5/17-8/15/12: 2 stays = 8,000 points or $50 gift card
 

Touted primarily as the $50 gift card, but it's for 8,000 points, which can be redeemed for the $50 GC. The expiry on choosing the latter path is 9/30/12. T&c don't say (yet?) if it's capped (screen shot time?) or the usual about elite booking channel flexibility.

Bravo, Choice! They must like this as much as we do. Only a week between rounds, this time. ^

Most of the (usual) t&c:

NB: This came through in an email today, but it didn't have a link to the promo yet. Probably so as not to confuse the two rounds. Perhaps if I'm otherwise engaged, the first person who finds the the new promo page might provide the link, and I'll add it to this OP.

So, another 8k/2stays promo after the current one ? ^

Um, minor and temporary glitch: Can't register for it yet, as the registration page for the 3/8-5/8/12 round is still up... Hopefully Choice catches up with itself in timely fashion. (Actually not a bad glitch if it's because of a very short hiatus.) Wonder why they wouldn't just say, "THIS JUST IN! 1+1=FREE EXTENDED THROUGH 8/15/12!" Market test?

Info on the last promo was out at least 2-3 days before signup was available.

Because they wanted to market the current one as a free night, but the next one as a $50 GC (even though it earns the same number of points which can be used the same way).

And also because they wanted a one-week gap, which they couldn't have if it was an extension! (The current one expires 5/8, the next one doesn't start till 5/17.)

Btw, I wonder how in the world they pick the days of the week to start and end these promos on? Both promos start on a Thu, but the current one ends on a Tue and the next one ends on a Wed! :confused:

Interesting. Sort of like a football team running a play from one formation and then, the next play, running the exact same play but disguised in a different formation or with a different man in motion.

Certainly not complaining as this type of promo does not require a lot of thinking. A lot of hotel hopping, yes, but thinking, no.

Well, unless your hotel hopping requires a lot of thinking, as in "which way should I drive now", because "which hotel am I staying at tonight?" :D

To parphrase a classic movie ttile: If it's Tuesday, it must that Comfort Inn over there, not this Comfort Inn over here. :)

Um... you've called out my number (@SFO).

Does anyone know if this promo includes hotels outside of the US? Specifically, Australia and New Zealand? I couldn't find any info about it.

I'm trying to rack up enough points in my Southwest Rapid Rewards account to qualify for their companion pass. Just wondering if crediting my Choice stay to my RR account for the 600 points/night would alter or in any way effect this 2nights=8,000 points/$50 card deal?

You must have points selected to earn the 8k. Note that it is 2 STAYS, not nights, to qualify. Also note that you earn 600 WN points per stay, but 6,000 Choice points can be converted to 1,800 WN points. That method nets you 1,800 WN points plus 2,000 Choice points per 2 stays vs. 1200 points when you choose to earn WN points directly.

Excellent point. I didn't think about the transfer value of the Choice points. I'll definitely just stick with Choice earnings.
Thanks!

There hasn't been a signup link posted anywhere yet that I can find. I wonder if this promo is going to happen.

The promo doesn't start until May 17. Be patient.

go for $50

When they run these promos the reduced gift card redemption cost (50% off!) makes for some good opportunities to use up (expiring) points that one doesn't otherwise foresee using.

Well, it's the 16th. I haven't seen anything official on this or a sign-up yet. Has anyone else?

I see nothing on the web site yet. I guess check back on 5/17/2012.

I am currently at Quality Hotel Axel opera in Paris. Just saw flyers about a double point promo for summer... Hope it's just differents promo for differents area...

Anyone see where to sign up for this? thanks

Sign up is live. Simply go to choice home page

www.choicehotels.com

I read the T&Cs (what little there is of it), and it appears that previously booked reservations aren't excluded, but I'm unclear whether this promo is limited to hotels in the US and Canada (you have to be US- or Canada-based to participate, as usual), or if it's valid anywhere Choice has hotels. Does anyone know more?

Gift Card vs redeeming for hotel stay
 

For the points earned thru this promo, while the $50 gift card can only be redeemed until 9/30, what if I'd rather redeem the 8000 points for hotel stay?

Is there a time limit to that too?

Checking as not mentioned in the promo.

Thanks in advance.

I think they feel it doesn't need to be mentioned in the promo because redeeming for hotel stays is the normal (always available) method of redeeming. The redemption for gift cards, while it does generally exist, usually requires twice as many points, and thus it's the 8000 point price on gift card redemption which expired after 9/30.

