Highway 160.

Wolf Creek Pass was the only real climb of the 300 mile drive. If you have not driven the high plateau lands before, then you might be surprised to learn how far you can drive on relatively flat land in the high mountains. Highway 160 East is relatively flat for about 100 miles after coming down Wolf Creek Pass with speed limit at 65 much of the way and many drivers (not me  ) going faster.

Colorado Highway 160 is one of the most scenic drives I have taken in my trips across Colorado. Interstate 70 is the fast route through the Colorado Rockies. Highway 160 has the vantage point of seeing the Rockies from miles away and in better perspective than I-70.

Rocky Mountains view from Alamosa.

In Alamosa I stopped again for a bathroom break. Coffee, juice and lots of water were taking its toll on my bladder. Then, pulling out of the McDonald’s parking lot, I noticed an auto parts store across the street. And across the street from the auto parts store was a car service shop.

Thirty minutes later I was back on the road with a working headlight thanks to the kindness of Town & Country Auto Mall in Alamosa. Big shout out to those guys.

While the young mechanic was fixing the headlight, he asked if I had been to Great Sand Dunes National Park. He commented that it might not be that interesting to me since I was from California and probably had already seen sand dunes.

In fact, I grew up in the sand dunes of Monterey Bay and spent many a day losing myself deep in the dunes when I was a teenager in the 1970s; before they built the Highway 1 freeway closer to the beach dunes in Marina and the remaining sand dunes were turned into California State Parks with restricted access to allow dune plant restoration.

With the car back in working order, I was ready to speed on to Colorado Springs. Turns out that I probably did not get delayed at all from the thirty minute auto service stop since right outside Alamosa there was a car rollover wreck just being cleared from the highway.

About 15 miles east of Alamosa I saw the sign for Great Sand Dunes National Park as I whizzed by. There were no other cars on the road and my mind thought 16 miles is pretty close to reach the National Park entrance and this is a remote area that I may never pass by again. I made a u-turn and turned on road 150 for the National Park.

Great Sand Dunes National Park – 16 miles.

A pullout right off Highway 160 had informational displays and I stopped to check them out and photograph the impressive mountain before me.

Mount Blanca (14,365 ft.) is the fourth highest mountain in the Rockies and the 8th highest in the 48 states. What is particularly striking about this mountain is its prominence, rising 7,000 feet above the San Luis Valley.

Even more significant is the informational sign I stopped to read states this is one of four sacred mountains to the Navajo. ‘Sisnaajinii’ or White Shell Mountain is the eastern boundary or doorway into Navajo Land.

Dinetah are the Navajo People and four sacred peaks mark their land. Wars between the Utes and Navajo forced the Navajo to more western lands.

Another sign tells the story of how the Colorado Utes lived in this area of the San Luis Valley when the first Spanish arrived in 1598 with horses. The Utes adapted to life with horses for hunting and warfare.

The Utes skill in combat kept permanent European settlement out of the San Luis Valley until 1851, just a few years after this valley became part of the United States in the land annexation following the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848.

On to Colorado Springs

Realizing that I would lose an hour by going all the way to the National Park and then have no time to hike and explore and still make the conference on time for the opening of BAcon forced me to get back in my car to drive the final 100 miles to Colorado Springs without visiting Great Sand Dunes National Park.

Yet, I feel I learned so much about this sacred valley and mountain from reading two informational signs. My decision to make a u-turn on Highway 160 and take ten minutes to be educated about Mount Blanca and the San Luis Valley provided a worldly experience into American history and indigenous peoples’ culture.

Mt. Blanca, San Luis Valley, Colorado seen from Highway 160 east of Fort Garland.

I arrived at the hotel at 1:30pm, checked in, cleaned out five days of car trash I’d accumulated over 1,600 miles of driving and made the opening session at 3pm.

This piece focuses on room rate and reward rate survey for over 60 hotels along the I-15 and I-70 route from Las Vegas to Colorado. Most hotel reward analyses and surveys I have done focus on one city. In Utah there are so few hotels that this survey covers all the major brand hotels along the Interstate in five locations.

