Something with Choice Privileges reward night rates I have noticed several times over the past year is reward rates increased at a specific hotel mid-season after weeks of the hotel posting a lower reward night rate. Three of these instances were higher reward rates posted after I had booked lower priced reward nights during the posted season.
The latest occurrence is Comfort Hotel Carmel-by-the-sea, California where the posted rate for weekend reward nights using points from Sep 20 to Nov 30 was 12,000 points for weekend nights. Today I checked the property to see weekend rates are now 25,000 points through Nov 30. I booked 4 reward nights at this hotel two weeks ago. The reward night increase from 12,000 points to 25,000 points happened sometime in the past week.
This Comfort Inn Carmel hotel was available for 12,000 points on Fri-Sat nights through November 30 as recently as October 13. At 12,000 points this hotel offered a terrific discount on the $300+ nightly rates for weekend nights in peak-season October. For those not too familiar with the Monterey Peninsula area, the month of October is reliably the warmest weather of the year and 2019 has been a particularly spectacular good weather month in this part of California with most days in the low to mid-70s and several days this month hitting 80s.
Tip: Book Choice Privileges reward nights when the price looks good. They can change without notice.
This is the third time in the past year I have stayed at a Choice Hotel on a low reward rate that was no longer available by the time I arrived at the hotel for my reward night stay. The previous occurrences were a 6,000 points hotel in Atlanta that went up to 10,000 points and in California an 8,000 points hotel rising to 12,000 points. Another two times in Europe I had planned to book hotels using points only to find the reward rate increased 4,000 points per night mid-season before making my reward booking.
Three other hotels in California where I booked reward stays in October and November did not change their reward rates this past week.
Of note, I have not encountered the reverse situation of a Choice Hotel dropping its reward price mid-season. Might also be happening at some properties, although I have not noticed that happen yet for hotels I was considering for reward nights. Certainly worth checking any reward nights you might have booked in the days before arrival to see if there is a reward price drop you can take advantage of for fewer points.
