Choice Hotels is currently running a promotion whereby you get 8000 points after 2 stays. No limit on the number of points you can earn. Promo runs until April 15, IIRC.

From other threads, I get the impression that they do this regularly. There are a number of Choice properties in my area of interest, and it would be no big trick to pick up 2 bonuses a week. Can anyone tell me what their history on this has been? Is it once a year? Twice a year? Are there any problems getting the hotels to submit the data (i.e., can you actually get the points?)

With my limited experience, I think its run about twice a year (fall & early spring). I've had absolutely no problem getting the 8000 bonus posted, I think the 2nd stay automatically triggers the bonus. Choice has been very good about posting in general. Only once did I have a stay not post. A quick call & fax to their CS and the points posted within a day. And that was a "2nd stay", so as soon as the missing points posted, so did the bonus.
As someone pointed out in other Choice thread, there's quite a range of quality out there in Choice hotels. I've stayed at some fantastic Comfort suites -- and likewise, a couple of QI dumps. Look for the "blue ribbon" designation on their reservation website and I always use TripAdvisor for reviews/comparisons before I book at any hotel, not just the Choice properties.

Ooops. Gotta be careful.

Just re-read the T&C's, and Econolodges and Rodeways don't count for this promo.

Choice Hotels is currently running a promotion whereby you get 8000 points after 2 stays. No limit on the number of points you can earn. Promo runs until April 15, IIRC.

From other threads, I get the impression that they do this regularly. There are a number of Choice properties in my area of interest, and it would be no big trick to pick up 2 bonuses a week. Can anyone tell me what their history on this has been? Is it once a year? Twice a year? Are there any problems getting the hotels to submit the data (i.e., can you actually get the points?)
I seem to recall ROUGHLY twice a year, but not exactly the same time every year. Another they keep running over and over is triple SWA credits (during that time, SWA credits are the ONLY kind of "mileage" for which there's a bonus). And other times they run a general triple points or miles (whichever you earn) bonus.

One thing I haven't mastered yet is what the "safest" way to switch between points and "mileage" is. There's a place to set your preferences on the website of course, but then when you make a reservation while it doesn't give you an option it seems to confirm which (points or mileage) you'll get with that reservation. What's not clear to me is whether that's "locked in", so that if I make a reseravation with points for before 4/15, and then change my preference to miles for reservations after 4/15, will I still get points for all stays before 4/15?

Are there any problems getting the hotels to submit the data (i.e., can you actually get the points?)

IME: Choice stays have absolutely, completely, 100%, NEVER posted properly without a go-round of some kind.
Seems the hotels have *NO* incentive to report in a timely (or any other) fashion, and the reservation system doesn't report to the points folks.

I used to give 'em the 2 weeks (or whatever), then start the emails... typical reply was a week, asking for faxes. Send ~ wait ~ call .. hold while the CSR phones the property to get the info.

Now, everything goes into the fax hopper, right off the bat. Failure rate is still 25%.
How sad is that :rolleyes:

Yeah, I still use 'em, but don't hold my breath on the credits.
/.

I don't stay at them much, but I did it 2 times last year and it posted quickly.

Are there any problems getting the hotels to submit the data (i.e., can you actually get the points?)

IME: Choice stays have absolutely, completely, 100%, NEVER posted properly without a go-round of some kind.
Seems the hotels have *NO* incentive to report in a timely (or any other) fashion, and the reservation system doesn't report to the points folks.

I used to give 'em the 2 weeks (or whatever), then start the emails... typical reply was a week, asking for faxes. Send ~ wait ~ call .. hold while the CSR phones the property to get the info.

Now, everything goes into the fax hopper, right off the bat. Failure rate is still 25%.
How sad is that :rolleyes:

Yeah, I still use 'em, but don't hold my breath on the credits.
/.
I suspect you're wasting your time sending those faxes too early. They probably just throw them away (having no way to file them) because they have said that you have to wait 15 days before you can report a non-posting. And that's why this has done nothing for your success percentage.

How do you make reservations? I've had worse experiences when presenting the Choice number than when it's put into my online reservation. (Then they don't ask for faxes, they see it online, they check their records, they can see whether the hotel submitted anything for that date yet, and typically the problem is the hotel is being real slow, and they have to wait some more to see if it'll come from the hotel automatically.)

I've thus learned to be VERY patient, just keep good track of everything, but it (so far this year) all seems to post EVENTUALLY, tho hardly ever within the 15 days that the website claims.

Btw, I tend to stay a couple days apart, a couple days a week, and I notice that 2 or more stays (sometimes 4 stays!) post at once, as if the hotel is sending these in in batches (which would explain the long delays).

Oh, and also btw, I notice Choice properties often take many days longer to post to my credit card (as a posted transcation) compared to Hilton group, IHG group, etc. So it's not just points/miles they're slow about!

My stays have never posted earlier than 15 days. However, they have all posted within 15 -18 days without a problem.

Are there any problems getting the hotels to submit the data (i.e., can you actually get the points?)

IME: Choice stays have absolutely, completely, 100%, NEVER posted properly without a go-round of some kind.
Seems the hotels have *NO* incentive to report in a timely (or any other) fashion, and the reservation system doesn't report to the points folks.

I used to give 'em the 2 weeks (or whatever), then start the emails... typical reply was a week, asking for faxes. Send ~ wait ~ call .. hold while the CSR phones the property to get the info.

