Find a deal on spectacular hotel rooms, such as Hotel Vestibul Palace in Split, Croatia. Photo by: Evan Berman

Every year the US Travel Association publishes a list of deals for travel. Most are uninteresting or niche, though there are some gems. Let’s dive into the deals we already know about. I will provide commentary on some of the more appealing deals. Keep in mind that you may sign up to receive email reminders for when the sale begins. For the more popular ones such as the Marriott gift cards discounts, it is recommended you are ready to purchase at 1pm ET.

Monday, April 15th:

Hilton points are available for a half cent per point. You can purchase:

• 30,000 points for $150
• 100,000 points for $500
• 250,000 points for $1,250

Keep in mind that nearly every month, you are able to purchase Hilton points for 0.5 cents per point. One caveat is that the 250,000 point limit is higher than your typical 160,000 point limit and as such can be very helpful if you are planning a luxurious vacation such as Hawaii, the Maldives, or a similarly expensive location. In general, I view Hilton points as worth under 0.5 cents per point and really only purchase them when I need more for a good redemption. I have found that you can get terrific value during large events. For example, when I went to the Kentucky Derby in 2022, I redeemed 60,000 points per night instead of paying well over $600/night. In general, however, it is hard to get more than 0.5-0.6 cents per point in value from Hilton points so buyer beware!

This deal is worth pursuing, but Hilton often sells points at the same half cent price point. Don’t buy unless you have a specific use in mind.

Tuesday, April 16th:

IHG points are available for a half cent a piece. So, you can purchase:

• 2,500 points for $12
• 5,000 points for $25
• 25,000 points for $125
• 50,000 points for $250
• 100,000 points for $500

IHG is the “Big Four” hotel chain (Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, and Marriott) that I use the least frequently. The points can be purchased for 0.5 cents per point regularly like Hilton, though these offer generally appear every other month rather than monthly. IHG points can be quite useful in some circumstances at high end and low end properties (Kimpton and Intercontinental hotels or inexpensive Holiday Inns) but overall their loyalty program does not meet my needs, given the lack of elite recognition and the difficulty in earning points. You may feel differently, however and if so the good news is this deal should be around for a while!

Wednesday April 17th:

If you are a fan of MGM Resorts, this one is for you! There are packages available starting at $1,000.

• 3 packages for 2 nights in a suite, dinner, and a show: Getaway at New York for $1,000
• 8 packages for 3 nights in a suite, dinner, and a massage: The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas for $1,700
• 5 packages for 3 nights in a suite, dinner, a show, and a massage: The Magic of Luxor for $1,050
• 5 packages for 2 nights in a suite, dinner, a show, and a massage: Skyloft Suite at MGM Grand for $2,000
• 5 packages for 3 nights in a suite, dinner, a show, and a massage: Getaway for 2 at Mandalay Bay for $2,250

This one is shall we say not for me. I think for that value, you can put yourself up in a (nicer) 5-star hotel and eat at a Michelin Star restaurant. This one will likely be around for the entire Daily Getaways if you are interested.

Thursday, April 18th:

The Universal Day is today! Here are the available packages:

• 86 packages of 2 Universal Express Tickets for $457
• 40 packages of 2 3-Day 3-Park-to-Park tickets for Universal Studios Florida, Universal Islands of Adventure, and Universal Volcano Bay for $696
• 5 packages of vacation packages for 4, including round-trip airfare, 3-night hotel stay in Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort at Universal Orlando Resort, and 3-day admission to Universal Studios Florida, Universal Islands of Adventure, and Universal Volcano Bay for 4 people for $3,360
• 4 packages of 1-day 2 Park-to-Park admission for up to 5 people at Universal Studious FLorida and Universal Islands of Adventure, 1 pre-scheduled 7 hour non-private vip Experience tour of both universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure theme parks including: priority entrance at select rides, 1 complimentary breakfast per person, 1 complimentary lunch per person, 1 Universal Express Unlimited pass per person, which allows unlimited express ride access at participating rides and attractions in both Universal Studios Florida and Islands of adventure on the same day as the tour, a VIp lanyard, behind-the-scenes experience, complimentary valet parking pass, and 10% VIP discount at select merchandise locations for $2,096

As someone who grew up in Florida, Universal is better than Disney but not by much. If Universal is really important to you and you value being a VIP… I still wouldn’t recommend this option.

Friday, April 19th:

The other Florida parks! There are 3 options today:

• 500 packages of SeaWorld or Busch Garden Tickets for $60 (includes admission for 1 person to one of the following: SeaWorld Orlando, SeaWorld San Diego, SeaWorld San Antonio, Busch Gardens Tampa, or Busch Gardens Williamsburg)
• 150 packages of visits to any of the following parks: SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay or Adventure Island for $80
• 19 Packages of 1 Discovery Cove All-Access (30 minutes dolphin interaction, breakfast and lunch, unlimited food and beverages, swim, and snorkel gear, towels, sunscreen, and complimentary lockers, shower amenities, free parking at Discover Cove, 14-day ticket to SeaWorld and Aquatica Orlando for $225

It seems that the latter 2 could represent good values if you are big into SeaWorld. For me, it’s a hard pass, but I could see how these could represent excellent value!

