We're undoubtedly biased, but we think Thrifty Traveler Premium is the best flight deal service out there, bar none. We've saved our customers hundreds, if not thousands, on airfare by sending cheap cash flights and award deals bookable airline miles and credit card points.
But now we do more than flight deals.
After years of requests, Thrifty Traveler Premium Hotel Alerts officially launched last summer. For an additional $49.99 a year, Premium members can opt in and start getting alerts to book some of the best properties across the globe using their Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, or Marriott points – or transferable credit card points. And it's gotten even better in the months since launch: Hotel subscribers now also get hotel deals in each flight deal alert – including discounted cash fares!
Just like we do for flight deals, we scour the globe daily for award availability at top-rated hotels, brand-new properties, and all-inclusive resorts near and far, sending an alert when you can book them with points. Hotel Alerts subscribers can expect at least two to three hotel deals every week … if not more.
Want a glimpse into how hotel alerts work? Let's take a closer look.
How Hotel Deal Email Alerts Work
We don't just find flight deals here. Unlike other services, we also find and send our Thrifty Traveler Premium+ members award alerts for hotels so you can use your credit card points and miles to book and save even more!
These are standalone alerts for rare, five-star, luxury properties that we send directly to your inbox.
Here's how it works:
- Our team uses multiple tools (and tons of manpower) to search all day, every day for hotel award availability and cheaper award stays.
- When we find a hot, top-tier property that is bookable with hotel points (or transferrable credit card points), we draft up a deal and send it to subscribers' inboxes immediately!
- All you have to do? Book directly with the hotel and start planning your trip.
Outside of those standalone hotel alerts, we're trying to make the entire travel-booking process easier for everyone. That's why we also embed hotel recommendations within each daily flight deal as well. And those aren't just points deals, but discounted paid stays as well – including properties bookable with credit card perks like the Amex Platinum Card's $200 hotel credit.
Whether you're loyal to one hotel chain or are a free agent, there's bound to be something for you to make your next trip a memorable one.
Related Reading: Check out Thrifty Traveler Premium Reviews from our community of travel lovers like you!
How to Add Hotel Alerts to Your Membership
Already have a Thrifty Traveler Premium membership? You can now add Hotel Alerts to your subscription for an extra $49.99 per year.
Current Premium members can simply log into their online account and select the new “Hotel Deals” option in the main menu. Just like our Premium flight alert service, members who sign up now at the introductory rate will lock in that price for life: Even if that price eventually increases, yours won’t!
Keep in mind: Only Thrifty Traveler Premium members can opt in for Hotel Alerts: We're not selling this as a standalone service – at least not for now.
Meanwhile, first-time Thrifty Traveler Premium+ subscribers will see the option to add on Hotel Alerts from the very beginning with a Premium+ bundle for a total of $124.99 a year. Otherwise, you can also add Hotel Alerts after signing up for Flight Deals for just another $49.99 a year.
Once you add Hotel Alerts to your subscription, you'll have the option to filter for deals from the four major hotel chains: Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, and Marriott. You can get deals from just one or two of these hotel chains … or all four!
See All Your Deals Online, Too!
Thrifty Traveler Premium+ members can now see all their flight and hotel deals online!
If you miss a deal in your inbox, just log into your Premium account (and bookmark that page!), click on “Hotel Deals”, and you can scan through all the recent deals we've found and sent.
We'll continue sending every email alert to members' inboxes – but some deals are so time-sensitive that they can disappear within hours. This new deals page should be travelers' new, one-stop shop for all Thrifty Traveler alerts.
What You Get with Thrifty Traveler Premium+
Thrifty Traveler Premium+ is the ultimate travel-hacking bundle, getting you deeply discounted airfare deals and award alerts to use your points and miles … plus hotel deals, too!
It starts with plenty of amazing flight deals, each and every day. From dirt-cheap, sub-$100 domestic fares to $400 roundtrip flights to Europe to business class award alerts to fly Qatar Qsuites for 70,000 points or even Emirates First Class, you'll get it all We find and send flight deals from more than 200 U.S. and Canadian airports – more than any other service!
But by bundling flight alerts with hotel deals via a Premium+ subscription, you'll also see hotel deals within those same flight alerts, too. Here's an example from that same Iberia business class alert to Madrid (MAD) above. Down at the bottom, you'll see a section called “Hotel Recommendations” – and not just award stays bookable with points, but deeply discounted rooms at four- and five-star properties, as well as ways to maximize credit card perks like the Amex Platinum Card's annual $200 hotel credit or the Capital One Venture X's $300 travel credit.
And then you'll get standalone hotel alerts for top-rated properties you can book with points. You can safely expect two to three of these hotel deals in your inbox each week.
That includes peak season availability at the notoriously hard-to-book Caribbean retreat Calala Island, some of the best all-inclusive resorts in Mexico bookable from just 25,000 Hyatt points a night, and a beloved New York City property bookable for just 34,000 Bonvoy points late last year … for a third of what Marriott is charging now!
That's just a small sample. Here's more.
Some Recent Hotel Deals
Our Hotel Alert subscribers have loved getting award alerts to use their credit card and hotel points, and we're constantly finding deeply discounted or rare hotel award rates to use your Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, and IHG points.
