When to Commit to a Hotel Program?
 

My travel has generally been between residences which means a lot of flights, miles, etc. but not too much in the way of hotel/motel stays. For a variety of reasons I'm trending towards some more nights in hotels/motels and am wondering at what point (number of nights/year) does it make sense to commit to a certain chain/brand for rewards and whatnot? My work destinations often land me in small towns with very basic places which seems to direct me towards certain brands (Wyndham for example - I see they do the "Super 8" but also some higher end stuff). I just stayed at a Hyatt near PDX airport and it was great but I don't know what else they do?

In the last year I'd estimate I've stayed 15-20 nights in hotels/motels. Is it even worth it to try to play the whole points/freebies thing? I may have gotten a jaded view of this a few years ago as I had a bunch of nights out for work and went for Best Western Awards (or whatever it's called) and the payback was ridiculously low - as in I needed to stay 25+ nights to get anything for free so I just gave up.

Maybe a better way of asking this is what is the rate of payback? As an Alaska Airlines 100K I get a 150% bonus on miles (so 250% total) which works out to a good 25% "rebate" to put towards future travel. Am I likely to find anything close to this with hotels/motels?

Is it worth it? If you're spending the nights and money anyway, yes. The return isn't great, but it's better than zero. In most programs the points don't expire unless there's no activity for a year or more. Eventually, you'll have enough points for a free night or two. Comes in handy, even if you're not using it for yourself.

With 15-20 nights a year though, maybe consider Hotels com and their loyalty program. No brand commitment. No real status perks, but you're not likely getting much of those anyway.

The average person is completely and utterly obsessed with getting something for "free". Often to the point where minuscule returns, accounting for a few percent of a return, are the deciding factors for tens of thousands in spend. Not that it's a bad idea altogether. Just be realistic with what your trends are, what is important to you, what you would really spend vs what you're trying to get.

When I traveled for work, I went to a lot of small towns as well. We had a few approved brands with negotiated rates. IHG seemed to make the most sense for me at the time. Combined with the accelerate offers, I was legitimately getting enough points to stay at a $400+ a night Intercontinental Hotel (for leisure stays) for every 5-6 Holiday Inn business stays I had. While some would have been against my choice of IHG because "breakfast, breakfast, breakfast" is the center of the universe. I was still getting breakfast comped around half the times as a Spire Ambassador anyways. Other times, I took my very nice room on points only and went to a local diner. Unfortunately, those accelerate offers aren't what they used to be. Nor do I travel for business as much anymore.

I would say business travel is perhaps the best method of accumulating points. Don't waste that opportunity! As much as most companies say your stays can't be based around this, let's be real, most do it, and it's never a problem. Even your most basic Wyndham, IHG, etc in a small city can result into points that turn into very nice resort stays. Weigh what options you have, and what kind of return would be important to you.