6 (almost) impossible hotel redemptions you can book now

It's a good time to be looking forward to traveling in 2022. This month, we've seen New Zealand, Bali, Australia and Vietnam take steps to open to tourists once again — a first for these destinations since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

With countries beginning to reopen, now is a great time to start making flexible travel arrangements for later in the year.

Here are six (almost) impossible hotel redemptions that TPG's staff is excited about.

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Why hotel points?

Flexibility

Before we dive into the properties TPG's staff is most thrilled to see award availability at, there are a few advantages to booking on points that are worth pointing out.

First of all, the pandemic is far from over. Though none of us want to see new variants or the closure of borders, any savvy traveler should have a contingency plan in place when making reservations. Now, more than ever, flexibility is paramount.

Hotel award bookings are generally more flexible than cash bookings. In most cases, if you need to cancel your award hotel reservation, your free night awards or points are generally returned to your account without penalty, as long as you cancel before your reservation's cancellation window.

Simply put, nonrefundable hotel award reservations are not all that common.

High cash rates

Early on in the pandemic, cash rates plummeted, which led many travelers to consider saving their airline miles and hotel points for a time when cash prices were back to their pre-pandemic levels. Although there are still many hotels that are offering highly discounted cash rates, the properties with "impossible" hotel redemptions have kept cash prices very high.

So if you can get an award booking at these properties, you've likely found a great deal.

Get your fourth or fifth night free on award stays

With IHG, you can get the fourth consecutive night for free when using points; with Marriott and Hilton, the fifth consecutive night is free when using points. This is a fantastic way to get more value from your points, and at the hotels that we have in store for you, you'll want the extra night.

Related: Quick Points: Get your 4th or 5th night free on award stays

Possible future devaluations

Unfortunately, we've been seeing a spree of devaluations recently from travel companies like Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines.

In the hotel space, there are also a lot of unknowns. For example, Marriott Bonvoy is moving away from its category-based hotel redemptions, and instead, a dynamic pricing model will take their place in March. While we don't know exactly how this will affect its creme de la creme hotels, TPG is preparing for the worst case scenario: an increase in nightly points requirements.

Hyatt also just announced category changes, and they aren't good. The prospect of future devaluations is a compelling reason in itself to use your hotel points now.

The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands

TPG's director of content, Eric Rosen, has his eyes on The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, which is one of the newest hotels in the Maldives.

Our reviewer said the "five-star resort just oozes luxury in a classy, contemporary and restrained way." Cash rates for this hotel are generally around $2,000 per night. On a five-night stay, you can expect to pay $10,000 for the base room rate, while with points, you can stay from 295,000 points for five nights thanks to the "free" fifth night.

There is wide-open award availability at this hotel for rooms that range from 70,000 points per night (off-peak) to 100,000 per night (peak).

It's not hard to get more than 3.2 cents per Marriott point at this property, which is four times our valuation. If you do consider a trip to the Maldives, you might consider traveling outside of May to October to avoid summer monsoons.

Related: It’s all in the details: What it’s like to stay at The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands

Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa

Summer Hull, TPG's director of travel content, stayed at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek last year, and is planning a stay again this year. Ski season is far from over and at this property you can find excellent value for your points, even during peak times.

Cash rates easily go north of $1,000 per night at this hotel but points rates range between 25,000 and 35,000 World of Hyatt points per night.

Although Hyatt doesn't have a fourth- or fifth-night-free perk like IHG, Hilton and Marriott, resort fees are waived when staying on points at Hyatt properties. It's not hard to get more than 4 cents per point at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, which is roughly 2 1/2 times TPG's valuation.

Related: Ski-out luxury on points: A review of the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek

Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills

Although the standard room award availability is limited, it's not keeping strategic travel reporter Benji Stawski from finding a deal at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills.

Standard rooms can be booked for 95,000 points per night, while cash rates start around $729 per night. By redeeming Hilton points to book at this hotel, you're likely to get around 0.8 cents per point, which is 25% higher than TPG's valuation.

Related: 6 things the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills does better than other hotels

InterContinental Bora Bora Resort Thalasso Spa

TPG senior writer Katie Genter is hoping to take advantage of the free fourth night at the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort Thalasso Spa. Although availability for four consecutive nights is rare, if you make it a priority to check regularly, you might be able to find award space.

A four-night stay would require 360,000 IHG points (the fourth night is free), which is no small drop in the bucket, but given that cash rates are over $2,500 per night at this property, you would get nearly 3 cents per IHG point on a four-night stay, which is about six times our valuation.

Related: Worthy of its setting: Overwater bungalow at the InterContinental Bora Bora Thalasso

St. Regis Bora Bora

Since my stay there in June 2021, I've continually had my eyes on a return trip to the St. Regis Bora Bora.

Hands down, it was the best hotel that I've ever stayed in. Cash rates are very high, but it's an excellent option on Marriott points, if you can find availability. Although it's a Category 8 property, most of the nights in February are available on an off-peak basis -- just 70,000 points per night.

Of course, this can be combined with the fifth-night-free benefit, so you can stay at the property for 280,000 points for five nights. Without points, the total cost for this stay would be roughly $3,226.

Even the entry-level room, which is bookable on points, has a total combined indoor and outdoor private space of just over 2,700 square feet. Additionally, there is a private pool. When I stayed at the hotel on points, my Ambassador Elite status landed us an overwater bungalow.

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(Photo by Kyle Olsen/The Points Guy)

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Related: 60,000-point steal: A review of the St. Regis Bora Bora

Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal

With just 115 rooms, the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal is arguably the most deluxe points hotel in Baja California. I enjoyed a dinner at the property in 2017, and the meal was one to remember. We enjoyed fresh seafood to the sound of the waves with a breathtaking outdoor dining setup immediately adjacent to some of Cabo San Lucas' scenic cliffs.

As cash rates start around $1,500 per night, it's no surprise the availability is limited. Still, if you find availability, it will be one of the best redemptions of Hilton points across their network. With standard room rewards, you can expect to spend 480,000 Hilton points, thanks to the fifth-night-free benefit. You would be redeeming Hilton points at roughly 2.3 cents per point, almost four times our most recent valuation.

How to pay for the incidentals on your award booking

Although the bulk of your hotel bill will be covered by your points, you can put incidentals (like food, spa treatments, transportation expenses, taxes and resort fees) on one of these credit cards:

• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Total of 14 points per dollar on Hilton stays.
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card: Total of 11 points per dollar on Marriott stays.
• IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card: Total of 10 points per dollar on IHG stays.
• World of Hyatt Credit Card: Total of 9 points per dollar on Hyatt stays.

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

Related: My top 3 picks for the best cobranded hotel credit card

Bottom line

With any luck, 2022 will prove to be a year of good health, travel and excellent redemptions.

Between added flexibility, high cash rates, the ability to score a free night and risks of future devaluations, now is an excellent opportunity to redeem points at hotels that are nearly impossible to book on points.