The game's afoot, Watson!
Dec 7, 2012, 2:37 pm
#77
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Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Freeload Univ. Where are you sitting?
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At one time, a couple of years ago, I was working a Choice promo and I calculated the points were costing me about 0.1 cents apiece. So, for me, 8000 points represents about $8.00.
If someone had told me that I could be staying in Rome (or Paris, or London, etc.) for $8.00/night (including breakfast!) I'd have thought they were a fugitive from a time machine.
Having actually done just that, and more than once, I'm inclined to be a little more enthusiastic.
YMMV.
Dec 7, 2012, 2:59 pm
#78
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: ORF
Programs: Amex Plat, AA, BA Silver, Marriott Plat, Choice Gold, HHonors Gold, IHG Diamond
Posts: 3,749
"Works really, really well." is a bit of understatement, non?.
At one time, a couple of years ago, I was working a Choice promo and I calculated the points were costing me about 0.1 cents apiece. So, for me, 8000 points represents about $8.00.
If someone had told me that I could be staying in Rome (or Paris, or London, etc.) for $8.00/night (including breakfast!) I'd have thought they were a fugitive from a time machine.
Having actually done just that, and more than once, I'm inclined to be a little more enthusiastic.
YMMV.
At one time, a couple of years ago, I was working a Choice promo and I calculated the points were costing me about 0.1 cents apiece. So, for me, 8000 points represents about $8.00.
If someone had told me that I could be staying in Rome (or Paris, or London, etc.) for $8.00/night (including breakfast!) I'd have thought they were a fugitive from a time machine.
Having actually done just that, and more than once, I'm inclined to be a little more enthusiastic.
YMMV.
Dec 8, 2012, 3:45 pm
#79
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: RTW
Programs: MR Ag, LH FTL
Posts: 947
Dec 8, 2012, 4:07 pm
#80
Join Date: May 2006
Location: BOS and ...
Programs: UA 2MM, AA 600k, DL 500k, Hyatt GP 1M, HH Gold, Rad. Gold, CP Gold, Miracle Fruit-su Club
Posts: 9,950
No one can say for sure, but they've been coming around twice a year for the last couple of years. With no announcement except from our Ace Scout here. And then there can be attrition, one by one. So, one has to keep one's ear to the rail -- both here and on one's properties of interest.
Dec 8, 2012, 4:17 pm
#81
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Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Freeload Univ. Where are you sitting?
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1. An execllent chance it will revert to 8000 pts/night
2. An execllent chance it will rise to 25,000 points/night
3. Almost no chance it will stay where it is forever
4. A very low probability that someone here will be able to fortell the future
Welcome to Choice!
Dec 9, 2012, 2:51 pm
#83
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b. I would expect summer rates to be up in the 20-25,000 point range, because that's the busy season for Paris.
Over the last couple of years, it seems that point rates go down, sometime around Sept. 30. Other have speculated that it might be tied to their (sort of regular) promos about that time where they offer a "free night" after x stays. The free night is actually 8000 points (or thereabouts), so that in order to make the promo seem real, they lower the point rate semi-worldwide.
There is also speculation that it's a reasonable assumption that a large portion of the Choice clientele are not big international travellers - thus, a low point rate in Europe has little actual meaning for most of their customers, but does cause lots of starry-eyed daydreaming. A win-win for Choice - they make it attractive and don't have to pay off very much.
Over here, however, we know how to take advantage of this deal (and countless of us have), so we're all looking forward to it, too.
Feb 7, 2013, 4:16 pm
#84
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: ORF
Programs: Amex Plat, AA, BA Silver, Marriott Plat, Choice Gold, HHonors Gold, IHG Diamond
Posts: 3,749
Seemed a good time to look at the mid-April to end of June redemptions. Ireland apparently remains on sale at 8K points--two properties in Limerick, the three in Dublin, and one in Sligo. Some of our favorite Roman properties remain at 10K: the Nova Domus and the Bolivar. The Clarion Collection Hotel Principessa Isabella, where I'll stay next month, is also at 10K. Most of the London properties are at 25K while the Paris hotels are at 20-25K.
