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Miles & points can let you have some pretty incredible experiences for pennies on the dollar. With airline miles you can fly almost any first or business class product in the world, as there are very few aspirational products that aren’t bookable with miles.
Hotels are a different story, though. There are a lot of great points hotels, though the reality is that many boutique and high end brands don’t belong to any of the major hotel groups with loyalty programs. That means there’s no way to redeem points for stays there, short of earning cash back through credit cards and then redeeming that towards a stay.
While I’ve stayed at a lot of incredible points hotels, I thought it would be fun to reflect on some of my favorite points hotels I’ve stayed at in the past couple of years, and also share the points hotels that I’d most like to stay at.
The best points hotels I’ve stayed at recently
Over the past couple of years, I’d say the following are my favorite points hotels that I’ve stayed at:
- Alila Ventana Big Sur (bookable with Hyatt points), which features gorgeous views, and even includes all meals
- Andaz Tokyo (bookable with Hyatt points), which is an excellent city hotel with great views
- Blue Palace Elounda (bookable with Marriott points), which has a gorgeous setting and great food & beverage outlets
- Bodrum EDITION (bookable with Marriott points), which has an awesome service, setting, and more
- Calala Island (bookable with Hyatt Points), which is an incredible private island in Nicaragua with just four villas
- Canaves Oia Epitome Santorini (bookable with Hyatt points), with is a jaw-droppingly beautiful SLH hotel
- Grand Hyatt SFO (bookable with Hyatt points), which is admittedly an airport hotel, but probably the greatest airport hotel ever
- Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam (bookable with Hilton points), which is one of my new favorite city hotels in Europe
- Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos (bookable with Hilton points), which is a fantastic beach getaway with top notch service
Points hotels I’d like to stay at
With the above out of the way, let me share some awesome points hotels that I look forward to staying at. As I plan future international travel, I’ll largely use this list to decide which destination to visit next. Here are some of the properties that most interest me, in no particular order.
Waldorf Astoria Maldives
The Waldorf Astoria Maldives is fairly new, and is arguably the most aspirational Hilton property yet. I was initially skeptical about this property given how close it is to Male (unlike some of the other private islands, which are far away), but I’ve heard very good things about this property. It’s cool to be able to use Hilton points for a hotel that retails for $1,500+ per night.
Booking with points: 120,000-150,000 Hilton Honors points per night, with the potential for a fifth night free
Ritz-Carlton Maldives
While I’ve heard mixed reviews of the Ritz-Carlton Maldives, this still seems like a property I’d like to stay at. It’s a great use of Marriott Bonvoy points pre-devaluation, the standard room here is an incredible overwater villa, and the paid rates here are currently $2,000+ per night.
Booking with points: 70,000-100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, with the potential for a fifth night free
The Gritti Palace Venice
I haven’t been to Venice in about 15 years, so I’d like to return at some point. I know it’s overrun with tourists, so if/when I go, I would do so in shoulder season. When I do, I’d like to stay at The Gritti Palace, which is the Marriott Luxury Collection property, as it’s regarded as one of the best hotels there.
Booking with points: 70,000-100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, with the potential for a fifth night free
St. Regis Hong Kong
St. Regis is my favorite Marriott brand, partly because I like the style of the hotels, and partly because I like that St. Regis actually honors elite benefits, unlike EDITION and Ritz-Carlton. One of the newest St. Regis properties is in Hong Kong, and I would love to stay there. Unfortunately I’m not convinced Hong Kong will reopen in the next couple of years, or perhaps even ever. We’ll see.
Booking with points: 70,000-100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, with the potential for a fifth night free
Domes Miramare Corfu
Greece is one of my favorite countries in the world, and I’d like to visit Corfu, as I’ve never been in that part of the country. Fortunately Corfu has a well regarded Luxury Collection property, and it’s even a steal on points. I’m hoping to visit the property this coming summer.
Booking with points: 30,000-40,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, with the potential for a fifth night free
Alila Jabal Akhdar
I’m a big fan of the Alila brand, and also loved my trip to Oman years ago, so naturally Alila Jabal Akhdar is near the top of my list of places to stay. The hotel is located in the Al Hajar mountain range, over 2,000 meters above sea level, so there’s lots of hiking to be done here.
Booking with points: 21,000-29,000 World of Hyatt points per night
Alila Hinu Bay
One of the reasons I’ve been pushing off visiting Alila Jabal Akhdar is because I was waiting for Alila Hinu Bay to open. That hotel finally opened, so I guess it’s time to plan a trip to Oman. Hinu Bay is located in a pretty rural part of Oman, not far from Salalah. This is more of a beach getaway, so if you visit it in conjunction with the other Alila, you can enjoy the mountains and the beach.
Booking with points: 17,000-23,000 World of Hyatt points per night
Tambo Del Inka Peru
This is a hotel that’s not on my list because I think the hotel as such is that amazing, but rather because I still haven’t visited Machu Picchu. The fact that Marriott has good options in both Cuzco and the Sacred Valley is all the more reason to take this trip sooner rather than later.
Booking with points: 40,000-60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, with the potential for a fifth night free
Alila Villas Uluwatu Bali
In case you can’t tell, I really like Alila properties. 😉 Alila has several properties in Bali, though the one that interests me most is the Uluwatu Villas property. The entry level rooms here are villas with pools, so this is a pretty awesome place to redeem points.
