Preview of Hilton HHonor's next promotion - 2,000 bonus points per night Feb 1- Apr 30!

Hilton HHonors has sent out a preview of their next systemwide promotion and once again it is a true systemwide promotion as no hotels are excluded. Remember the days of Hilton's huge exclusion lists?? The current offer double/triple points for stays ends on January 31st and this offer will take off right on February 1st so there is no window of not being able to earn bonus points on your Hilton stays.

The offer is simple, 2,000 Bonus HHonors Points per night on all your Hilton stays. Simple as that. As long as the rate you book is eligible to earn HHonors points you'll get the bonus. So if you find some really cheap rates you can really rack up a great return but no matter what if you stay with the Hilton family a lot you're set to rack up a lot of points no matter what with this promotion. Especially so if you are a Points+Points earner in the program.

The registration link isn't available yet but you can learn more about or keep checking for the promotion on the Hilton HHonors site. Existing reservations or those made before February 1st do count as well so you can start planning all your stays now by booking them at Hilton.com

January 26 Update: 5x Plum Points at Chapters Indigo, Emirates Companion Sale, 18,500 Bonus Shoppers Optimum Points

News, Tips & Tricks
Ending today is Chapters Indigo's offer of 5X Plum Points on Books for Online Only orders

You should be able to also get this offer by going through an online shopping portal like Aeroplan's eStore or AirMilesShops.ca.

Spend $75 at Shoppers Drug Mart this weekend and you can get 18,500 Shoppers Optimum bonus points.  Find out more here.

Posts since our last update:

• Starwood's big expansion in Alberta - 5 new hotels opening this year
  For the past two or so years Alberta has been hurting. Our economy isn't doing great and there are lots…
• IHG Rewards Club Pointbreaks Preview - Full list comes tomorrow, booking on Monday
  IHG sent out a teaser today of the next set of IHG Rewards Club Pointsbreaks . The full list…
• Air Canada / Aeroplan: 1,000 Bonus Miles for stays at Best Western Hotels Worldwide
  If there is a program you can count on to have lots of options to earn bonus miles for hotel…
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles: Double Miles in Business or First Class out of Toronto & Vancouver
  A few months have passed since we last saw a bonus for flying on Cathay Pacific out of Canada.…

Travel Deals
Emirates has a companion flight offer for Valentines for departures out of Western Canada (includes connecting flights to Emirates with Alaska or WestJet). Book by Jan 28 for travel most of this year.  Find out more here. Prices below are for two people in total!

Canadian Bonus Offers
Air Canada / Aeroplan
- 1,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for stays at Best Western Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 17

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Double Asia Miles when you fly First or Business Class one way or round-trip from Canada to Hong Kong. More... For residents of Canada only Feb 1 - Apr 30, 17

Other Bonus Offers
AeroMexico Club Premier
- Double Club Premier Points for stays at NH Hotels in Mexico. More... Until Feb 28, 17

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Double Mileage Plan Miles + a free day on Hertz rentals of 6 or more days at participating locations in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. More... Until Jun 30, 17

Hilton HHonors
- 5,000 Bonus HHonors Points PER NIGHT when you stay 3 or more nights at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. More... Until Apr 1, 17

Hyatt Gold Passport
- 3,000 Bonus Gold Passport (World of Hyatt) Points on all eligible stay at the Hyatt Regency Tashkent. More... Feb 1 - Apr 30, 17

Starwood Preferred Guest
- 3,000 Bonus Starpoints for stays in a Savvy Suite at the Aloft London Excel. More... Until ?
- Triple Starpoints for stays at the Element Chandler Fashion Center. More... Until Feb 28, 17
- 2,000 Bonus Starpoints for stays at the Westin Dallas Park Central. More... Until Feb 28, 17