Monday, April 22th:

Viva, Las Vegas! This selection offers the following options:

• 5 “Escape for 2” packages at the Park MGM: 2 nights in a suite, 2 tickets to “O” by Cirque du Soleil, 1 dinner for 2 at a restaurant of your choice at MGM ($300 max, excluding gratuity for $1,000
• 8 “Stay, Play, and Relax at ARIA”: 2 nights at a suite and 2 50-minute massages for $1,875
• 2 “Stay and Play and the Excalibur” packages: 4 Night Resort Tower Room stay at the Excalibur, 2 tickets to Tournament of kings, dinner for 2 at the TAP Sports Bar ($200 max, excluding gratuity), dinner for 2 at Buca di Beppo ($200 max, excluding gratuity), 2 passses for the buffet at Excalibur excluding gratuity for $1,000
• 5 “A Suite & a Show at Bellagio” packages: 3 nights at a suite in the the Bellagio, 2 tickets to Cirque du Soleil, 1 dinner for 2 at any restaurant in the Bellagio ($500 max, excludes gratuity), and 2 spa treatments for $2,000

None of these are my cup of tea. From the location to the restrictions, I cannot ever see myself in one of these situations, but you might. If so, there is some value to be had especially if you can max out the dinner options!

Tuesday, April 23rd:

Here we go, one of the few good options. The following Marriott gift cards are available:

• $100 gift card for $80
• $250 gift card for $200
• $500 gift card for $400

While you will need to login at 1pm ET on the dot and hope for the best, this is a good option. If you stay with any frequency in Marriott properties, this is essentially free money!

Wednesday, April 24th:

There is only 1 deal on this day: buy 10,000 Best Western Points for $55. This is a decent deal but only if you stay in Best Western’s with any frequency.

Thursday, April 25th:

There are 2 deals for the Venetian Resort; 15 packages of 3 nights in a Grand King Suite for $1,200 or 3 nights in a Grand One Bedroom Suite for $1,300. If you would be staying at the Venetian regardless, this could be a good deal. That said, even in those circumstances, make sure to compare the price versus this package as it could be a good value. However, I will also be passing on this one.

Friday, April 26th:

Keeping with the Las Vegas theme, we turn to the Caesars properties to wrap up the 2nd week. There are 10 packages of the following (except for the Caesars Palace property which has 12 available):

• 2 night getaway at Harrah’s Las Vegas for $800 which includes the room and dinner for 2 at Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen,
• 2 nights in Reno The Biggest Little City which includes the room and dinner for 2 at La Strada for $800,
• 2 night Parisian Escape in Las Vegas which includes the room and dinner for 2 at Martha Stewart’s the Bedford for $1,000,
• 3 night luxury getaway at Caesars Palace which includes the room and dinner for 2 at stanton Social prime for $1,500
• 2 nights at Harrah’s Atlantic city which includes the room and a celebrity chef for 2 at your choice of restaurant at Harrah’s (maximum value of $300)

This set of offers does not mean anything to me but I suppose it may be an ok value for you. That said, you can often do better by booking what you want directly.

Monday, April 29th:

Here is the second decent deal of the year. Choice points can be useful, especially in Japan and Scandinavia. While the majority of the properties are nothing to write home about, I enjoy my stay in Norwegian Choice (now Strawberry) Hotels as well as some Cambria hotels. Some of my stays were Clarion Hotel With and Hotel Aurora in Tromsø, Comfort Hotel Karl Johan in Oslo, and the wonderful Hotel Havnekontoret in Bergen, Norway. Here are the offers:

• 14,000 points for $84
• 28,000 points for $155
• 42,000 points for $220
• 55,000 points for $285 (I will likely purchase this one– at 0.518 cents per point, this is a solid value)

Tuesday, April 30th:

Do you enjoy entering contests where the only requirement is to sign up with a chance to win big? are you a big fan of the lottery? If so, you will love this one! Hyatt points are on sale for as low as 1.2 cents per point! There are frequently chances to get well over 2.0 cents per point from the best hotel points out there. That said, there are a total of 24 packages available. 🙁 As such, just like last year, I anticipate these packages selling out instantly. Get your device ready at 1pm ET and hope for the best! Here are the offers, if you get lucky and can purchase them:

• 30,000 points for $396
• 50,000 points for $660
• 80,000 points for $960

Even the lowest amount is an incredibly 1.32 cents per point in value. This would be quite the steal if you are one of the lucky ones!

