My friend convinced me to ditch hotel loyalty programs

I ALWAYS used to stick with one hotel chain for points, thinking it was the only way to save. Then my buddy Mike told me he saved $400 on a trip to Austin just by booking random motels off a discount app. He showed me his receipts and the rooms looked fine, not fancy but clean. Now I'm questioning if those loyalty points are really worth passing up cheaper deals. Has anyone else dumped their hotel brand for better rates elsewhere?

2 comments

2 Comments

ivangrant5d ago

Man, loyalty programs are just another way for them to hook you into spending more than you would otherwise. I stopped worrying about points a few years ago after a buddy of mine booked a dirt cheap room last minute and ended up with a free upgrade to a suite just because the front desk lady liked his smile. Hard to argue with that kind of luck when you're getting nickel and dimed for breakfast at the big chains.

brians275d ago

Question - is my "loyalty" to these hotel chains really just me being too lazy to shop around? I stuck with Hilton for like five years straight until I realized my free night was basically paying for itself three times over with all the standard prices I paid. Pretty sure I could've saved enough to buy a small car if I'd just booked whatever was cheapest and clean.