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Later this month, my husband and son are going on a trip to Los Angeles. Hollywood, to be more specific. My son’s birthday present is a ticket to see the Broadway show Hamilton.
Naturally, when selecting a hotel, I first looked at our available stash of hotel points and free night certificates. Since we booked AA award flights (web specials), it would be nice to save money on the hotel, too.
But in the end, I put aside all of the “free” options and booked the most convenient hotel on a cash rate. Why?
Traffic in LA Sucks. I know, I used to live there. A hotel that looks sorta-close is not necessarily close in LA traffic time.
The trip is short. They are only going to be there three days. When a trip is that short, you don’t want to waste time sitting in traffic.
I want to make the trip easier on my husband. The truth is, I like traveling more than my husband does. He travels a fair amount for business (and his business travel is starting to pick up again). A conveniently-located hotel means they can skip the rental car and have easier access to the things they want to see.
When my kids were younger and money was tighter, I would have made a different decision. Back then, I was all about the “free”. But now that I’m older, convenience and comfort plays a bigger role in our decisions.
Have you picked convenience over cost lately?
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Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
An even more convenient and points friendly option is to stay at a nice hotel near a subway station. Pantages is literally across from the Hollywood and Vine Metro station. Hop on a frequent subway from your free hotel elsewhere and be there without any stress.
I go with convenience over cost frequently. Which is probably why I don’t use hotel points often! Since I MS for cashback, the added cost of a preferred lodging option is negligible when compared to the overall cost of a trip. And the time and hassle savings far outweighs that cost anyway.
@projectx Lately, I’m all about saving time and hassle. But I sure didn’t used to be. My family can attest to that, LOL.
Many years ago a wise man said to me, “you don’t go on vacation to save money.” Since then, my trips have never been better!
I’ve just had to make a similar decision – convenience over the use of my go-to hotel chain. I have a 7am Eurostar to Paris next week, and the nearest Hilton was a 10 minute walk away. Instead I’ve gone for the St Pancras Renaissance as you’re literally above the station!
@Chris You can’t beat that location, especially for a very early train!