Originally Posted by
kamadzu4
Will have a 12-night trip to Japan in September 2018, arriving in HND, departing out of NGO. Was planning three 4-night blocks to take advantage of the Citi Prestige 4th night free, however I've noticed the following quirks in the pricing:
- Most headline rates on TripAdvisor / hotels.com are "sales" and nonrefundable, with typically a substantial price increase for the refundable rate
- There is a surprisingly large price premium to include breakfast - much more than I've seen anywhere else I have traveled
- Citi's pricing follows the retail rates (although often is nonrefundable as well), making the 4th night free benefit almost negligible
General price-range I'm looking for is around $200/night
I'm not that familiar with Citi 4th Night Free, although I thought you could request to book any rates including refundable discount rates such as AAA and Government.
Is your question specific to 4th Night Free, or is this a more general question about what options there are available for $200/night, or are you just posting comments/statements?
I never book room in Jpn via TA/Hotels.com. I book Hilton, Hyatt, IHG and Richmond via their respective sites, and usually everywhere else through Rakuten Travel (Japanese website). 90% of my bookings are either paid-refundable or points (in the case of Rakuten, usually not only refundable but not even advance deposit / cc info to secure booking required).
Of course you get savings on nonrefundable rates. I don't find the price disparity in that regard any greater in Jpn than elsewhere.
Rates depend on where in Jpn you're talking about, what caliber of hotel, single vs double-occupancy, your specific dates. Crowne Plaza in Okayama will be like half or less the price of that in Kyoto. You can still stay at a decent hotel in Tokyo for $200 or less per night double-occupancy, generally speaking.