Greetings Community Southwest!
SoCalFlyer97 has a full scheduled line up of Southwest Hotels Rapid Rewards Points Plus room reservations all booked up for the next two weeks during this month of October...Five one-nighters at Five different hotels all over California to be exact.
SoCalFlyer97 at Hampton Inn, Riverside - August 2023
As you can tell by the pictures, I frequent all kinds of hotels and different brands with just about all of them booked via Southwest Hotels or RocketMiles depending on which portal and which hotels have the better Rapid Rewards points deal for the buck.
Before anybody asks....No, the purpose of these is not exclusively for points toward Companion Pass. I actually had scheduled business at all of these locations. Same can be said for all five locations currently scheduled.
Based on my needs and preferences, I've booked a mix of both big chain and smaller independent inns as well as both the affordably 'nice' and basic no-frills rooms. Most of my October bookings are in various spots all over SoCal with one hotel booked up north in conjunction with an upcoming Southwest flight to the Silicon Valley at SJC.
SoCalFlyer97 at Motel 6, Redlands CA - May 2023
In the coming days, I'll be posting updates to this subject's thread of the hotel experiences ranging from the booking process, value of points received versus money spent, and the actual stay experience.
SoCalFlyer97 at Silver Sevens, Las Vegas NV - August 2023
For the record, I have never had a major problem with Southwest Hotels although I've read all kinds of differing views and experiences on this discussion board. Southwest Hotels powered by Booking.com has always delivered on my Points Plus bookings with no last-minute reservation surprises at the hotels' front desks without fail.
SoCalFlyer97 at Ontario Airport Inn, near ONT - July 2023
Will this pattern continue?
Hotel #1 will be in Buena Park CA! Stay tuned!
Greetings!
SoCalFlyer97's full scheduled line up of Southwest Hotels Rapid Rewards Points Plus room reservations is underway! Five one-nighters at Five different hotels all over California.
The first of the five stops was this past Friday night at the Buena Park Grand Hotel, formerly an Embassy Suites long ago and a former Radisson property. Now an independent hotel undergoing renovations, this inn is located approximately 1/4 mile from the gates of one of California's known destinations: Knott's Berry Farm.
No, I did not attend Knott's Halloween "Scary Farm". Just had some business early the next morning in the neighboring city of Cypress.
The Southwest Hotels booking process was near-flawless. After booking, I've saved the confirmation data to my computer but the actual confirmation email took a couple of hours to make it to my inbox; that was the only 'glitch' during this transaction. In fact upon check-in, the hotel desk clerk quickly found my reservation and noticed that I locked in one of the best deals for this inn via Southwest Hotels...$139 for the base room rate ($158 after taxes) on a Friday night in a busy tourism area...about $50 less than the hotel's regular rate. The booking supported free cancellation up to 48 hours prior. The Points Plus Reward was also 2,000 Rapid Rewards points (about $30 in flight value). Total cost for me at a tourist hotel on a Friday night minus the return-on-points was $128.
For the record: The hotel took an incidental deposit of $150 and included free parking for one car. No resort fee. Additional cars $15/night. My detailed review of the experience should be posted to TripAdvisor within the next couple of days entitled "Classic Luxury Suites Open During Construction".
I received a good question:
@bec102896 wrote:
Have you ever thought about booking hotels though a hotel loyalty program to earn those points and get status for free upgrades and other perks?
I have looked into hotel loyalty programs but have decided that the loyalty goes to Southwest because of the generous return in Rapid Rewards points.
Whenever I "airline" shop between my destination cities, Southwest almost always has the best value in my searches, especially with the flexibility of having multiple direct flight departures per day between my city pairs and the ability to travel out in the morning and return on the same day. The point-to-point system is a big factor. The other discount carriers don't even come close. Combine that with the open seating and generous baggage policies...and more recently, A-List.
Hotel shopping is different for me. I'll sometimes need to stay in areas where one paticular brand may not serve or is priced beyond what I would pay for elsewhere. Also, for very quick one-nighters, a simple no-frills booking will do.
E.g. If I had Hilton loyalty, the closest Hilton hotel for my Buena Park/Cypress stay would have been a DoubleTree hotel just blocks north of the Buena Park Grand Hotel but they also wanted over $270 plus taxes for the room.
