Originally Posted by
RobertHanson
I guess what I'm forgetting is that in most cases Citi is not going to issue the cert from the 10K spend until you renew the card. So it's actually $95 + $95 + $95 + $120 =$135 a night, plus the missed opportunity 2% cash back, as Happy pointed out. Which if you are MSing the $10K is another $80 after MS fees. That $160 a night is a lot cheaper than the $475 a night for the discount rate at the London Hilton Park Lane. But only $15 less than the $175 it would cost to pay for a room at a London Holiday Inn Express.
I'd much prefer to stay at the Park Lane Hilton for $15 less than a Holiday Inn Express, but we can't begin to call it a "free night" anymore.
Right! It is at best discount travel in the form of paying for low end price to stay at high end properties. That is the way we view it from the beginning.
BTW if you are going to London, the Staybridge is an excellent option at 30K IHG pts. It is in the 200 GBP range. Location is in a residential area very near the Vaxhall station. Easy stroll along the embankment up the County Hall area or a few bus stops to Waterloo station / Westminster Bridge. Very high rating on TA.
The big caveat is, you only achieve that kind of "good deals" when you travel to very expensive cities, and your stay would be on a weekend. There are plenty of interesting places in the world that the hotel stays are not nearly as expensive as in London.
Even Hong Kong now the formerly ridiculous $500 a night Conrad is now down to $350 thanks to the drastic cut back of tourists/visitors from Mainland China due to the political climate over there.
If you do not insist to stay at a US Chain hotel, there are actually quite a lot of decent options in Hong Kong now only cost you $250 or so, and just as good, or even better than the Conrad.