If you are a family traveler who enjoys staying at luxury hotels by using points, you have likely encountered a significant challenge, such as finding available award nights at top-tier properties. Award availability at high-end hotels is often limited, requiring constant searching and strategic planning. The frustration of searching endlessly, only to find no availability, is a common struggle for points travelers.
This is where MaxMyPoint comes in. MaxMyPoint simplifies the award travel process by tracking real-time hotel award availability, eliminating the need for manual searches. Whether you are planning a dream vacation or trying to secure a last-minute hotel stay by using points, this tool provides a game-changing solution.
By the end of this guide, you’ll know exactly how to use MaxMyPoint to book luxury hotels for a fraction of the price using points without wasting your time. Let’s dive in!
What is MaxMyPoint?
Launched in 2022, MaxMyPoint is a real-time award search tool that tracks hotel award availability across major hotel loyalty programs, including:
- Marriott Bonvoy
- IHG One Rewards
- Hilton Honors
- World of Hyatt
Unlike traditional methods of checking award availability, MaxMyPoint continuously updates hotel award space, allowing users to see real-time availability without manually refreshing hotel websites.
Why MaxMyPoint Stands Out
MaxMyPoint offers several powerful features that make it stand out from other award search tools:
- The most searched award hotels worldwide are displayed in an easy-to-navigate format.
- Percentage-based availability tracking allows users to gauge how often a hotel releases award space.
- Redemption value analysis helps users determine the average cost per 10,000 points at various properties.
- Alerts notify users when award availability opens, eliminating the need for constant manual searching. Instant notifications for paid subscribers.
How Much Does MaxMyPoint Cost?
One of the biggest advantages of MaxMyPoint is that it is completely free to use for basic searches and alerts. However, for travelers who need advanced award availability tracking, there are paid membership options with premium features.
Key Features of MaxMyPoint Membership Plans
- Active Alerts: Alerts you set to be notified when there’s hotel award availability for your specific dates.
- Hot Hotel Alerts: Same alerts but specific to very popular hotels.
- Any-day Alerts: Alerts for availability within a range of dates.
- Alert Frequency: How quickly you’re notified.
- Hotel DetailVviews: How many times per day you can check detailed hotel availability.
- Ads Free: Whether or not you see ads.
- Daily Change Alert: Alerts letting you know when any award availability in the calendar opens or closes.
- Holiday Alert: Alerts set for when availability opens up during a holiday.
- SMS Alert: Texts you in addition to email.
For busy family travelers, the premium membership is a worthwhile investment for instant availability alert, ensuring they never miss a chance to book the sought-after award stays for some luxury hotels, such as Ritz Carlton Kyoto, Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos, Park Hyatt Niseko, Park Hyatt Milan, etc.
Further Reading:
Why The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto is the Best Luxury Hotel for Families in Japan
How To Book Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos For Award Stays
The Best Summer For Family: Park Hyatt Niseko Review
How To Use MaxMyPoint: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Search For A Hotel
- Visit MaxMyPoint.com and choose your preferred hotel loyalty program.
- Browse available hotels based on location or loyalty program.
- Search for a specific property, such as Andaz Tokyo or Park Hyatt Milan.
- Use The Calendar View
- Once you select a hotel, a calendar displays award availability throughout the year. For example, if searching for Park Hyatt Milan, you may find 60 percent availability for standard rooms, but none in peak months like July.
- The calendar displays the award redemption rate (40,000 Hyatt points per night for a standard room at Park Hyatt Milan) and the number of available rooms.
- Set Up Alerts For Hard-to-Find Hotels
- Click the bell icon to set an availability alert.
- Receive email or SMS notifications when award availability shows up.
- One alert is offered for free plan users.
- This is especially useful for securing hotel stays during peak seasons such as spring break, summer vacations, or the holiday season. For example, when tracking Andaz Tokyo (Hyatt Group), the standard room availability is 11%. Setting an alert would save you time and hassle in the travel planning.
- Use The List View For More Flexibility
- If your travel dates are flexible, the list view provides a year-round snapshot of award availability.
