I am a casual traveler, but am looking to focus some of my upcoming travel on specific brands to obtain benefits. This year I will have approx 18-20 more stays (most of which will be moving around the country over a two week span). I was considering doing the hilton gold challenge to obtain some status. It is my intention to apply for the chase sapphire preferred card in a few months. I mention this, because I am trying to determine if Hilton is the right chain to invest my stays in? Would another chain be better given the changes to the loyalty program earlier this year? In the next year or two I plan to head to Japan, China and Turkey.
Also, I have been trying to book a room at a Hilton for this weekend and I am having a real problem locating discounts (other than AAA of which I am not a member, although I do belong to Costco which I am not sure does anything). I have tried the MVP codes but they keep bouncing back as unavailable. Should I obtain an AAA membership for the discount? Is there a way to find better rates than booking through the hilton.com site? Also, I notice some rooms have a special offer where if you pay a bit more you get double points. Would this be worthwhile doing or does it just end up being more of a waste of money? Sorry for all the questions.
Also, I have been trying to book a room at a Hilton for this weekend and I am having a real problem locating discounts (other than AAA of which I am not a member, although I do belong to Costco which I am not sure does anything). I have tried the MVP codes but they keep bouncing back as unavailable. Should I obtain an AAA membership for the discount? Is there a way to find better rates than booking through the hilton.com site? Also, I notice some rooms have a special offer where if you pay a bit more you get double points. Would this be worthwhile doing or does it just end up being more of a waste of money? Sorry for all the questions.