The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Advertiser disclosure
The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
News
4 situations where booking a one-night hotel stay is worth the effort
Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
August 21, 2021 • 8 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
Related stories
Quick summary
One-night hotel stays can be practical for early departures, late arrivals or to bridge gaps between separate flights.
Short stays are useful for maximizing elite hotel perks, such as late checkout or complimentary breakfast, which are often provided per stay.
Redeeming free night certificates for single-night bookings can offer significant value, especially at high-end properties.
Travelers can also leverage one-night stays to take advantage of certain hotel promotions that reward frequent, short visits.
What to consider
Some hotel promotions now require a minimum stay of two nights, limiting the ability to maximize benefits with one-night bookings.
Elite status can enhance the value of short stays by providing perks like late checkout, but these benefits are typically only granted once per stay.
Free night certificates from hotel loyalty programs can be particularly valuable when used for expensive properties, with some worth up to $400 per TPG's valuations as of June 2024.
What you'll miss from the article
Specific strategies for using one-night hotel stays to maximize elite perks, free night certificates and targeted promotions.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
One-night hotel stays are a hassle. Even ignoring the late arrivals and early departures that often accompany these stays, I lose a lot of time on short stays. After all, getting to the hotel, checking in, unpacking and then repacking takes time.
Even so, I often find myself booking one-night hotel stays. So, today I'll explain four times when I book one-night hotel stays.
Staying near an airport
Airport hotels often have AvGeek-friendly views. (Photo by Brendan Dorsey/The Points Guy)
When I recently visited Walt Disney World on a budget, TPG director of travel content Summer Hull suggested I stay at an airport hotel on my last night to maximize my last day at Disney. I ended up taking a late-night flight instead, but a one-night stay near an airport can often save you money. After all, hotels near airports often require fewer points or cash to book than hotels in more popular areas.
Booking a hotel near an airport often makes a late-night arrival or early-morning departure easier too. For example, when I visited Monrovia, Liberia for Peace Jam in 2019, the conference coordinator highly recommended staying at an airport hotel before my early-morning departure to avoid heavy, unpredictable traffic.
Additionally, I've lived as a location-independent digital nomad for more than four years. And since I continue to chase airline elite status and often can't resist booking flight deals, I frequently book back-to-back trips. However, I've learned to allow 24 to 36 hours between separate tickets to avoid headaches and potential misconnections. As such, I often spend one night at an airport hotel between tickets.
Whether you need to work or want to enjoy the property, the guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout provided to Marriott Platinum and Titanium elites is extremely valuable. (Photo of the Westin Langkawi by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
Some hotel elite perks, such as breakfast, are given on a per-night basis. But other elite benefits, such as upgrades, are easier to snag on shorter stays. And some benefits, such as a welcome amenity or guaranteed late check-out, are only given once per stay.
I wouldn't book a one-night stay solely to have better upgrade changes or earn extra welcome amenities. But I have booked a one-night stay at a Marriott Bonvoy hotel as a Platinum Elite at the end of a trip primarily to utilize the guaranteed 4 p.m. check-out perk.
These programs offer some excellent perks that you can maximize on one-night stays. For example, if I have an early morning arrival into a city, I love booking a one-night stay through Amex FHR to get noon check-in if it's available. Plus, Amex FHR bookings also give me the following perks:
Room upgrade upon arrival, when available at check-in
Daily breakfast for two people
Guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout
Complimentary Wi-Fi
Experience credit valued at $100 or more (usually consisting of a property, dining or spa credit)
Whether I stay for one night or 10 nights, I can only use the late checkout and experience credit once. And in some cases, the value you'll get from breakfast and the experience credit on a one-night stay can justify a slightly higher room rate than you'd typically book -- especially if you have the new Amex Platinum prepaid hotel credit to use. For example, I once got $160 of food and drink included on a $153 Amex FHR stay in Chicago.
These hotel free night certificates can be extremely valuable. For example, based on TPG's valuations, an up to 50,000-point Marriott free night award is worth up to $400. And Hilton's free weekend night certificates are valid at almost every Hilton property worldwide. So, as a cost-conscious traveler, an extra night at a hotel where I'd use these certificates would usually cost more points or cash than I'm willing to spend.
Of course, sometimes my husband and I have two or more certificates we can use to book a stay of more than one night. But, over the last few years, we've redeemed free night certificates for one-night stays at the following hotels:
Hyatt Regency JFK International Airport at Resorts World
Crowne Plaza Athens - City Centre
Each of these stays was memorable, despite only staying one night. Best of all, elite status provided us late checkout on most of these stays. So, in some cases, we stretched our stay to be about 24 hours long.
The Ridgeline Hotel-Estes Park, Ascend Hotel Collection, in Estes Park, Colorado is bookable through Choice. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
Finally, travelers can maximize some hotel promotions by staying in one-night increments. For example, my husband and I recently booked an inexpensive one-night stay at the InterContinental Athenaeum Athens to earn an up to 40,000-point free night certificate through the recent InterContinental Ambassador promotion. However, for this particular stay, we redeemed points on adjacent nights and asked the hotel to keep us in the same room for the entire stay.
But, Choice Privileges frequently offers a promotion where you can earn at least 8,000 points after every two stays. So, I've stayed in a different Choice hotel each night on several trips to New York City. In each case, I took my luggage to work with me each day and earned a little over 16,000 points across four nights.
There are several current hotel promotions you could maximize with one-night stays. For example, you can get a $20 Best Western gift card each night you stay at a U.S., Canada or Caribbean property (limit five gift cards) when you register and stay by Sept. 6, 2021. And targeted members can currently earn 1,000 bonus American Airlines miles per eligible Hyatt night.
But, many programs have wised up to one-night maximizers and now require stays of two nights or more for promotions.
One-night hotel stays can also be great for staycations. After all, especially as the coronavirus pandemic continues to limit travel for some, a staycation can let you rest and recharge (or provide a quiet place away from family and roommates). However, I haven't needed a staycation as I've spent much of the pandemic traveling full-time in an RV. But, now that I'm spending less time in the RV and more time traveling internationally, my one-night hotel bookings are increasing.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