Thai Airways Royal Orchid
- Earn up to Triple ROP Miles for stays at participating Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Apr 30, 17
- 1,000 Bonus ROP Miles on your first hotel booking via the Kaligo mobile apps. More... Until Feb 28, 17
- Earn up to Triple ROP Miles when you book the Linger Longer offer for stays at participating Langham Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Feb 28, 17
- Earn up to Triple ROP Miles for stays at select Mandarin Oriental Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Feb 28, 17
- Double ROP Miles for stays at select Millennium Hotel Worldwide. More... Until Feb 28, 17
- Earn up to Triple ROP Miles for Avis rentals in the USA, Canada, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia.More... Book by Feb 28 for rentals until Mar 31, 17
- Triple ROP Miles when you rent for 2 days or more at participating Budget locations in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia (exclude Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands) More... Until Feb 15, 17
- Earn up to Quadruple ROP Miles when you rent with Hertz Worldwide for 3 or more days. More... Until Feb 28, 17
- Quadruple ROP Miles when you rent with Hertz for 5 or more days in Thailand. More... Until Feb 28, 17

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Marriott's big expansion in Alberta - 5 new hotels opening this year

For the past two or so years Alberta has been hurting. Our economy isn't doing great and there are lots of people who are unemployed. Despite this it hasn't stopped Marriott Hotels from making a big push into the Alberta market with their hotels. I'm guessing some of these if not most of them were planned before the market tanked and also one takes into account what the long term looks like and as with all economic cycles, the Alberta market will rebound. There is already talk that things are getting better as more drilling rigs are operating this month than last year at this time.

Marriott is set to open at least 10 hotels this year in Canada and 5 of those are in Alberta alone along with at least one more in 2019.

The 5 hotels set to open this year in Alberta are:

Element Calgary Airport 

• Opening Date: March 7, 2017
• SPG Category: 4
• Special Opening Offer: Double Starpoints for stays until March 31st!
• The hotel is a fair distance from the airport compared to some other hotels. Is close to Sunridge Mall and other shopping. Easy access to downtown, Calgary Zoo and Telus Spark Science Centre.

Element Edmonton West

• Opening Date: August 2017
• The hotel is well situated for trips to West Edmonton Mall with the ability to drive directly into downtown Edmonton on Stony Plain Road. 

Four Points by Sheraton Edmonton West

• Opening Date: August 2017
• The hotel is well situated for trips to West Edmonton Mall with the ability to drive directly into downtown Edmonton on Stony Plain Road.  

Four Points by Sheraton Grande Prairie

• Opening Date: April 11, 2017
•  The hotel is across the street from Grande Prairie's East Link Centre which is the city's main recreation centre with pools, waterslides, simulated surfing, running track and lots more! 

Four Points by Sheraton Sherwood Park

• Opening Date: March 14, 2017 
• SPG Category: 3
• Special Offer: Enjoy two Best Brews local craft brews every day of your stay and earn Double Starpoints on your stay between Apr 1 & Jul 31 .
• The hotel is ideally situated for East Edmonton businesses and relatively quick access to the Ft. Saskatchewan refineries. 
  

Of course stays at these hotels will earn your base Starpoints and bonus Starpoints with the current Double Take promotion of Double Starpoints will work at the Calgary, Grande Prairie and Sherwood Park locations as that promotion runs until April 15th. 

You'll also earn 2 Starpoints per dollar spent at these locations with the number one ranked Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card or 5 Marriott Rewards Points per dollar spent with the Marriott Rewards Premier Visa Card.

Are you traveling within or to Alberta this year? Do these new hotels intrigue you and make the list of your hotel considerations for those stays?

IHG Rewards Club Pointbreaks Preview - Full list comes tomorrow, booking on Monday

IHG sent out a teaser today of the next set of IHG Rewards Club Pointsbreaks . The full list of over 100 hotels will be revealed tomorrow. We typically see between 4 to 6 hotels in Canada but our fingers are crossed there will be more this time! The actual booking of the hotels at these rates will open on Monday January 30th for stays between that day and April 30, 2017.

