6 U.S. City Hotels to Use Loyalty Points for Free Stays

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While it’s harder than ever to earn miles and elite status with airlines, the opposite holds true for hotel collections. Thanks to a big post-pandemic push to encourage loyalty, hotel programs and their co-branded credit cards are offering multiple paths toward racking up points, status, and free nights quickly. (Even a no-fee Hilton Honors American Express Card is giving 80,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points if you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases on the card in the first six months of card membership, plus automatic first-rung Hilton Honors Silver status once you’re approved.)

Once hotel points are acquired, many travelers tend to hoard them for trips to far-off tropical lands. But it’s also smart to use your hotel points in big cities, where cash prices are often staggering. During your next city getaway, book a points stay at a luxury hotel that embraces its locale with a sense of place and style. Here are six of our favorite big-city hotels in the United States that offer some of the best points redemptions across all major loyalty programs.

Kimpton Hotel Eventi

• Location: New York, NY
• Loyalty program: IHG One Rewards
• Cost in points: From 51,000 IHG points per night, ihg.com

While sticker shock is the norm in New York City, one exception is this artsy, value-conscious hotel, occupying an entire Manhattan city block in the heart of Chelsea. Despite an inventory of 292 guest rooms and suites, Kimpton Hotel Eventi retains a boutique feel thanks to prolific personality- and design-driven nooks in common areas, plus tasteful, colorful rooms, often with superb skyline views through floor-to-ceiling windows. The bustling lobby is an enticing spot to sip cocktails and people-watch in between meals, meetings, or sightseeing. Other perks include complimentary Kimpton hallmarks like zero pet fees, morning coffee and tea service, a hosted evening wine hour, and even loaner bikes for exploring the city.

Waldorf Astoria Washington D.C.

• Location: Washington, D.C.
• Loyalty program: Hilton Honors
• Cost in points: From 110,000 Hilton Honors points per night, hilton.com

Thoughtfully transformed into the Waldorf Astoria Washington D.C. in June 2022, the circa 1899 Old Post Office on Pennsylvania Avenue stands as a testament to Washington, D.C.’s historic architectural grandeur. The refreshed exterior evokes the majesty of an illustrious European castle, complete with a clock tower and turrets, reflecting the Romanesque Revival style. Inside, 263 guest rooms with dark wood and gold trim furnishings surround a central atrium, bathed in natural light from a colossal arched skylight, 12 stories high. On the ground floor, the lobby bustles with D.C.’s power set downing martinis in the grand Peacock Alley and feasting on Spanish-influenced cuisine at the Bazaar by José Andrés.

The Liberty, a Luxury Collection Hotel

• Location: Boston, MA
• Loyalty program: Marriott Bonvoy
• Cost in points: From 52,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, marriott.com

In Boston, a striking metamorphosis has taken place within the walls of the once-infamous Charles Street Jail. Originally built in 1851, the “Boston Granite Style” building was reborn as the Liberty Hotel in 2007 (and further enhanced in 2016). This remarkable transformation stands as one of the United States’ most captivating examples of adaptive reuse: The expansive open-plan lobby spans five stories and is bathed in the warm glow of chain-link chandeliers and natural light streaming through ornate ocular windows. Former prison cells now house Restaurant Clink, inviting guests to savor North Atlantic seafood within their confines. Meanwhile, the Alibi cocktail bar occupies the erstwhile “drunk tank,” its authentic bluestone floors and brick walls now adorned with arresting black-and-white portraits of DUI-convicted celebrities (a touch of irony, indeed!). Within the Liberty’s 298 rooms and suites, a refined aesthetic blends classic elegance with contemporary comforts, paying homage to a storied past.

Thompson Atlanta–Buckhead

• Location: Atlanta, GA
• Loyalty program: World of Hyatt
• Cost in points: From 20,000 World of Hyatt points per night, hyatt.com

The Thompson Atlanta-Buckhead, which opened in late 2021, rises 10 stories above the city’s most sought-after neighborhood. The 201 rooms and suites exude modern-meets-vintage elegance with patterned wood flooring, midcentury-inspired furnishings, and oversized bathrooms with marble vanities. The top floor features a rooftop pool deck, strewn with private cabanas and chaise lounges and the rooftop bar and restaurant Tesserae. At ground level, Italian American restaurant Dirty Rascal is currently one of the hottest tables in Atlanta. (For the ultimate in Italian comfort cuisine, gorge on the Dirty Rascal signature spicy rigatoni with Calabrian chilies in a pink vodka sauce.)
>> Read more: The Ultimate Guide to the World of Hyatt Loyalty Program

Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills

• Location: Beverly Hills, CA
• Loyalty program: Hilton Honors
• Cost in points: From 120,000 Hilton Honors points per night, hilton.com

Opened in June 2017, this 12-story, art deco–inspired stunner is one of the most coveted addresses within the United States’ most iconic—and third most expensive—zip code, 90210. The flagship of the Waldorf Astoria collection, the Beverly Hills outpost amazes from all angles, starting with a retro glam lobby and moving to the chic Pierre-Yves Rochon–designed guest rooms and up to the glitterati-frequented Rooftop by JG. Measuring a minimum of 537 square feet plus a 110-square-foot balcony, the 119 guest rooms are luxurious yet intentionally pared back. That said, the Hollywood fantasy goes up a few notches when you score one of the 51 lavish suites (which often happens thanks to complimentary elite-based upgrades).

JW Marriott Tampa Water Street

• Location: Tampa, FL
• Loyalty program: Marriott Bonvoy
• Cost in points: From 40,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, marriott.com

Move over, Miami: Tampa is buzzing as Florida’s current it city. Much of the excitement surrounds the rapid development of the port city’s Water Street neighborhood as a burgeoning hub. An anchor of this neighborhood is the skyscraping, 519-room JW Marriott Tampa Water Street, rife with high-end amenities that include a sprawling sixth-floor sun terrace, two resort-style swimming pools, and the 10-treatment suite Spa by JW. There’s also Tampa’s highest rooftop bar, Beacon, which graces the 27th floor, offering prime downtown vistas and mixology-forward cocktails. (Order the Panacea, a refreshing mix of coconut-washed Astral Blanco tequila, Campari, grapefruit, lime, and agave.) Rooms are exceptionally comfortable, commingling modern style with JW’s conservative predictability. A mandatory, daily $30 destination fee provides a daily $30 on-property dining credit, a daily tasting of spirits or wine for two (4–5 p.m.), an hour of bike or kayak rentals, and daily fitness classes on the event lawn.

While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they are subject to change at any time and might have changed or may no longer be available.