Originally Posted by xenole

Well, these "bargains", to the Average Joe, are nothing of the sort half the time.
Yes, you might be able to buy points for say $280 Vs. a cash price of $360, but im sure a lot of people would find better value elsewhere.
Some of these hotels are pretty bog standard and paying $300 a night for what might be no better than a Premier Inn in the UK doesn't work at least for me.
42k points for a night at the Chicago IC, which isnt that special, may take someone quite a while to earn (or not if you're able to drop $1000s a night on a week long stay in some fancy Indian Ocean resort, or get some decent bonus point offers such as 5k points for $20)

My average stays are in HIX, HIs and CPs.
Don't like paying more than £100 a night especially of I'm there for a short time and won't be using the facilities.
Probably earn, with a 300-600 welcome amenity, 1500-2300 a night - could easily cost me £2k in stays to earn the 42k.