Daytona 500 trip
 

My husband turns 50 in February and I would like to take him to the Daytona 500. I have been collecting points for about a year. Mainly from credit cards. My question is, I would like to stay at Daytona Beach. I have Marriott nights, Club Carlson points, SPG points, Ultimate Rewards points but none of those seem to have rooms or be honoring points during that time. Hopefully someone on FT is very familiar with the Daytona 500 and has a suggestion of a hotel or a suggestion of how to use points? I may have waited too late!! Thanks everyone!!

I go to at least one if not both Daytona Races every year.

I live in Tampa, but like to have a hotel (since races are more than 1 day, so I'm not driving back and forth every day)

I gave up on getting a room in Daytona. All those hotels know they can charge so much and many will pay.

Take a look at a Holiday Inn on 92, near DeLand (very short drive into the race).

Lake Mary usually has reasonable rooms.

I usually just settle for Orlando, which always has tons of cheap hotel rooms (the race doesn't impact hotel rates in Orlando much at all).

Track has free parking, but it takes forever to get out of it after the race. Parking on US 92 is expensive, but easy to get out. Handicap parking is the best (and free) but obviously that is out of your control. Let me know if you have any questions I can help with.

Courtyard Daytona Beach Speedway/Airport
 

If it were me and I were going in 2014, I would stay right off the speedway, within walking distance of the track, and book the Courtyard Daytona Beach Speedway/Airport. The property currently runs $455/night around race dates. This property is 20,000/points per night with the 5th night free and only 80,000 points for a five night stay. A GREAT DEAL!!!! Even if you're only staying 1-2 nights it's still a pretty good value.

I've been to the Daytona 500 twice (before I was into the miles & points game) and would not drive from the Orlando area ever again!

If a beachfront property is a must I would stay at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Oceanfront hotel located in Daytona Beach Shores. It's won a bunch of awards and the reviews are excellent. All rooms are oceanfront & have balconies and the free breakfast is a big plus. Rates are about $300/night during race dates but a pretty decent value with points. 25,000 per night or the cash in points options are: 20,000 + $40/night or 15,000 +$70/night. It's only 10 miles away from the track but by studying up on this & reading various websites traffic isn't too bad.

If you don't currently have an IHG Visa card (formerly Priority Club Visa), there is usually a very good sign up bonus. Also, if you're shy a few points there's a trick out there (search flyertalk) to buy them a little cheaper than the going rate. On a side note, I would not transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to IHG as the value isn't so great.

Just playing around on the Marriott site and it looks like there's a 5 night minimum stay during the Daytona 500 (if using points anyway). Would work well if planning on attending several race events (duel, Truck, Nationwide & Daytona 500 races).

Consider flying into Orlando and staying in Cocoa Beach. The track is close to I-95 and alot less traffic than I-4 imo.

I live in Ormond Beach (10 mins N of Daytona). We have a Hampton Inn (showing $499 a night) and a Sleep Inn at the Ormond exit (268) off I-95. Hotels book up VERY quickly, so you may have a hard time using points. You could also stay on the beach either in Ormond, Daytona, Daytona Shores, or Port Orange.

I would NOT suggest staying in Deland. 92 becomes a parking lot after the race, and without traffic it is a 30-35 min drive. That's not to say ISB won't be backed up, but I would not want a longer drive with the addition of all the traffic. Especially when you are tired and want to get back to your hotel and relax or sleep. I would try to stay as close to Daytona as you can.

Beachfront Properties (Ormond and Daytona) I would recommend:

Hilton Oceanfront
Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites
Holiday Inn Resort
Best Western Plus
Maverick Inn
Comfort Suites
Best Western Castillo del Sol
Quality Inn and Suites
La Quinta Inn and Suites
Shores Resort and Spa
Plaza Resort and Spa
Plaza Ocean Club

Consider flying into JAX and staying just north of Daytona, right off A1A (on the ocean).