Best hotel/motel chain as timeshare alternative

[WinniWoman]

Does anyone have a hotel/motel chain they like as a timeshare alternative? Looking for atleast coffee maker in unit, breakfast included is a plus and a clever way to take advantage of rewards, perks,etc.

We’ve used Residence Inn a few times.

 

[VacationForever]

While I am lifetime platinum and annual Titanium through MVC ownership, I prefer Hilton's benefits for hotel stays for someone without loyalty status. Get a Surpass card, and you get gold which gets you breakfast or credits that apply to a meal. I also like that the spread and made to order omelettes at Embassy Suites. My status at Marriott/Bonvoy gets me lounge access (free bf/cocktails/evening small bites) and full breakfasts in many locations in Europe and Asia. But if you have no status, go with HIlton.

 

[4TimeAway]

Hilton Amex Aspire- Free Breakfast, room upgrades, a free standard night (Waldor anyone?), plus tons of offsetting billing credits.

Stayed at a few in Italy recently. Have to say, Venice Location is amazing and the breakfast was superb. The bar food, I'd pass on. Got upgraded to a 1 Bedroom Suite for 3 nights. That would have been about $1,000.

 

[djaneczko]

As an alternative, we have bought Wyndham points and used them mainly for Vacasa stays (search for Wyndham for Vacasa and you can find a lot of information).
They periodically run a special on points and you can get 280,000 for $2,600.
For a 1 bedroom on Vacasa it is 15,000 points or 13,500 if you have the Wyndham card. That $2600 will give about 3 weeks $870ish per week.
No long term commitments like a timeshare (so a little less scary), although I think the right TS will give better value.

 

[moonstone]

Several years ago we had to make a rush trip to St. Augustine to make arrangements for emergency repairs to our condo after a flood from upstairs. Our timeshare was not available and we didnt want to have to drive up from Daytona Beach each day. We booked a cheap motel near the condo that had a bar size fridge, microwave and coffee maker and I took my crockpot, electric fry pan, small electric kettle, toaster and single induction burner along with 2 pots that work on it. I also grabbed unbreakable plates, bowls cutlery, cooking utensils, glasses & mugs from our RV to take. All of that packed into a tote bin along with some articles from our timeshare box. I was able to make nearly all our meals with just that stuff. The only problem was lack of fridge/freezer space which required us to shop more often.

I did a similar thing a few years later when we wanted to stay in Detroit (Livonia) to see the Woodward Car Cruise and explore the Ford Museums for a week.


~Diane

 

[Cindy M]

Several years ago we had to make a rush trip to St. Augustine to make arrangements for emergency repairs to our condo after a flood from upstairs. Our timeshare was not available and we didnt want to have to drive up from Daytona Beach each day. We booked a cheap motel near the condo that had a bar size fridge, microwave and coffee maker and I took my crockpot, electric fry pan, small electric kettle, toaster and single induction burner along with 2 pots that work on it. I also grabbed unbreakable plates, bowls cutlery, cooking utensils, glasses & mugs from our RV to take. All of that packed into a tote bin along with some articles from our timeshare box. I was able to make nearly all our meals with just that stuff. The only problem was lack of fridge/freezer space which required us to shop more often.

I did a similar thing a few years later when we wanted to stay in Detroit (Livonia) to see the Woodward Car Cruise and explore the Ford Museums for a week.


~Diane

 

[ABCTravels]

We move frequently and can sometimes live in hotels for weeks-months. My preference in order are:
1- Staybridge (IHG/Holiday Inn) where laundry is free, the bedroom is separate from the living/kitchen, outdoor grills are common, as are reading rooms, and 3 nights a week there is a "social" with food/beverages and daily free breakfast.
2- Home 2 by Hilton- a studio style place where the sitting area is separated from the beds by a curtain but a nearly full kitchen is common and breakfast is free and included. Price is usually very affordable by hotel standards.
3- Residence Inn- Also usually has free laundry and a social a few nights a week with light refreshments.
We are going to be staying at Homewood Suites this summer when we move so we'll see how that works out.