Wednesday, May 1st:

How things have changed in a year and not for the better. Last year, I would have been all over an opportunity to buy cheap Wyndham points. Unfortunately, in the meantime Wyndham went from a hugely underrated program to a mediocre option, mostly due to the multiple cuts to the Vacasa partnership. Where you once could choose any property with 1 bedroom or fewer and pay just 15,000 points per night (13,500 with any credit card), now only properties that are all-in below $250/bedroom per night price at 15,000. Anything from $250-$500 per bedroom per night (also all-in) now prices at 30,000 per bedroom per night. Let’s just say those don’t exist in expensive locations such as Hawaii and Florida.

This deal is somewhat decent, but not worth standing guard on your device ready to pounce once 1pm ET hits. Here is the only option:

• 15,000 Wyndham points for $175

I’m still deciding if I want to get in on this deal. I think I would be better off purchasing Hilton points for a luxury hotel stay as opposed to accumulating twice as many Wyndham points as was previously required to redeem for a Vacasa stay.

Summary:

I’ll update this post with the new promotions when they are announced but for now, the above deals are what to plan for. This link takes you to the page with all the opportunities. Are you going to buy any? Personally, I’ll try to get some of the Marriott gift cards and Hyatt points and will be purchasing Choice points. Below, here is last year’s article:

Monday, June 12th:

IHG points are available for a half cent a piece. So, you can purchase:

• 2,500 points for $12
• 5,000 points for $25
• 25,000 points for $125
• 50,000 points for $250
• 100,000 points for $500

This deal is worth pursuing, but IHG often sells points at the same half cent price point. Don’t buy unless you have a specific use in mind.

Tuesday, June 13th:

Hilton points are available for a half cent per point. So, you can purchase:

• 30,000 points for $150
• 100,000 points for $500
• 250,000 points for $1,250

Hilton runs a promotion almost every month where they sell points at this price. Additionally, it is rare to get more than 0.6 cents per point in value from the points. That being said, if you have a luxurious trip coming up, such as visiting the Maldives have interest in staying in some of the nicest hotels in the world, this can be good value– mostly the 250k points for luxurious redemptions.

Wednesday June 14th:

This is the amusement park day. You can purchase the following:

• SeaWorld or Busch Gardens tickets for $60
• Florida 2-park ticket for $80
• Discovery Cove Dolphin Swim Package for $225

Despite growing up in Florida, I haven’t been to any of these parks in years. I assume these are good deals, but am not sure.

Thursday, June 15th:

This day is all about luxury travel. There are the options:

• “Luxurious Getaway to Austin”– 1 night at Fairmont Austin between January and June of next year for $1,250.
• “Luxurious Seattle Getaway”– 1 night at Fairmont Olympic between January and June of next year for $1,750.
• “Lavish Los Angeles Getaway”– 1 night at Fairmont Century Plaza between January and June of next year for $1,750.
• “Luxurious Boston getaway”– 1 night at Raffles Boston between January and June of next year for $2,250.

I would not choose any of these. However, if you really want to stay at one of these properties, this could be a better option than rolling the dice on prices!

Friday, June 16th:

This is the day of the Marriott 20% off gift cards. A note of caution: these WILL sell out quickly. If you’re interested, check at as close to 1pm ET as you can. Here are the options:

• $100 gift card for $80
• $250 gift card for $200
• $500 gift card for $400

These deals are spectacular… and fleeting. They will sell out in a flash.

Monday, June 19th:

This is one of the best deals if not the best deal. You may buy Choice points at deep discounts:

• 14,000 points for $84
• 28,000 points for $155
• 42,000 points for $220
• 55,000 points for $285

I have written in the past about purchasing and using Choice points, particularly in Japan and Scandinavia. Some of my stays were, Clarion Hotel With and Hotel Aurora in Tromsø, Comfort Hotel Karl Johan in Oslo, and the wonderful Hotel Havnekontoret in Bergen, Norway.

Tuesday, June 20th:

This one is all about the Venetian. There are two options:

• Three nights in the Grand King Suite– 3 nights at the Grand King Suite in The Venetian Tower at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas.
• Three nights in the Grand One Bedroom Suite– Grand One Bedroom Suite in The Palazzo Tower at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas.

Both of these are bookable until December 27th, 2024.

Wednesday, June 21st:

It’s Omni-day! The packages give people the chance to book these hotel deals:

• 1-Night Getaway- $235
• 2-Night Gateway- $335
• 2-Night Weekend- $275
• 2-night weekend escape– $245

These do not excite me, but if you enjoy staying at an Omni, this could be a good value.

Thursday, June 22nd:

I’ve said it before and say it again… Wyndham points are incredibly valuable. That being said, buying points at this price is less than amazing:

• 15,000 Wyndham Points for $175

Friday, June 23rd:

The final day of the currently announced dates. The others will follow.

• 10,000 Best Western Points for $55

I rarely stay in Best Westerns, but this deal could be worth it for those who do.

Summary:

I’ll update this post with the new promotions when they are announced but for now, the above deals are what to plan for. This link takes you to the page with the first day’s opportunities. Are you going to buy any? Personally, I’ll try to get some of the Marriott gift cards and will definitely be purchasing Choice and IHG points.