From Utah to Florida: 25 properties you can book for less with Choice Hotels' Sweet Spot Rewards

Earlier this year, Choice Hotels began a new Sweet Spot Rewards promotion. This promotion allows Choice members to enjoy discounted award nights at featured hotels during certain stay dates.

The featured hotels and stay dates change every few months. Currently, featured properties will have discounted redemption rates for nights stayed between Dec. 1, 2022, and Jan. 31, 2023. Here's what you need to know to maximize this promotion.

Choice Sweet Spot Rewards properties

Choice members can book discounted award nights at select hotels for nights stayed between Dec. 1 and Jan. 31. Here's a look at the featured hotels and their discounted redemption rates:

• Comfort Inn Camden in Camden, Arkansas: From 12,000 points per night.
• Sleep Inn & Suites Niceville — Destin in Niceville, Florida: From 10,000 points per night.
• The Port Inn and Cottages, Ascend Hotel Collection, in Port St. Joe, Florida: From 25,000 points per night.
• Sleep Inn Wesley Chapel — Tampa North in Wesley Beach, Florida: From 12,000 points per night.
• Comfort Inn & Suites Jacksonville — Orange Park in Jacksonville, Florida: From 12,000 points per night.
• Quality Inn in Elberton, Georgia: From 10,000 points per night.
• Comfort Inn & Suites in Tifton, Georgia: From 12,000 points per night.
• Comfort Inn & Suites in Goodland, Kansas: From 12,000 points per night.
• Comfort Inn & Suites in Lexington, Kentucky: From 12,000 points per night.
• Quality Inn in Great Barrington, Massachusetts: From 10,000 points per night.
• Comfort Inn in Iron Mountain, Michigan: From 16,000 points per night.
• Studio Z, Ascend Hotel Collection, in St. Robert, Missouri: From 12,000 points per night.
• Quality Inn Homestead Park in Billings, Montana: From 10,000 points per night.
• Norfolk Lodge & Suites, Ascend Hotel Collection, in Norfolk, Nebraska: From 16,000 points per night.
• Quality Inn in Tucumcari, New Mexico: From 8,000 points per night.
• Comfort Inn & Suites in Greenville, North Carolina: From 10,000 points per night.
• 17 West Hotel, Ascend Hotel Collection in Tulsa, Oklahoma: From 10,000 points per night.
• Comfort Inn & Suites Mount Rushmore in Keystone, South Dakota: From 10,000 points per night.
• Clarion Inn Willow River in Sevierville, Tennessee: From 16,000 points per night.
• Quality Inn Bryce Canyon in Panguitch, Utah: From 10,000 points per night.
• Comfort Inn & Suites in Grundy, Virginia: From 12,000 points per night.
• Jackson Park Inn, Ascend Hotel Collection, in Pulaski, Virginia: From 16,000 points per night.
• Clarion Pointe Beckley in Beckley, West Virginia: From 10,000 points per night.
• Sleep Inn Winfield — Teays Valley in Hurricane, West Virginia: From 12,000 points per night.
• Comfort Inn Mount Pleasant — Racine in Racine, Wisconsin: From 10,000 points per night.

As you can see, this promotion includes some hotels near popular destinations. For example, the Quality Inn Bryce Canyon is 17 miles from Bryce Canyon National Park and the Comfort Inn & Suites Mount Rushmore is 3 miles from Mount Rushmore. Also, the 17 West Hotel, Ascend Hotel Collection, is in downtown Tulsa and offers a free 24-hour airport shuttle.

As is typical when redeeming Choice points, you can book various room types for the same amount of points at many hotels. For example, at the Norfolk Lodge & Suites, Ascend Hotel Collection, you can book many room types — including suites with golf course views and rooms with kitchenettes — for 16,000 points per night through Jan. 31.

It's also worth mentioning that each of the featured hotels I clicked on had good guest reviews. Choice may be using this promotion to highlight some of its best-rated properties.

Related: Register for Choice Hotels Your Extras to earn gift cards and other perks on weekday stays

How does Choice price awards?

Choice Privileges doesn't have a typical award chart, nor does it use standard dynamic pricing. Instead, Choice sets award rates for each property based on the date range and the day of the week that you stay.

As such, Choice may have dropped the award rate for these properties even without the Sweet Spot Rewards promotion. Also, some of the properties keep the discounted award rate even after Jan. 31. For example, the Studio Z, Ascend Hotel Collection, is set to charge 12,000 points per night for stays through April 15, 2023.

Note that the Sweet Spot rate listed is the starting rate. Also, the Sweet Spot rate isn't available every day of the week for some properties. For example, you can book the Comfort Inn & Suites Jacksonville — Orange Park for 16,000 points on Friday and Saturday nights and 12,000 points on other nights for stays through Jan. 31.

Related: How to earn points with the Choice Eat & Earn dining program

How to earn Choice points

You have several options if you want to earn more Choice Privileges points.

If you need to earn points quickly, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points or Capital One miles to Choice at a 1:1 ratio. Or, you can transfer Citi ThankYou points to Choice at a 1:2 ratio if you have a Citi Premier® Card or Citi Prestige® Card (no longer open to new applicants). You might also consider buying Choice points.

If you don't need the points to reach your account quickly, you could open a card that earns the transferable rewards mentioned above and meet the minimum spending requirements to earn the welcome bonus. Alternatively, you could open a Choice Privileges cobranded card and earn Choice points directly.

Additionally, you can earn points through various other methods, including the Choice Eat & Earn dining program and stays at Choice properties. If you have an upcoming paid stay with Choice, check whether any current Choice Hotels promotions can boost your earnings.

Related: Choice Hotels plans to acquire Radisson's Americas operation for $675 million

The information for the Citi Prestige card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Bottom line

It's worth looking at the Sweet Spot Rewards list each time Choice announces a new set of featured hotels. After all, the featured hotels are often well-rated properties. So, if any fit into your upcoming travel schedule, you'll save some points and likely have a good experience staying at a highly rated property.

However, since Choice doesn't use an award chart and frequently changes the points price of its properties, I'm not convinced this promotion should be called a "sweet spot." I recommend checking paid rates and calculating your potential redemption rate before redeeming points.

It's disappointing that Choice only offers this promotion to U.S. residents and — at least currently — at U.S. properties. I tend to get excellent value from Choice Privileges points in Europe and Asia, so I'd love to see some of my favorite properties in these regions periodically appear on the Sweet Spot Rewards list.