IHG REWARDS CLUB

Free night redemptions vary from 10,000 points per night to 70,000 points per night. If you book three nights in a row with points then you’ll get the fourth night free. Most of the redemptions also cover all the taxes and fees so it’s truly a free stay. The exception to this would be at some of the higher end properties. If you decide to redeem 70,000 points for a night at the Venetian or Palazzo (still 70,000 points for a night on jamming Vegas weekends that a room will run $1,000+) you’ll still have to take care of the $45 Resort Fee at the front desk.

I’ve had pretty good luck redeeming these points for $.01 each. NerdWallet has these points valued at $.008 each so we’re not too far off. If you’re strapped for cash and need to use points the lowest value you’d get out of them is $.005. Lots of flexibility and the breakfast buffets at Intercontinental Hotels is elite.

The award chart starts with Category 1 Hotels for 10,000 points increasing 5,000 points per category up to Category 12 Hotels for 70,000 points.

WORLD OF HYATT POINTS

Free nights start at category 1 or 5,000 Hyatt points and cap at category 8 or 40,000 Hyatt points. Category 2 nights are 8,000 points, category 3 nights are 12,000 points and category 4 nights are 15,000. Categories 5-7 increase by 5,000 points each step of the way and then jump 10,000 for the elite Hyatt properties.

Just looking through Hyatt properties you can definitely spot some high-end hotels starting at 15,000 points. With redemptions starting at 5,000 points you’re looking at a value of $.02 a point with room to inflate those points tremendously.

You can browse Hyatt Hotels by category HERE

MARRIOTT BONVOY POINTS

8 different redemption categories starting at 5,000 points for an off-peak night and capping at 70,000 points per night. If you book 4 nights or more with Bonvoy points your fifth night is free. You can really capture immense value for your Bonvey points if you redeem them for a five night vacation.

Bonvoy points can carry a weak redemption value but if you book far enough in advance and tailor your trip around a hotel where your points carry more value you shouldn’t have a problem getting $.01 per point.

The Bonvoy redemption chart can be seen HERE

HILTON HONORS POINTS

Tough to find a consistent reward redemption calendar for Hilton but I’ve seen reward nights from 10,000-100,000 points per night. These points look to carry the least amount of value of any of the hotel points. They do offer a fifth night free after booking four nights with reward points, an easy way to up your redemption value (if you have enough points).

I’d say you’d be pretty lucky to get $.005 per point out your Hilton points, but Amex does occasional run some good point transfer offer with Hilton where you can get 3 Hilton points for every 1 membership reward points.

You can play around with the Hilton points explorer HERE, but the rates aren’t guaranteed to be accurate.

SONESTA POINTS

Sonesta has about 75 properties available for their point redemption program with reward tiers 1-9. A lot of the Sonesta Properties are suites and will set you back anywhere from $100 to $200. These tier 1, 2, and 3 properties will cost you 15,000, 17,500, and 20,000 respectively. They do not offer a redemption bonus for multiple nights booked in a row.

Sonesta points are valued at $.01 each. There is some wiggle room but it doesn’t look like much from my research. Also Sonesta properties are exclusive to the Americas so don’t expect to use these on your next European vacation.

You can find all 74 Sonesta properties and their redemption tiers HERE

WYNDHAM POINTS

There are 3 simple nightly tiers for Wyndham points – 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points per room. These free night awards, with the exception of Caesars hotels, come with no extra resort fee charges so your Wyndham rewards nights will be completely free. There is no bonus for booking consecutive nights in a row with points.

These days it’s pretty difficult to find a hotel room for less than $100 all-in, even at lower tier brands like Super 8, so I think it’s safe to say you’ll get $.01 per point. Don’t expect to be staying at 5 star hotels with these points.

You can look for Wyndham Reward destinations HERE

CHOICE POINTS

Free nights start at 8,000 Choice points at 12 different brands. You can only book rooms a maximum of 100 days before your stay. There is no bonus for booking consecutive nights in a row with points.

Lower tier hotels in high demand areas can run you up to 25,000 points a night. The highest and rarest value on these points would be $.01 per point. A more realistic value is $.006 per point. Don’t expect a lot of 5 star options with these points.

You can browse Choice Hotel options by location HERE