If you are looking to pile up free-night rewards from frequent stay programs when you travel, we’ve found that you can get more bang for your buck staying at a bed and breakfast. Here’s a little test we did:
10 Times Faster Rewards than Marriott
Picking up the phone, we called Marriott Rewards with a standard request to earn a free stay. We asked about booking a $209-per-night room at the Marriott Suites, which would get us a total of 627 points per night. In order to compile enough points to get a free night at their lowest level, we would need 7,500 points. That means we would have to spend $2,500, staying about 11.9 nights in order to get that free night reward.
Let’s compare this to how you can get a free night at a bed and breakfast and also look at a few other added values. When it comes to value, comfort, and individuality, it’s hard to top a good bed and breakfast (B&B) or country inn. And if you really want to make your dollar go further, consider two things:
Right now you can get a free night at any one of 1,560 bed and breakfast inns when you purchase the first night at the regular rate. Why do the do this? Simple. B&Bs and country inns are smaller than your average hotel and they have smaller advertising spends. By offer a free night during certain times of the year, they can incent guests and earn additional exposure for their property.
At iLoveInns.com, the site that runs this free-night program, travelers can save $140 on an average two-night stay. Think about the numbers above that we quoted from Marriott Rewards. How much more can you stretch your travel dollar than using it to spend 11.9 nights in order to get that free night?
The Buy-One-Night-Get-One-Night-Free reward gives you an immediate free night for only one night’s expense. The savings can be up to $650 depending on the B&B you choose.
Second, when you factor in food, the cost of your vacation is further reduced because typically your bed and breakfast room rate includes breakfast as the name indicates. In addition many innkeepers also provide assorted snacks/drinks and business services, such as sending a fax or printing an important document.
Memories and Dollars: More From A Bed and Breakfast Stay
Now that you know you can save more from a bed and breakfast, consider a typical inn and what it provides. For example, look at this California Bed and Breakfast, the Inn at Seventeen Mile drive located in the Monterey Peninsula.
Choose from rooms with views of the sea or garden in the main house of this three-building bed and breakfast. Or, enjoy the oak and redwoods in the chalet and cottage rooms. Unwind in the spa beneath the towering trees or the gardens whose guests also include the occasional deer and monarch butterfly. Maybe sip some champagne near the fountains and koi ponds. With the Buy-One-Night-Get-One-Night-Free program, guests will save anywhere from $145 to $290 at this lovely property.
Hard to beat an excellent experience and an excellent value. When you’re trying to decide how to find that next free-night perk, take a look at a property like that California bed and breakfast. The B&B free-night program is a superb travel value.