Feb 7, 2013, 10:44 pm
#85
Join Date: May 2006
Location: BOS and ...
Programs: UA 2MM, AA 600k, DL 500k, Hyatt GP 1M, HH Gold, Rad. Gold, CP Gold, Miracle Fruit-su Club
Posts: 9,950
Seemed a good time to look at the mid-April to end of June redemptions. Ireland apparently remains on sale at 8K points--two properties in Limerick, the three in Dublin, and one in Sligo. Some of our favorite Roman properties remain at 10K: the Nova Domus and the Bolivar. The Clarion Collection Hotel Principessa Isabella, where I'll stay next month, is also at 10K. Most of the London properties are at 25K while the Paris hotels are at 20-25K.
Mar 13, 2013, 5:07 pm
#87
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: IHG Spire Ambassador, CC Gold, Marriott Gold, HH Gold, DL PM
Posts: 526
Well, it looks like the summer 8,000 point sale has started. I am seeing 8,000 points in Paris, London, some hotels in Rome and in Dublin. I was looking at random dates in July, but hotel detail pages state that it is April 16 - June 30. Too bad they do not have any hotels in Spain or Brussels. If the 8,000 point rooms are still around at the booking window, I am somewhat tempted to cancel the Radissons in Paris and move to the Clarion.
Mar 13, 2013, 8:40 pm
#88
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Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 17,404
Well, it looks like the summer 8,000 point sale has started. I am seeing 8,000 points in Paris, London, some hotels in Rome and in Dublin. I was looking at random dates in July, but hotel detail pages state that it is April 16 - June 30. Too bad they do not have any hotels in Spain or Brussels. If the 8,000 point rooms are still around at the booking window, I am somewhat tempted to cancel the Radissons in Paris and move to the Clarion.
I'm headed to Australia later this (northern) summer, and I'm really hoping to see an 8000 point deal there. Australia hotels tend to be crazy expensive and almost all of them are 20 or 25K in the Choice program (not really bad given the published rates, but I'd obviously love a bargain redemption). So far, though, I don't see reduced Australia redemption rates.
Mar 13, 2013, 8:43 pm
#89
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Quebec and Ontario, Canada
Programs: AC*E50, SPG/Marriott Plat
Posts: 1,917
Well, it looks like the summer 8,000 point sale has started. I am seeing 8,000 points in Paris, London, some hotels in Rome and in Dublin. I was looking at random dates in July, but hotel detail pages state that it is April 16 - June 30. Too bad they do not have any hotels in Spain or Brussels. If the 8,000 point rooms are still around at the booking window, I am somewhat tempted to cancel the Radissons in Paris and move to the Clarion.
Thanks for the update. I'm hoping to use some in Europe in June, so I'm getting close to the Platinum booking window. Some of those Carlson properties are good, though, so if you're staying 2 nights have the Carlson card, it might not necessarily make sense to "slum it" at a Choice hotel.
I'm headed to Australia later this (northern) summer, and I'm really hoping to see an 8000 point deal there. Australia hotels tend to be crazy expensive and almost all of them are 20 or 25K in the Choice program (not really bad given the published rates, but I'd obviously love a bargain redemption). So far, though, I don't see reduced Australia redemption rates.
I'm headed to Australia later this (northern) summer, and I'm really hoping to see an 8000 point deal there. Australia hotels tend to be crazy expensive and almost all of them are 20 or 25K in the Choice program (not really bad given the published rates, but I'd obviously love a bargain redemption). So far, though, I don't see reduced Australia redemption rates.
Sometimes their rate are more crazy, like 40k points !
Mar 13, 2013, 9:22 pm
#90
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At that rate, I've speculated that no one ever redeems there.
Edit: PS - thanks for the heads up on London/Paris. I was looking there earlier this week, and the desirable props were still ~ 20-25K.