I have the official word from Choice -- stays at Econolodges and Rodeway Inns will count (toward night credit) the same as every other Choice property.

Now, this may not sound all that exciting, but what it does is make it fairly cheap to get to the Diamond Elite status, which will allow access to award inventory 90 days out across the board.

If you're planning on a vacation and it's important that you have access to award rooms, this fact will make matress running considerably cheaper.

Note: the points earned at Econos and Rodeways are only 5/$, but with promotions that might not make that much of a difference. They tell me that the current promotion will yield triple points, same as any other property, but they weren't sure about future promos.

A 2/8,000 or even a 3/16,000 deal would sure make it cheap to rack up a whole buncha points.