My question is for all of you that do Hotel Hoping to maximized your points, how do you do your hotel hoping?
Hotel runs is not meant to maximized points, it is about to add stays for the status. Just like airline mileage runs, we want EQM, not RDM, as we have so many ways to get RDM, but the easiest way to get EQM is to fly. It is EQM to get status, not RDM.
For example, if there are 2 Hilton Properties at the city that you are travelling to, do you really just go to Hilton Suites for 1 night and then the Hampton for another and go back to Hilton for the last night within the same town? What about those where the Hampton and the HGI or Homewood are really just next to each other, do you still do it? I haven't been doing my hoping this way as I thought it kind of too obvious on what you are doing and it could be against some kind of policy of the program.
Rarely the third night you go back to the first night's hotel, as by that time the 1st night's hotel would probably be more expensive than somewhere else, unless it is a out of nowhere HI. (Fri, Sat night are the cheapest, Sun back to weekday rates) Yes, we want stays credit, but not without the lowest money we spend. You have to think about we do hotel runs is for credit, not for luxury.
The only time I do hoping within the same city is if the properties are like 30 minutes part - i.e. one at downtown and the other near by the hwy entrance. My reason for that is that if someone do question me, I can say I need to get on the hwy early in the morning and want to avoid the morning downtown traffic.
Generally, hotel run is easier when it is airport properties, like think about how many Hilton family hotels in SFO ? And no, no one would question you about why you have all one night stays. The only problem you encounter is you have to keep packing and unpacking every single day.