Aeroplan HotelSavers Program, Now With Fourth Night Free

In October 2022, Air Canada Aeroplan launched the HotelSavers program, which on the surface might be the best hotel redemption opportunity we’ve seen from an airline loyalty program. While I’m not sure most savvy consumers will use it, I appreciate Aeroplan thinking outside the box.

There’s now a further update, as Aeroplan has just rolled out a fourth night free opportunity through this program for anyone with a co-branded Aeroplan credit card.

Aeroplan offering better value on hotel redemptions

Many airline loyalty programs give members opportunities to redeem their rewards points for things other than flights, though it almost never represents a good value. Along those lines, Aeroplan offers HotelSavers, a program for redeeming Aeroplan points for hotels:

• Aeroplan has a simple rewards grid that makes it easy to know how many points you need for a stay at a hotel, as there are eight categories
• Aeroplan is partnering directly with 39 hotel brands across 11 chains, and as a result is able to offer savings (in points) of up to 30% vs. non-HotelSavers hotels available on the Aeroplan reservation platform (these are still available, available)
• Free night rewards start at 10,000 points for a standard room, with no restrictions on room availability; you can also redeem part cash and part points toward these redemptions
• Taxes are always included with these redemptions, and all properties offer an opportunity to book a refundable rate
• Unfortunately you generally won’t earn points or receive all elite perks with your hotel loyalty program when booking this way, though I’m told this is something that Aeroplan is working on

The following are some of the 39 brands that participate in Aeroplan HotelSavers:

• Luxury: Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Taj Hotels, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton Hotels, and others
• Premium: Le Germain Hotels, Omni Hotels & Resorts, Noble House Hotels & Resorts, Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts, Pullman, Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, and others
• Midscale & Economy: Coast Hotels, Holiday Inn Hotels, Novotel Hotels & Resorts, Alt Hotels, Ibis, and Ibis Styles

Aeroplan claims that HotelSavers offers the best member value for Aeroplan points outside of flights, and also claims that there are aspirational “sweet spots” to uncover, where value of hotel redemptions is even better than the typical value per point when redeeming for flights.

Here are some examples given of HotelSavers properties, rounded to the nearest 1,000 points:

• InterContinental Bora Bora Resort (Category 8) – 71,000 pts/night
• Fairmont Mayakoba Resort, Playa Del Carmen (Category 7) – 60,000 pts/night 
• Shangri-La Vancouver (Category 6) – 45,000 points/night
• Shangri-La Toronto (Category 6) – 45,000 pts/night
• Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort (Category 6) – 43,000 pts/night
• Taj Exotica Hotel and Spa, Goa (Category 5) – 39,000 pts/night
• Sofitel Chicago Magnificent Mile (Category 5) – 36,000 pts/night
• Le Germain Charlevoix Hotel & Spa, Baie-Saint-Paul (Category 4) – 33,000 pts/night
• Claris Hotel and Spa (SLH), Barcelona (Category 3) – 24,000 pts/night
• Lorenzo Hotel (Preferred Hotels & Resorts), Dallas (Category 2) – 12,000 pts/night

Here’s how Scott O’Leary, Air Canada’s VP of Loyalty and Product, describes this program:

“When Canadians want to fly on points, they can already count on Aeroplan as Aeroplan credit card holders can redeem for Air Canada flight rewards for an average of 30% fewer points than if they used points for non-Aeroplan Canadian bank-based travel programs. However, no one has focused on delivering Canadians a great hotel rewards program – that changes today. With HotelSavers, we’re now offering Aeroplan members great options to book hotels using their points – without compromising the excellent value they’ve come to expect. HotelSavers is yet another way we’re investing to solidify Aeroplan as the go-to rewards choice for all Canadians who travel.”

Aeroplan HotelSavers offers fourth night free

With the latest development to Aeroplan’s HotelSavers program, those with a co-branded Aeroplan credit card can receive a fourth night free for every consecutive four night stay booked with points. This is available to both Canadian and US card members, so those with the Aeroplan® Credit Card (review) would be eligible for this.

This offer is repeatable, so you can use it for multiple hotel stays, or can even use it back-to-back for the same hotel stay, meaning you could book eight nights while only paying for six. You’ll be shown the discounted price at the time of booking, so this isn’t some refund after the fact. Rather the price displayed will factor in the value of the free night.

This actually isn’t just limited to HotelSavers bookings — all hotel reservations made with Aeroplan points are eligible for this benefit.

This is an excellent effort on Aeroplan’s part

Aeroplan is probably my favorite frequent flyer program, and that’s largely because the program is designed by avgeeks who are really into miles. So they see the value in offering lots of partnerships, giving members first and business class redemption opportunities, etc.

However, that’s not how most people want to redeem their points, and the reality is that there are way more people who use their points for hotels, rental cars, and toaster ovens. In that sense, it’s great to see Aeroplan trying to make these kinds of redemptions a better value.

Aeroplan HotelSavers is an impressive initiative that uses the same philosophy that Aeroplan has with flights for hotel redemptions. While other programs eliminate award charts and switch to fully dynamic pricing, Aeroplan has gone the opposite direction, with a simplified redemption award chart for hotels.

You also have to love that Aeroplan says there will be some “sweet spots” here. While I doubt we’ll ever see full hotel elite benefits and points earning opportunities on these stays, I appreciate that this is something Aeroplan at least claims to be working on.

Being able to get a fourth night free on these redemptions further increases the value, and is potentially an incentive to pick up a co-branded Aeroplan credit card.

While this likely isn’t how I’ll be choosing to redeem my Aeroplan points, this program should offer improved value for many members.

Bottom line

Air Canada Aeroplan has its HotelSavers program, offering better value when redeeming airline points at hotels. This has now been improved even further, with co-branded card members having access to a fourth night free on these redemptions.

While this isn’t how I plan on redeeming my Aeroplan points, I recognize that these kinds of redemptions are appealing to many, so it’s nice to see that Aeroplan has made a significant effort to improve the value of these.

What do you make of Aeroplan HotelSavers?