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.

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.

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…

Choice Privileges brings back its offer of 8,000 points after every two stays from February 28 through May 15, 2013. There is no limit to the number of bonus points earned during the promotion period.

Promotion registration is required prior to stays. This offer is only available to Choice Privileges members who maintain a US or Canada address.

Diamond and Platinum members earn an additional 100 bonus points for each stay booked through ChoiceHotels.com. Read More…

Thriving or surviving: European cities hotel forecast 2013 is a report by pwc.com/hospitality sharing data from 19 European gateway cities. You can access the full report yourself through the link. I picked up a print copy at the ALIS conference last week in Los Angeles.

Best report line: “With fewer customers to go round in 2013, loyalty and reward programmes could make the difference to the bottom line.” pwc.com

The presentations at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit #ALIS 2013 conference appeared bullish on the 2013 hotel industry year for the USA.  Stocks are reaching record highs, companies are sitting on piles of money, and Americans are spending.

Europe is a different matter with the Euro crisis still being resolved.

I picked out some data from the pwc.com European cities hotel forecast 2013 report to share with readers on how the Europe forecast may affect loyalty travelers in 2013. Read More…

The Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) is the opportunity for hotel brand representatives, property management companies, hotel owners and financiers to get together, discuss the state of the industry and make deals. The 2013 conference was held Jan 22-24 at JW Marriott L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles.

What many hotel guests do not realize is the fact that the brand name whether Westin, Residence Inn, Hampton Inn, or whatever is primarily for marketing and sales. The hotel has an owner who may own other hotels in different brands. I have met several hotel owners who have multiple hotels in the same area under different competing brands. And the hotel may even be managed by a different company than the franchise. For example a Westin Hotel branded as a Starwood, might be managed by a third party hotel management company and owned by some other individual or investment group.

This was my first time attending ALIS. I was not sure how relevant the conference would be for Loyalty Traveler. There was good data content and some insights into 2013 trends during presentations. I will pass along some of the data trends like where the rates are rising fastest in Europe and why the USA is now once again everybody’s darling with data from STR, PKF, PwC and other 3-letter acronym hotel industry sources.

As someone only peripherally connected to the hotel industry I found the hotel brand trade booths interesting and I photographed them. This post shares the hotel brands exhibit hall portion of the conference for the major hotel chains present at ALIS with brand booths. Hotel trade show booths are certainly not the most novel thing for a reader who has been to a travel or hotel industry trade show, but if you have never seen hotel trade show booths before, then here is your chance. Read More…

Choice Privileges triple points starting with your second stay at any Choice Hotels brand worldwide for members in USA, US territories and Canada on stays from December 13 to February 20, 2013. There is a limit of 50,000 bonus points, but at 20 bonus points per dollar that is at least $2,500 in spend and will not be a concern for most travelers.

Choice Privileges Triple Points registration is required.

Seven Choice Hotels brands earn 30 points per dollar with triple points promotion (10 base points per dollar + 20 bonus points per dollar).

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

Four Choice Hotels brands earn 15 points per dollar with triple points promotion (5 base points per dollar + 10 bonus points per dollar).

• MainStay Suites
• Suburban Suites
• EconoLodge
• Rodeway Inn

Elite Platinum and Diamond members earn an additional 100 bonus points per stay booked through ChoiceHotels.com. These bonus points do not count toward the 50,000 bonus points promotion limit.

Eligible bookings include stays booked at ChoiceHotels.com or 800.4CHOICE.

Members may also book through a travel agent or corporate online booking system.

Analysis:

This can be a good value promotion for either the extended stay guest or the frequent stay guest. The main thing is to be sure and book a cheap first stay if your travel plans will take you to a hotel where you will have a few hundred dollars in spend.

There are some desirable vacation properties in the Ascend Collection and Choice Hotels with over 5,000 properties in the USA, has more hotels in the USA than any brand except Wyndham Hotels. Choice Privileges is a program to keep in mind if you are taking a road trip and need roadside lodging.

Assume you have a stay at a Clarion where you expect to spend $800. In this case you should book a $50 to $60 hotel night at a Choice Hotels brand prior to your high spend stay.

Clarion $800 stay earns 8,000 points normally.

Spend $60 for a first stay so the $800 Clarion stay earns triple points.

Stay 1: Quality Inn $60 earns 600 points. Check in and leave. You do not even need to stay the night to make this a qualifying stay if you check-in.

Stay 2: Clarion stay at $800 earns 24,000 points.

16,600 points for $60 is a good investment since this is sufficient for two low season hotel nights in Paris, London and many international locations where rooms rates run $200 per night.

Bottom line: Choice Privileges triple points is a good promotion for midscale and budget hotels. The recurring 8,000 points for two stays Choice Privileges promotion is a great deal for hotel one-nighters. This triple points offer has more benefit for the extended stay and higher spending guest.