To be fair and for the record, Hilton awards 10 points per dollar spent. That would have meant 2,700 points awarded for the $270 spent had I booked that way. However, their point value is about 1/2 cent per point toward a hotel purchase whereas Southwest's Rapid Rewards is about 1.5 cents per point toward a flight purchase. That meant the DoubleTree total cost would have been about $310 cost less 2,700 points ($13.50 value) = $296.50 net cost.
Up next...An overnight weekday stay in the Bay Area somewhere near the SJC airport.
Enjoy!
Greetings!
SoCalFlyer97's full scheduled line up of Southwest Hotels Rapid Rewards Points Plus room reservations continues! Five one-nighters at Five different hotels all over California.
The second of the five stops took place during my trip to SJC at the Wyndham Garden San Jose Airport under a decent deal through Southwest Hotels: 2,000 points for $109 room ($126 after taxes).
The Southwest Hotels booking process was perfect. That's two for two!
The hotel's check-in had about a 10-12 minute line queue when I walked in the door (not sure what choked up the process) but there were zero problems when it was my turn to check in at the desk. They found my reservation, took an incidental deposit of $100, checked my ID, and I was good to go. Stay includes free parking for one car (though I didn't drive one for this stay...used their free shuttle service to/from SJC instead)...
Had a pleasant experience there but don't even think about trying to park on the property unless you're a registered guest with a parking pass. They enforce the guest parking rules and they will tow if you're not entitled to be there.
A TripAdvisor review is forthcoming on the detailed hotel experience. But that's two for two for Southwest Hotels booking!
Up next...Hotel #3 is back in SoCal. Staying over at a place not too far from ONT. Will Southwest Hotels deliver once more without problem? Stay tuned!
Greetings!
SoCalFlyer97's October line up of Southwest Hotels Rapid Rewards Points Plus room reservations continues! Five one-nighters at Five different hotels during this month...
The third of the five stops is just about everybody's favorite no-frills stop...Motel 6.
I stayed at the budget inn located in Corona CA, not too far from ONT.
Motel 6 has its own loyalty program known as My6 and they tried to rope me into signing up with a 5%-off offer for a $62 room when I was doing my hotel shopping. However, I've still opted to book via Southwest Hotels as the latter offer was a 500 Rapid Rewards bonus for the $62 weekday base room rate with free cancelation. Paid only $69 total for the stay after taxes. Rewards payback value toward future airfare is about $7.50 or a 12% return, more than twice the value of the My6 deal.
The Southwest Hotels booking process was glitch-free again! That's three for three! They located my reservation on check-in day and checked my ID. No incidentals deposit. Since I prepaid, got the room in less than two minutes of walking in the lobby door.
It looked like local motel staff were trying to emulate Southwest staff on taking care of their customers. They have a good crew over at Corona who takes care of the motel guests, but what about the motel's location and overnight safety? A TripAdvisor review is forthcoming on the detailed motel experience.
Up next, Hotel #4. This time, in San Diego which is not too far from SAN. Spent the night on a Friday for Saturday morning function in the Pacific Beach area; SoCalFlyer97 dodged the surging weekend tourist rates via Southwest Hotels. Did SW Hotels deliver four for four by not glitching up the booking process? Stay tuned!
Greetings Community Southwest!
SoCalFlyer97 is nearing the end of the Five One-Nighters at Five Points Plus Hotels, all booked for the month of October, all booked via Southwest Hotels.
Hotel #4 of #5 was in the San Diego area not too far from all the tourist and resort destinations at a little place called the California Suites Hotel. How many of you heard of this humble spot?
Southwest Hotels posted a $102 room rate on a Friday night located only 10-15 minutes away from Mission Bay with free cancellation and 2,000 Rapid Rewards points. In a safe part of town too just west of the Kearny Mesa business district. Sold!
Flawless booking! Flawless check in! Zero incidentals deposit. I'm now at 4 for 4 with successful Southwest Hotels transactions. Noticing a pattern?
The review of the detailed hotel experience is posted to TripAdvisor.
The Final hotel for this October series is near the ONT airport (no I do not have a flight there; just some business in that area through the weekend).
