How to Book a Cheap Hotel for the 2017 Solar Eclipse using points

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably read
about the total solar eclipse, which is set to darken a large swath of United
States on August 21^st.

For those who are unfamiliar with this natural phenomenon, a
total solar eclipse occurs when the moon completely blocks out the sun, turning
day into night within a couple of seconds.

Just saw one of the most incredible natural phenomenon in the sky. It felt like the end of the world was upon us. #solareclipse2016 #solareclipse Thank you #palu for your incredible generosity. #indonesian hospitality at its finest! #indonesia #travel #topmiles #picoftheday

A post shared by Sam Huang (@intotheplane) on Mar 8, 2016 at 7:40pm PST

I actually had the pleasure of witnessing my first solar
eclipse last year in Palu, a remote city in Indonesia, which you can read about here.

Due to the fact that this is the first total solar eclipse
to darken the United States in 38 years, demand for hotel rooms is through the
roof, with accommodation rates soaring to unheard levels.

A quick glance at the few remaining hotels with occupancy shows
rates starting around $500+, with a few rates climbing to over $1000. Enterprising
homeowners have also gotten in on the action, renting out houses for as much as
$5000 a night.

AirBNB prices in
Casper, Wyoming

Fortunately, even when cash rates for hotels become sky high, there’s
always the possibility of using your award points instead.

I was recently able to grab the last room at a Days Inn directly
under the eclipse path for a mere 3,000 Wyndham points + $65 using a Go Fast
award.

The retail price was a mind boggling $1550 a night, which
meant I received an incredible value of 50 cents per point, a new personal
record!

Typically for award nights I’d aim for at least 2-3 cent per
point, so needless to say, I got my money’s worth on this redemption.

If you’re a late planner and don’t want to give your first
born as payment, there are still a few select areas where hotel rates are more
reasonable.

Using primarily the hotel search feature on Google maps, I
systematically went through the entire solar eclipse path, from Oregon to South
Carolina, taking note of any hotels with interesting points redemptions or
reasonable cash rates.

For those in the west coast, you’re going to be limited to
staying in Portland, which is slightly outside the eclipse path. However, Salem
is only an hour drive down the interstate.

Currently there are two Hilton hotels with available award
space, starting at 40,000 HHonors points.

If you’re planning on heading to Rocky Mountains and Grand
Teton national park, award space is nonexistent, except for a lone Super 8 in Dubois,
which still has rooms available for 15,000 Wyndham points.  

Grand Teton National Park

The retail price is $1505, which is probably the only time
you’ll ever see a super 8 cost over a thousand dollars!

Moving eastward, there is no hotel award space available
until you reach Kansas City. 

If you’re looking for a place with reasonable
hotel cash rates, Kansas City is the best place to find it, with numerous
hotels going for around $100-200 a night.

Over 80 hotels under
$150 available on Eclipse Eve

For those using points, the Hyatt Place Kansas City /
Overland park is available for $111 a night or a mere 5000 Hyatt Points a
night, a fantastic value!

I would almost call Kansas City the “eclipse oasis” as it’s
pretty much the only city on the Eclipse path where supply is outstripping
demand. If you’re on a budget crunch, book your accommodation here.

There are also a decent amount of properties in St. Louis with
available award space, including a Hyatt Regency, which can be booked for 8000
points a night.

If you’re looking to splurge, there’s also a Ritz Carlton
which can booked for 40,000 Marriott points or a mere 13,333 SPG points.

There are is also a Hilton and even a Renaissance that can
be booked for 10,000 points a night.

There are significantly more non-stop flights to St Louis,
so if you can’t find affordable air fare to Kansas City, this would be my
second choice.

After St Louis, you’ll find there’s pretty much zero award space
on the east coast, except in Nashville, where a plethora of concerts will be held on Eclipse day, including one featuring Darius Rucker!

There are a few Marriott’s properties in Nashville that have limited award space available, including the Gaylord Opyrland Resort,
which can be had for 35,000 Marriott points.

Retail price is $626 USD night so this is a pretty good use
of Marriott Points to witness the Solar Eclipse in the country music capital.