Choice Privileges points are valuable currency for me. There is a sale through August 17 for 30% off Choice Privileges points purchases when buying 40,000 to 50,000 points. The rate drops from $11 to $7.70 per 1,000 points.
8,000 points reward night = $61.60 nights (Prague, Porto, Malmo)
10,000 points reward night = $77.00 nights (Stockholm, Prague)
12,000 points reward night = $92.40 nights (Bergen)
16,000 points reward night = $123.20 nights (most hotels in Norway)
20,000 points reward night = $154.00 nights (Oslo, Copenhagen)
In this post I share sample hotels in several cities: Porto, Portugal; Prague, Czechia; Bergen and Larvik, Norway; and Stockholm, Sweden, where buying Choice Privileges points at $7.70 per 1,000 points offers significant rate savings with reward nights.
In the absence of Points Plus Cash rewards, missing in action since May 2017 despite a Choice Hotels manager writing me in May to say this was only a temporary software issue, means any Choice Privileges reward stays I book in the near term will need to be at full reward price.
I redeemed 30,000 Choice points in May using Points Plus Cash rewards for one night in Copenhagen and four nights in Prague. Points Plus Cash conserved 30,000 points.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Ascend Collection Skt. Petri Copenhagen cost 20,000 points, an expensive Choice splurge for my travel style. The hotel was ridiculously priced at $400 per night. I booked a Points Plus Cash reward in early May for $105 + 6,000 points.
Skt. Petri Copenhagen Choice Hotels Ascend Collection
Skt. Petri Hotel Copenhagen, Nordic Choice Ascend Collection
Copenhagen is a high price hotel city. When transiting overnight through Copenhagen Airport, I tend to favor heading over the Oresund Strait by train to Malmo, Sweden. There is Clarion Collection Hotel Temperance for 8,000 points with breakfast and dinner included.
Clarion Collection Hotel Temperance Malmo, Sweden food alone worth 8,000 points
Kelley loves to be in Copenhagen city and Skt. Petri set the right tone for the beginning of our three week Europe trip.
Prague, Czechia
Clarion Prague City was another good value at 10,000 points per night. This hotel was 94 EUR ($111) per night at the time I booked in May on Point Plus Cash rewards for 6,000 points + $30, but ended up being sold out by the time of our 4-night July stay.
Hotel review Clarion Prague City reward stay
I redeemed 30,000 points + $225 for 5 hotel nights during our July trip to Europe. These same nights would now cost 60,000 points since Points Plus Cash reward nights are currently unavailable. These same nights would have cost $844 at published rates. I purchased 36,000 Choice Privileges points during Daily Getaways 2017 for $155.
Good Value Choice Hotels Reward Nights in Europe
Which is why I wanted to purchase 50,000 Choice Privileges points during the current discount offer. I still anticipate a potential need for another 60,000 to 100,000 points in 2017.
Porto, Portugal
Quality Inn Portus Cafe 10,000 points/night ($77/night).
or 116 EUR/night = $137 USD (nonrefundable rate) or 129 EUR ($152) for flexible cancellation rate with similar terms to reward booking.
Buying points saves $60-$75/night at this hotel.
Stockholm, Sweden
Norwegian Airlines low one-way fares between Oakland and Stockholm, Sweden compels me to transit through this city on a regular basis. I flew Stockholm to Oakland twice last winter paying $115 and $149 for my two one-way Norwegian tickets. I flew to SFO to Copenhagen twice on WOW Air for $69 and $70.
Clarion Hotel Sign and Clarion Hotel Stockholm are two properties with 10,000 points per night rates.
Stockholm Clarion Hotel Sign great deal on points, convenient airport train access
Clarion Hotel Stockholm trip report (May 6, 2017).
Stockholm has been a ridiculously inexpensive destination from San Francisco for the past year. If you don’t care about earning frequent flyer miles, then Swiss Airlines will fly you there for about $375 round trip over the next few months. My main ticket purchases for Europe over the past year have been Stockholm to San Francisco round trip flights with SAS and British Airways.
Larvik, Norway
The past few weeks I have been excited to see Oslo pricing cheaper with SAS, a ticket I’d like to buy just so I get a change of scenery from Stockholm.
Ascend Collection Farris Bad, Larvik, Norway
Room with balcony is $211 or 16,000 points ($123.20).
Farris Bad is a spa resort on the coast south of Oslo. The hotel is convenient to Torp Airport TRF, where low cost carriers fly to places around Europe.
Hotel Review: Farris Bad, Ascend Collection Larvik, Norway
Hotel Review: Farris Bad Kaupang Suite upgrade
Bergen, Norway
I enjoy hiking around Bergen and there are often cheap tickets between there and California.
Hotel No13 Ascend Collection rebranded from Clarion Collection. This was my favored hotel in Bergen at 12,000 points. Last time I stayed in 2015, dinner was served at Hotel Oleana around the corner, a 20,000 points reward night hotel. I guess only breakfast is included now.
Clarion Collection Hotel No 13 Bergen with dinner at Hotel Oleana
12,000 points ($92.40) is a significant discount on the $254 room rate.
Choice Privileges are a valuable currency for me. Scandinavia, Prague, Portugal are just a few of the places where there are real deals with Choice Privileges points, even when paying $7.70 per 1,000 points.
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