As we hurtle toward the end of 2023, many travelers are shifting their attention from planning holiday travel to next year’s vacations. And savvy readers know how leveraging points and miles can be a key component in a strategy to save money as they look ahead to upcoming trips.
With the anticipation of future adventures and the booking of trips for 2024 underway, we have gathered a collection of six extraordinary hotel redemptions. These carefully selected properties have piqued our interest and excitement as they offer unparalleled experiences that may appear challenging to secure — yet they’re available on many dates next year.
Here are six (almost) impossible hotel redemptions you can book now.
Why hotel points?
Before we explore the properties that have sparked the excitement of TPG’s staff with award availability, let’s highlight some key advantages of booking with points.
Flexibility
Firstly, having a contingency plan in place is always important when making reservations. It’s wise to prepare for any unexpected developments. Flexibility is crucial.
Hotel award bookings tend to offer greater flexibility compared to cash bookings. If you need to cancel your award hotel reservation, your free night awards or points are typically returned to your account without penalty if you cancel within the specified cancellation window.
Nonrefundable hotel award reservations are uncommon, giving travelers peace of mind and the ability to modify or cancel their plans without significant consequences.
High cash rates
Cash rates have increased from where they were a few years ago. Previously, travelers had to contemplate saving their airline miles and hotel points for a future period when cash rates would be expensive. While numerous hotels still offer heavily discounted cash rates, the properties with “impossible” hotel redemptions have long kept their cash prices considerably high.
Get an additional free night on award stays
With the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card and the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card, you can get the fourth consecutive night for free when using points. With Marriott Bonvoy, the lowest-priced night is free when you redeem Bonvoy points, while Hilton Honors allows travelers with Hilton elite status to get the fifth night free on redemptions (and remember that all Hilton credit cards include automatic status, thus opening up this perk).
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This is a fantastic way to get more value from your points, and you’ll want the extra night at the hotels we have in store for you.
Related: Quick Points: Get your 4th or 5th night free on award stays
Possible future devaluations
Regrettably, there has been a recent surge in devaluations within the travel industry, particularly by companies such as Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
Moreover, the hotel sector is also experiencing a fair share of uncertainties. Marriott Bonvoy, for instance, has shifted its approach to hotel redemptions by abandoning its category-based system, opting instead for a dynamic pricing model.
In a similar vein, World of Hyatt unveiled unfavorable changes to its category structure earlier in the year. The possibility of future devaluations is a persuasive incentive to redeem your current hotel points soon.
With all that said, here are some terrific properties where you can use your hotel points into 2024.
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 “resort just oozes luxury in a classy, contemporary and restrained way.” Cash rates for this hotel are generally around $2,500 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 390,000 points for five nights thanks to the “free” fifth night.
It’s not hard to get more than 3 cents per Marriott point at this property, which is four times our valuation. If you consider a trip to the Maldives, you might travel from November to May 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 two years ago and is planning a stay again this year. You can find excellent value for your points at this property, even during peak times.
Cash rates easily exceed $1,000 per night at this hotel, but points rates range between 35,000 and 45,000 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
Our staff is also eyeing the ample standard room availability at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills.
Standard rooms can be booked for 120,000 points per night, while cash rates start at around $1,188 per night. By redeeming Hilton points to book at this hotel, you’ll likely get around 1 cent per point, which is 60% higher than TPG’s valuation.
InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa
TPG senior writer Katie Genter hopes to take advantage of a 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 around 530,000 IHG points (the fourth night is free for those with select IHG credit cards), which is no small drop in the bucket, but given that cash rates are over $1,500 per night at this property, you would get nearly 1.2 cents per IHG point on a four-night stay, which is more than double our valuation.
The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort
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.
Without points, the total cost for this stay would be 993,024 Pacific Island francs (roughly $8,735).
Even the entry-level room, 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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KYLE OLSEN/THE POINTS GUY
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, which 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, it will be one of the best redemptions of Hilton points across its network if you find availability. You can expect to spend 480,000 Hilton points with standard room rewards, thanks to the fifth-night-free benefit. You would be redeeming Hilton points at roughly 2.1 cents per point, almost four times our most recent valuation.
How to pay for the incidentals on your award booking
Although your points will cover the bulk of your hotel bill, you can put incidentals (like food, spa treatments, transportation expenses, taxes and resort fees) on one of these credit cards:
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, 2024 will be a year of 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.
