Choice Privileges - 2 for 1 companion airfare promo

Receive a companion airfare certificate when you book early AND save up to 20% at participating hotels by booking and paying for your hotel room now. Just be sure to use the Advance Purchase Rate and enter your Choice Privileges

Has anyone use this promo in the past, or is the 2 for 1 promo cert useless like most companion airfare promo.

T&C's:
The reservation must be made by December 31, 2012 on ChoiceHotelsOffers.com/Airfare by using the Advance Purchase rate. Must be a member of Choice Privileges to be eligible for rate. The rate is non-cancellable, non-changeable and non-refundable. Your credit card will be charged for the total reservation amount within 24 to 48 hours of booking. The 2 for 1 companion airfare certificate activation code will be emailed to you within 24 to 48 hours of making your reservation with instructions on how to register and book your airfare. Only one activation code per stay, regardless of total number of consecutive nights. Subject to availability. Some restrictions may apply. Incomplete, late, lost, misdirected or undeliverable submissions are invalid. You must maintain a U.S. address (including U.S. territories) to be eligible for this offer.

*Receive one 2 for 1 companion airline certificate… good for two tickets for one low price. Blackout dates will apply. 14-day advance purchase required. Fares subject to change without notice. Selection of airline varies by market. Airline service is not available in all markets. The companion ticket applies to the base fare only and is only available on fares offered through Promotions in Travel LTD. Normal taxes and fees charged by the airline will apply to both tickets. See complete terms and conditions sent with registration form. Additional restrictions may apply.

Looks like it's only valid if you stay in a hotel in NC, SC, GA, AL, FL, or MS.

http://choicehotelsoffers.com/airfare/

I'd guess it's probably similar to the program IHG offered around Black Friday, where it must be booked through a specific travel agent.

Receive a companion airfare certificate when you book early AND save up to 20% at participating hotels by booking and paying for your hotel room now. Just be sure to use the Advance Purchase Rate and enter your Choice Privileges

Has anyone use this promo in the past, or is the 2 for 1 promo cert useless like most companion airfare promo.

I consider it a total scam - a copy of the companion cert by 'Promotions in Travel LTD' is online here (http://www.elliseye.com/2page-airline-certificate-sample.pdf). Reasons I find it a scam:

-You don't pay a fare that you see online on Kayak or another agency site, cities are divided into zones that you travel between. The only zone that costs under $350 is intra California. Other zone travel ranges $350-$650 per ticket.

-There are unmentioned blackout dates and capacity controls that are based on "seasonal and Holiday periods. Additional blackout dates may apply and blackout dates are subject to change without notice". I bet those 'dates' and 'controls' are whenever the tickets would be sold at a loss to the company.

-There is a $9.95 "processing fee" per ticket, so add $20 to the prices I mentioned above.

I consider it a total scam - a copy of the companion cert by 'Promotions in Travel LTD' is online here (http://www.elliseye.com/2page-airline-certificate-sample.pdf). Reasons I find it a scam:

-You don't pay a fare that you see online on Kayak or another agency site, cities are divided into zones that you travel between. The only zone that costs under $350 is intra California. Other zone travel ranges $350-$650 per ticket.

-There are unmentioned blackout dates and capacity controls that are based on "seasonal and Holiday periods. Additional blackout dates may apply and blackout dates are subject to change without notice". I bet those 'dates' and 'controls' are whenever the tickets would be sold at a loss to the company.

-There is a $9.95 "processing fee" per ticket, so add $20 to the prices I mentioned above.
Yikes, that does sound like a rip-off.

Several years ago, Hilton became, as I'd term it, entangled in one of these schemes, and it was a fiasco. First the third party connection was unreliable. (As advertised, it looked like it was Hilton in-house, but then you got into it and found out otherwise. But what the heck, it was still worth a shot. Just keep a copy of the bill.) Then the third party, a local travel agency in Los Angeles, got overwhelmed* and seriously, doubt-inducingly, backlogged, which also cut into the redemption period. And, as indicated by others here, the individual fare bases were much higher than could be found on the open market. A discount only resulted intra-zone. For most of us, we were going to stay at Hilton anyway, so we weren't out anything on the "earning" end. Suggested moral: Run it before doing it to see if it's really worth your effort. And don't risk much incremental on the earning side.

* Probably not a big issue in the present case.