This article examines reward night points price differences between Choice Privileges and Nordic Choice Club loyalty programs for travelers staying at Nordic Choice Hotels chain of 190 hotels in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Latvia and Lithuania. There are some key differences between Choice Privileges and Nordic Choice Club hotel loyalty programs. I hold membership in both hotel loyalty programs.Â
Choice Privileges points offer great value at many of the 190 Nordic Choice Hotels in Scandinavia. Yet, there are several hotels with lower reward night rates through Nordic Choice Club, a separate hotel loyalty program for Nordic Choice Hotels.
I primarily redeem Choice Privileges points for hotel reward nights in Scandinavia, but I am one hotel stay from having 7,500 points in Nordic Choice Club. 7,500 Nordic Choice Club points provides an opportunity for me to stay in Copenhagen, Denmark for 7,500 points at a hotel priced through Choice Privileges at 16,000 points.
The bulk of my Nordic Choice Club points are set to expire at the end of August 2018. I have incentive to reach 7,500 points and redeem for a hotel reward night through Nordic Choice Club.
Perhaps best of all, I don’t need a paid hotel night in Scandinavia to reach the 7,500 points threshold in Nordic Choice Club. I can earn 750 Nordic Choice Club points with a $40 hotel stay at Rodeway Inn in my home town of Monterey, California.
Nordic Choice Club basics.
Nordic Choice Hotels are an independent Scandinavian hotel chain of nearly 190 hotels affiliated with Choice Hotels under the brand names of Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Clarion, Clarion Collection and Ascend Collection. Norway and Sweden each have more than 80 hotels and comprise the bulk of Nordic Choice Hotels.
Choice Privileges members can redeem points for reward nights at Nordic Choice Hotels. Rates range from 8,000 points per reward night at a hotel like Clarion Collection Hotel Temperance in Malmo, Sweden and 10,000 points per reward night at Clarion Hotel Sign Stockholm and Clarion Stockholm. These three hotels are some of the best value on hotel reward nights for Choice Privileges members traveling through Copenhagen and Stockholm airports. Room rates are regularly priced at $150 to $200 USD for these three hotels.
Most hotels in Norway are priced at 16,000 points per reward night through Choice Privileges.
Paid stays at Nordic Choice Hotels do not earn Choice Privileges points
Nordic Choice Hotels do not earn points in Choice Privileges. Nordic Choice runs its own Nordic Choice Club loyalty program for earning points and benefits in its chain of 190 hotels.
Earning points at Nordic Choice Hotels
One bonus point for each Swedish or Norwegian krona or 10 points per euro spent at the room rate. Exchange rate 12/9/2017 is 8.30 NOK = $1 USD and 8.45 SEK = $1 USD.
Nordic Choice Club Earning Points.
When you stay at a Choice Hotel outside of the Nordic and Baltic region, you earn 750 bonus points per night. Send your receipt to Nordic Choice Customer Service. Send the receipt to booking@choice.no.
The earn rate is about 8 points/$1 USD, but there are frequent double points and other bonus points promotions for Nordic Choice Club members.
Nordic Choice Club Reward Rates
Nordic Choice Club has a different reward night redemption program than Choice Privileges. Nordic Choice Club reward rates range from 7,500 to 40,000 points. The price for a reward night at most Nordic Choice Hotels is lower through Choice Privileges with reward rates ranging from 8,000 to 30,000 points.
My focus are hotels priced lower through Nordic Choice Club.
Many of these hotels are priced at 16,000 points in Choice Privileges.
- Quality Hotel Dan Copenhagen Airport Kastrup, Denmark
- Comfort Hotel Xpress Tromso, Norway
- Comfort Hotel Xpress Youngstorget Oslo, Norway
Some hotels like Comfort Hotel Arctic, Lulea, Sweden are 20,000 points per reward night through Choice Privileges.
The 10,000 points category in Nordic Choice Club is probably the sweet spot for discount points prices compared to Choice Privileges rates for most of these hotels.
