Choice Privileges - WN redemption 1.5RR / 6000 pts eff July 9

Accidentally found this on the Choice site:

Starting July 9, 2009, redemption of Choice Privileges points for Rapid Rewards credit will be set at 6,000 points for 1.5 credits

tulsan:

Thank you VERY MUCH for posting this. Gonna save me a ton.

Off to the Choice website now.

Amazing. They just increased it last October when it was still 5000 pts = 2RR. That's a 60% increase in cost in 9 months. (was 2500=1RR, then 3000=1RR and now 4000=1RR.) Thanks for posting this.

...and that makes the Choice program worth 60% less to me...

Accidentally found this on the Choice site:

Starting July 9, 2009, redemption of Choice Privileges points for Rapid Rewards credit will be set at 6,000 points for 1.5 credits
Where did you find this?

The Choice Privileges News & Updates page makes no mention of any such change: http://www.choicehotels.com/ires/en-US/html/GPNews

I found it, the change is noted at: http://www.choicehotels.com/ires/en-US/html/GPAirlineRewards

I read about this while vacationing at new Comfort Suites Amish Contry in Lancaster having breakfast my first hotel of my trip. I then called and cancelled my buffalo,philly Pitttsburg hotels and switched everything to Priority Club. Even earned a free night at the Crown Plaza at Niagra Falls
too with the stay two get one free promo. I have found a new home. I must say Priority Club hotels have a better breakfast andhave been very helpful.

I completed a transfer of 6,000 points last week for 1.5 RR credits, but only 1.0 RR credits posted on Southwest. Not sure why only 1 RR credit made it across, but the deduction from my Choice account shows -6,000 points for 1.5RR. Now in addition to redeeming devalued points, I have to track down this problem.

Choice has been my Cr. Card and hotel chain for some time -- mainly because of decent conversion to WN points. But another devaluation has got me looking for other options. Probably use the SWA Cr. Card and not sure of Hotel chain.

I am using points for hotels in Portugal later this year, which seem to be a good "payback". Will see how this goes.

Let me preface this with the fact that I am not happy with the point devaluations Choice has implemented recently.

That said, especially during promotional periods (and perhaps for "normal" stays - I haven't done the math) can someone point out a better Hotel to WN point redemption offer? Again, I am not pleased with the latest - or any for that matter - point devaluation but I believe Choice still has about the best redemption rate out there. FWIW - I'm not ready to jump ship quite yet.

Current Choice redemption is 4000pts/1wn credit.
Current Best Western redemption is 5000pts/1wn credit.
Current Priority Club redemption is 5000pts/1wn credit.

That a 20% bang for the point buck with Choice - I think this is still a no-brainer specifically during Choice promo periods.

Let me preface this with the fact that I am not happy with the point devaluations Choice has implemented recently.

That said, especially during promotional periods (and perhaps for "normal" stays - I haven't done the math) can someone point out a better Hotel to WN point redemption offer? Again, I am not pleased with the latest - or any for that matter - point devaluation but I believe Choice still has about the best redemption rate out there. FWIW - I'm not ready to jump ship quite yet.

Current Choice redemption is 4000pts/1wn credit.
Current Best Western redemption is 5000pts/1wn credit.
Current Priority Club redemption is 5000pts/1wn credit.

That a 20% bang for the point buck with Choice - I think this is still a no-brainer specifically during Choice promo periods.

During Choice promo periods, I think it's good.

Priority Club has better promotions, and Plats get a 50% point bonus, meaning 15pts/USD at most properties. That means a Plat PCR member needs only to spend $333 to get 5000 pts (Choice diamonds get a 40% bonus, meaning spending of only $285, but PCR Plat is much easier to obtain than Diamond; Choice Plats need $320 of spending for 4K points). Factoring in PCR's numerous promos (double points, extra points, etc.), I think the redemption is 'cheaper' in PCR than in Choice.

Of course then there is also the ease of "purchasing" PCR points.

I also recenttly switched hotel stays to priority club for the free night promotion. The choice promos ($50 after 3 stays) are not very good and with the change in RR exchange value, I am leaving choice for good for HIEX and Hampton.

I also recenttly switched hotel stays to priority club for the free night promotion. The choice promos ($50 after 3 stays) are not very good and with the change in RR exchange value, I am leaving choice for good for HIEX and Hampton.
I think you may not understand these promo. The current Choice promo earns you 14000 points after 3 stays, not $50. (You can then choose to redeem that for $50, but you also choose to redeem it for anything else you can normally redeem points for! Of which the $50 is about the worst choice, so just ignore it!)

I don't understand what promo at HIX is so much better. That free night promotion is capped (and doesn't work well if you stay a lot, which is why they offer the double points alternative), while you can repeat the 14000 points promotion at Choice over and over and over (until Aug 13, but the HIX promo ends almost exactly the same time too).

If you do know of a way to earn 14000 points every three $70ish stays over and over and over again with Priority Club right now, please do let us all know!!! No one is posting any info like that over in the Priority Club section!

And Hampton? Gosh, they do make Priority Club bonuses seem like they're endlessly flowing by comparison! Right now, there is a way to earn 10000 bonus points for 5 stays at Hampton, but again, it's capped, so 10 stays still gets you only 10000 bonus points. (Talk is abuzz left and right in the HHonors section about how promos at HHonors have been few and minimal ever since Blackstone took them over.)

Now, if only WyndhamRewards would hook up with Southwest, because Wyndham is the one knocking everyone's socks off right now with the 10000 bonus miles for 3 stays at 3 different properties, apparently repeatable too! If indeed that's repeatable, that's a free lfight for just 9 stays, and I'm not sure how you get that from any hotel with Southwest???

If indeed that's repeatable, that's a free lfight for just 9 stays, and I'm not sure how you get that from any hotel with Southwest???

Well, Hyatt has a promo right now for 3 WN RR credits per stay, someone told me (I am no Hyatt expert).

Of course, that's Hyatt, which is much more expensive.

Well, Hyatt has a promo right now for 3 WN RR credits per stay, someone told me (I am no Hyatt expert).

Of course, that's Hyatt, which is much more expensive.

Yes, that promo continues through 8/31. And the promo is good at Hyatt Place properties, which is their less expensive brand and more comparable to Choice properties in price. The Hyatt Place hotels near me often have $89 rates.

Well, Hyatt has a promo right now for 3 WN RR credits per stay, someone told me (I am no Hyatt expert).
It requires each stay to be a minimum of 2 nights. Which, for those of us who hotel hop by instinct :), is equivalent to only 1.5 WN RR credits per stay (since it's at best only 1.5 WN RR credits per night).

It is a decent promo for those who don't tend to hotel hop and thus don't think that way.

(You have to hotel hop to maximize most Choice promos, of course. And, outside of promos like this, you have to hotel hop to maximize RR earning at hotels period, as no hotel program I know of gives more RR credits for multi-night stays than for one-night stays normally.)