A really great promotion for hotel accommodation in Vancouver has returned. Unfortunately, it currently only applies to stays up to June 15, 2021. In light of the ongoing Covid situation, it doesn’t seem likely that many folks will be planning trips to BC anytime soon unless case numbers come down relatively quickly. Regardless, I’d like to highlight the importance of collecting hotel points at every available opportunity, including through promotions like this one.
StayVancouverHotels Promo Details
Guests receive Visa prepaid gift cards when booking a stay at a participating Vancouver hotel through the promotion link.
- Stay 1 night, get a Visa gift card for $50, $75, $100 or $125 depending on the hotel
- Receive an additional $50 Visa gift card per night for up to 4 subsequent nights
You may choose to apply the value of the gift cards to the bill at checkout or keep them for future use. It is not necessary to book the room using a Visa credit card. You may make up to three eligible bookings and can stay up till June 15, 2021 but the deal may sell out before then. Rates are cancellable up to 48 hours before check-in.
Earning Loyalty Points
It has come to light after previous rounds of this promotion that if you contact the hotel and have your membership number added to the booking, it’s quite possible you’ll earn points on the stay. Typically, bookings made through a third party are not qualifying stays per the terms of the program, but apparently these reservations are effectively direct bookings using standard rates.
Even when booking directly, if it’s a heavily discounted/promotional rate, it might not be qualifying. When I recently wrote about the InterContinental Montreal deal from Travelzoo I mentioned that I assumed the stay would be non-qualifying despite booking through IHG due to the substantial discount.
Still, it’s always a good idea to add your membership number and hope for the best. And definitely make sure you’re registered for any promotions offered by the program that would otherwise be applicable to the stay.
The anecdotal evidence I’m aware of for promotions like the Vancouver one has only involved Marriott and Hilton hotels so there is no guarantee that it will work for all loyalty programs but I’d say the chances are reasonably good.
A Budget Example: Wyndham Rewards
If you’re looking for the cheapest option with the Vancouver promo, you’ll see the Days Inn – Vancouver Downtown showing up with some of the lowest rates.
The Days Inn brand is part of Wyndham Rewards. It’s not one of the most popular hotel loyalty programs among points enthusiasts but it is certainly one of the most unusual. Against a growing trend toward dynamic reward pricing, it stands out for having only three redemption levels: 7500, 15,000 or 30,000 points per night, referred to as Go Free rates. In addition, there is a corresponding Go Fast rate which is a cash + points option offered at many properties. (Just be warned there is a 4 year expiry date on all points).
A three night stay at The Days Inn Vancouver over the Victoria Day long weekend would be $348.99 with tax and you’d receive $150 in Visa gift cards ($50 for the first night and another $50 each for the second and third nights).
The earning rate at Wyndham Rewards hotels is 10 points per USD on the room rate before tax so you’d get approximately 2352 base Wyndham points if my math is correct.
At the moment, Wyndham Rewards has a promotion where you earn bonus points as follows:
- Stay 1 night, get 1000 bonus points
- Stay 2 consecutive nights, get 3000 bonus points
- Stay 3+ consecutive nights, get 7500 bonus points
Register by May 28, 2021. Stay by May 31, 2021. Check the terms and conditions for full info.
Therefore, your 3 night stay at the Days Inn should earn a total of around 9852 points after you factor in the promotion bonus.
Although the Wyndham promo is touted as “Stay 3 Nights, Get a Free Night” the reality is that hotels at the 7500 point level are far fewer in number than those at the 15,000 level and more likely to be of questionable quality. For that reason, I’m going to focus on what savings you could achieve by putting those 9000+ points toward three nights on a Go Fast rate at a well reviewed Wyndham property.
One can easily locate Wyndham properties by filtering by destination, brand, amenities and point level.
Because you can often book upgraded rooms with a Go Fast rate, I checked rooms above standard where possible and listed the average nightly flexible and Go Fast rates for random 3 night stays in October 2021.
(Note that I did not do any research on whether these are reasonable rates for the destination compared to other lodging options. I was just interested in the potential to save money using the Go Fast rate at a few 15,000 point Wyndham properties.)
Dolce By Wyndham Attica Riviera
Deluxe Room Sea View
Wyndham Rewards Member Rate Flexible – 156 EUR
Wyndham Rewards Go Fast Rate – 115 EUR plus 3000 points
9000 points from the Vancouver stay would save a total of 123 EUR over 3 nights.
Dolce by Wyndham Sitges Barcelona
Superior Mediterrani Room, Sun Terrace with Sea Views
Wyndham Rewards Member Rate Flexible – 170 EUR
Wyndham Rewards Go Fast Rate – 125 EUR plus 3000 points
135 EUR saved by redeeming 9000 points.
Wyndham Grand Crete Mirabello Bay
Bungalow Sea View
Wyndham Rewards Member Rate Flexible – 189 EUR
Wyndham Rewards Go Fast Rate – 139 EUR plus 3000 points
150 EUR saved by redeeming 9000 points.
Ramada Suites by Wyndham Zen Quarter Darwin
Executive Apartment, City View
Wyndham Rewards Member Rate Flexible – 146 AUD
Wyndham Rewards Go Fast Rate – 113 AUD plus 3000 points
99 AUD saved by redeeming 9000 points.
Ramada Suites by Wyndham Queenstown Remarkables Park
1 King Bed Studio Apartment
Wyndham Rewards Member Rate Flexible – 185 NZD
Wyndham Rewards Go Fast Rate – 144 NZD plus 3000 points
123 NZD saved by redeeming 9000 points.
TRYP by Wyndham Maritime Fort Lauderdale
1 King Bed Fitness Room
Stay Longer & Save Rate – $118
Wyndham Rewards Go Fast Rate – $97 plus 3000 points
Whenever there is a discounted rate for staying three or more nights the savings will of course be a bit less, as here where it’s $63 USD.
Microtel Inn & Suites Mont Tremblant
2 Queen Beds
Wyndham Rewards Member Rate Flexible – $125
Wyndham Rewards Go Fast Rate – $97 plus 3000 points
You could save $84 by redeeming 9000 points, but if you have a CAA membership you’d get a lower rate than the member rate so the savings would be a little less.
Final Thoughts
There are over 8000 hotels around the world in the Wyndham Rewards program so it makes sense to be aware of the possibilities and take advantage of any opportunity to accumulate points. Later on, if a Wyndham hotel fits your needs and a few thousand points can bring the cost down significantly, it would certainly be convenient to have some on hand. It might enable you to save your other points for a higher value redemption in the future.
Assuming a booking under the StayVancouverHotels Visa gift card promo qualifies, the points you’d earn would certainly add more value to the deal. Or, if you happen to have a stay coming up before May 31st at a Wyndham property elsewhere, remember to register for the promotion even if it’s not a hotel loyalty program you ordinarily care much about.
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