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Travelers planning to redeem hotel rewards points for a free stay should keep this in mind: Hilton and Marriott offer loyalty program members their fifth night free on award stays, while IHG Hotels offers the fourth night free to holders of its cobranded credit cards. Let’s take a closer look at each of these extra value redemption opportunities.
5th Night Free on Hilton Honors Award Stays
Guests redeeming points at Hilton Hotels can secure their fifth night free, a benefit that can result in significant savings.
While researching an upcoming stay in Orlando, Florida, I found a 60,000 points per night rate at the Hilton Orlando hotel. Booking 5 nights with the fifth night free, I’d only have to pay 240,000 points instead of 300,000 and, with flexible room rates at $420 per night plus tax, that fifth night free would be worth about $500 — that’s not chump change!
4th Night Free on IHG Rewards Award Stays
Members of the IHG One Rewards program can benefit from a 4th night free on award stays, with one catch. The benefit is available only to members who have at least one of IHG’s three cobranded credit cards that are offered by Chase Bank.
The cards offer a unique value proposition to travelers, with substantial sign-up bonuses and earning opportunities — all with a low annual fee or, in the case of the IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card, no annual fee!
5th Night Free on Marriott Bonvoy Award Stays
Members of the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program can benefit from their fifth night free on rewards stays — a great benefit that can result in hundreds of dollars in extra value.
During my recent trip to Melbourne, Australia, I booked 5 nights at The Westin Melbourne for 159,000 points. Had I booked just 4 nights, the rate still would have been 159,000 points or about 40,000 points per night. By booking a fifth night, I saved 40,000 points, reduced the effective nightly rate to about 32,000 points per night and secured nearly $600 USD in extra value.
Final Thoughts
Booking free nights with rewards points is a fantastic opportunity (so far this year, I’ve stayed 9 nights at Marriott Hotels — all with points), but a free night is even better when it doesn’t require an outlay of points.
If you’re planning to book a 3-night stay on points at an IHG hotel, or a 4-night stay using points at a Hilton or Marriott property, do yourself a favor — extend your trip and claim that extra night free of charge! Travelers should extract as much value as possible from their loyalty points and when taking advantage of these unique offers, guests are able to secure additional value from the same number of points. Don’t leave value — or a free night — on the table!