I will be traveling east and south of the Utah interstate I-15/I-70 route to Colorado as I travel to Utah’s National Parks over the next week. Hotels in the parks region will be covered in different posts as I travel.

This piece is a comparative look at seven major hotel chains with particular emphasis on Best Western, Choice and Wyndham brands which are the majority of hotel properties in southern Utah.

• Best Western Rewards
• Choice Privileges
• Club Carlson
• Hilton HHonors
• IHG Rewards Club
• Marriott Rewards
• Wyndham Rewards

Utah is not like Disneyland.

Read More…

Type in Paris, FR and 43 hotels come up in a search on ChoiceHotels.com

Choice Privileges offers seasonal reward categories for hotels and most hotels in Paris dropped from 16,000 and 20,000 points to 8,000 points for April 16, 2013 through June 30, 2013.

Spring time in Paris is a bargain at these rates.

The redemption value for points is 2x-3x the value of points for hotels in New York and Los Angeles metro areas over the next 10 weeks. Many of these Choice Hotels in Paris go up by 200% points cost in July 2013.

Think of these like IHG PointBreaks and book early while availability is wide open.

Paris, France – Choice Privileges Reward Nights Analysis for June 15, 2013

Bottom line is Choice Privileges points can be earned through May 15, 2013 at the rate of 8,000 points every two stays. This can be done easily for as low as $100 in some places and for $150 per 2 stays in many parts of the USA and elsewhere around the globe.

Several Paris hotels with rates over $200 per night can be booked for 8,000 points per night through June 30, 2013. Earning 8,000 points can be achieved for $150 or less through May 15, 2013.

Pay for two stays at Choice Hotels, even two one-night stays at different Choice Hotels and earn one night in Paris. That is a good value rebate on hotel stays over the next month.

Or there are another 1,500 hotels at 6,000 and 8,000 points per night around the globe to spend points at a variety of Choice Hotels.

Choice Privileges offers 8,000 points after two stays. This bonus points promotion can be done for under $150 in most locations around the USA in time for June travel in Europe.

Choice Hotels are a hotel chain consisting mostly of economy and midscale hotel brands with over 6,000 hotels worldwide, mostly in the USA. Choice Hotels has Cambria Suites and Ascend Collection as their brands for the upscale market. Ascend Collection is a group of independent, boutique hotels signing up with Choice Hotels for management and marketing.

Rodeway Inn and EconoLodge are the economy brands and these hotels can be nice properties in some locations or places you want to avoid. Read TripAdvisor.com to learn about neighborhoods and hotel property conditions. A couple of the Los Angeles hotel names include “near Home Depot”. I can’t picture Hyatt or Starwood using that descriptor.

Choice Privileges has one of the more complicated hotel loyalty programs. Points are earned at 10 points/$1 for seven brands and 5 points/$1 for the Rodeway Inn, EconoLodge, Suburban Extended Stay and MainStay extended stay brands. Points expire at the end of the calendar year, two years after they were earned. Points earned in 2013 expire December 31, 2015.

Choice Privileges Seasonal rates April 16 – June 30, 2013

The points spending side is the confusing part of the program. Choice Hotels reward rates change seasonally. Today, April 15 is the last day for this Choice Privileges Reward Season. Tomorrow reward rates change for hundreds of hotels for the April 16 to June 30, 2013 season. Read More…

Choice Hotels are an astounding collection in terms of the number of hotel properties globally with over 6,000 hotels. A search of New York, New York returns 61 hotels, a Rodeway Inn in the Bronx not yet open. A search of Los Angeles area returned 60 hotels with data to be shared in a separate post. There is plenty of choice with Choice Hotels.

Choice Hotels have a far lower price point as a brand in the New York metropolitan area than the big Manhattan focused brands of Hyatt, Starwood, Hilton, IHG and Marriott.

Hilton had one hotel out of 24 hotels in Manhattan with rates under $300 for dates I checked in May.

