Accommodation in KIX
Some here may be aware that next January (arr 23rd early evening; dep 27th late evening) I'm going to Osaka (KIX). Given that the JPY is strong (AUD->JPY exchange rate is ****), "everything is expensive in Japan" and my budget is about as thin as the edge of a Samurai sword,
then combine that with some painful searching to try and find reasonable and cheap accommodation in Osaka (trying to find places with private baths rather than having to use public baths or
sentoos), I've decided there's another way to do it:
Award stays
For points balances, I've got HH ~48k, Amex MR ~180k (more to come, I hope
) and QF ~65k. The only Hilton group hotel in Osaka is the Hilton Osaka, which is a 35kpt/night category hotel. So I've got 1 stay at the Hilton up my sleeve, and I may just redeem it for the night of the 26th because with my HHG at least I can get some benefit (either Exec Room upgrade or free internet...tough choice) and a possiblity of late checkout the day I have to depart (useful to reserve for packing time).
My Amex MR only redeems to HH (1000 MR = 1000 HH), PC (1000 MR = 600 PC) or SPG (1000 MR = 330 SPG). The last hotel program in Ascent is pointless for the discussion at hand. I'm HHG, entry level PC and haven't joined SPG yet. (Any good joining promos for SPG?).
Across those three programs, the only "feasible" options for stays are:
- Hilton Osaka
- Sheraton Osaka
- Westin Osaka
- ANA Crowne Plaza Osaka
The others are too far from the centre of Osaka; a few options turned up in Kobe or further, a.k.a. about 20km+ out of Osaka cental.
The Sheraton Osaka (SPG) looks attractive, as it's 3k-4k SPG pts/night for stay. The Westin is about 2.5 times greater in points cost, so a bit too excessive for my blood, even though it looks quite nice.
My plan so far is to redeem 2 nights at the Sheraton (I'll need to join SPG then get an Amex transfer of points), followed by redeeming out ~22kpts from MR into HH, then two nights at the Hilton. Total cost, about ~50kpts MR and everything in HH.
Not bad for 4 nights without a single cent spent (sans extras). Although I guess there will be quite a bit of points transferring and burning mechanics to go through, notwithstanding I'm completely naive of possibly any "waiting/processing periods"...... :-|
So why am I posting this?
- Would or could anyone recommend a possibly better plan?
- Does anyone have any feedback about any of the mentioned hotels in the list? (i.e. have you been there before)
And yes I'm aware of the old adage: "If you think it's worth redeeming points for something, it probably is."