Each Reward Night at these participating hotels will be only 5,000 IHG Rewards Club points during the above mentioned dates. Remember the Pointbreaks rules are that a member can only book up to 2 reward reservations per hotel participating in the individual offer (ie 2 at Pointbreaks hotels and 2 at Last Minute Reward Night hotels).  My tip to get around this would be to book 2 reservations with one IHG Rewards Club account and then have your spouse book 2 more etc. Of course this is dependent on both accounts having enough points to redeem for these awards. Also be sure to book these ASAP as soon as the list comes out as once the allotted nights are booked at certain locations those hotels will fall off the list.

Why are IHG Rewards Club Point Breaks such a great deal? Because they offer reward nights at participating IHG hotels Worldwide for only 5,000 Rewards Club points. For those of you not to familiar with IHG Rewards Club , normal redemption rates for Rewards Club reward nights run from as low as 10,000 points for some Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express locations to 50,000 points for ultra-luxurious InterContinental locations and even these locations can participate in Point Breaks. So as you can see you can receive a discount of 50 to 88% off the regular redemption rates. You may be thinking that the high end hotels won't participate but they do depending on the time of year! Please note that like most loyalty promotions these offers are capacity controlled so I advise to book sooner than later to ensure you get the PointBreaks rate. These offers will be bookable via the primary Pointsbreaks page as of Jan 30.

Here is peak at some of the hotels that will be available:

• Hotel Indigo Krakow – Old Town
• Holiday Inn Bangkok Silom
• InterContinental Real Santo Domingo
• Candlewood Suites Anaheim – Resort Area
• Crowne Plaza Tianjin Jinnan
• Holiday Inn Express Louisville Airport Expo Center
• Holiday Inn Frankfurt Airport

Air Canada / Aeroplan: 1,000 Bonus Miles for stays at Best Western Hotels Worldwide

If there is a program you can count on to have lots of options to earn bonus miles for hotel stays its Aeroplan. The next in line is Best Western and Aeroplan members can earn 1,000 more miles per stay as long as you register before hand and set your Best Western Rewards account earning preference to Aeroplan.  Normally BW stays earn 250 miles so with the bonus you'll be looking at 1,250 miles per stay.

Offer details:
1,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for stays at Best Western Hotels Worldwide. Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required)  Until Mar 31, 17

Find many more hotel, car rental and other Aeroplan bonus offers here!

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles: Double Miles in Business or First Class out of Toronto & Vancouver

A few months have passed since we last saw a bonus for flying on Cathay Pacific out of Canada. And as we usually see with their flight bonuses for us they alternate between being available for all classes or only for business/first class. This time it is the latter, if you fly in those premium cabins you can earn double Asia Miles.
 
Offer details:
Double Asia Miles when you fly First or Business Class one way or round-trip from Canada to Hong Kong. Register Online (Registration is required) Feb 1 - Apr 30, 17

If you are not a member yet of Asia Miles they will award 1,000 Asia Miles for joining the program when you register for this offer and complete your flights.

January 24 Update: Tapestry Collection, a new hotel brand from Hilton and up to 40% off Etihad flights out of Canada

News, Tips & Tricks
Canadian North is adding some more routes in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut that they stopped serving back in 2015. These routes will be available for Canadian North Aurora Rewards members to earn and burn on as well as anyone wanting to redeem 'travel anyhwere' credit card points. Flights start in May. (Source Routesonline)

 

Hilton has launched yet another new sub-brand of hotels called Tapestry Collection by Hilton. It is a brand of indepently owned hotels:

Tapestry Collection by Hilton is a gathering of original hotels chosen because of a commitment to being anything but generic. Every place is a reflection of the independent nature of its guests, who want to weave their own story through travel.

As a part of the Hilton portfolio, hotels in the Tapestry Collection by Hilton present guests with an original hotel experience combined with the expected reliability of Hilton, including Hilton HHonors™, the award-winning guest loyalty 

Find out more about Tapestry Collection by Hilton here.


Posts since our last update:

• Working the Choice Hotels Canada bonuses of 1,000 and 5,000 bonus points
  A couple of weeks ago we posted the newest Choice Hotels bonus points offers for stays at select hotels in…
• Double Aeroplan Miles for stays at Fairmont Hotels in North America + $25 hotel credit & up to 20% off
  A new offer is out for Aeroplan members who stay at Fairmont Hotels! Once again we see double miles…

Travel Deals
 

Etihad Airways is offering up to 40% off their flights between Canada and Asia. Book by 30 January 2017, for travel until 10 December 2017. Find out more here.