Comfort Hotel Bergen Airport is 20,000 Choice Privileges points per reward night compared to 10,000 Nordic Choice Club points.
Riga, Latvia has Clarion Collection Hotel Valdemars for 10,000 Nordic Choice Club points. This hotel is 25,000 points through Choice Privileges. Although, the paid rate is generally under 100 EUR per night, so generally not as good a value as using points for Scandinavian hotels.
Comfort Hotel Vesterbro, Copenhagen is 10,000 points with Nordic Choice Club, but 20,000 points with Choice Privileges. Copenhagen hotels are outrageously expensive in summer and this Comfort Hotel is only 200 meters from Copenhagen Central Station for trains to and from CPH airport.
By far, the best deal in Copenhagen for Choice Privileges points is Skt. Petri Ascend Collection at 20,000 points. Or take the train 30 minutes to Malmo, Sweden for Clarion Collection Hotel Temperance at 8,000 points with Choice Privileges a hotel priced in Nordic Choice Club at 20,000 points.
At 15,000 points the price of a Nordic Choice Club reward is similar to the points price of a Choice Privileges for many of these hotels.
For some reason, Quality Hotel Friends in Stockholm is priced at 30,000 Choice Privileges points.
A true luxury hotel like The Thief Oslo is only 20,000 Choice Privileges points, if you can find reward night availability. The Thief has been ranked as the top hotel or near the top hotel in Norway in surveys I have seen. I stayed at The Thief in 2014 using Choice Privileges points when lowest rates were $500+ per night.
The remaining Nordic Choice Hotels at 20,000 to 40,000 points are mostly fewer points when booked through Choice Privileges.
Most Clarion Collection Hotels are in the 20,000 points category of Nordic Choice Club. These hotels are great value due to a complimentary dinner buffet included. Some hotels have a simple buffet and some hotels have a great food spread.
Important to note that only Clarion Collection hotels include both breakfast and dinner. This is not a benefit at plain Clarion Hotels. In 2014 when I stayed at Nordic Choice Hotels in Norway for two weeks on Choice Privileges points, I booked half my nights at Clarion Collection Hotels and avoided the exorbitant cost of food. Norway was the world’s most expensive tourist destination at the time. The price of a McDonald’s Big Mac was nearly $20. Most restaurant meals started in the $40 range and a glass of beer was $12. I went without alcohol for two weeks and lived off Clarion Collection meals with a few store purchased items.
Norway is much more affordable these days with the USD worth about 35% more in 2017 compared to 2014.
The real value of this 25,000 to 40,000 points chart for Nordic Choice Club is it reveals the best value hotels for Choice Privileges members using Choice Privileges points.
I have stayed at The Thief Oslo, 3 of 8 hotels in the 30,000 points range and 6 of the 25,000 points hotels, all on Choice Privileges points paying 10,000 to 20,000 points per night.
Loyalty Traveler – How I stole 2 nights at The Thief Oslo with points
The Thief Oslo is $348 on Sun Jan 7, 2018 or 20,000 Choice Privileges points.
Ignore the $20,000 copay amount shown. This is an ongoing software glitch in Choice Privileges for Nordic Choice Hotels. My last reward night booking at Clarion Hotel Sign Stockholm in July 2017 showed 10,000 points + $10,000. There was no copay charge.
Clarion Hotel Sign at 25,000 Nordic Choice Club points is my go to Stockholm transit hotel for frequent cheap flights between California and Europe. Clarion Hotel Sign is only 10,000 Choice Privileges points per night.
I stayed in a suite at Farris Bad Spa in Larvik, Norway in 2014 for 20,000 points per night. I was thankful not to be at the hotel on a Wednesday when only nude swimming was permitted. That is a bit too much northern exposure for my sensibilities. Farris Bad is one of the few hotels that has changed reward rate in Choice Privileges since 2014. It dropped to 16,000 points per reward night.
Loyalty Traveler – Hotel Review Farris Bad Kaupang Suite upgrade
Yasuragi Stockholm has been on my aspirational hotel list, but availability has not worked out in conjunction with my Stockholm visits.
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