Escape high prices in the US this summer with a 7-night or 58-night Nordic Choice Hotels pass

As U.S. hotel rates surge to record highs, you can still find appealing rates abroad. Even if you only want to travel to Europe, you may find better rates for your summer vacation.

Summer is a pleasant time to visit northern Europe. So, it's somewhat surprising to see Nordic Choice Hotels offer two packages to tourists this summer. Nordic Choice has offered similar packages previously, but now, the deal is back and better than ever.

There are two hotel passes on offer: an up-to-seven-night pass for 595 euros (about $632) and a 58-night pass for 3,000 euros (about $3,188). Both passes are for stays between June 24 and Aug. 21. You can purchase either pass now, but I recommend acting quickly if you want to utilize this promotion as it may sell out. The promotion was first reported by One Mile at a Time.

I'll discuss both passes in this post, including how to decide whether they're a good deal for you.

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Unlimited Nights pass for use on up to 58 nights

With the Unlimited Nights pass, you can get up to 58 nights in a double standard or moderate room for 3,000 euros (about $3,188). If you stay at Nordic Choice Hotels for all 58 nights, that comes out to a cost of $55 per night. Here's a quick look at the details of this promotion:

• You must stay between June 24 and Aug. 21. You cannot let other people use your pass on nights you aren't staying. And you can only book one room per night.
• You can stay up to five consecutive nights at each hotel and up to 15 nights in total at any one hotel.
• You can bring up to one guest with you and up to two children under 9 who don't require extra bedding. For children over 9, you'll need to pay to book an extra bed, which may require you to pay for a room upgrade if the room you booked can't fit the extra bed.
• Breakfast is included at all hotels except for Comfort Hotel Xpress and Glo Hotel Airport.
• You can earn 1,000 Nordic Choice Club points and one qualifying night per night. But other Nordic Choice Club member benefits aren't available.
• Fika and a daily evening meal are included at Clarion Collection Hotels.
• You can't use your pass to stay at Icehotel, Kamp Hotel, Lily Country Club, Son Spa, St. George, The Thief and Yasuragi.

You can buy the Unlimited Nights pass here. And you can check the 209 eligible properties and book stays here.

Related: How to get to Helsinki on points and miles

My Summer Treat pass for use on up to 7 nights

With the My Summer Treat pass, you can get seven nights in a double standard or moderate room for 595 euros (about $632). If you stay for all seven nights, that comes out to a cost of $90 per night. Here's a quick look at the details of this promotion:

• You must stay between June 24 and Aug. 21. You cannot let other people use your pass on nights you aren't staying.
• You can spend all seven nights at one hotel if you wish.
• You can bring up to one guest with you and up to two children under 9 who don't require extra bedding. For children over 9, you'll need to pay to book an extra bed, which may require you to pay for a room upgrade if the room you booked can't fit the extra bed.
• Breakfast is included at all hotels except for Comfort Hotel Xpress and Glo Hotel Airport.
• You can earn 850 Nordic Choice Club points and one qualifying night per night. But other Nordic Choice Club member benefits aren't available.
• Fika and a daily evening meal are included at Clarion Collection Hotels.

You can check the 101 eligible properties here and buy the pass here. And once you have your pass, you can book stays here.

You can use your pass to book stays at excluded Nordic Choice Hotels by booking a rate that requires you to pay on arrival. Then, when you arrive and tell the receptionist you have a Nordic Choice Hotel pass, the staff member will withdraw a night from your pass and deduct 850 Swedish kronor (about $86) from your bill.

Related: From theme parks to power plants, why Denmark is our sustainable destination of 2022

Are these passes a good value?

Tourists heading to Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway or Sweden could easily get enough value from the seven-night pass to justify its cost. After all, you'll struggle to find a centrally located hotel room in many Nordic cities for under $90 per night. But quickly price out how much you'd spend without the pass (in points or cash).

Meanwhile, the up-to-58-nights "unlimited" pass will provide the best value if you want to spend much of the summer in Nordic countries. However, even if you only spend 20 nights with the pass, your nightly cost would only be $159. And you'll pay much more than that per night at some Nordic Choice Hotels.

For example, consider this 20-night itinerary and its typical cost (using the least expensive refundable rates for the best room bookable with the Unlimited Nights pass):

• Nordic Light Hotel in Stockholm: 7,862 Swedish kronor (about $800) for a standard double room on July 1-6.
• Clarion Hotel The Hub in Oslo, Norway: 9,855 Norwegian kroner (about $1,067) for a standard double room on July 6-11.
• Farris Bad in Larvik, Norway (about 90 minutes from Oslo): 14,060 Norwegian kroner (about $1,522) for a standard double room on July 11-16.
• Hotel F6 in Helsinki: 1,145 euros (about $1,215) for a standard double room on July 16-21.

If you booked this 20-night trip without the Unlimited Nights pass, it would cost you $4,604. So, buying the pass would save you money on this trip, And of course, you could get even more value if you stayed for more than 20 nights.

It's worth considering whether you'd get more value by redeeming Choice points or other hotel points for your stays, though. And you should also decide whether Choice Nordic Hotels are a good fit for your trip.

Related: How to get to Denmark with credit card points and airline miles

Earning elite status with these passes

First things first: Nordic Choice Hotels is different from the international Choice Hotels company.

Nordic Choice Hotels doesn't use the Choice Privileges program. Although you can redeem Choice Privileges points to stay at most Nordic Choice Hotels, you can't earn Choice Privileges points or elite nights in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden (which are the countries where Nordic Choice Hotels are located).

So, this promotion won't help you earn Choice Privileges status or points, but you could earn Nordic Choice Hotels elite status and points while using one of these passes. Here's a quick overview of Nordic Choice's elite tiers:

• Blue (no requirements): Minimal perks such as a small restaurant voucher when staying at select brands in select countries.
• Silver (five nights or 15,000 points): Slightly better perks, such as a larger restaurant voucher and 4 p.m. late checkout when available.
• Gold (30 nights or 50,000 points): Upgrades to the best room category when available, 2-for-1 spa entry and 6 p.m. late checkout when available.
• Platinum (60 nights or 100,000 points): Guaranteed upgrade to the next room category at booking and guaranteed late checkout time of 6 p.m.

Of course, Nordic Choice status will only help you when staying with Nordic Choice Hotels after your pass is over. So, unless you plan to continue staying in Nordic Choice Hotels after this summer, having Nordic Choice status will be of limited value.

Related: Why you might want to visit Sweden instead of Norway

Bottom line

Many of the Nordic Choice Hotels are centrally located in major cities, but some serve as a destination in more remote areas.

I've used Choice Privileges points to stay at centrally located Nordic Choice Hotels multiple times. And each time, I've gotten a clean hotel with all the amenities and services you'd expect.

I stayed at the Hotel C Stockholm earlier this month and loved its location, breakfast and on-site ice bar. You'll have to pay extra to visit the ice bar, but you get a discount as a hotel guest and it's a fun experience.

If I didn't have other plans for most of the June 24-Aug. 21 period, I'd likely buy the Unlimited Nights pass and visit 12 different cities across 58 nights with the pass. If you're a student, retired or can work remotely, this pass could be a great way to see Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden. After all, you can easily take flights, trains, ferries and buses between cities.

Meanwhile, the seven-night pass can also provide a good bit of value for shorter trips. However, consider whether you might get more value by redeeming points for your stays.