While we love using our points for international trips, you don’t need a passport to get amazing value for your points on a memorable hotel stay. From beaches to big cities, there’s value to be had with your points within the U.S., if you know where to look! We’ll show you how to plan a variety of hotel stays with different types of points—all at great value.  Here are seven underrated U.S. hotels bookable with points.

 

A Family Vacation with Hyatt Points 

Branson, Missouri

You can take the family to Branson, Missouri, and stay at the Hyatt Vacation Club at The Lodges at Timber Ridge. This Category 4 hotel ranges in points price from 12,000 to 18,000 points per night for a standard room. You could use a Category 1-4 free-night certificate to stay here. I found cash rates over $300 per night here, making this a great value for your certificates or points. The property offers family-friendly villas that have kitchenettes and private patios.

This hotel offers many things for families to do on site, including an outlaw-themed escape room, s’mores nights, and teddy-bear building. And nearby Branson offers many options for family fun, including parks and a themed amusement park. The property’s pool is currently closed for renovations, but there’s still plenty here for the kids to enjoy (and it’ll be great when it’s complete)! 

 

 

 

 

Visit Chesapeake Bay

If the East Coast is more your vibe, check out the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa, and Marina. This property is in Hyatt Award Category 5 and will cost between 17,000 points and 23,000 points per night for a standard room.

I searched here for a three-night stay next Memorial Day, and the cash cost would be $1,981. But the points price is only 66,000 for three nights. That’s 3 cents per point, which is an excellent value.

While visiting this property, you could take the family on a sunset cruise or a fall hayride. You could also drop the kids off at the kids’ club and get a relaxing treatment at the resort’s spa. For water-loving kids, the hotel offers a waterslide, an outdoor pool, and a heated indoor pool. This gorgeous hotel is situated in the charming and walkable city of Cambridge, Maryland, which also offers plenty of family-friendly activities. 

 

 

 

 

A City Adventure with Choice Points 

New York City

Choice Privileges® points are a bit of an underdog in the points-and-miles world, but if you have them, they can be valuable for all kinds of trips. For example, the Cambria Hotel New York, Chelsea is situated in the heart of New York City, near Hudson Yards, Penn Station, Chelsea Market, and more. While this is not an overly fancy Manhattan property, you probably don’t need one if you’re exploring the city all day. The property offers a rooftop bar if you want to relax after a long day of walking all over the city.

Like Hyatt points, your Choice points will typically go furthest during high-demand periods when cash rates are higher. Over New Year’s, for example, a standard, two-queen room at this hotel would cost $1,420 for a two-night stay—yikes! But you could also book this room for 100,000 Choice points. That would give you a 1.42 cents-per-point valuation, an good value for Choice points. (And if you transferred Citi ThankYou® Points to Choice Hotels, they transfer at a 1:2 ratio, meaning your points value just got even better!)

 

 

 

 

A Beach Getaway with Hilton Points 

Santa Monica, California

When the ocean is calling, use your Hilton points (or our favorite free-night certificates) for a dreamy getaway. Oceana Santa Monica, LXR Hotels and Resorts, is a recently renovated property with gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean. You can relax in a poolside daybed or take a yoga class or a surfing lesson.

This property is pricey, but it can be more affordable with points. If you wanted to stay here from December 26 to 30, the cash cost would be a staggering $6,325. But you could also stay here for 330,000 Hilton points. That’s a fabulous 1.92 cents per point. Although the value is not always that high, I found other dates with a value of around 1 cent per point, and if you’re able to take advantage of a transfer bonus or a free-night certificate, you might find this even more tempting. 

 

 

 

 

Key West, Florida

Casa Marina Key West, Curio Collection by Hilton, is a lovely property in Key West, Florida, that you can book with your Hilton points. This hotel boasts the largest private beach in Key West, two pools, an oceanfront spa offering massages, and much more. For more adventure, you can take a jet ski island tour or a sunset cruise.

As of August, several peak dates right after Christmas were available for 105,000 Hilton points per night. I looked at a three-night stay in a two-queen room for this time period, and the cash cost was $3,457. That’s 1.1 cents per point during peak time. Both stays would be an even better value if you could get the fifth night free (status required) on a longer stay. 

Redeem four nights, get the fifth night free when you redeem points for a consecutive five-night Hilton hotel stay. You can receive a fifth Reward Night free, redeemable at that same hotel during that same stay.

 

 

 

A Nature-Inspired Vacation with IHG Points 

Bozeman, Montana

If the natural beauty and skiing opportunities in Montana are on your travel bucket list, you could stay at the Kimpton Armory Hotel. This award-winning hotel is conveniently located near all that Bozeman has to offer, including skiing, breweries, fishing, horseback riding, and hot springs. The hotel has family-friendly accommodations and offers loaner scooters and bikes for the kids. The property even has its own music venue, along with more typical amenities like a heated rooftop pool.

Over the next Memorial Day weekend, I found a four-night stay for between 53,000 and 64,000 IHG points per night. This stay would cost $1,800 for a two-queen room. But if you hold the card_name or the card_name, you could book the same room for 50,000 points per night (200,000 points total) with the fourth-night-free benefit. 

Redeem three nights, get the fourth night free when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG® hotel stay. You can receive a fourth Reward Night free, redeemable at that same hotel during that same stay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Girls’ Weekend Getaway in Asheville, North Carolina

From food to nature to shopping, Asheville has lots to offer if you’re looking for a friends’ weekend getaway. You could use your IHG points at the Kimpton Hotel Arras in downtown Asheville. This boutique hotel is close to breweries, live music, the city’s arts district, and the Biltmore Estate. And a girls’ getaway would not be complete without a spa, and this Kimpton has one for all your pampering needs.

Over Memorial Day weekend, I found cash rates around $400 per night ($1,616 for the entire stay). Points rates for the same stay were between 41,000 and 56,000 points per night. That’s a solid value for your points even on a shorter stay. But if you stayed four nights and are eligible for the fourth-night free benefit, you could get a better deal. 

Redeem three nights, get the fourth night free when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG® hotel stay. You can receive a fourth Reward Night free, redeemable at that same hotel during that same stay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bottom Line

While we love traveling the world on points and miles, you can also find great deals domestically. Which type of points trip are you planning? Let us know if you’ve stayed at any underrated U.S. hotels that are a steal with points!

 

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