Price of Travel Matters-93 hotel nights in 2016 cost me $5,510

by Ric Garrido
April 20, 2017
10 Comments
4 Views

In 2016, I stayed 94 nights in hotels. I paid $5,510 for 93 of those hotel nights on six trips to Europe with 61 hotel nights and one trip to New Zealand with 7 hotel nights. The remaining 26 hotel nights were in USA hotels for travel to Las Vegas, southern California and New Orleans.

London
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Leiden, Netherlands
Vilnius, Lithuania
Copenhagen, Denmark
Stockholm, Sweden
Stavanger, Norway
Krakow, Poland
Vienna, Austria
Salzburg, Austria
Kosice, Slovakia
Bratislava, Slovakia
High Tatras and Levoca, Slovakia
Auckland, New Zealand
Napier, New Zealand
Las Vegas
Pensacola, Florida
New Orleans, Louisiana
Alexandria, Louisiana
Dallas, Texas
Santa Maria, California
Bakersfield, California
Tehachapi, California
Las Vegas, Nevada

For accounting simplicity sake, I spent $5,510 in 2016 and stayed 93 hotel nights for an average nightly rate of $59.25 per hotel night.

$317 of that $5,510 was paid for a Marriott auction where I won 7 hotel night credits remaining to be redeemed in 2017. I don’t count these in my hotel stays for 2016 since I have not stayed at any of these hotels yet. I count the $317 in hotel spend for 2016, since I spent the money and there is a chance I won’t stay at any of these hotels. When I use these hotel nights in 2017, they will count as no spend nights in 2017’s hotel spend accounting.

The discrepancy between staying 94 nights in hotels and only counting 93 nights paid is a JW Marriott LA Live free night stay in February 2016 to attend a Marriott Rewards sponsored gathering of bloggers. Another 3 hotel nights were a media trip across Louisiana and technically not hotel charges to me, however, I paid $150 for the 3-day media trip, so I count those as hotel discount stays I paid.

Excluding those 3 Louisiana hotel nights from the press trip would be $5,360 spent for 90 hotel nights for $59.56 per night.

I rarely booked prepaid rates to allow travel flexibility. All but 10 hotel nights were chain hotel brand stays. Hotel loyalty programs are my primary method for discount rates.

Radisson Blu Carlton Bratislava, Slovakia

By hotel chain:

Best Western 9 hotel nights = $272 + 24,000 points

Best Western Premier 4 nights
Best Western Plus 2 nights
Best Western 2 nights
I earned $100 Travel Card for a successful BRG at Best Western Irving Inn & Suites DFW in June 2016.
Redeemed 24,000 BW points for 2 nights at BW Premier Q Hotel, Krakow Poland.
Best Western Plus Amedia Wien, Vienna Austria ($107- $100 BRG travel card credit for $7.39 bill.)
Best Western Premier Hotel Couture Amsterdam 3 nights $168 (Partial $45 payment with $100 BW Travel Card).
Best Western Leidse Square Amsterdam 1 night ($55 paid with $100 BW travel card.) This hotel rebranded since my Jan 2016 stay to Leonardo Hotel Amsterdam City Centre. This was one of the worst hotel rooms I stayed in 2016, so no big loss to Best Western.
Average cost per paid night $272/6 paid nights = $45.33/night.

Choice Privileges 20 hotel nights = $1,247 + 168,000 points.