Will Southwest Hotels fulfill its promise for the fifth time this month? Stay tuned!
Now to respond to the mail:
@jksobonya Wrote:
Loving this! I'm so glad someone else uses Southwest Hotels as much as I do lol
I almost always book through them, unless I'm in Vegas/AC, where I book direct with MGM or Caesars. I had several Hyatt direct stays last year due to their partnership with MGM and a status match to Explorist, but MGM is transitioning to Mariott for partnership now, so that changes things. If I'm ever staying at a Holiday Inn or wherever, I go through Southwest.
--Jessica
@jksobonya My last hotel stay in Vegas involved both Southwest and Southwest Hotels. Yes, with SW Hotels, you're not locked in with the major brands. You can go independent and find some unique deals that are Points Plus. Stayed at the Silver Sevens which was less expensive than the budget motels even after taxes and resort fee!
Greetings Community Southwest!
SoCalFlyer97 has made it to the final hotel of the Five One-Nighters at Five Points Plus Hotels, all booked for this month of October, all booked through Southwest Hotels.
Hotel #5 of #5 was in the heart of the Ontario Mills Mall region near the ONT Airport. A little mix-up occurred during booking as I had intended on booking a room at the Ayres Hotel in that area thanks to a 3,000 Rapid Rewards points offer for a one night's stay. That plan ran into a little roadblock due to an name change at the originally booked location combined with Ayres relocating its Ontario operations literally one land parcel to the west.
In short, Southwest Hotels did not fail me. Here's what happened:
A few months ago, Ayres Hotels closed their Ontario Mills location and sold the property to Best Western. At the time when I booked the room via Southwest Hotels, the reservation location reflected the Ayres Hotel.
What caused the goof-up was Ayres moved its Ontario location literally to the hotel property next door. So naturally, on arrival day when I punched in the hotel address from the confirmation email and made my way toward the Ontario Mills Mall area, as I got closer to the destination, I went to the property that had the name "Ayres" installed on the hotel building.
Upon attempting to check in at the current Ayres location and learning that my name wasn't on their list, I gave them a copy of the reservation details so they can resolve. The hotel staff quickly identified the likely cause was due to the move, got Best Western on the phone, and confirmed my reservation was in fact successfully booked for their old building, now the Best Western. Ayres staff also informed me that a few other guests who booked third party in advance like me also had similar issues with being booked at the 'Old' Ayres next door but intending on staying at the 'New' Ayres.
I made my way over to the Best Western and when I got to the desk, my name was there! It was a smooth check-in. They collected a $100 incidentals deposit.
Thankfully, since the name and ownership change was very recent, most of Ayres' European-themed amenities were still at the older property but under the Best Western brand...and yes, I got my 3,000 Rapid Reward points which is about $45 in value toward future airfare. I left a review of the experience on TripAdvisor.
So there you have it...Five One-Nighters at Five Points Plus Hotels. Other than the name-change issue at my last hotel in Ontario, the Southwest Hotels booking process was near flawless. During these stays during the month of October, I was able to attain the following points:
- Buena Park Grand Hotel (near SNA): 2,000
- Wyndham Garden San Jose Airport (near SJC): 2,000
- Motel 6 Corona: 500
- California Suites Hotel, San Diego (near SAN): 2,000
- Ayres Hotel (now Best Western) Ontario Mills (near ONT): 3,000
- Total 9,500 (approx. $143 in value toward future airfare)
That being said, I think Southwest Hotel's Points Plus properties adds huge value to the Southwest Rapid Rewards program. Likewise for the Rocket Miles booking portal in partnership with Booking.com. One does need to be mindful of potential base room mark-up's on such properties and should factor that in while hotel shopping.
When I booked these rooms, I certainly checked to make sure the return-on-Rapid Rewards points value (approx. $0.015/point) when factored into the posted room rate brought the total cost of the room to either equal to or less than the lowest price on the market with free cancelation.
This experience showed me that both Southwest Hotels and its sister site Rocket Miles are legit booking portals and great sources to get some generous amounts of Rapid Rewards points good toward future flights.
If you're in need to "buy" some extra points, short on Companion Pass Points, or have some Southwest Airlines trips lined up, I would consider Southwest Hotels as an option.