Originally Posted by
sdsearch
What kind of rates are you using? Many of us are using what used be called SOS (Special Organization Savings) rates, and is now called Preferred Customer Rate, which gives even greater savings than AAA or AARP (if you qualify for either of those). And many people have found an SOS rate code just by googling it.
Just last week I stayed at a Quality in Orange County CA at a $63 Preferred Customer Rate before tax, about $71 with tax. Though that was unusual, that hotel often have $71 Preferred Customer Rate before tax, about $79 after tax.
If I wanted to stay at a "just OK" EconoLodge, there's one that's routinely $59 before tax in the area.
But like I said, to me it seems like using "do 2 separate one-night stays, get 8000 points for it" is still worth it even with $70 before tax or $80 before tax (at least in places that don't have exorbitant taxes plus local fees, like Anaheim locations too close to Disneyland can).
5-10% less than AAA rates is usually the best I seem to find with Choice in rather rural areas. Still, it rarely ends up being less than $70/night inclusive of tax for me. Doing 2 such one-night stays for $140+ (and that's lower than it ends up being for me) of Choice hotel stays for 8,000 Choice points is less ideal for me than using CP Points+Cash to get 8,000 points for $60. Also, my time is rather valuable -- no jokes about my time on FT
-- and it's not natural for me to want to stay at a variety of cheap US Choice properties for a single-night stay when I'd rather use my time to stay elsewhere (and often outside of the US at that).