Each summer that my kids go away to sleep-away camp, Rob and I try to go on a little get away for a few days. Last year we stayed at the Equinox in Vermont, another year, we stayed at the St. Regis in Monarch Beach, CA. Both of these stays were at Starwood Resorts on Starpoints.
This year, we are planning on heading to Colorado Springs, as we are planning a guided hike to the Summit of Pikes Peak. Have I mentioned that I want to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in the year 2018 for my 50th birthday? Hmmm, better start thinking now about how I am going to get to Africa on points. (Maybe a stay at a Protea Hotel….)
Ok, back to Colorado Springs. We were told that we should acclimate to the altitude before beginning our ascent. I think I found a really good place to acclimate.
I booked 3 nights at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. This hotel is a member of Preferred Hotels and Resorts, and its loyalty program is through iPrefer, which you can read about here.
The only iPrefer hotel I have ever stayed in was in Garden City, New York last summer for a 2 night stay for a swim meet. Needless to say, I do not have nearly enough points to book this stay on iPrefer points.
Option 2-As I wrote about last month, I just got the Barclaycard Arrival Plus MasterCard. With my offer, I will receive 40,000 BONUS MILES offer after I spend $3,000 in the first 90 days of account opening. (Working on this now).
I will also earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase. I can then redeem my miles for a travel statement credit toward all or a portion of this hotel fare. I am hoping for all as I am going to make this mine and Rob’s primary card over the next 10 months. I need the points in my account to cover the cost by October. As after our stay, I have 120 days to redeem the points and receive the credit.
The room is 470 per night. My bonus and spending to meet the bonus will cover the first night. I need about another 90,000 miles for the next 2 nights. Meaning, I need to spend about 45K on the card over the next 10 months. (45K because I earn 2x miles on each purchase). I think its doable. Worst case, I end up paying for some of the room. After all, Rob and I do this only 1x a year for just a few days. We’ll see…..
