Choice Hotels announced this week that they were going to continue their sale of points through the September 13 as opposed to the previously set Aug 8 or so deadline. I barely got in on it before the previous deadline, the day before my trip to Norway. Well now since the deal continues on, I wanted to highlight the merits of what is indeed one of the best hotel deals in recent times.
While most U.S Choice Hotels (the Clarions, Quality Inns, and Econolodges) are considered “value” hotels or even motels, their Norwegian counterparts are considered some of the best accommodations in Norway. If you take a glance at TripAdvisor’s rankings, you will notice that Choice Hotels often rank among the highest in many cities across Scandinavia (specially Norway). Just take a look at Bergen:
So during peak tourist season (like now during the summer), many of these hotels go for well over $300 + taxes or 12-16k points/night (depending on hotel).
Instead of say paying $400 for that night at the Clarion Hotel Admiral, you can pay close to 66% of that amount for TWO NIGHTS at the same hotel.
The deal has actually gotten arguably better because any points purchases above 5,000 points get the bonus now as opposed to a few weeks ago where you would only get the 40% if you bought over 32k points or so. This is in my mind an absolute no brainer because stays at Clarion Hotels in Norway include free breakfast and often times a light snack or dinner (as Travis at OMAAT has mentioned).
And if you staying at say the Clarion Admiral like I was, you will have the iconic view of Bergen right at your doorstep. So this is definitely a deal to consider, especially when you want to stay at some of the best hotels in the area at a fraction of the cost.
