Since this seems to be a one and done type of deal I be a bit more aggressive and get 1st class flights plus hotel rooms.
If you fly Delta or American and are located near Rochester, MN sometimes flights that originate out of RST ( even though they usually go through MSP) are sometimes cheaper and it can be much cheaper
I have an upcoming flight that I paid for RST/MSP/BDL that is $400 cheaper than the MSP/BDL flight, using miles will sometimes be cheaper also using RST
That is a LONG flight in coach
If each person gets a Hilton reserve card that is 4 free nights at basically any Hilton. Since you are going to be travelling 12 plus hours each way I'm guessing you will be staying a couple weeks so using the 4 free nights ( fri - sunday) won't be an issue
Last edited by flyer4512; Aug 21, 2014 at 1:04 pm