Ascend Collection Skt. Petri Copenhagen 3 nights (60,000 points).
Clarion Hotel Energi, Stavanger, Norway 1 night (6,000 points + $45).
Clarion Hotel Sign Stockholm, Sweden 4 nights (32,000 points + $60).
Quality Inn Arlanda Airport, Sweden 1 night (6,000 points + $30).
Quality Hotel Dan Copenhagen Airport 1 night (16,000 points).
Rodeway Inn Inglewood, California 1 night (6,000 points + $45).
Quality Hotel Parnell, Auckland NZ $113 1 night (earned 8,000 points).
Econolodge Napier 5 nights and Econolodge Auckland 1 night, New Zealand (56,000 points)
Econolodge Monterey and Rodeway Inn Monterey $87 (earned 8,000 points).
$867 Choice Privileges for 166,000 in Points Purchases average $5.22/1,000 points.
Redeemed 182,000 points for reward nights and earned 16,000 points from paid stays to balance points earned and redeemed in 2016. I need to make another big purchase of Choice Privileges points during next week’s Daily Getaways.
Average cost $62.35/night. Average published rate for Nordic Choice Hotels in Scandinavia where I stayed 10 nights in 2016 on points rewards is over $200/night.

Club Carlson 13 hotel nights = $279 + 200,000 points.

Radisson Blu Waterfront Stockholm 2 nights (50,000 points)
Radisson Blu Strand Stockholm 2 nights (50,000 points)
Radisson Blu Amsterdam 4 nights (100,000 points + $10)
Radisson Blu Edwardian Heathrow Hotel (United Airlines VDB free night)
Radisson Blu Carlton Bratislava, Slovakia 4 nights $269 (4-for-2 Gold elite rate)
These stays were all booked using Club Carlson discontinued discount rates. Club Carlson Visa free night on a reward stay were bookings made in May 2015 prior to that discount being discontinued. Each of those hotels that I redeemed 25,000 points per night are now 70,000 points per night.
Radisson Blu Bratislava was a 4-for-2 Gold elite member rate discontinued in January 2017.

Hilton Honors 3 hotel nights = $137 + 8,000 points

DoubleTree Kosice, Slovakia 1 night ($73 and received HHonors Diamond suite upgrade).
DoubleTree Bratislava, Slovakia 2 nights (8,000 points + $64 Points & Money reward and received HHonors Diamond suite upgrade).

Hyatt Hotels 8 hotel nights = $893 + 12,500 points.

Andaz Amsterdam 1 night $152 + 12,500 points Points + Cash with suite upgrade.
Hyatt Regency New Orleans 7 nights $693 (EasyClickTravel booking when Hyatt website wanted $2,200 for hotel stay. I received lounge access for stay).
Purchased 2,000 Hyatt Gold passport points $48 for a reward stay I ended up not booking.

IHG Rewards Club 18 hotel nights = $670 + 130,500 points.

Holiday Inn Leiden, Netherlands 1 nights $61
The Palazzo Las Vegas 1 night $123 + 40,000 points (Points + Cash reward stay)
InterContinental Amstel, Amsterdam 1 night (IHG Mastercard annual free night certifcate)
Crowne Plaza Vilnius, Lithuania 4 nights (20,000 points PointBreaks award stay)
Holiday Inn Vilnius 1 night $76
Holiday Inn Express West Pensacola, Florida 1 night (5,000 points PointBreaks reward stay).
Holiday Inn Krakow, Poland 5 nights (75,000 points reward stay).
Holiday Inn Commercial Road, London 1 night $94
Hotel Indigo Krakow, Poland 2 nights $214 (earned $75 MasterCard)
Holiday Inn Express Tehachapi, California 1 night (5,000 points Pointbreaks stay)
$102 to buy 20,000 IHG Rewards Club points
These hotel stays were paid in large part using points from previous IHG Rewards Club Accelerate promotions.
$670 /18 nights = $37.22 per night. 145,000 points redeemed, however 10% rebate as IHG Mastercard holder = 130,500 points net.

Marriott International 2 paid nights = $192

$317 for 7 prepaid nights to be stayed in 2017

1 free night Marriott sponsored event.