- This feature helps travelers find the best times to book based on award availability patterns. For example, when tracking Park Hyatt Milan, You can plan around those days with standard award rooms based on the list.
A Bonus Feature: Max FHR For American Express Platinum Cardholders
MaxMyPoint also offers “Max FHR”, which is a tool designed for American Express Platinum cardholders who want to maximize their annual $200 credit for Fine Hotels + Resorts (FHR) program.
How Max FHR Helps You Get The Best Value
- Filter FHR hotels based on available credits (e.g., $100 food credit, $125 hotel credit, or $150 spa credit).
- Sort by hotel brand, such as Rosewood, Four Seasons, or The St. Regis.
- Find the best properties where the Amex Platinum hotel credit provides maximum value.
My Personal Experience With Hotel Award Availability Challenges
Planning a trip around award availability can be overwhelming. My daughters have set a goal to participate in a Japanese language immersion program this summer, and securing award nights at the best hotels in Japan has been a major challenge. We spent hours checking availability manually, and only to find no award availability.
Then, I discovered MaxMyPoint, and the search process became much more efficient. This tool allowed me to:
- Analyze the percentage of standard room availability at each property.
- Set realistic expectations about hotels which were most likely to have award availability.
- Set up custom alerts for our top-choice hotels, making it easier to plan accordingly.
By using MaxMyPoint alerts, we successfully secured stays at SLH Hotels – Sowaka Kyoto and Hotel Gajoen Tokyo. This was a great way to use the welcome bonus earned from the Hilton Surpass® Card, Hilton Honors® Card, and/or the Free Night Rewards from the Amex Hilton Honors Aspire Card. Instead of wasting hours searching manually, I was able to focus on other aspects of travel planning. This experience highlighted a crucial point – hotel award availability is unpredictable, and without a tool like MaxMyPoint, families looking for luxury award stays could miss out.
Further Reading: 3 Exciting Small Luxury Hotels Of The World (SLH) Properties You Would Love To Book With Hilton Honors Points
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Is MaxMyPoint worth it?
Absolutely. If you frequently book high-demand hotels using points, MaxMyPoint saves hours of manual searching and increases your chances of securing award availability at top properties.
- Can I use MaxMyPoint for Airbnb or vacation rentals?
No. MaxMyPoint exclusively works with major hotel loyalty programs such as Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, and IHG.
- Does MaxMyPoint cover boutique or independent hotels?
Not directly. However, boutique hotels that are part of the Fine Hotels + Resorts (FHR) program are included in the Max FHR feature. This is a great way to find eligible hotels and maximize the $200 annual credit offered by The Amex Platinum Card®
Credit Cards Earning Points for Award Nights
(You can search the hotels of these groups on MaxMyPoint!)
Using the $200 annual credit for Fine Hotels + Resorts (FHR) program
Booking Hilton Group (Conrad Tokyo, Waldorf Astoria London)
- Amex Hilton Honors
- Hilton Honors Aspire: Earn free night certificate upon approval and annually thereafter.
- Hilton Honors Surpass: Earn free night certificate after $15,000 in spending.
- Hilton Honors Business: Earn one free night certificate after $15,000, and earn a second one after $60,000 in spending.
Booking Hyatt Group (Park Hyatt Milan, Andaz Tokyo)
- Chase World of Hyatt
- Chase World of Hyatt Credit Business
Booking Marriott Group (Example: Ritz Carlton Kyoto)
Booking IHG Group (Example: Intercontinental Rome, Intercontinental Osaka)
- Chase IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card: Earn free night certificates (up to 40,000 points) annually. Free night certificate can be topped up with points for premium stays.
- Chase IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card: Earn free night certificates (up to 40,000 points) annually. Free night certificate can be topped up with points for premium stays.
Final Thoughts
For travelers who prioritize luxury hotel stays using points, MaxMyPoint is an essential tool.
- It eliminates the frustration of endless searching.
- It provides real-time alerts to help travelers secure award stays.
- It ensures that high-value award nights do not slip away due to lack of availability.
If you have ever struggled to book a hotel stay with points, MaxMyPoint provides an efficient, user-friendly solution. Have you used MaxMyPoint? Share your experience in the comments!
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