The best values for us on the low end are the following:

1. Priority Club 5000 pt Pointsbreak specials.

Great deals, especially the intl Intercontinentals on the list!! I look forward when that list comes out. (note to self: When a nice San Diego property comes out on the list, I should book alot of stays when the list first comes out. When I put off booking, that hotel disappeared off the PB list.

2. Starwood Cat 1-4 Cash & Points bookings. Worked well when we went to Austria last year where rates were fairly high relative to the points & cash value. Also got alot of benefit with domestic hotels.

3. Mentioned earlier in this thread, the Carlson Orlando for 9K/night. A great deal.

4. We will investigate other programs as we have some Hilton & Marriott points.

We also do priceline bidding when we can get a great deal. We just booked 1 weekend night in the San Francisco area (a nice Eastbay Hilton for $47 bid, $59ai for one night).

Bottom line: We do whatever we can to get the best deal. Whether with points, cash, BRG, PL bidding etc, we look at all the options.