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.
The offer is advertised as earn one free night (at over 1,500 hotels), when actually the 8,000 points are sufficient for a free night at only about 25% of the 6,000+ Choice hotels in the following brands:
- Comfort Inn,
- Comfort Suites
- Quality Inn
- Clarion
- Cambria Suites
- Sleep Inn
- Ascend Collection
- Econolodge*
- Rodeway Inn*
- Suburban Extended Stay*
- MainStay Suites*
* Requires a two-night stay to qualify for promotion at these four brands. These are the budget market segment brands with rates under $50 per night in some locations.
The good news is there are some higher value properties in Europe and elsewhere available for 8,000 points with higher room rates than typical for US hotels at 8,000 points. In recent years these included several hotels in Paris and London with rates over $200 USD per night reduced to 8,000 points for off-season, but over the past year the hotels in these cities have not dropped to 8,000 points. It remains to be seen if Choice Hotels in these two cities will drop to the 8,000 points level again in off-season. They have stayed mostly in the 16,000 to 25,000 points range this winter.
Still, there are properties in Ireland, Italy, Germany, Sweden and other places for good value awards with hotels at 8,000 points when rates are 80 EUR to 120 EUR per night. This is the list of 1,500 hotels regularly at the 8,000 points award rate.
Earning Bonus Points Examples
This Choice Privileges promotion works differently than most hotel promotions. The member does not earn 8,000 bonus points on top of regular earning for the hotel stay. The bonus points are added to reach 8,000 points for two stays.
Example for how 8,000 points are earned:
Stay 1: Clarion $95 rate earns 950 base points for member.
Stay 2: Cambria Suites $110 rate earns 1,100 base points for member.
2,050 base points earned from two stays is supplemented with 5,950 bonus points for a total 8,000 points after two stays.
There is a minimum 5,000 bonus points for a guest who earns over 3,000 base points with two qualifying stays.
Example showing 5,000 points minimum bonus:
Stay 1: Comfort Inn $80 rate x 5 nights earns 4,000 base points.
Stay 2: Quality Inn $100 rate x 3 nights earns 3,000 base points.
Promotion bonus is a minimum 5,000 points and this guest will have 12,000 points after two stays.
The promotion bonus is a minimum of 5,000 bonus points.
Clarion Hotels IFSC Dublin City has a published rate of 105 EUR ($138) for May 3.
This is a good value bonus points offer for guests seeking lower priced hotels for paid stays while earning sufficient points for a free night. This offer has potential for a free night award worth more than the cost to stay two times and earn the 8,000 points for the award night.
Choice Privileges Promotion FAQ
*Free night is based on an 8,000 point Choice Privileges reward night level. Members must register at ChoiceHotels.com before arrival and book their stays at ChoiceHotels.com or 800.4CHOICE at qualifying rates. Members 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 stay with arrival between 2/28/13 and 5/15/13, you will be awarded a minimum of 5,000 and maximum of 8,000 points, depending on how many points were earned from your two (2) separate qualified stays.
These bonus points will allow redemption for a free night at the 8,000 reward night level at over 1,500 hotels. A free night at most Choice Privileges locations requires more than 8,000 points.
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 stay 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.
Ric Garrido, writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler, shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests. Follow Loyalty Traveler on Twitter and Facebook and RSS feed.
7 Comments
Comments are closed.