It’s been more than three years since we’ve been staying at hotels. In the span of those three years, we have been transferring from one hotel to another. It sounds awesome, right? There are many perks from this hotel hopping lifestyle but, honestly, it’s also challenging! We prioritize the hotels depending on the available promos which will give us the most bonus points and free night stays to fund our vacations.
We also take into account the minimum no. of stays needed to maintain the highest status in each hotel we are loyal to. Having an elite status in a hotel makes a big difference! So, aside from the available promos, we also target the no. of stays needed for the elite status. With new promos from SPG and Marriott and 20 remaining nights needed to maintain our Globalist status in Hyatt, starting today, the next few months of hotel hopping will be the most hectic and challenging for us!
Promo 1: SPG Explore More
SPG released its latest promo “SPG Explore More” which will let us earn 1,000 and 500 bonus points per stay at participating SPG hotels. We could also get additional 10,000 bonus points if we stay 25 or more nights. The difficult part of this promo is the no. of stays and not the no. of nights. Two consecutive nights at the same hotel will only count as one stay, whether your check-in/checkout after the first night. To maximize this promo, we have to transfer from one of the participating SPG hotels to another everyday. Hotel hopping at its most literal form! Based on the current availability of hotels, it will take us three different SPG hotels to accomplish this. To get the additional 10,000 bonus points, we have to do this at least 25 times!
Rules of the SPG Explore More Promo:
- Earn 1,000 bonus Starpoints per stay at St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Le Méridien, Westin, Sheraton, Tribute Portfolio and Design Hotels (list of participating hotels worldwide)
- Earn 500 bonus Starpoints per stay at Aloft, Element and Four Points (list of participating hotels worldwide)
- Earn 10,000 bonus Starpoints when you stay 25 or more nights
- Register by November 30, 2017, and earn at participating SPG hotels between September 12, 2017 and January 15, 2018.
For more info about this promo, click here.
You might be asking by now if hotel hopping is all worth our time and effort. It is! Because of these bonus points and free night stays, we were able to fund most of our vacations using only points and free night stays. We also convert our SPG points to miles so many of our flights including our last vacation to Hawaii are free! Of course, we still had to pay for the usual mandatory charges like taxes and airport fees.
Here are some of the SPG hotels we stayed at using only points and free nights from our previous hotel hopping adventures:
Iceland – ION Adventure Hotel View
Niagara Falls – Sheraton on the Falls
Promo 2: Marriott MegaBonus
Marriott’s new promo is simple. Stay twice at their participating hotels and resorts and you get a free night! Like the SPG promo, the no. of stays is being counted and not the no. of nights. Unfortunately, we could only do this promo once for each account. Once completed, an additional offer may be unlocked and become available after our second qualifying night. Because of this possibility, we have to complete the MegaBonus promo as soon as possible.
Rules of the Marriott MegaBonus Promo:
- Stay at any of our participating hotels and resorts worldwide between September 12 and January 15, 2018
- Earn a free night after two paid stays
- Register by November 30, 2017
For more info about this promo, click here.
Here are some of the Marriott hotels we stayed at using only points and free nights from our previous hotel hopping adventures:
Hawaii – Marriott Waikiki
With the “stay” condition of SPG and Marriott and 20 remaining nights in Hyatt, we have to mix our stays for the next few months. Keeping up with five hotels (3 SPG hotels, Marriott and Hyatt) is already complicated, more so that we must consider the rates and availability of the participating hotels. Believe it or not, we have an excel file to keep track of our stays and to keep us sane! It’s funny because there are a lot of times when we both forget where we are staying the next day because it gets really confusing. We have already mastered the art of packing light. I’m not complaining, we love to collect hotel points and free night stays as much as possible. That’s why we go to great lengths to maximize the promos!
