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Or in Bend OR (about 15 miles outside of the eclipse path totality zone), Days Inn was the first hotel to have rooms open (for points) a few months before the eclipse, so 15k points even though at that time $1016 cash ! I watches over the months as the availability went away and came back a couple times, once with cash up to $1400 eek:, then days before the eclipse the cash rate fell to $400 and some other hotels (including a couple Choice hotels) in Bend also became available on points. But, yes, neither of those Choice hotels were 8000 points. So I just stuck with the Days Inn. I was planning to leave (for a drive deep into the totality zone) long before breakfast starts at 6 am or so anyway, so I didn't care about breakfast/ Though it turns out this Days Inn had hot breakfast by 4:15 am (when I went to look for a spoon) that morning, since so many people had early departure plans (given the forecasts of horrid traffic nightmares in Oregon leading up to the eclipse).

But the previous night I stayed at the EconoLodge in Madras OR (smack in the middle of the totality zone) for just 8000 points, and there is no WyndhamRewards property in the Madras area.

(I was scouting for locations from which to photograph the eclipse, which is why I wanted to be near my shooting location two days before, even if I could not stay close to my shooting location the very night before.)

So to me both programs have their value, and Choice has for me more "ordinary" value, but WyndhamRewards has for me sometimes more "lifesaver" value (because they're often the last program to have hotels on points in an area where I need a redemption stay).

synergistic

True that! Unbelievably, there were two Choice properties with same day points availability the night before the Eclipse in Idaho Falls - cash prices were still running ~$800. If we'd been arriving before 4am, we'd have totally spent 10k/12k Choice points for either of those (Rodeway/Econolodge?) properties. As it was, we almost did it just to have a shower!

​​​​I agree with the regular use / lifesaver use assessment - though I have actually often gotten to use Choice points when the bigleague chains have cut off points reservations entirely.

Wyndham has definitely saved my butt with their 3k+$ rates in expensive markets when location matters more than quality. I was seriously shocked at Seattle summer rates this year, and thought $3k+$45 was a godsend. I seem to recall the same in SF, though IIRC those hotels limit their GoFast awards more harshly.