Booking with points: 25,000-35,000 World of Hyatt points per night
Hotel Marqués De Riscal
While I’ve visited the major cities in Spain and have also been to many of the beach destinations, I’d like to explore more of the country. Hotel Marques de Riscal is in Elciego, and was designed by Frank Gehry. I mean, just look at the hotel — how could you not want to stay there?
Booking with points: 50,000-70,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, with the potential for a fifth night free
Miraval Berkshires
In 2017 Hyatt acquired wellness brand Miraval, and during the pandemic we saw a new property open in the Berkshires. I love the Northeast in summer, and think could be a cool property to visit. Miraval stays include all food and non-alcoholic drinks, as well as many activities. When redeeming points you also get a $175 per person credit.
Booking with points: 57,500-72,000 World of Hyatt points per night (for two people)
Miraval Arizona
It’s not just the Miraval property in the Berkshires that interests me, but also the one in Arizona. The two properties are totally different, with the latter having all kinds of cool desert activities. Again, stays here include all food and non-alcoholic drinks, as well as many activities. When redeeming points you also get a $175 per person credit.
Booking with points: 57,500-72,000 World of Hyatt points per night (for two people)
St. Regis Bermuda
Bermuda has long been on my list of places to visit, though I haven’t made it there until now. Bermuda used to lack points hotels, but a St. Regis recently opened there, so that seems like a great place from which to explore the island.
Booking with points: 70,000-100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, with the potential for a fifth night free
Zemi Beach House Anguilla
A while back Zemi Beach House joined Hilton’s LXR portfolio. I’ve never been to Anguilla, though with new nonstop flights on American Airlines from Miami, this seems like an easy getaway at some point in the future.
Booking with points: 95,000 Hilton Honors points per night, with the potential for a fifth night free
Reykjavik EDITION
Admittedly Iceland isn’t a destination you usually travel to for luxury hotels, though Marriott’s EDITION brand recently opened in the capital of Reykjavik. This is likely the best hotel in the city, so you can’t beat being able to redeem points for a stay there.
Booking with points: 70,000-100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, with the potential for a fifth night free
Park Hyatt Auckland
New Zealand is one of my favorite countries in the world, though I don’t love Auckland as such. Nonetheless I’m intrigued by the Park Hyatt Auckland, and would love to visit the next time I’m in New Zealand. This hotel had horrendous construction delays, and go figure it finally opened during the pandemic, when New Zealand’s borders were closed. I can’t help but wonder when I’ll be able to visit this property…
Once the hotel opens it should be impressive… hopefully.
Booking with points: 17,000-23,000 World of Hyatt points per night
St. Regis Astana
I briefly visited Kazakhstan several years back, and only had one night in Astana. I found the city to be fascinating, and have been wanting to return. Nowadays there’s a St. Regis there, which is very reasonably priced as well. So I hope to return to the city and stay at the St. Regis in the not-too-distant future.
Booking with points: 20,000-30,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, with the potential for a fifth night free
Park Hyatt Kyoto
I adore Japan, and it’s probably the country I’m most excited to visit once borders open. It has been a long time since I’ve been to Kyoto, so I’d love to check out the new Park Hyatt Kyoto the next time I’m there. While Kyoto has lots of amazing hotels, given how great World of Hyatt Globalist status is, this would be my first pick.
Booking with points: 25,000-35,000 World of Hyatt points per night
Park Hyatt Niseko
Niseko is in a part of Japan I’ve never been to before, and there’s a new Park Hyatt there. I’m not sure if I’d like to visit in summer for hiking, or in winter so Ford can ski and I can stay inside. 😉 Regardless, the hotel and landscape look gorgeous.
Booking with points: 25,000-35,000 World of Hyatt points per night
Ritz-Carlton Nikko
The Ritz-Carlton Nikko opened recently, and is a fairly short train ride from Tokyo. The hotel is set along Lake Chuzenji, so as someone who loves nature this seems like a cool side trip the next time I’m in Tokyo.
Booking with points: 50,000-70,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, with the potential for a fifth night free
The Cloudveil Jackson Hole
There’s a new Autograph Collection property located in Jackson Hole. I’ve long wanted to visit Jackson Hole, so this seems like the best option with points (since the two other good hotels at the Aman and Four Seasons, and neither is bookable with points). I feel like I’m going to regret wanting to stay here, though, given my general experience with Autograph Collection properties…
Booking with points: 50,000-70,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, with the potential for a fifth night free
St. Regis Cairo
You can file this one under “I’m a weirdo” more than anything. I’ve never witnessed a hotel opening that was as delayed as the one at the St. Regis Cairo. The hotel’s opening had already been delayed by years, and then the Gulf blockade happened. The hotel had been ready to open for years, but it couldn’t open because it had Qatari investors. Fortunately the hotel did finally open, though I imagine it’s already outdated at this point. 😉
Booking with points: 30,000-40,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, with the potential for a fifth night free
North Island Seychelles
I’ll throw this one in for fun, though I doubt I’ll ever make it here. Rather puzzlingly, the $8,000+ per night North Island property in the Seychelles became a Marriott Luxury Collection property in 2019, which I can’t make sense of.
The points rates are totally different than any other Marriotts, so it’s outrageously expensive. Also not included is food/drinks or the helicopter ride to the hotel. But it doesn’t cost anything to dream, right?
Booking with points: 365,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, with the potential for a fifth night free
Bottom line
There are tons of incredible hotels that can be booked with points. I’ve had some amazing points hotel stays in the past couple of years, including with Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott. There are lots of other points hotels on my radar, which I hope to check out soon.
Which points hotels do you most want to stay at? And has anyone stayed at any of the properties on my list?