Now, which hotels are 8000 points can come and go too, but the ability to use hotel points (at whatever rate it is) is not expiring in general (and when and if each hotel's rate changes is specific to that hotel, and thus not related to this promo).

Try not to think of it, though, strictly as redeeming 8000 for a hotel stay. You may or may not be able to do that when the time comes, depending on where you want to stay and when. Think of it as accumulating points at the rate of 8000 points for every two stays, and then redeeming them at whatever rate you do find you can redeem them at.

is it uncapped for everyone, including non-elites?
 

Curiously, the T&Cs don't explain whether you can earn the 8000 points an unlimited number of times during this promo. Now, once I registered, I did get a page which said that. But I'm Diamond Elite at Choice, and so I cannot tell whether this page was specific to me or not. (There have been some promos in the past where high-enough elites could earn unlimited, but lower elites and non-elites were somewhat capped.)

Can someone who's not elite and who registered for this promo please report whether their screen said they could earn an unlimited number of times? Thanks.

No status with Choice, but when I registered using the email that I received from Choice:

You can now begin to earn an unlimited amount of gift cards during the promotion

With this promo will the cost of the gift cards drop to 8,000 at some point? Right now they all still seem to be at 16,000 points. Thanks!

You will only be allowed to purchase the number of gift cards for 8,000 that you actually earn. So until you have stayed twice and received the bonus, you will not see any available at 8,000.

$50 gas card - can I do this multiple times?
 

And is a stay REALLY for just one night ? If I stay four nights at the Comfort Inn here in town, will I get 16000 points or $100 in gas? Or do I have to check-in/check-out to trigger it.

Marriott says "regardless of check-out activity" in their promotions, too, but they don't really mean it.

You will receive 16000 points, which can be redeemed for 2 $50 gift cards, or towards anything else Choice offers for points.

They do enforce the stay rule in the promos. If you check in to the hotel Friday May 25th and check out the 26th, you need to wait until Sunday the 27th to check back in. One way around this is if there is a second Choice hotel in town that you can use and alternate nights* between the two.

*Remember that Rodeway, Econo Lodge, MainStay, and Suburban require 2 night stays to qualify.

If you stay four consectuive nights at the same Comfort Inn, you will only get the normal points (way less than 8000!), and no gift card option at all.

If you stay one night, don't stay the next night, stay another night, don't stay the next night, stay another night, don't stay the next night, and stay one more night, then you will get 16000 points, which you can then choose to redeem for one of a handful of different kinds of gift cards (including but not limited to gas).

But you have to check out of the hotel and wait one night before checking back in for it to be counted as a separate stay, and thus earn 8000 points (for each two stays).

If you have two Choice properties in town, the simple solution is to "hotel hop", ie, stay at hotel A the first night, hotel B the second night, hotel A the third night, and hotel B the fourth night. Then each hotel only sees you on alternate nights and thus each hotel sees each night as a separate stay.

In general: A stay is any number of consecutive nights at the same hotel, regardless of how many times you check in and check out.

Then specific to this promotion, there are stay minimums that vary depending on the brand: For the "mainline" brands (the ones that earn 10 pts/dollar normally), you only need 1 night minimum to count as a "stay" for this promotion. For the "low end" brands (the ones that earn 5 pts/dollar normally), you need a 2 night minimum to count as a "stay" for this promotion. Comfort, Quality, and Sleep are among the "mainline" brands, so 1 night is sufficient for a "stay" there. Rodeway and EconoLodge are among the "low end" brands, so a 2 night minimum is required at those brands to count as a "stay" for this promo.

Perhaps another way to do it is to split the stays between two members...a husband and wife, for example. Stay the first night on a reservation in her name, the second night on a reservation in his name; repeat for nights three and four. Four stays, two bonuses, no hopping. Most of the time the property will be happy to keep you checked in to the same room. The only hassle is that housekeeping may be confused, thinking you are leaving each of your four days. Also, if you don't inform the desk upfront that you are staying four nights you will have to get the card keys updated each day.

Caveat: I say "perhaps" because, while I have done this at another hotel group, I've not yet tried it at Choice. Has anyone else tried this at Choice?

Except too much of the time the property will also be happy to merge the reservations, despite the different names, the moment you ask to stay in the same room! (They consider that a convenience, because to all non-points-collectors it is, and some properties require that to keep the same room!)

So, no, I think this is a terrible suggestion if your goal is to have it count as separate stays each night. The only way you should split the stay between two member is if you do not try to keep the same room, and do not allow the hotel to realize that it's the same people in both cases (ie, don't be together when the alternate people check in).

