Originally Posted by
synergistic
I just can't get over how awful the promos Choice and Wyndham have run through all this are. I have done nothing but redemptions with Choice since before the holidays - this one is finally roughly equivalent to pre-plague, but the requiring a specific number of stays instead of any even number was a dealbreaker.
I do wonder if Choice and Wyndham are doing somewhat better than the higher-end chains because they can rely more on leisure bookings - both have lots of hotels geared towards road trips and leisure travel, which is rebounding more quickly than business travel. The lower buy-ins also likely appeal to those wanting to do a staycation - get a different set of four walls around them, at least.
As for Hyatt in particular, their pricing is still too high for my travel budget, plus they don't have hotels in a lot of areas that I regularly book in. I'm planning to visit family this weekend and Hyatt literally has zero options within two hours of where I want to be, while Wyndham has a few hotels within 15-30 minutes and Choice has a couple as well. I don't travel enough to get useful points in tons of programs, so I've focused on Choice and Wyndham lately, with some Hilton points thrown in as well. Wyndham's a bit on the fence for me - their 4 year hard point expiry is frustrating, and my travel patterns and hotel standards make Choice overall generally better, but there's still just enough value for me with Wyndham that I still monitor their promotions and try and earn a few points here and there with them.