As part of my Battle of the Budget Hotels, I became very familiar with the Wyndham Hotel group and their Wyndham Rewards program. And while the Wyndham group consists of mostly budget hotels, it’s far from easy to find the best price on a room at one of their more than 7,800 hotels. To make sure […]
This week’s Deal Dispatch looks at currently available hotel rewards promotions to make the most out of your hotel points. While winter is often slow for hotels in the Northern hemisphere, there are surprisingly few good hotel rewards promotions to fill those empty rooms. My favorite ones this season are Accelerate from IHG Rewards, Club
As part of my “Battle of the Budget Hotels”, I picked the Comfort Inn San Francisco Airport North for a short stay near the San Francisco airport. It’s an older style motel, but in good shape and good value in one of the most expensive areas of the country. Read my review to find out
If you are planning a getaway to the Northern California wine country, finding a reasonably priced hotel has become difficult. Even budget hotels frequently run over $200/night and the sky is the limit for luxury hotels. So, I was surprised to find the Comfort Inn Calistoga for $154/night mid-week and was looking forward to my
Comfort Inn and Suites is the largest brand of Choice Hotels with over 2,200 hotels worldwide. Despite their budget roots in the motel market, Comfort Inn have moved upmarket and are today positioned as a midscale brand in the Choice Portfolio.Find out who they are and what experience you can expect in my experience review
California’s Highway 1 along the dramatic coast line between San Francisco and Los Angeles is one of my favorite road trips in the world and I have done it at least 10 times. I usually stop at least one time to break up the drive, often in Monterey or Santa Barbara, but for this trip
A great way to make travel better and spend less on it is to leverage reward credit cards. I have reviewed a few cards and one big differentiator is the sign-up bonus banks offer to get you on board. Because earning the bonus usually involves a minimum spend during the first 3 months of opening
Days Inn is the second largest brand in the Wyndham Worldwide hotel portfolio with around 1,800 properties around the world! They are easy to spot with the bright yellow sun as their logo. They are mostly budget motels in the US, near the bottom of Wyndham’s portfolio, but there are exceptions. Read my review to
When Marriott acquired Starwood, many die-hard Starwood fans were worried about what would happen to the many more upscale hotels and their beloved rewards program. Marriott addressed the rewards program issue on the day the acquisition became official – and allowed to link the programs and exchange points immediately. They are now addressing the management
Intercontinental Hotels Group has for years now run reward promotions tailored to the individual member, based on their stay history, credit card ownership and even contract rates. It’s one of the best hotel rewards promotions out there, especially if you don’t stay regularly with IHG – and that’s true again this quarter. Check out what
Quality is one of the core brands of Choice Hotels with over 1,700 hotels around the world. They are priced as a midscale brand these days and their marketing is pushing modern amenities, but they have their roots firmly in the roadside motel market. Find out who they are and what experience you can expect
As part of my “Battle of the Budget Hotels” tour of America, I booked a stay at the Super 8 Monterey hotel during a getaway along California’s Highway 1. It was better than some of my other budget hotel experiences – but at an upscale price of $221/night in expensive Northern California during a peak