Which Hotel Card?

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nickelfish1

Level 2 Member
Have a $2,000 dental bill and looking to open a new hotel card. Currently hold Marriott, SPG and IHG. I have two upcoming Caribbean trips but don't need points/free nights and no other trips planned. Not interested in the Ritz card. Would like a card that has a free night attached that doesn't expire in six months. Opinions?
 
Matt

Matt

Administrator
Staff member
nickelfish1 said:
Have a $2,000 dental bill and looking to open a new hotel card. Currently hold Marriott, SPG and IHG. I have two upcoming Caribbean trips but don't need points/free nights and no other trips planned. Not interested in the Ritz card. Would like a card that has a free night attached that doesn't expire in six months. Opinions?
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Club carlson. Not good for US great for non US. Mid range hotels but best value.
 
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TheBOSman

Moderator
Staff member
Matt said:
Club carlson. Not good for US great for non US. Mid range hotels but best value.
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It is good in the US for a lot of the 9,000 and 15,000 points a night hotels if they work for your travel plans, especially when redeeming for 2 nights. Those are mostly Country Inn & Suites located throughout the South and Midwest, but I've still got 3 of them booked, including two of those category 1 hotels. 9,000 points for 2 nights on a 5x base earning card? Sign me up.
 
ElainePDX

ElainePDX

Level 2 Member
I love the Club Carlson card too. And don't write off the US - we did just fine in DC at a Radisson that was very near the metro. The Radisson in SF at Fisherman's Wharf was not the best stay in the world but I do love that second night free. And we did better than fine in TLV at a hotel right on the beach, where they were clueless about benefits and gave us an upgrade and lounge access.

However, US Bank can be a hard nut to crack even for folks with excellent credit and a relatively (for this group!) low number of hard pulls, so you might consider a second option in case you don't get approved.
 
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satz

Level 2 Member
Agreed, given the cards you have, the Club Carlson one hands down. I'm surprised the free night benefit is still going strong. Their hotels are definitely not aspirational properties except for the few properties they raised to 70k a night. But in terms of value, you get a lot out of it. 50k pts for 2 nights at the Radisson NYC or Radisson Blu Chicago is a heck of a deal. Or 2 nights at Country Inns for 9-28k pts that would have gone at $150+ a night is awesome too!
 
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TheBOSman

Moderator
Staff member
Try three nights at the Radisson Blu Sydney for 100,000 points over New Year's Eve, when the hotel is $750+tax for each of three nights on a three night minimum. Did this one last year ;). I'll never cancel my Club Carlson card, it is a keeper for sure for me once you get it. Even if they remove the last night free, I'll probably still keep it.
 
Sooner

Sooner

Level 2 Member
So this thread helped me pull the trigger on a hotel card. Thanks for all the input! Applied last night and got the approval email today for Club Carlson. We travel in the south often and this will be useful, plus I've got a wishlist of travel in Europe next year. It somehow just feels better to get 5X points on spend, even if it's only hotel points.
 
imMia430

imMia430

Level 2 Member
Premium Supporter
Chase IHG 80k offer is another good one IMO. I have been wanting to get a Club Carlson but am worried about getting rejected or approved for a lower tier card, which is much less desirable.
 
credipig

credipig

Level 2 Member
As someone who prefers to spend nothing for a hotel room, I really like the IHG card (sign up bonus). That's my main card for hotel stays. I also use the SPG and have gotten the 70K bonus for the Marriott.
 
J

jnsocal

Level 2 Member
If you happen to be traveling somewhere where there actually is a nice hyatt property the chase hyatt is a solid deal with 2 nights at any tier. Had a very nice stay in Sydney courtesy of a couple of those cards.
 
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PNW-MSSER

Level 2 Member
I am a Club Carlson fan, especially if you have a SO, 2 days on your account, 1 night free, 2 days on her account, 1 day free, thats a 6 day vacation on 4 day miles :)
 
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