Canadian Bonus Offers
N/A

Other Bonus Offers
American AAdvantage
- 500 Bonus AAdvantage Miles for rentals of 3+ days at participating Avis airport locations in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Caribbean. More... Until Apr 30, 17
- 500 Bonus AAdvantage Miles for rentals of 3+ days at participating Budget locations in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, and Caribbean. More... Until Apr 30, 17
- Quadruple AAdvantage Miles and save up to 35% when you rent any vehicle for one or more days from Hertz in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, and United Kingdom. More... Until Mar 31, 17
- Quadruple AAdvantage Miles on rentals of a compact car or larger vehicle for three days or longer at all worldwide Thrifty Car Rental locations. More... Until Dec 31, 17

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- 5x Asia Miles for stays at Dusit Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 17
- Triple Asia Miles for stays at at any participating Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, AVANI Hotels & Resorts or PER AQUUM Hotels & Resorts worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 17

Marriott Rewards
- 5,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays in an Executive Room or Junior Suite at the Vienna Marriott Hotel. More... Until Mar 27, 17
- 5,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays Thursday-Sunday nights (Friday or Saturday required) at the JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach More... Until Mar 27, 17
- 4,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at the Courtyard by Marriott Edinburgh. More... Until Mar 26, 17

Starwood Preferred Guest
- 500 Bonus Starpoints for stays on the Grand Opening offer or Bula offer at the Sheraton Resort & Spa, Tokoriki Island Fiji. More... Until ?

Follow Rewards Canada:

Working the Choice Hotels Canada bonuses of 1,000 and 5,000 bonus points

A couple of weeks ago we posted the newest Choice Hotels bonus points offers for stays at select hotels in Canada. They have two bonuses running at the same time. One for 1,000 bonus points per stay or 5,000 bonus points for a stay of 3+ nights. When exploring the offers these bonus points packages do not tack an extra cost like those we see from IHG or Hyatt. Now the packages price out at the best available rate amount which is typically higher than the AAA rate which not everyone can use, the Choice Privilege Member Rate or the advance purchase no cancel no refund rate. We value Choice Privileges Points around a penny each so those 1,000 points would be equal to about C$10.

Comfort Inn Ottawa

The discount rate above is the AAA/CAA rate and the advance purchase rate which is $12 lower than the 1,000 point rate or a better deal than the $10 in points you get. However the bonus points rate is better than the member price and compared to the advance purchase rate the bonus points rate can be cancelled right up to the date of the stay.

Let's look at the 5,000 point rate:

Comfort Inn South Winnipeg

Same pricing as the Ottawa hotel where the discounted rates are $12 less per night. Over 3 nights that is $36 cheaper than the package rate however the package rate gives you 5,000 bonus points worth ~$50 so you are actually coming out $14 ahead with the bonus points package.

In general for a short one night stay you are probably better off with the AAA rate unless you can't utilize that rate. For almost all other situations, unless you want to book a non-refundable no cancellation rate, the bonus points package makes total sense. Perhaps your business travels take you to these locations and you aren't paying for those stays, your employer is, and as they say in the industry the bonus points packages are 'screw your employer' rates where you get all the bonus points but you aren't saving the company any money. In the case of Choice Hotels I wouldn't really call it screw your employer since they aren't charging more than the best available rate. That phrase can be held more for those chains that do charge more than the best available rate to get bonus points or miles.

To find out more about this bonus points packages or to book them see the offer links here:

• 5,000 Bonus Points for stays of 3+ nights at various Choice hotels locations across Canada .Full Details, and online booking Until Dec 31, 17
• 1,000 Bonus Points for stays at various Choice hotels locations across Canada. Full Details, and online booking  Until Dec 31, 1

Remember to also sign up for any Choice Privileges global promotions as those can be earned over and above the points earned on the above packages.