JW Marriott at LA Live 1 night (free sponsored trip to attend Marriott Rewards conference)
Fairfield Inn Santa Maria, California 1 night
SpringHill Suites Bakersfield, California 1 night
I paid $160 for a $200 gift card in 2016 Daily Getaways and spent total $232 for two nights in California. Net cost $192 and earned a category 5 free night certificate. Apparently I never used that free night. Stupid me.
Marriott Super Silent Auction $317 in winning bids for 7 hotel nights including 2 nights in seaview room with breakfast at Riviera Marriott Hotel La Porte de Monaco, Cap d’Ail, France; 2 nights Swindon Marriott Hotel, UK; 2 nights Renaissance Las Vegas and 1 night Residence Inn Chicago ORD.

Starwood Preferred Guest 1 night = $127

SLS Las Vegas 1 night ($127).

Wyndham Rewards 9 nights $705 + 6,000 points.

Ramada Apollo Amsterdam 1 night 3,000 points + $59 (GoFast Reward).
Ramada Salzburg City Centre, Austria 2 nights 6,000 points + $120 (Go Fast Reward).
Wyndham Grand Desert Vacation Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada 2 nights $199
Hawthorne Suites Henderson, Nevada 4 nights 12,000 points + $157 (GoFast Reward)
Purchased 15,000 points in 2016 Daily Getaways for $160.
Net expenditure = 6,000 points with 21,000 points redeemed and 15,000 points bought. None of my hotel stays earned points.

Independent Hotels 10 hotel nights = $659

Grand Hotel Stary Smokovec Slovakia 1904, Historic Hotels of Europe 4 nights $288
Hotel U Leva, Levoca, Slovakia 2 nights $111
Boutique Hotel Chrysso, Kosice, Slovakia $110 for a deluxe suite.
Louisiana media tour 3 hotel nights $150

Tags:

10 Comments

LivelyFL April 20, 2017

Fantastic information. Thanks. And it provides a guide if ever we’re in those cities.
Ric Garrido April 20, 2017

I have written reviews for nearly all these hotel stays. Enter hotel name in “Search This Blog” box on upper right.

Or go to http://loyaltytraveler.boardingarea.com/loyalty-traveler-travels/ for more comprehensive trip reports about destinations.
Samir April 20, 2017

Great post — thanks for sharing. Your view of finding good “value” hotels and getting as much value out of points in relatively expensive cities otherwise is very aligned to what I look for, so this is a great list to reference
bluecat April 20, 2017

Can you speak about the distribution of those nights over the year? If it is spread out very evenly, then your $60/night is even more impressive than if there is more in the winter (when prices are lower).

Would you ever consider AirBnB? If not, why not?
Ric Garrido April 20, 2017

Jan-Mar 19 nights
Apr-Jun 21 nights
Jul-Sep 29 nights
Oct-Dec 24 nights

I simply have never found a deal I consider a better value using Airbnb than I find with chain hotels.

One of the primary reasons I stick with chain hotels is a time factor for how long I spend searching hotels. I spend a significant amount of time planning all these hotel stays with the limiting factor of focusing on hotel chains where I can earn or burn points.

There are certainly dozens, if not hundreds of lodging options for any place I travel. I don’t want to spend a lot more time trying to figure the ‘best’ lodging value. Also, I don’t want to share a place with anyone. I am a solitary kind of traveler, unless it is my wife with me.

So generally I only look at Airbnb when I can’t find a hotel chain deal. And even then, I usually find another hotel deal through an online travel agency.
bluecat April 20, 2017

Very good info. You have figured out how to do this efficiently and smartly. Impressive.
Ric Garrido April 21, 2017

I made corrections to this post.

1. Actually made 6 trips to Europe, not 5 as originally posted.
Traveled in January (Amsterdam), February (Amsterdam), April (Amsterdam, Lithuania, Sweden), July (Sweden, Poland, Denmark, Norway), September (London, Slovakia, Austria), December (Austria, Slovakia, Poland, Sweden). Traveled to New Zealand in November 2016.

2. Realized my $61 stay at Holiday Inn Leiden in January 2016 was a 2-night stay on a super cheap rate. Even had a nice room upgrade and breakfast buffet. On that same trip, I listed Best Western Hotel Couture as a 1 night stay, when it was also a 2-night stay.