Choice Hotels had no properties over $300 and only 3 hotels over $200 per night for Saturday night this weekend when I checked day of arrival bookings. The average room rate for day of arrival booking for 60 hotels was $127. Hotels only in Manhattan (13 hotels) had a $170 average rate.

Only 1 of 60 Choice Hotels in the New York area was unavailable for booking with points.

Choice Hotels are properties where TripAdvisor helps to choose the better locations. The nature of brands like EconoLodge and Rodeway Inn are low cost hotels in places where there is demand for hotel rooms, but not much interest in building an upper-upscale property in that location.

Choice Hotels in New York Reward Analysis

Choice Hotels Room Rates and Choice Privileges Reward Night Observations

7 Ascend Collection Hotels in New York area. This is a major source of properties in the Ascend Collection brand for independent boutique hotels.

Union Hotel, one of the Ascend Collection hotels is actually in Brooklyn. I wondered if the $79 rate was a mistake? TripAdvisor ratings for Union Hotel Brooklyngive a range of opinions with the largest proportion of ratings in the “Terrible” category, yet with a higher combined rating for Excellent and Very Good. Mostly complaints about the really small room size.   

Choice Privileges takes $3,000 in hotel spend to earn the base points for the top properties in Manhattan at 30,000 points per night.

Hilton Hotels in New York City require $4,000 to $6,000 earning 15 points/$1. Most HHonors brand hotels in New York are 70,000 or 80,000 points per night.Lowest priced Hilton is currently 60,000 points per night in May and that is equivalent to $4,000 in hotel spend at 15 points/$1. HHonors members can double their earn rate of Hilton HHonors points with HHonors American Express Surpass and elite status.Choice Privileges Visa card members earn 5 points per dollar at Choice Hotels. Choice Privileges Diamond members (40 nights) earn 50% bonus points as an elite member. Choice Privileges members can earn 20 points per dollar for hotel stays, plus any bonuses like the current unlimited earning of 8,000 points every two hotel stays through May 15, 2013.

Choice Privileges offers 8,000 points after two stays. This bonus points promotion can be done for under $150 in most locations around the USA.

Price of earning 16,000 points during the 8,000 points for 2 Stays frequent promotion is reduced to $300 to $400 rather than $1,600 as shown in the table above.

Free nights are potentially earned much faster with Choice Privileges than most other hotel loyalty programs in the upper-upscale market segment of New York.

New York is a glamorous place to be in the center of Manhattan in a high style hotel room. But not if $600 per night is going to bust your credit card limit.

I personally avoid New York conferences for business trips due to the high cost of hotels. Choice Hotels looks like a more reasonable alternative to the upscale loyalty programs for actually paying the published room rates for a stay in NY, especially with the 2 stays = 8,000 points promotion.

Choice Privileges Hotel Rewards Distribution in LA and NY.

I am looking at Choice Hotels more closely right now as I plan May travel through Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico and see stretches on the map where the Choice Hotel option is the only option for 50 miles. I wondered what the relative distribution of hotel rewards was along the categories and I quickly mapped out Los Angeles and New York. Choice Hotels does not offer a list of hotels by reward category and the Choice Privileges program uses seasonal rates. Hotels can shift from 8,000 to 25,000 points per night depending on the season.

These two cities with 120 hotels are 2% of the Choice Hotels 6,000 properties.

Los Angeles Area = 60 hotels.

Reservation date checked, Saturday, April 13, 2013.

• 6,000 points = 2 hotels in Azusa and Anaheim (3%)
• 8,000 points = 15 hotels (25%)
• 10,000 points = 7 hotels (12%)
• 12,000 points = 10 hotels (17%)
• 16,000 points = 14 hotels (23%)
• 20,000 points = 7 hotels (12%)
• 25,000 points = 4 hotels (7%)
• 30,000 points = 1 hotel (Santa Monica) (1%)

New York City area = 60 hotels.

Reservation date checked, Saturday, April 13, 2013.

