| Written by: Rick Fojtik

Hotel Hopping For Award Travelers

The same way many people prefer direct flights, some travelers prefer to reserve one hotel for an entire trip. But that may be shifting. National and global studies indicate a rise in both one-night stays and hotel hopping (changing properties frequently while on a trip). Award travelers have even more incentive to try this trend, as we work to check off hotel credits and free night certificates before they expire. It's not for everyone, particularly if you're traveling with a family or on a tight schedule. But if it works for you, hotel hopping can keep travel costs as low as possible—preserving not just your cash but your points, too. Here are some popular card perks that can help with a hotel hopping plan, plus a real-life example of how I maximized some of them for a recent 13-night itinerary in Thailand.

Cards With Hotel Credits

Several programs can facilitate hotel hopping for award travelers. Here are a few:

Hotel Hopping In Thailand: Two Weeks For Only $214?!

Here's a powerful example of hotel hopping for award travelers: I recently experienced seven different properties in Thailand across a 13-night stay. My total out-of-pocket costs for all of that: $214. I made it happen using various points, certificates and credits, breaking up my trip between Jomtien and Pattaya.

Night 1: Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit

  • Cost: 8,000 Hyatt points
  • This is one I always book for a few reasons: I am tired when I finally arrive in Asia. I can grab a shower, free food in the club lounge with my Globalist status, and then I can get a nap in, or stay the night and start fresh in the morning. For all of that, I consider 8K a bargain.

Nights 2 & 3: Intercontinental Pattaya

  • Cost: $504. I stacked a $250 Edit credit with the newer $250 select hotels credit on my Chase Sapphire Reserve. The total for two nights came to just $4 out of pocket.
  • I booked an ocean view suite. I was given a $100 resort credit to use for food and beverages as part of this benefit, plus complimentary breakfast. I had two options for breakfast in either the restaurant buffet or club lounge.

Night 4: The Standard Pattaya Na Jomtien

  • Cost: Hyatt Category 1-4 Free Night Certificate
  • I went to meet up with a friend and fellow ToP group member. Since he lives in Jomtien, I decided this was a great opportunity to try this hotel. I also happen to love the quieter lure of Jomtien. I saved over $200 on this stay, plus I got a fantastic upgrade.

Nights 5 & 6: Amber Hotel Pattaya

  • Cost: $212, booked via Bilt Travel portal using my $200 Bilt Travel Hotel credit on my Bilt Palladium card. I paid just $12 total out of pocket for two nights.
  • This was a new hotel for me, and I thought it was a great opportunity to use the Bilt perk. This area has brand hotels but also a ton of non-branded hotels, so I didn't mind using the portal. While we recommend caution with portal bookings, it is necessary at times to use the card benefits.

Nights 7 & 8: Amber Hotel (Again)

  • Cost: $228. This time I used my Bilt Cash monthly benefit of $100 to book two nights. My out-of-pocket total was $128.
  • I really liked this hotel and location. So I secured two more nights via Bilt.

Night 9: Holiday Inn Express Pattaya

  • Cost: 9,673 IHG points
  • A low-cost hotel ($68) worked out fine in this situation. I would have done this stay in a different order, but award space was hard to come by.

Nights 10 & 11: Andaz Pattaya Jomtien Beach

  • Cost: One night with Hyatt Category 1-7 Certificate and one night with an Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts credit (FHR).
  • The certificate use made sense since the hotel just had a no-notice change to a category 5, and the cash rate was over $400. I used the FHR credit on the least expensive night, which was a Sunday. I also have Hyatt status, so complimentary breakfast was included. The FHR benefit comes with a $100 resort credit. It's always nice to have dinner onsite.

Night 12: Amber Hotel (Yes, Again!)

  • Cost: Booked via Agoda, using a promo they had ($70) plus stacked via Rove portal earning for an extra 3.4x
  • Yes, I came back again. I had one more night to stay in the area and see friends before heading back toward the airport.

Night 13: Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit

  • Cost: 8,000 Hyatt points
  • I booked this again unsure if my flight would leave late that night or the next day. (I ended up booking a last-minute flight for the next day.) Either way, a cheap airport hotel can always come in handy for a shower, food and rest before a flight.

Total Spend For My Hotel Hopping

Here's why hotel hopping for award travelers can be a particularly useful strategy. Let's break down my 13-night total:

Certificates Used: 2
1 Hyatt Category 1-7 certificate
1 Hyatt Category 1-4 certificate
Points Used: 25,673
16,000 Hyatt points
9,673 IHG points
Card Perks Redeemed: $1,100 In Credits
$500 – Chase Edit/Select Hotels credits
$300 – Amex FHR credits
$300 – Bilt Cash/card benefits
Total out-of-pocket cash: $214

Hotel Hopping For Award Travelers: ToP Thoughts

It may not be for everyone, but hotel hopping can be a sweet spot for award travelers. While I am cutting down on some of my coupon cards much like ToP founders Derrick and Sarah have documented, I still love using what I have benefits wise, whether that's credits, perks or just points and miles. It's pretty amazing to spend nearly two weeks in Thailand and spend less than $220 on lodging. Do you hotel hop? Come over to our Facebook group to share your strategy.