Originally Posted by
iahphx
BTW, I needed a night in Punta Arenas, Chile -- a fairly expensive hotel city -- and I was disappointed that the only int'l chain was a Best Western: one of the few where I have no access to award redemption.
There are tons of smaller cities/town all over the world where the only int'l chain is a Best Western. Another example in South America is the Brazilian side of the Iguazu Falls, but it's so cheap (US$57ish a night!) that I view it as a points earning, not points burning, opportunity. (On the Argentinian side is a Sheraton Resort which is actually inside the park but it it's in a higher category so many SPG points needed if you don't have SPG free night certificates.)
I also noticed several cities/towns in Argentina with only Wyndham or only BW, but Salta is another city that has only SPG. So that makes at least 3 chains you might need points in if you want to do points stays in Argentina (outside of Buenos Aires, where tons of int'l chains abound).