Earlier this month, Choice Privileges hiked the award cost of Preferred Hotels & Resorts stays to up to 87,000 points per night. At the time, I celebrated that award nights at Choice Hotels properties still cost between 6,000 and 35,000 points in most parts of the world (except the Asia-Pacific region, where award nights cost up to 75,000 points).
However, this morning I noticed the Choice Privileges website no longer mentions that award nights cost between 6,000 and 35,000 points in most parts of the world. Instead, these mentions now note that reward nights at participating Choice Hotels locations start at 8,000 Choice Privileges points.
When you search for Choice Privileges award nights, these higher rates are now showing. For example, the Cambria Hotel Nashville Downtown now offers award rates of up to 45,000 points per night.
CHOICEHOTELS.COM
Multiple hotels in New York City now cost up to 45,000 points per night.
CHOICEHOTELS.COM
TPG contacted Choice Privileges for a comment on these changes.
Bottom line
It’s disappointing but not unexpected to see Choice Privileges increase its 35,000-point cap for award nights. You’ll still find many hotels with high rates pricing at 25,000, 30,000 or 35,000 points per night. However, now that the award pricing cap is lifted, I expect we’ll gradually see more and more Choice Privileges properties pricing higher than they previously did.
Currently, many Choice properties are still pricing as they have previously. I still see my favorite redemptions bookable from 8,000 points per night in Japan. Hotels in Rome are still pricing as they previously did. And you can still find award nights in New York City for 25,000 or 30,000 points per night. If you have any upcoming stays you’ve been waiting to book, though, now is a good time to do so before the award rates potentially increase.