Let's start in Hawaii, where one of the best points properties on the beaches of Kauai was largely unavailable for a bargain … until we found wide-open availability to book the Grand Hyatt Kauai through next year!
While many nights would cost you 30,000 or 35,000 Hyatt points apiece, there were also plenty of off-peak rates of 25,000 points for this prized Hawaii property that typically charges upwards of $700 … or even north of $1000 during the peak season. This was the most award space at this prized Hyatt property in Hawaii we've ever seen – and we made sure our members were first to know about it.
We also found incredibly rare availability for Hyatt's Alila Ventana Big Sur. With cash prices of $2,000 a night or more, this is one of the most aspirational properties for points and miles aficionados, period. So go figure; it's also one of the hardest to book with points … unless you get an alert like this recent gem.
You can search the entire calendar without finding a single standard night award bookable with points. Fortunately, we were able to find nights available for 45,000 Hyatt points per night and sent it to our members first. Safe to say, Thrifty Traveler Premium+ hotel alerts subscribers will be the first to know when bookable nights are suddenly available again.
And of course, we have to talk about Hermitage Bay on the Caribbean island of Antigua. With just 30 or so villas, sterling service, and amazing food (including nightly sushi at the beach bar), all served on a picturesque beach, it's arguably one of the best all-inclusive resorts in the world. Just ask our executive editor Kyle about his recent stay!
After a recent increase, it now costs 150,000 points a night – up from the previous 130,000-point-per-night rate. But with nightly cash rates often north of $3,000, it's still one of the best Hilton redemptions on this whole list.
We've sent a handful of alerts for this amazing property over the last few months. Our team is actively keeping its eyes peeled for when Hilton releases rare award space here again.
Maybe Japan has been on your bucket list. Even with a strong U.S. dollar, traveling to Japan can be expensive, but that doesn't mean you have to settle for a budget hotel. You could, instead, stay at the Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills using Hyatt points.
It's one of the best points properties in Tokyo, but it's become incredibly difficult to book in recent years. Fear not: We recently found incredibly rare award space this year – more availability than we'd seen in years!
There were rooms available for 30,000 points per night, plus, even a few off-peak nights going for as low as 25,000 points! Unfortunately, rates for this property are set to rise to 40,000 points per night once the upcoming Hyatt award chart changes go into effect.
By the time you read this, these deals could be expired. So don't miss out on the next deals and become a Thrifty Traveler Premium Hotel Alerts subscriber today!
Sign up for Thrifty Traveler Premium+ to get deals like these – you'll make your subscription fee back (and then some) when you book your first deal!
FAQs About Thrifty Traveler Premium Hotel Alerts
What kind of Hotel Alerts will I get?
Hotel Alerts are primarily for award space availability (bookable with points) at Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, and Marriott properties worldwide. Our team is focusing on finding award availability at luxury properties, all-inclusive resorts, and hard-to-book hotels in the U.S. and abroad.
You'll also see hotel recommendations inside virtually every Flight Alert we send. These deals include award stays as well as deeply discounted cash rates for four- and five-star properties.
Will I get alerts for cash rates?
Yes!
Thrifty Traveler Premium members will now see discounted cash rates for hotels in virtually all Flight Alerts. Just scroll down and look for the green “Hotel Recommendations” container in your flight deals.
Currently, we only send standalone hotel alerts via email for award deals bookable with points.
How often will I get Hotel Alerts in my inbox?
Depending on your settings, you can expect to see about two or three Hotel Alerts each week – plus hotel recommendations in each of your flight deals, too.
How much does it cost to add Hotel Alerts to my subscription?
Hotel Alerts are available as an optional add-on at the introductory rate of $49.99 per year. With our Price Lock Guarantee, once you subscribe, your price for Hotel Alerts will never go up!
Will adding or removing Hotel Alerts affect my current Premium subscription price?
No. If you choose to remove Hotel Alerts in the future, your Premium subscription will still be locked in at your current rate.
Will I get two separate charges for Hotel Alerts and Premium?
Maybe.
If you're already a Premium subscriber, then yes – but only for the first year. When you first add Hotel Alerts, the amount you pay will be prorated based on your next Premium subscription renewal date.
On your next subscription renewal date, you will see one combined charge for your existing Premium rate plus $49.99 for Hotel Alerts.
Can I sign up for just Hotel Alerts?
Hotel Alerts are an optional add-on available exclusively to Thrifty Traveler Premium members or as a Premium+ bundle with both flight deal and hotel alerts. Hotel Alerts are not available as a standalone service.
What if I decide I don't want Hotel Alerts anymore?
You can remove Hotel Alerts at any time – it will not impact your current Premium subscription pricing. If you’re not happy, you can cancel Hotel Alerts within 100 days for a full refund.
Is this my only chance to add Hotel Alerts to my membership?
You can add Hotel Alerts at any time by logging into your account.
Bottom Line
We're almost a year into sending hotel deals as well as flight alerts to our Thrifty Traveler Premium subscribers, and they're loving it.
Current members and first-time sign-ups can now add Hotel Alerts to their subscription for an extra $49.99 a year. Expect two (or more!) Hotel Alerts a week bookable with points from the big four hotel chains … plus, tons more hotel deals recommended in each Flight Alert we send.