 

[Cindy M]

We move frequently and can sometimes live in hotels for weeks-months. My preference in order are:
1- Staybridge (IHG/Holiday Inn) where laundry is free, the bedroom is separate from the living/kitchen, outdoor grills are common, as are reading rooms, and 3 nights a week there is a "social" with food/beverages and daily free breakfast.
2- Home 2 by Hilton- a studio style place where the sitting area is separated from the beds by a curtain but a nearly full kitchen is common and breakfast is free and included. Price is usually very affordable by hotel standards.
3- Residence Inn- Also usually has free laundry and a social a few nights a week with light refreshments.
We are going to be staying at Homewood Suites this summer when we move so we'll see how that works out.

Helpful. Thank you. There are so many to sort through. The explosion of extended stay options and the positive stays I have had in them, got me thinking about whether the TS commitment is valuable to me at this stage.

 

[Superchief]

Element is another Marriott brand with free breakfast. Residence Inn, Townplace Suites, and Element brands all have kitchens with a two burner cooktop, microwave, dishwasher, and full size refrigerator. I have cooked many a vacation meal in a Marriott Residence Inn. Homewood Suites and Home 2 Suites also have full kitchens. I am less familiar with their brands; however, I am pretty sure Hyatt also has equivalent extended stays suite hotels with kitchens.

--Jon

Some of the newer Townplace Suites are pretty nice. The one in Whitefish, MT had great breakfast and a nice small kitchen and was a lot better than many older Residence Inns. A regular refrigerator is important for me for longer stays.

 

[Cindy M]

Some of the newer Townplace Suites are pretty nice. The one in Whitefish, MT had great breakfast and a nice small kitchen and was a lot better than many older Residence Inns. A regular refrigerator is important for me for longer stays.

Great to know! Whitefish is on my short list.

 

[PigsDad]

If you are interested in using hotel points, Hyatt requires the fewest points per stay.

You can't say that Hyatt is the best value based on the number of points required for a stay, as it depends on how those points are earned. For example, the Hyatt credit card gives you 1 point per dollar spend (not counting specialty categories), whereas the Hilton credit card gives you 3 points per dollar. So saying that Hyatt is better because it requires fewer points is just silly. There are a few other factors that go into the value of a point, so each hotel chain point is valued differently.

Kurt

 

[mentalbreak]

RE: coffee maker included.
I will never use a hotel-provided in room coffee maker. In a timeshare I insist on running it through a dishwasher myself.
People use them to wash their undergarments. It’s a fairly common “hack” in the airline industry.

 

[Cindy M]

RE: coffee maker included.
I will never use a hotel-provided in room coffee maker. In a timeshare I insist on running it through a dishwasher myself.
People use them to wash their undergarments. It’s a fairly common “hack” in the airline industry.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I really have no brand loyalty. I go with whoever has the best price for the location and amenities I may want. I use Marriott, IHG and Hilton (although not so much Hilton lately).

This is me.

I have a lot of Marriott points and have been using them a lot lately. I like SpringHill Suites best. We are in one right now, actually. The Marriott credit card gives 6X on our MF's. The Brilliant card is turning out to be a great one for us because I do remember to pay at restaurants to get the $300 credit on the card. We are also able to use the card for other benefits, including the 85K point stay, which we are using two certificates for Europe, saving us about $600 per night on the hotels. I was able to get an "extra" 85K point certificate for a very small spend.

I love Hilton, specifically Hampton Inn. The points required to book them is my issue with the Hiltons. The card may not be in our wallet very much longer. The Clear credit has us intrigued, however.

Hyatt is good but not necessarily in the south. Very hard to find accommodations for our road trips.

 

[Superchief]

Great to know! Whitefish is on my short list.

Whitefish is a great place to visit, especially by train. The Empire Builder stops in Whitefish on its daily run from Chicago to Seattle/Portland and back. Minneapolis is another stop and is convenient to the MSP airport for those who don't want to travel all the way to/from Chicago.

