More Hotel Promotions for Q1 2012

A few days ago I posted about Marriott's MegaMiles and Hilton's More Points promotions. Here are two more that may be worth a look:

• For Marriott Rewards members who choose to earn points instead of miles, they are concurrently running a MegaBonus promotion that gives you one free night after every second paid stay. Register for this promotion by March 31, 2012, and paid stays at any of the 3,500+ Marriott brand hotels between February 1 and April 30, 2012 will qualify. A maximum of two free nights can be earned, and the free nights can only be redeemed for category 1-4 properties between February 1 and September 30, 2012. Since only two free nights can be earned, four paid stays within the promotion period will maximize your earnings. Also, hotel hopping with one-night stays is the quickest way to earn your two free nights. Members must select Marriott Rewards points as their earning option in order to qualify. Rewards nights cannot be transferred or gifted. Register here.

• Starwood Preferred Guest's Better By The Night promotion begins today. Register by March 15, 2012, and for every paid stay of two nights, you will earn 2x Starpoints, and for every paid stay of three nights or more, you will earn 3x Starpoints. Paid stays must occur between January 9 and April 8, 2012. However, if part of your stay begins before or ends after the promotion period, your entire stay amount will still count for the bonus offer. Be aware that there is a very long list of non-participating hotels, so double check to make sure your stay will actually count prior to booking. Starwood Preferred Guest members earn two Starpoints per eligible dollar spent on a paid stay. With this promotion, members will earn four Starpoints per dollar spent on a two-night stay, and six Starpoints per dollar spent on a three-night or more stay. Elite members will earn one additional Starpoint per dollar spent, regardless of the bonus earned. There is no limit to the amount of bonus Starpoints you can earn during the promotion period. Register here.

Given a choice between the two, I would opt to take advantage of the Marriott MegaBonus promotion first. If you need to have further hotel stays after, then take advantage of the SPG Better By The Night promotion. Since the SPG offer rewards longer stays and higher rates, the return on investment is quite a bit lower than other Q1 2012 promotions out there right now.