I am Marriott Platinum and setup to gain SWA miles. There are about 4 Marriotts where I am staying for the next month so i have been checking in/out at a different one each night so I can obtain the most points. Is practice the norm?

It is called hotel hopping and it is done on occasion to achieve specific goal (i.e. number of stays required for a promotion).

Bad? Nah.
Among FTers it is the norm.

It's a personal preference.

Changing hotels daily is an inconvenience, but if you prefer to do it, then it's
not against the T&C of MR.

Some don't have the time or necessity to hotel hop. But, if you do, so be it.
It's whatever makes you happiest.

I am curious what advantage you are getting?
I didn't think there were any "stay" based bonuses going on.

That said, if there is something strange that will earn you points. This is the place to brag about it.
Is it normal - no.
Are most of the people of flyertalk normal when it comes to points/miles - no.

Normal people get the room they paid for, have to fly in coach and pay for their hotel rooms on vacations. May I never be normal again.

I hotel hopped four time in five nights for my last trip.

Marriott: Miles stay, 600 WN Miles
Marriott: Miles stay, 1800 WN Miles
Holiday Inn: 2 nights for 50 dollar per (2-night) stay promo
Marriott: Miles stay, 1800 WN Miles

Obviously worth it for me, and I've learned how to effectively use my carry-on bag to transport a day's worth of gear so I don't need to lug everything in and back out.

On recent trip, was asked, by coworkers on same trip, why I didn't stay at one spot. Reasoned that if I stay at a place multiple nights, I am tempted to unpack things, and end up leaving things behind that way; not completely untrue, but the real reason is the points/miles.

Tempting to try this on vacations though; rationale, let's stay at a hotel close to Legoland one day and Sea World the next, so the drive is shorter in the mornings. Have given that up lately, because it takes away from the vacation experience. Need to find nights-based promos for upcoming travel.

It's a 4x bonus (on "miles" earnings), but for this particular airline (SWA = Southwest Airlines), the normal earning is a flat 600 Southwest points per stay (rather than a small number of miles for each dollar spent, as it is with most other ailrines).

So it's not the bonus itself that's "stay" based, it's earning Southwest Airlines points that's "stay" based (and thus using Southwest Airlines in a miles promo is "stay" based, even though it's "spend" based for all other airlines in the same promo).

Actually, for anyone earning SWA points directly at any hotel, it's the norm if they're smart.

So far, Southwest points are always 600 flat per hotel stay before any bonuses, at all hotels. Perhaps that will change at some point in the future, but before it was 600 flat point per hotel stay it was always 0.5 credits per hotel stay. And thus Southwest Airlines earnings have always been a flat amount per hotel stay in every hotel program since Southwest Airlines became a part of each said hotel program.

I never choose to earn Southwest points, in fact, on multi-night stays. If I'm going to chase Southwest points on a particular stay, I make sure it's a one-night stay.

And, btw, while there are not at this very moment any other Marriott promos that are stay based, all "free night certificate" promos at Marriott (should you be offered one) are also always stay based in my experience. And also therefore can be maxed out with minimum cost by hotel hopping.

In the last week, I have earned about 6,000 air line miles thanks to the Megabonus so that is why I have hotel hopped. Triple SWA miles plus 600 miles for my check in gift per night. I have about 20 days left this month to do this...yes it gets annonying going to different places, but lucky for me they are about 5 mins apart. :-)

i'm confused - are you saying that, for a Platinum check-in gift, I have miles as my earning preference, rather than getting 500 Marriott points, I'll earn 600 SW points? Over and above the SW points earned per stay (600 normally, or 1800 under MegaMiles)?

If your earnings preference is airlines miles yes I get an additional 600 miles as my check in gift in addition to the Megabonus miles 1,200.00

Adds up quick!

I guess that's where I'm confused... MegaMiles for SW is 1800 miles (3x 600) after your first stay. So are you getting a total of 1800? Or 1800 + 600 = 2400?

I thought only Edition offered Air Miles as checkin.

No, I am getting 1,200 miles for the stay and 600 miles for the check in gift.

Here's what the promo says:

•Base miles will be earned for each paid stay, PLUS earn triple miles every paid stay, beginning with the second stay

Meaning, that the 600 miles is not a check in bonus, it's the base miles. For SW it's always a set number of 600 miles for your base miles, + you get triple miles megabonus after the 2nd stay. [when preference is set for miles, you get no check in bonus--usually].


I have completed my summer megabonus and have switch to the megamiles. I have the 1st stay that has posted at 600 miles so my megamiles bonus should start on my next stay (which will be Sunday evening). So, I can update when that post. But, I am sure others can verify how a one night stay has posted (1800 or 2400 miles or not) for SW.

It appears lastumps is reporting his have already posted as above.

Lastumps,
is it calling your 600 miles a check in bonus? Seems odd. I don't recall that from past promos.

Also, are you reporting you already had 600 + 1200miles bonus to post?