• 6,000 points = 0 hotels
• 8,000 points = 3 hotels (5%)
• 10,000 points = 3 hotels (5%)
• 12,000 points = 3 hotels (5%)
• 16,000 points = 10 hotels (17%)
• 20,000 points = 14 hotels (23%)
• 25,000 points = 9 hotels (15%)
• 30,000 points = 18 hotels (30%)

20% of Choice Hotels in LA are 20,000 points or higher per reward night compared to 68% of Choice Hotels in New York.

Earn 500 American Airlines AAdvantage miles at Choice Hotels (double miles) from April 13-May 25, 2013. This could be a good alternative to collecting 10 points/$1 over the next six weeks on low spend stays.

Keep in mind that Choice Privileges offers 8,000 points after 2 stays through May 15, 2013, which is likely a better deal.

Choice Privileges members normally earn 250 miles per hotel stay at any of 11 hotel brands in Choice Hotels.

Most Choice Hotels earn 10 points per dollar in room rate at these brands:

• Comfort Inn,
• Comfort Suites,
• Quality Inn
• Sleep Inn
• Clarion
• Cambria Suites
• Ascend Collection

Four brands of Choice Hotels earn only 5 points/$1 for Rodeway Inn and EconoLodge budget brands, Mainstay Suites and Suburban extended stay brands.

500 American Airline miles is standard earning rate for full service brand stays with Club Carlson, Hilton HHonors, IHG Rewards Club, and Hyatt Gold Passport.

Best Western, La Quinta and Choice earn 250 airline miles per stay.

Wyndham Rewards gives 2 miles per dollar for most hotel brands or 500 miles per stay for Wyndham and Hawthorn Suites.

Value of American AAdvantage miles vs. Choice Privileges points

The value of miles depends on the traveler and how close 500 miles will get you to a frequent flyer award.

$100 hotel room earns 500 miles or 1,000 Choice Privileges points at most brands. Spending more than $100 per stay likely favors earning Choice Privileges points for the better value as long as you have the potential to earn up to 8,000 points for a free hotel night.

And for stays through May 15, 2013 there is the Choice Privileges promotion for 8,000 points after every 2 stays.

April 2013 is a time of reassessment for many hotel loyalty program members. The sudden and dramatic changes to the structure of hotel rewards across five of the top ten global hotel loyalty programs in the first quarter of 2013 was an incredible amount of information to digest.

The changes in the opening months of 2013 comprise the biggest overall change in the hotel loyalty program industry over the past decade.  Read More…

Choice Privileges members from the U.S. may not realize this clause in the hotel loyalty program rules and regulations:

You can earn Choice Privileges points at any Comfort Inn®, Comfort Suites®, Quality®, Sleep Inn®, Clarion®, Ascend Hotel Collection®, Cambria Suites®, MainStay Suites®, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel®, Econo Lodge® and Rodeway Inn® location in the U.S., Canada, Europe (excluding Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden), the Middle East, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and Australasia (including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Papua New Guinea and Fiji). You can also earn points through our partner programs.

Choice Privileges Rules

Basically the rule is no points are earned for Choice Hotel stays in the eight Nordic and Baltic countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden.

Choice Privileges members can redeem points for award stays in these countries. Only the earning points side is blocked.

This article looks at Nordic Choice Club and earn rates for points and other benefits on paid stays at Choice Hotels in the Nordic/Baltic region.

The difference in points awards and benefits of elite members between Choice Privileges and Nordic Choice Club is examined. Read More…

Without a map I headed onto the streets of Oslo for a winter walkabout in the four hours before I needed to head to Oslo Gardermoen Airport.

Oslo city is a mix of old and new. There seemed to be far more new than old looking buildings in the areas I walked.

I thought to myself that perhaps the city had been devastated during WWII, but apparently the city was occupied by Germans without too much  destruction.

In contrast to the grand buildings of Berlin and Helsinki, the architecture in Oslo trended to modernism with simple lines and little ornateness. Even many of the older buildings had a simple clean design.

Oslo Opera House

Walking onto the roof of the Oslo Opera House is a common trek in Oslo. I missed the sign stating the roof was closed due to ice until spotting the sign on my way down.

On top of Oslo Opera House roof.

I did see the sign stating walking on ice in the harbor was dangerous.

Really? Read More…