Right now at time of posting this is the current global offer until February 9, 2016:
Double Privileges Points for all stays you complete at participating Choice Hotels Worldwide. Members must book trips via ChoiceHotels.com, the Choice Hotels mobile app, or 800.4CHOICE at qualifying rates. Corporate travelers may book through a travel agent or corporate online booking system. Maximum of 30,000 points awarded. Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required)  Until Feb 9, 2016
 

Double Aeroplan Miles for stays at Fairmont Hotels in North America + $25 hotel credit & up to 20% off

A new offer is out for Aeroplan members who stay at Fairmont Hotels! Once again we see double miles but this time you can add into that a discount of up to 20% and a $25 hotel credit. Participating properties are in Canada, the U.S., Bermuda and Mexico.

Offer details
Double Aeroplan Miles, up to 20% off the Daily Rate and $25 hotel credit per stay for stays at participating Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in North America. Full details and online booking. Until Mar 31, 17

Find more Aeroplan bonus offers here!

January 23 Update: Podcast Episode 14 is out, beVancouver Amex Gift Card offer returns & 20% off Radisson 2+ night stays

News, Tips & Tricks
Monday brings the latest Rewards Canada Weekly Round Up Podcast! Episode 14 was released today and is solely dedicated to our 2017 Canada's Top Travel Rewards Credit Card rankings. We discuss the history of the rankings, why the cards rank the way they do and even answer a couple of questions. You can find the podcast here or download it from iTunes or Google Play!
 
beVancouver's American Express Gift Card offer is back! You can get up to a $125 American Express Gift Card when you book select Vancouver hotels via beVancouver. Each additional night can bring you up to $50 more in Gift Cards. Book and by April 30! Find out more here.

Finally we released another 'Tips & Tricks' post today. We look at how you can maximize the value of the RBC Avion airline award chart. Many of you can probably tell from posts of past and this one that we aren't huge fans of this redemption option with the card but when a good portion of Canadian's hold an Avion card it makes sense to discuss how you can maximize it!


Posts since our last update:

• How to maximize value out of the RBC Avion Airline Award Chart
  The RBC Avion suite of cards is one of a few major programs that runs primarily on a fixed redemption…

Travel Deals

You can save 20% off of a 2-night consecutive stay at participating Radisson hotels Worldwide for Sunday through Thursday stays. Offer is valid until Mar 31. Find out more here.
Participating hotels in Canada:
Radisson Hotel & Conference Centre Calgary Airport
Radisson Hotel Edmonton South
Radisson Hotel & Convention Center Edmonton
Radisson Hotel Red Deer
Radisson Hotel Vancouver Airport
Radisson Hotel Winnipeg Downtown
Radisson Hotel Kitchener Waterloo
Radisson Hotel & Suites Fallsview, ON
Radisson Hotel Ottawa Parliament Hill
Radisson Hotel Sudbury
Radisson Hotel Toronto Airport
Radisson Hotel Toronto East
Radisson Admiral Hotel Toronto-Harbourfront
Radisson Hotel Saskatoon

Canadian Bonus Offers
N/A

Other Bonus Offers
Air China PhoenixMiles
- Earn up to 15,000 Bonus PhoenixMiles Kilometers when you book Air China flights via the Air China app. More... Until Mar 31, 17

American AAdvantage
- Double AAdvantage Miles when you book the Linger Longer offer for stays at participating Langham Hotels Worldwide. . More... Until Feb 28, 17
- Quadruple AAdvantage Miles on rentals of a compact car or larger vehicle for three days or longer at all worldwide Dollar locations. More... Until Dec 31, 17

Avianca LifeMiles
- Earn up to 6x LifeMiles when you rent with Dollar in the Americas or Europe. More... Until Mar 31, 17
- Earn up to 6x LifeMiles when you rent with Thrifty in Canada, Caribbean, Latin America, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and United States. More... Until Mar 31, 17

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- 1,000 Bonus Asia Miles for Europcar rentals Worldwide except in Japan, Canada and the US. More... Book by Feb 12 for rentals until Mar 20, 17


Follow Rewards Canada: