Wudy15

I have a stay at the Doubletree Bellevue,Seattle at the weekend. I can now get the 3 nts for $56 per night. I have already requested the SS5 ( 65,000) should i just pay cash and redeposit the cert(no charge for Golds?)
Thanks.

jan_az

Most people feel a point is about a penny. So this is $650.00 worth of points.

My math says pay the money.

jan_az

Also-

do a search here -

there are two Doubletrees down the block from each other in Bellevue WA. One is really nice and one is like a motel 6 (awful)

romeojade

There is never a charge to have a certificate redeposited, irregardless of the tier.

Shareholder

At $56 a night, definite pay the room rate. You can get much better properties for 65K in points. Use you Amex and double up on your double dips if you have already had a stay since June 1st.

UpgradeMe

I beg to differ:

Viajero Joven

Hey guys, I'm pretty green as far as HHonors goes, so please bear with me.

I want to get a sense of the value of points. I know that as with airline points, some rewards are a good deal (20K FL to Alaska) and some are not (20K LAX-PHX). I have never redeemed any of my 100,000 Hhonors points, and I am not familiar of their value. The situation I'm facing is this:

I am planning to spend tomorrow night in ABQ, then fly out for 4 days. I see I can reserve a Priceline 2* hotel in Central ABQ for about $24 with fees, and pay about $20 for 4 days of parking: total $44.

I could also use 6000 HHonors points for a Point Stretcher Opportunity reward at the Hampton Inn ABQ airport, and park at the hotel for free. 6000 points is pretty low on the scale of HHonors rewards... but then again, $44 isn't all that much.

Looking through the other Point Saver hotels, I see that the same 6000 will pay for the ONT Airport Hilton, or the Doubletree Buckhead in ATL, which seem like better values.

What would you recommend I do? What would be the best use for the points, considering I don't accumulate HHonors points fast, and may have a better use for them later?

[This message has been edited by Viajero Joven (edited 11-01-2001).]

TrojanHorse

I'd pay the $44 bucks

My personal opinion for the way I find the Hh points most beneficial to me is that most hotel points (regardless of chain) are most precious when used in large demoninations ie. ALON 100K in Hawaii or something like that. using them in Nickel and dime ways.. ie.. a hampton here and there isn't the most advantageous way to get the most from your points.

Just my opinion

KathyWdrf

I agree with TrojanHorse. The GLON, ALON, and TEEN awards, which cost 100,000 HHonors points, get you 6 consecutive nights at one of many (not all) hotels/resorts in the chain. That's how I'm aiming to use most of my points, by using these awards in high-cost cities.

It should be noted that these awards require VIP status. However, it is easy to acquire this status, either through stays (4 stays OR 10 nights in a calendar year), by signing up for certain promotions (such as EWRDC), or by getting an HHonors credit card (at least the HHonors Amex does this).

Kathy

FlyByMike

The Citibank Visa gives Silver VIP as well. I was going to sign up for it just to get the bonus points but decided not to in case I ever lose my status and want to redeem a VIP award.

zipual

Good Point FlyByMike! I was thinking of getting the card just for the points for the wife and I, but it is better to wait to see if I ever lose my status, that way I can get at least Silver and still use the VIP awards.

MileKing

I value HHonors points at about 0.75-0.80 cents each. So the 6000 points is about $45-$48 in my view or slightly worse than paying the $44. That is even before factoring in that you would get 100 airline miles + HHonors points at the Hampton Inn.

I can understand the arguments made about using points for large denomination awards. You do get better value in most cases and also when spending internationally as opposed to domestically. However, the high denomination argument assumes your travel profile has you camped out in the same city for 6+ days. For me, my typical leisure stays in one city are 1-2 days, sometimes 3. Very rarely do I spend more than 3 days in the same place. Thus, I try to use points where the cost of paying for the hotel would be more than the value of the points, regardless of length of stay. This same approach would also suggest not using points from HHonors for airline tickets because you can almost always buy the tickets cheaper (unless it is a last minute trip).

Viajero Joven

Hi guys,

My travel patterns, especially for personal travel, are really as Mile King stated: 2-3 day stays here and there-- usually I'll tack on an extra weekend or a side trip onto a business trip. I have yet to go on a full blown week's vacation-- not even to Europe/Asia. All are glorified weekends.

My strategy is this: call this PM as I drive to Albuquerque to see if I can get a 50% Entertainment rate at an airport hotel-- this should hopefully push the price to below $44, and I feel I'd have a better chance keeping my car in their lot. I'm assuming that if I do priceline, even at an airport hotel, I may not be able to keep my car there like "full-paying guests." If I can get something for under $44, I'll pay, but if not, my HHonors room is still on hold until 6.

As a happy coincidence, a conference very relevant to my job is being held in Albuquerque the day after I return, so now I'll be reimbursed for gas and hotel on the return. I couldn't have planned it better if I had tried. Plus, I can accumulate more HHonors points during the additional days.

Thanks for your input. I'll be around the HHonors room more, as I was fast-tracked to Gold this year, and while I haven't gotten full benefit (missed upgrades because I didn't specifically request them), it looks like I'll make Gold for next year.

Talk to you next week.

[This message has been edited by Viajero Joven (edited 11-02-2001).]

mritchie

I know that most people value an airline FF mile at between 1 and 2 cents each. What is the standard value for a Hilton Hhonors point? I imagine it would be valued less, since 10000 points will get you a night at a low-end hotel, which can be bought for $60 cash. That would be about the same redemption rate as for Diners Club points. What do you think?

drtravels

There has been much thought on this and other points/miles but for me I give a value of $.01 to $.015 per point. I'm using 150,000 points for a 6 night stay at the Jalousie Hilton which would cost ~$300/nt or a value of $.012 per point. I value the point on usage rather than the cost of accrual but use these facts to determine if I should pay and accrue points or use points and stay free.