At any rate, since you can't count on 8000/night hotels, I wouldn't necessarily even recommend (all logistics aside) someone only doing 4 nights to split it between two accounts. That'll leave just a paltry 8000 points per account, which is not a whole lot. (Not that just 16000 points is a whole IMHO either, but still, if you want one night at a 16000 point/night hotel, say in Scandinavia, you can do it all 16000 points are in the same account but not if 8000 points are in one account and 8000 points in another account.)

I don't think there is a possibility that reservations will be merged if you go down to front desk in the morning, check out – pay for your room, get the bill and only afterwards say that your partner has a separate reservation and would like to stay in the same room.

Except that at many hotels you've "automatically" paid your bill (it's under/on your door), and there's only one step left: Turning in your key.

So there's no settling up your bill part!

Except: If you then say my partner would like the same room, they can reopen the bill!

Furthermore, what's the point of the same room if you can't keep your stuff in there? But you can't keep your stuff in there if you're only going to ask about having the same room after you already "checked out"!

Meanwhile, if you keep it totally separate, they can claim that they still have to clean the room, and that it's thus not yet available. Only by linking the reservations can they certainly keep the room not cleaned and issue it to someone else (your spouse is technically someone else until you reveal they're not!).

Gosh, seems like a whole lot of work for some high risk (losing 8000 points) and little reward (you may have to spend some time with no room at all after all).

It seems simpler (as well as safer!) to me to decide ahead of time to have the partner check in independently (so the staff has no chance to link you), you try to get a late check-out on your room, your parnter try to get an early check-in on their room, and move the stuff quietly between the rooms.


... On a side note, are you aware the "settling up" is never as final as it seems? No matter how much you think you "settled up", the bill is able to be re-opened, for example, if they later discover an incidental charge which had not yet hit at the time you checked out. (Including an erroneous incidental charge, which you discover only when your credit card statement shows a higher amount than you had "settled", and you call to find out why, and they research it. And, yes, that's happened to me!)

So if they can adjust your bill after you've "settled" it to add an incidental charge, they can re-open your bill after you've "settled" it to add "another night after all"! (I've done that too. In that case, there wasn't a downside to having the extra night be merged, so I didn't care. It was a case of me finding out my flight had gotten delayed a day right after I'd "settled" and they reopened the bill and added an extra night. But it proves they can do it!)

other channels?
 

I am a Platinum with them and the T&C says: "Elite Diamond and Elite Platinum members can book through any channel" I thought to myself, wow, I can book through expedia, and get their points along with choicehotels! I called choicehotels customer support, and the agent said, that actually no, by "any channels" they mean that you call the hotel directly, or just walk-in. Well, isn't that not ANY channel?

Another thing: "you will be awarded enough bonus points to reach the 8,000 point level". Huh? Will they award 8000 points or bump you up to 8000 if you had, say, 7500 points? What if I have 400,000 points? If they give you 8000, why don't they just say so?

1. That 'book through any channel' is misleading, if not an outright lie.
If one books through other online travel agencies, one does not get any rewards.

2. For 2 stay if one earns 1200 choicepoints, then Choice adds the balance required of 6800 to get the total upto 8000 points.

Yes, they should have said "Any channel which actually earn CP points"

It means if you spend for example 100$ (50$x2) and so earn 1000 points they'll give you 7000 points as a bonus (plus, your Platinum bonus which should be 250 points in this case).

The problem is in the definition of the word "channel". To the hotel industry, it means a means of booking a room, not the specific place you book the room online.

So channels includes:

booking through a website
booking through a central reservation number
booking through a corporate travel agent
booking through the hotel over the phone
walking up to the hotel

But "booking through a website" is only one channel. That channel, in turn, has restrictions on it: The website must be a Choice website. Other website are not other channels, there's other subsets of the same shannel (booking through a website).

Yes, it would be nice they defined the term "channel" somewhere online, rather than expecting you to know it (since most people don't know it correctly).

But their point in empahasing this (for people who understand the issue) is that they want to entire business people to stay enough with choice to earn high-enough status to be able to use corporate travel agents to book their Choice stays and still earn the promos. They want people who don't have enough status yet to have limitations, which makes them want to stay enough to get status. (But some corporate travel bookers -- who aren't technically travel agents -- at smaller companies use Expedia or whatever, in those cases it doesn't count either. So it's not all that easier to explain clearly exactly which "corporate travel agents" count.)

Choice assumes you understand that you can't earn a bonus if you don't earn points in the first place, and it already explains in the T&Cs that third-party online sites don't earn points.