ma_zeoli

Hello FlyerTalkers !

I was looking for fellow FlyerTalkers' strategies that they use to choose what is the best usage of hotel points when selecting a comparable property....

For example, let's assume that you are choosing between two comparable properties located in the same area/similar features from competing chains that are such as Residence Inn vs. Homewood Suites (larger rooms, free breakfast, free parking, etc.).

Let's assume the RI is 25K Marriott Points and the Homewood is 40K HH points. If you read ThePointsGuy, he currently values MR points at .9 cents per point and HH at .6 cents per point. So, in doing the math, 25K times .9 = $225 and 40K times .6 = $240.

So is the "correct" choice Homewood since you get more value for your points or is it Marriott since you cost basis is lower ?

Thanks in advance !

Ksw299

I wouldn't book the hotels based on what point value bloggers would recommend. Do you have status in either program? Which one will help you with upgrades, lifetime status etc?

hhoope01

As Ksw299 asserts, there are other factors that will normally play into your decision.

One thing I would start with, is do you have a "plan" for your points. For example, maybe you are working your Marriott Bonvoy account up to get enough points for a Travel Package award. If that is the case, then you might want to spend your HH or other program points while you keep banking more Bonvoy points. If possible, I'd also try to look at reviews of each of the properties here. You may find the RI is 30 years old and has a lot of unfavorable reviews where the Homewood is brand new and all the reviews are sparkling. Another thought, I like having decent point balances in multiple programs to provide some flexibility when I'm planning my vacation. If using your Bonvoy or Hilton points depletes one of them, if everything else is fairly close, I might prefer to keep some usable points in that account and use the other leaving me with points in both accounts for future use (when it might really count.)

At the end of the day, point value "estimates" are at best just one of many factors that would go into my decision.

wm47

On a pure points comparison, I tend to compare the gap between MR and HH among comparable hotels at the various destinations we stay at to arrive at a rough relative valuation. For resort stays where we want to go (and YMMV, of course), Hilton is a poor relative value -- often about twice as many HH points as MR points for a given stay at a comparable hotel. And HH's dynamic pricing often leads to spikes at resorts from what I have seen, plus MR's Points Advance allows you to lock in a reservation prior to earning the points. On the other hand, for short weekend trips in the Mid Atlantic area, the gap between HH and MR can be minimal (say, 25K MR points for a CY, 30K points for an HGI), especially because dynamic pricing actually helps with lower value stays at areas in less demand. If you average all this out, you probably get close to The Points Guy's conclusion that 1 MR point has the same value as 1.5 HH points, but I think you can get better value by looking overall at your stays for the coming year.

exploreaswego

It vastly depends on what you perceive as value, and what kind of traveler you are.
Some folks don't care about bfast or suites upgrade, they want to stay in hotels for as many nights as possible, then that might make sense for IHG on points breaker, or even with Hilton in 10k properties, because those 5th night free can take you a very long way for alot of 8k/night stays in cheap HGI and HI. And Hilton is so generous with their earn rates with promo/status on points. You can easily stay for months for free just on points.

Say if you are the luxury annual vacationer, you want massive treats and suites for families with breakfast, booking a Ritz on points with Bonvoy so-to-be Titanium status is not going to do a lot for you (as we know how notorious Ritz does not entertain elites from Marriott, ranging from No comp BFAST, club use to upgrades) vs booking a Park Hyatt with Globalist status where you'll piratically get everything as mentioned above, with confirmed suites if your certs are confirmed..

Pick places/destinations where you really want to stay, then back track on earn rates and how easy to earn status/points through stay or other means like CC.
That way, you can pick something that will suit your value perception vs what someone else thinks it's worth more and you force yourself to stay with.

I agree with Ksw299, blogger's evaluation on currency is only a pivotal point of value based on the redemption rate.
You need to decide what perks and benefits brings you those value.
Of course, it is also wise to always compare the $ rate before redeeming with points.
If you save $ by booking with points, by all means book away.