I travel mainly in North America, but I see what you mean when it comes to hotels in Europe. I thought there was a benchmark value of so many cents per point. Starwood told me it costs $25 for 500 points, so based on that, I figured 7,000 points for a Category 3 room come to $350USD, which is way more than the room is worth. Those AA Net Saver fares are a good deal, however, they are generally offered only in markets with non-stop service and restrict you with traveling outbound Saturday and return Monday or Tuesday. Thank you for your comments.