Wyndham Rewards Brilliant Scheme to Make Low Market Segment Hotels Desirable
What miles and points bloggers are missing in the new Wyndham Rewards with all the focus on the 15,000 points per night reward system worldwide is the earning side of the equation makes staying at low market segment properties more desirable.
Bottom line is I have Wyndham Rewards points and I have stayed in Wyndham brand hotels each year over the past five years. I had a reservation last month for a Days Inn in Orlando, Florida where I would have got about $500 value from 50,000 Wyndham Rewards points. I canceled that reservation and booked two nights at The Mills House Charleston for 30,000 Wyndham Rewards points with a rate value of $750. And, I still have 20,000 Wyndham Rewards points in my account to spend.
Wyndham is the largest hotel chain in the world and the footprint in the USA is most widespread among hotel chains.
How does the value proposition of a high end hotel reward stay at 15,000 points per night motivate people to stay at lower market segment hotels, which are the vast majority of Wyndham brand hotels?
The traveler looking for an affordable room can use Wyndham Rewards in the same way at the 3,000 points level that people will use Wyndham Rewards at the 15,000 points level and both types of travelers will get equitable rebate value on their points.
Using my planned road trip next month from Florida to Knoxville, TN allows a case study to show how the new Wyndham Rewards GoFast cash and points style reward is a good deal for the economy traveler masses.
Wyndham Rewards GoFast at 3,000 points and a cash payment from $25 to $95 per night
The cash component for the Go Fast award with Wyndham Rewards is variable from $25 to $95, These are the new tiers for hotels in Wyndham Rewards.
The Mills House Charleston is a 5-star location in historic downtown Charleston. Top properties tend to be only offered at Go Free reward rate of 15,000 points per night without the Go Fast option.
Three other Wyndham brand hotels in Charleston are available using either Go Free or Go Fast.
Days Inn Charleston Historic District, Charleston South Carolina
Room rate $228.65 prepaid, nonrefundable for $259.52 after tax.
Go Free reward rate = 15,000 points per night.
Go Fast reward rate = 3,000 points + $75.
$228.65 room rate for a Days Inn looks insane, but I have been to the Days Inn Charleston Historic District and it is in fine condition in a fantastic location in the heart of the old city.
Basically you can use Wyndham Rewards Go Fast cash and points reward to pay about $90 after tax and 3,000 points. This gives 3,000 points a redemption value of $170 or about $56 per 1,000 points. That is far higher value than spending 15,000 points to save $260, which is also great points value at $17 per 1,000 points.
Days Inn Charleston is not your typical example of a low market segment hotel since its location makes it rival many other high priced hotels in Charleston.
For me the real value of Wyndham Rewards points lies in hotels in places where there are few other options.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Last week I dressed up as Smokey the Bear to educate first graders about wildfires, so excuse me if I mess up and add an ‘e’ to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
My ‘drive out of Florida’ road trip from Orlando following the U.S. Travel Association IPW convention in Orlando has Knoxville, Tennessee as my destination airport to fly back to California. My driving route will allow me to travel through Great Smoky Mountains National Park between Asheville, North Carolina and Knoxville, Tennessee.
Cherokee Nation
Cherokee in western North Carolina is actually on the road to Cherokee Indian Reservation with some 10,000 residents and an official tourism website.
Days Inn Cherokee/Smoky Mountains $149.99 (165.74 after tax) is a high rate for a Days Inn on a Saturday night outside a National Park.
Go Free Award = 15,000 points.
Go Fast Award = 3,000 points + $55.00.
Go Fast award saves over $100 on the nightly rate at this hotel for 3,000 points. That is about $35 per 1,000 points redemption value.
Sunday night sees rate drops for the hotels in Cherokee and earning Wyndham Rewards points might be the best value for a hotel stay.
Baymont Inn & Suites Cherokee/Smoky Mountains
$75.65 prepaid rate + 500 bonus points.
$89.00 Best Rate Plus 2000 points = $89 or $98.35 after tax.
Redeeming 3,000 points + $55 on a Saturday night saves $105 at the Days Inn and paying $98.35 on Sunday night earns 2,000 bonus points with special rate + 1,000 Wyndham Rewards for minimum night earning for qualified stays.
Wyndham Rewards Earn and Burn Strategy
Total spend for two nights in Cherokee, North Carolina = $160 for two hotel nights. Days Inn Cherokee is about $60 after tax + 3,000 Wyndham Rewards points redeemed for $165 room rate on Saturday night with Go Fast cash and points rate. Then, earn 3,000 points on $99 after tax rate Sunday night at Baymont Inn Cherokee.
Days Inn Cherokee, NC $165.74 room rate after tax.
- Go Fast award rate = 3,000 points + $55.
Baymont Inn Cherokee, NC $98.35 rate after tax earns 3,000 points.
- Go Fast award rate = 3,000 points + $55, but better to earn 3,000 points than save $44 for this stay.
The cost for these two nights at $160 using Go Fast rate for Days Inn and paid rate for Baymont Inn. Total cost of $160 is slightly less than the cost to stay one paid night at the Days Inn Cherokee and a $105 savings on the regular rates for the two nights at these hotels.
This is the brilliance and value of the new Wyndham Rewards program that provides an incentive for Wyndham Rewards members to stay at lower market segment hotels, which are the vast majority of hotels in the Wyndham chain in the United States.
Wyndham Rewards Hotel Brands
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