Seems like it has been years Choice Privileges has repeatedly offered 8,000 points every two stays. The current promotion for stays from December 12 through February 19, 2014 offers 3,000 bonus points after every two stays, up to 50,000 bonus points during the promotion period.
Registration is required at Choice Hotels Winter Promotion.
Elite Diamond and Platinum members will receive 100 Choice Privileges bonus points with every qualifying trip if they book on ChoiceHotels.com.
This is basically the same promotion as before with a reduction in maximum earnable bonus points for two hotel stays at Choice Privileges brands of
- Comfort Inn,
- Comfort Suites,
- Quality Inns & Suites,
- Sleep Inn,
- Clarion,
- Cambria Suites,
- Ascend Hotel Collection,
- *MainStay Suites,
- *Suburban Extended Stay,
- *Econo Lodge
- *Rodeway Inn hotel
* These economy and extended stay Choice Hotels brands require a two-night minimum stay to qualify as a stay for the 3,000 bonus points every two stays.
Comparison of New Promotion to past offers for 8,000 points after two stays.
The former promotion for 8,000 points every two stays guaranteed a minimum 5,000 bonus points on top of base points earned from hotel spend. This new offer is a downgraded bonus offer at 3,000 bonus points after every two stays. And the Winter 2014 offer is capped at 50,000 bonus points.
Here is the difference between this promotion and the recurring 8,000 points offers of the past couple years.
Low Spenders earn far fewer bonus points.
Assume $75 per night for two 1-night hotels stays at Comfort Inn for $150 in hotel spend.
- $150 x 10 points/$1 = 1,500 base points.
- Promotion bonus = 3,000 bonus points.
- Total earning = 4,500 points.
These same two stays would have earned a total 8,000 points in the last promotion that just ended. This current promotion offer reduces the bonus from 6,500 points with $150 on two qualifying stays from the last Choice Privileges promotion to 3,000 bonus points with the current offer.
High Spenders are not impacted as much by new promotion.
Assume two stays at Clarion for 3 nights each and $600 in total spend.
- $600 x 10 points/$1 = 6,000 base points.
- Promotion bonus = 3,000 bonus points.
- Total earning = 9,000 points.
These two stays would have earned 6,000 base points + 5,000 bonus points for a total 11,000 points during the last promotion.
High spenders will not see as much of an impact with this new offer, but the 3,000 bonus points for every two stays has a big impact on members who earned 8,000 points every two 1-night stays as low spending guests in 2013.
Oddly, the 50,000 bonus points limit means a member maximizing this bonus will earn only 2,000 bonus points for the 17th/18th stays.
Hopefully that is not a concern for most travelers.
A weaker promotion combined with few hotels in Europe offered at the 8,000 points level for the first months of 2014 means less incentive for staying at Choice Hotels the next couple of months.
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Ric Garrido of Monterey, California is writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler.
Loyalty Traveler shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests.
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