 

[aandmrun]

We really like the Marriott Residence Inn hotels. Because we have been spoiled by all that a timeshare has to offer, we try to stay at the Marriott Residence Inn even if it is only for one night because it provides us with a spacious room that includes a separate bedroom and a kitchen. There are times that we go to Oceanside, CA for family occasions because my daughter lives in Fallbrook, not far from Oceanside. We can have the whole family over to our hotel to play games late at night. We like that because we don't have to drive at night and they leave after a few hours with us.

 

[Daytripz]

You can't say that Hyatt is the best value based on the number of points required for a stay, as it depends on how those points are earned. For example, the Hyatt credit card gives you 1 point per dollar spend (not counting specialty categories), whereas the Hilton credit card gives you 3 points per dollar. So saying that Hyatt is better because it requires fewer points is just silly. There are a few other factors that go into the value of a point, so each hotel chain point is valued differently.

Kurt

Read what I said. I said they require the fewest points per stay.

But okay silly, let’s talk about those three points per dollar. If it requires three times the points for a Hilton stay then it does for a Hyatt stay, we’d be even.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

Read what I said. I said they require the fewest points per stay.

But okay silly, let’s talk about those three points per dollar. If it requires three times the points for a Hilton stay then it does for a Hyatt stay, we’d be even.

Regardless of the points required, the biggest issue for me with Hyatt is the small footprint in term of locations.

With any of the chains, it may really come down to which one has hotels in places you want to visit.

 

[elaine]

Residence Inn for breakfast and full kitchen (except oven), Hyatt House (same), Hilton Homewood Suites, Embassy Suites (great breakfast, Happy hour, but only micro/fridge) are my top with big fridge/kitchen supplies/stovetop, then Springhill Suites and Hyatt Place (both of these "might" have micro). Quality varies-many residence inns are fine, but meh, but Kiawah Island was WOW and London RI Kensington is one of our Favs! Same for Hyatt House in NJ over the bridge from NYC-WOW, esp. breakfast.
We sold our DC area house 3 years ago--so we "live" in one of the above a few times a year visiting family.

 

[DrQ]

We are affiliated with IHG (through HICV and IHG branded CC) for a quick stay and go, or if we are visiting relatives and don't want to be under foot, we use Candlewood Suites. If we want breakfast or other amenities, we like Staybridge Suites. We have also stayed at Holiday Inn Express which is fine too.

 

[Dori]

I am going against the flow here, but when we travel to and from Florida each year, we stay in Comfort Inns, Comfort Suites or Sleep Inns. They all offer free, mediocre breakfasts, mini-fridges, microwaves and coffee makers. Beds are comfortable.
I always sign up for their Stay Twice, Earn a Free night promos. Also, I have the option to convert points to Aeroplan, which comes in handy if I am short on points.


Dori

 

[DrQ]

I am going against the flow here, ...

Nothing against other brands, as I originally stated, we are affiliated through our ownership.

 

[jp10558]

As an alternative, we have bought Wyndham points and used them mainly for Vacasa stays (search for Wyndham for Vacasa and you can find a lot of information).
They periodically run a special on points and you can get 280,000 for $2,600.
For a 1 bedroom on Vacasa it is 15,000 points or 13,500 if you have the Wyndham card. That $2600 will give about 3 weeks $870ish per week.
No long term commitments like a timeshare (so a little less scary), although I think the right TS will give better value.

Can you elaborate on how you're getting 280,000 pts for $2,600. I don't really mean the cost per se - but my quick searches shows a limit of 100k pts bought per year?

 

[djaneczko]

Usually about 2 times a year they offer 40% bonus on points. See the attached link from the last promo.

Previous Points

 

[easyrider]

We prefer staying at Hilton or Marriott brands.

Hilton brands with free breakfast...
-- Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Homewood, Home2 Suites & Tru.

Marriott brands with free breakfast...
-- Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, Fairfield Inn & Towne Place Suites

Otherwise, elevated membership status earns a free breakfast.

[Source: nerdwallet.com]
.

Same here. We seem to use Hampton Inn through the Hilton portal and Courtyard by Marriott through the Marriott Bonvoy portal.

Bill