My husband and son are huge tennis fans, and we’ve used miles and points to send them to the Laver Cup in Boston and the U.S. Open in New York over the past few years. This year, they are heading to the Cincinnati Open in Cincinnati, Ohio in August. We booked cheap award flights using AA miles, but still needed to book a hotel for 4 nights.
Crazy Hotel Prices
The Cincinnati Open attracts some top tennis players who come to the U.S. for the US Open, which happens after this tournament. Therefore, a lot of fans flock to this event. We’re a bit late in the game to find a hotel room, as a few of the hotels closest to the event are sold out for the dates we needed. The ones that aren’t sold out are running over $2000 for the 4 nights of our trip.
So, I expanded my search radius and found a Hyatt Place about 15 minutes away. The cash price for 4 nights is over $800:
But thankfully, it’s a Category 1 hotel. Even during this peak season, I could book a room for just 6500 World of Hyatt points per night. Score!
I didn’t have enough World of Hyatt points for all 4 nights, so I transferred some Chase Ultimate Rewards from my Chase Sapphire Preferred card.
Bottom Line
We don’t always use our miles and points on fancy hotels and destinations. There’s nothing aspirational about a trip to Cincinnati. But, getting free flights and hotel for this trip by using miles and points sure makes the trip doable within our budget.
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
Hyatt Place is almost always our choice for family trips. It’s a solid brand and has plenty of room for 5.
@Mitch I agree! We like having the sofa bed in the room.