Now, everything goes into the fax hopper, right off the bat. Failure rate is still 25%.
How sad is that :rolleyes:

Yeah, I still use 'em, but don't hold my breath on the credits.
/.
As a Plat member w/ choice, most stays take mim 2-4 weeks to post to my acct. I have had to call about 50% of the time to try and get credit. IMHO choice has a cra**y program, but it serves my needs so the games continue.. ;)

I have a question. I had a stay not posting after about 1 month so called customer service. They added the bonues points so that the points from the stay(s) plus the bonus equals 8000 points. I was under the impression that the bonus was 8000 point in addition to the stay points...

I have a question. I had a stay not posting after about 1 month so called customer service. They added the bonues points so that the points from the stay(s) plus the bonus equals 8000 points. I was under the impression that the bonus was 8000 point in addition to the stay points...So was I, but the way it actually works is:

1. Your first stay gets you whatever points you would normally get.
2. The second stay gives you the difference between 8000 points and what you got on the first stay.

So if your first stay got you 900 points, the second stay would get you 7100 points.

So was I, but the way it actually works is:

1. Your first stay gets you whatever points you would normally get.
2. The second stay gives you the difference between 8000 points and what you got on the first stay.

So if your first stay got you 900 points, the second stay would get you 7100 points.

Doesn't that encourage people to stay at inexpensive properties for 1 night rather than more expensive property for longer :confused:

Doesn't that encourage people to stay at inexpensive properties for 1 night rather than more expensive property for longer :confused:Absolutely.

The whole "stay"-based scheme encourages people who game the system, like us, to hotel hop, always looking for the lowest rate. The people they'd like to attract, folks who spend several nights in one place, get stiffed because thay can only get one bonus per stay.

With Choice, it's often not much of a problem, because their properties are distributed such that there's usually a couple in the same area, and their prices fairly well track. With the other chains, it can be tougher.

Maybe that's why Marriott usually runs "night"-based promos. It encourages me to spend the week in one place.

I stayed twice at Choice properties to get the free night and one hotel credited me with airline miles even after I asked for Choice Points. The other hotel gave me Choice Points like I asked for. Customer Service says I cannot get the free night or the bonus miles because I credited one to Choice and one to airline miles. I explained that I requested choice points on both specifically to get the free night and they said too bad. Be careful with this promo.

I just got a letter from BofA:

Dear BigLar,

We have received your request for a Choice Privileges Visa Card [i]

We have identified a technical problem with the posting of points earned for stays at Choice Hotel properties. We have issued credits to your above referenced account in the amount of 200 points. [Big deal]

...

You will also receive an additional 500 points from Choice for the inconvenience that this may have caused you.

So, much better than a sharp stick in the eye. We'll see how this plays out, because they have been having difficulty in getting my points to post in a timely fashion, but I don't think it's BofA's problem. :)

I stayed twice at Choice properties to get the free night and one hotel credited me with airline miles even after I asked for Choice Points. The other hotel gave me Choice Points like I asked for. Customer Service says I cannot get the free night or the bonus miles because I credited one to Choice and one to airline miles. I explained that I requested choice points on both specifically to get the free night and they said too bad. Be careful with this promo.
What do you mean "asked for"? That's probably where the problem lies.

In my long-term experiene with Choice, getting them to change (or choose) the earning preference at the front desk, when the reservation itself has contrary information, is hit or miss.

Unlike some other programs, what you'll earn is determined at the time you make the reservation, not the posting time (as with Priority Club, for example).

If you make a reservation online while your online preference is set to miles, it says right on the reservation (in bold) that your FF number will be "used for this reservation". If you then change your preference to points and make another reservation, it'll say on THAT reservation (in bold) that your Choice Priveleges number is "used in that reservation".

AFAIK, once a reservation is made, you cannot change that choice online (other than by outright cancelling the reservation and making a new one). And in my expereince it's iffy counting on requests to change that at the hotel to work.

(How it works for reservations made offline is more iffy to me, but again I think it's put into the reservation itself.)

Do you still have a copy of your reservation confirmation? What does it say about what point/mile earnings number (FF or Choice) would be "used for that reservation"?

Also, when in doubt, choose to earn points. They MAY be able to change it to direct earning of miles after the fact (because they can pull all the points at the Choice and and retroactively issue 250 miles or whatever). At least they did that a lot for me a few years ago (before the earning info was in online reservations) when the hotel kept giving me points when I wanted miles (or specifically triple Southwest credits).

But if you earn miles, once those miles are transferred, they can do nothing about that, because they're over at the airline now (which can't return them).

So was I, but the way it actually works is:

1. Your first stay gets you whatever points you would normally get.
2. The second stay gives you the difference between 8000 points and what you got on the first stay.

So if your first stay got you 900 points, the second stay would get you 7100 points.
I thought that the bonus was the greater of A. 6500 points or B. (as BigLar describes) enough points to make the total regular + bonus = 8000. Or was that last year's rule ;) ? So if both stays together total > $150, Option A applies & one doesn't get stiffed.

I thought that the bonus was the greater of A. 6500 points or B. (as BigLar describes) enough points to make the total regular + bonus = 8000. Or was that last year's rule ;) ? So if both stays together total > $150, Option A applies & one doesn't get stiffed.

These were the rules on the first run of the promo during Sept/Oct. 2005. When Choice brought it back in Feb/March 2006 they changed the terms for the second stay to credit enough bonus points to make up to 8000 points for the 2 stays. Cost me a couple of hundred points but cant complain as I earned 196,000 points during the 1st promo! :D Such a shame when earing 80,000 points on second is a let down... :p