High Value Wyndham Rewards in Anchorage, Alaska compared to other chains

With growing probability that I will buy an American Airlines ticket to Anchorage in the next 48 hours, I took a close look at hotel options for the city.

Sheraton Anchorage $214 ($240 after tax) or 10,000 points.

Marriott has six hotels in Anchorage with five brands priced from $239 to $279 per night, before tax. All six hotels are category 7 hotel at 35,000 points per reward night, from Marriott Anchorage to Fairfield Inn & Suites Anchorage Midtown. There are two Springfield Suites, Residence Inn and Courtyard Airport.

Hilton has five hotels in five different brands. Rates from $219 to $329. Hilton Anchorage ($329) and Homewood Suites ($219) cover the rate range. Both hotels are available Wednesday, September 2 at 40,000 points per night. Great use of Hilton points. One of the room options at 40,000 points includes Club Lounge access. Embassy Suites Anchorage awards out at 70,000 points per night.

Hilton Anchorage

Unfortunately, I do not have 40,000 HHonors points.

InterContinental Hotels Group IHG has two Anchorage hotels with Holiday Inn Express ($259) and Crowne Plaza Midtown Anchorage ($249). Both hotels are priced at 35,000 points per reward night.

Hyatt has no hotels in Anchorage.

The point is the major chains will cost 70,000 to 80,000 points for two reward nights with Hilton, IHG or Marriott. Two nights at Sheraton will cost 20,000 points.

In my valuation of hotel points, I look at those numbers and think I can get about $700 or so in points value in some other place. I know I can get $10 per 1,000 points redemption value at some other hotel with Marriott, IHG and Hilton. I can get $35 per 1,000 points redemption value with SPG. I canceled a two night weekend stay at Element Dartmouth, New Hampshire last week when I stayed in Boston instead. 6,000 Starpoints would have saved over $400 in room rates for a weekend in New Hampshire.

Wyndham Rewards offers good Anchorage hotel redemption value

One of the best value options I see for Anchorage are using Wyndham Rewards points to beat the high cost of peak season hotel rates in Anchorage during early September.

2015 is the year I dub, “Year of the budget hotel chain.” Familiar names kept appearing on my screen these past few days in places like Boston and Sao Paulo. Then I checked hotels in Anchorage, Alaska to find Ramada, Super 8 and two Microtel properties available for booking with Wyndham Rewards points.

The changes in May 2015 to Wyndham Rewards turned my 50,000 points into real cash savings potential. For the past several years, my Wyndham Rewards points sat mostly untouched for years. Now I seek to conserve the 40,000 points I have remaining to use in places like Anchorage where a low airfare deal can crack the hotel points piggy bank or savings account with high room rates.

Ramada Anchorage $189.00 ($211.68 after tax) 

Wednesday, September 2

Go Free Reward Night = 15,000 points.

One of the room rates at $189.00 offers 2,000 bonus Wyndham Rewards points. A paid stay at this rate earns $189 x 10 points/$1 for 1,890 base points and 2,000 bonus points. A room night at $211 is well over my average room night spend.

Redeeming 15,000 points for Ramada Anchorage gives you a Wyndham Rewards points redemption value of $14 per 1,000 points. Wyndham Rewards points cost $11.00 per 1,000 to buy. There is a very low purchase limitation of 5,000 points per calendar year, so this is not too useful as a strategy for accumulating Wyndham Rewards points. You can get sufficient points for two or three GoFast reward nights by using current Wyndham Rewards bonuses and points purchase.

Here is a post I wrote in May 2015 that even my mom could follow to earn 9,000 Wyndham Rewards points.

Loyalty Traveler – Pick up a quick 9,000 Wyndham Rewards points for about $110 to $130 (May 14, 2015)

Wyndham Rewards GoFast Rewards

Here are redemption values for Wyndham Go Fast Rewards requiring 3,000 points + copay amount assigned to each hotel. The range for Go Fast Reward co-pay amounts varies from $25 to $95 per night for hotels across the chain. Go Fast reward nights have capacity controls. Go Free 15,000 points reward nights are not capacity controlled as long as standard room available at hotel.

Wyndham Rewards GoFast rates for Anchorage, Alaska 

September is still cruise season for Alaska with peak season summer rates. These hotels drop rates by half for November bookings.

September 2, 1015

Ramada Anchorage = $189 or 15,000 points for GoFree rewards. GoFast reward night not available for September 2 date. Copay rate is $55 when GoFast Rewards are available.

Super 8 Anchorage = $128.88 ($144.35 after tax) or 3,000 points + $55 ($61.60 after tax).

3,000 points saves $82.75 for a redemption value of $27.58 per 1,000 Wyndham Rewards points. You can buy 3,000 points for $33.

Microtel Inn & Suites Anchorage Airport $189.99 ($212.79 after tax) or 3000 points + $75 ($84.00 after tax). That is a redemption value close to $43 per 1,000 Wyndham Rewards points. You can buy 5,000 Wyndham Rewards points for $55.

The American Airlines flight I am looking at for LAX-ANC departs from Anchorage for the return segment at 12:55am. Might be reasonable to check in at an airport hotel for an afternoon of sleep.

Microtel Inn & Suites Eagle River/Anchorage gets the lowest guest ratings fo the four hotels and is listed at 13 miles from Anchorage. A rate of $143.65 ($160.89) is prepaid advance purchase rate. Best Available Rate is $169 ($189.28 after tax).

GoFast award rate = 3000 points + $45 ($50.40 after tax).

GoFast award gives redemption value of $110 to $139 saved with 3,000 points for $36 to $46 per 1,000 points.

These are some high value Wyndham Rewards examples for Anchorage, Alaska. Sure, Super 8 and Microtel might not be in the same hotel market segment as Hilton Anchorage with Club Lounge privileges. The money saved on hotel nights in Anchorage can be used for other activities in the big state, which is the reason for an Alaska vacation anyway.