Long story short I am going to be living out of a suitcase for the next 6 months and probably going to be making these runs often. I am going to be renting a car 5 days a week, renting a hotel room 4 days a week, and flying about 1500 miles twice a week. I'm wondering if anyone could recommend some good travel clubs to join to get decent rooms at affordable rates and good reward programs to rack up points on. Any help will be greatly appriciated.
No help, but good luck. That's quite an ordeal. I once stayed in a hotel for a month total for work in two different cities, but I wasn't traveling all the time.
I used Hertz when I traveled for work, not sure if their loyalty club is better than any of the others, but once you get Gold it is a much better experience. I also tried to go for Holiday Inn family hotels (usually Express is pretty cheap comparatively for my work's rates/deals) as I thought Priority Club could accumulate decent rewards. Honestly, I was a member of like every loyalty program, just those are what I used most. For flights, it never seemed to be all that worth it unless I was able to use the same company consistently (which I couldn't because I flew all over, and Baton Rouge wasn't a major hub, plus I usually had to pick the cheapest flight because of my work). Continental/United ended up being my most used, but that's because I avoided Delta like the plague (even made sure to alter my searches as much as possible to restrict their use).
Some years ago I was named to a board and our rooms were always at a Marriott. While the organization picked up our bills, we were encouraged to get a Marriott Rewards VISA and sign up for a Marriott Rewards membership. Then even though they paid, we each got credit for nights stayed and when we traveled on their behalf could get the best rates. They have about 7 or 8 brands, Fairfield, Courtyard, Residence, etc. I get a free day each year and earn points for days free at a rate of one in three to five depending on costs and locations. Besides, I get complimentary upgrades and wonderful treatment especially during the years of most frequent travel and hitting gold and platinum levels. I also heartily recommend, if you can afford it, if you are staying for more than a couple nights at each location to get one of the extended stay locations such as Residence Inn, Spring Hill Suites or the like. The extra space and kitchenette facilities make life on the road a lot easier. I can not speak to rental cars because that did not fit into what I did. Getting a separate credit card and using it only for business travel also simplifies your tax planning if that is an issue. Good luck in your new endeavors.
You've probably decided by now but I'd say most of the rewards programs are pretty similar and you can't go wrong with any of them. The biggest thing is they all reward quantity stays so if you know where you are going to be traveling, check to see what chain is in every location. If you split it up it will be a significant downgrade in the rewards. Other thing is to look at the credit card they offer, it can often multiply the benefits and be worth it, even with an annual fee. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
