When Does It Make Sense to Choose Rocketmiles Instead of Your Favorite Hotel Brand?
March 2016
We always suggest you stay with the hotel companies to which you are most loyal. That’s what trvlvip is all about, because traveling loyally leads to luxurious vacations for less! And by doing so, you’ll enjoy all the wonderful perks of loyalty.
And most of the major hotels now provide members with discounted prices and special packages and offers to book direct - making it very difficult for third-party hotel booking sites to compete on price alone. And when you do book with a third-party site like Rocketmiles, TripAdvisor, Expedia or Travelocity, you often forgo the ability to earn Elite night credits, Elite perks and hotel loyalty points.
But, for those times when the hotels within your preferred brand are sold out or too expensive, when you love a specific non-chain hotel, or when you have an event scheduled at a hotel that is not part of your favorite loyalty program, then Rocketmiles is an excellent option to consider!
With Rocketmiles you earn thousands of miles with your favorite airline for each night of your hotel stay and often with competitive hotel prices. And your first-stay bonus is typically up to 3,000 airline miles plus you’ll also earn up to 10,000 airline miles per night.
While Rocketmiles has a limited number of properties in any given market compared to robust booking sites like Expedia or Travelocity, if you can find a hotel that interests you, the price is competitive, and you have a chance to earn thousands of airline miles - Take it!
Let’s look at an example:
I am loyal to Hyatt and Starwood, but love the The Edgewater Hotel, in Seattle. Rocketmiles is offering this hotel for a refundable nightly rate of $236 plus tax and will reward me with 7,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles (my preferred airline) for my two-night stay. This includes a 3,000-mile Alaska Airlines bonus for my first Rocketmiles booking and 2,000 miles for each night of my two-night stay.
Those 7,000 Alaska Airlines miles are worth $140 because we value Alaska Airlines miles at 2 cents per mile.
On The Edgewater Hotel’s website, the cost of the same room type (Standard Room City View) for the same dates is $249 plus tax per night, which is actually $13 more than the Rocketmiles daily rate of $236 plus tax! So, I am better off using Rocketmiles to book this stay because I enjoy a lower rate and $140 worth of Alaska Airlines miles! And even with the the AAA rate of $199 plus tax, saving me $74 for my two-night stay, I am still better off booking with Rocketmiles because of the 7,000 Alaska Airlines miles I will be awarded worth $140!
So how do you sign up for Rocketmiles?
It’s easy to sign up! All you have to do is input a valid email address, choose a password and add in your favorite airline reward program details. With close to 40 airline partners or your choice of an amazon gift card or Amtrak Guest Rewards, you have lots ways to enjoy rewards for your hotel stays!
For more information, check out the Rocketmiles FAQs.
The Wrap-Up:
At trvlvip we value airlines miles at 1.5 to 2 cents per mile, so for each thousand miles you earn with Rocketmiles for your hotel stays, you’ll enjoy $15 to $20 of value!
But always remember, hotel company loyalty leads to luxurious travel for less. Most major hotel companies like Starwood, Hilton and Marriott, reward their loyalty program members for booking direct with discounts, Elite stay credits, bonus points and other perks, so it’s always prudent to check the prices and compare the rewards before booking. These companies will almost always be less expensive when you book directly on that hotel company’s website.
But when your favorite hotel is sold out or too expensive, if you love a specific boutique hotel, or when you have an event scheduled at a hotel that is not part of your favorite loyalty program, Rocketmiles is an excellent option to consider as long as the price is competitive.
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