That changed my numbers from 91 paid nights to 93 paid hotel nights in 2016. The calculations have been adjusted in the post to reflect 93 nights stayed in 2016 for $5,510 in hotel spend.

Average room rate under $60 per night.
Ric Garrido April 21, 2017

More corrections to post:

Holiday Inn Leiden was only a one night stay. Looked over my hotel stay trip report post to confirm this.

Also forgot I stayed one free night at Radisson Edwardian London Heathrow in July 2016 when United Airlines gave me $400 VDB certificate and free hotel night at LHR to fly the following day.

So no new 2016 calculations needed, since loss and addition of one hotel night keeps the number totals unchanged. I subtracted one IHG night and added one Club Carlson night to 95 hotel nights.

I published about 5,000 words on that day in London with a Loyalty Traveler photoessay series.
I was in the city by 2 pm and stayed out until 11pm on an unexpected wonderful day walking miles all around central London.

United paid me $400 to stay in London

London Walking Tour in 8 to 10 hours from LHR, introduction

” target=”_blank”>London Walking Tour Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square in 1 to 2 hours

London Walking Tour Trafalgar Square party, Leicester Square theaters, Chinatown food

London Walks Lost in Sexy Soho

Hotel Review: Radisson Blu Edwardian Heathrow Hotel July 2016

There were supposed to be two more sections covering Oxford Street, Hyde Park and Harrods.
Benjamin Perley April 21, 2017

Should that be $5510 + ~550k hotel points? Although if you valued them at .005, it would still be a respectable total of $8260 for almost 100 nights!
Ric Garrido April 21, 2017

@Benjamin – Choice points were accounted for in points purchases listed for the $5,510 amount.

IHG points were earned from 2015/2016 IHG promotions. The $137 spent for Holiday Inn Leiden and Holiday Inn Vilnius earned over 40,000 points. In Jan 2016, I received 40,000 points from IHG Accelerate fall 2015 promotion.

http://loyaltytraveler.boardingarea.com/2016/01/22/ihg-accelerate-2015-points-posted-after-a-phone-call/

Nowhere near a points cost of $5/1,000 points to earn those IHG points. They came as bonus points for nights when I needed hotels in Europe.

200,000 Club Carlson points were earned from prior years when Club Carlson ran several one stay earns 50,000 points or 44,000 points for each of their hotel brands. We earned about 400,000 points for under $800.

The cost to earn those points was paid for long before 2016 and again, the cost was more like $200 to earn 100,000 points or .002 cents.

Plus, I earned at least 60,000 Club Carlson points from 3-night stays in January and February 2015 during a bonus points promotion.
http://loyaltytraveler.boardingarea.com/2015/01/20/country-inn-suites-west-valley-city-fire-false-alarms/
http://loyaltytraveler.boardingarea.com/2015/02/19/park-plaza-vondelpark-amsterdam/

In 2014, I purchased 40,000 points for $140 during Club Carlson CyberMonday sale or 0035/point.
http://loyaltytraveler.boardingarea.com/2014/11/30/cybermonday-deal-20000-club-carlson-points-for-70/

Last month I earned 70,000 Club Carlson points for staying 8 hotel nights in Jan and February 2017.
http://loyaltytraveler.boardingarea.com/2017/03/06/club-carlson-70000-points-earned-470-hotel-spent-on-8-nights/

I see Hyatt should read $893 since I forgot to add $48 for 2,000 points purchased. My Hyatt Regency New Orleans stay earned 8,500 points. I bought 2,000 points. Only 2,000 points unaccounted for there with 12,500 Hyatt points redeemed and 10,500 Hyatt points earned in 2016.

In general, I earned points from most 2016 hotel paid stays. I earn very few points from credit cards, so basically I either buy points and account for that spend in year I make purchase or points were acquired from prior hotel stays, and frequently with promotion bonus points. I try to balance out paid stays for earning points and good value hotel reward stays for redeeming close to an equivalent amount of points each year.