How to Stay at All-Inclusive Hotels for Free!

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All-inclusive hotels are a fantastic deal because sometimes your meals and snacks, drinks, and entertainment are included in the price of the room.

And you can use your hotel points to get all-inclusive free award nights with many hotel chains including Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, and Wyndham!
How To Stay At All Inclusive Hotels For Free
All-Inclusive Hotels Are Popular in Warm, Sunny Destinations, Like the Hyatt Zilara Cancun. And, You Can Book a Room With Hotel Points and Save Hundreds of Dollars!

I’ll show you popular all-inclusive hotels where you can stay free with your hotel points!

Why All-Inclusive Hotels?

Lots of folks like to stay at all-inclusive hotels because they offer an easy and relaxing vacation experience.  Once you’re checked-in to your room, you can enjoy hotel amenities for NO extra cost including:

  • All of your meals
  • Alcohol
  • Snacks
  • Shows, live music, and other entertainment
Some hotels even give you spa treatments, poolside dining and drinks, and butler service!
How To Stay At All Inclusive Hotels For Free
Breakfast Is Served! Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks, Too! Your Meals and Drinks (Even Beer, Wine, and Cocktails) Are No Added Cost When You Stay at All-Inclusive Hotels

For an additional fee, some hotels offer extra activities like guided tours, diving packages, and shopping.  For folks who enjoy cruises, all-inclusive hotels offer a similar experience.

What’s included in the rate varies, so be sure to read the fine print.  And check reviews on a site like TripAdvisor to read what others have said about the quality of the beach, drinks, food, and service.

How To Stay At All Inclusive Hotels For Free
Many All-Inclusives Are Made for Relaxing Near the Ocean, and That’s a Big Reason Why Folks Love Them!

These hotels are often in relaxing or romantic beachfront locations like on the coasts of Mexico and the Caribbean.  Some are adults-only, while others are great for the whole family.

If you want an experience where you plan to stay on the hotel grounds and swim, tan, or lay out, you might consider staying at an all-inclusive hotel because they can be a fantastic deal.  Especially when you don’t pay anything extra out-of pocket!

Some hotels have a private beach, or section of the beach they care for.  So you can usually expect a well-maintained and clean beach area to enjoy.

And some offer shuttle service to local attractions and shopping, so be sure to ask if you want an excursion into town.

When it’s time to leave, ask if you can leave your bags at the front desk after you check-out.  That way you can enjoy a few more hours of sun…and food!  It never hurts to ask!

And to really stretch your stay, consider mixing-and-matching an award stay with an Airbnb rental.  That way you can splurge at an all-inclusive, then spend more time getting to know the city once you’re off the hotel grounds (and you’ll have a nice tan, too!).

All-Inclusive Hotels You Can Book With Points

Let’s look at a few popular hotel chains, and their all-inclusive hotels where you can stay using your points!

1.   Hilton

Link:   Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Signature Card

Link:   Hilton Honors™ Surpass® Card from American Express

Link:   Which Hilton Card Is Right for You?

Hilton has the most all-inclusive hotels available to book with points.  And right now, there’s an 80,000 Hilton points sign-up bonus on the Hilton Honors™ Surpass® Card from American Express card!

There are hotels all over the world, including:

How To Stay At All Inclusive Hotels For Free
Experience the Gorgeous Hilton Puerto Vallarta Resort With Your Hilton Points and Save $469 a Night!

And there are lots of ways to earn Hilton points!

Nights at the Hilton Puerto Vallarta Resort cost $469, or 60,000 Hilton points in April 2016.  But of course your points are worth much more because everything is included.

Your points cover everything – there is no out-of-pocket expense when you redeem your Hilton points at their all-inclusive hotels (except maybe for tips – always be sure to check each hotel’s policy about tipping for good service).

There’s usually a maximum of 4 people per room, but find out for sure before you book.

And, you’ll pay more for add-on services like premium alcohol, airport transfers, and golf green fees.  Review the policies at the hotel you select to see exactly what’s included in the room rate.

2.   Hyatt

Link:   Chase Sapphire Preferred

Link:   Ink Plus Business Credit Card

Link:   Ink Business Cash Credit Card

Link:   Chase Freedom

Link:   Chase Hyatt

Hyatt has a small but well-chosen selection of all-inclusive hotels in great destinations including: Hyatt Zilara hotels are adults-only (18+), and Hyatt Ziva hotels are family-friendly.
How To Stay At All Inclusive Hotels For Free
The Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall in Jamaica Is Perfect for a Family Vacation! You’ll Pay 25,000 Hyatt Points per Night, or You Can Redeem Your Free Night Certificates From the Chase Hyatt Card!

Two nights at the Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall in Jamaica cost ~$1,328 or 50,000 Hyatt points in April 2016.

Room rates are based on single or double occupancy.  At the 20,000 point hotels, you’ll pay an extra 10,000 points per night per person.  And at the 25,000 point hotels, it costs an extra 12,500 points per night per person.  All hotels have a maximum of 4 people in a room.
How To Stay At All Inclusive Hotels For Free
Meals and Entertainment Are Covered With Your Points! But Note You’ll Pay More for Premium Rooms or Suites

You can also pay more points for a suite, or more cash for a Club Room, which includes premium drinks, access to the Club Lounge, and discounts on spa services.

Use Chase Ultimate Rewards Points for Free Nights at Hyatt All-Inclusive Hotels
The 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards point sign-up bonus on the Chase Sapphire Preferred is enough for 2 nights at any of Hyatt’s all-inclusive hotels.

You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Ink Plus, or (no longer offered) Chase Ink Bold card.

If you have the Chase Freedom or Chase Ink Cash cards, you can combine your points and transfer them to Hyatt as long as you have 1 of the other cards!

Or Earn Free Nights With the Hyatt Card

And you’ll earn 2 award night certificates when you open the Chase Hyatt card and complete the minimum spending requirements.  If you and a partner both get the card, you can get 4 free nights total!

Here are my tips about how to decide which room is right for you, and how to book award nights at Hyatt all-inclusive hotels.  And here are 5 great hotels in the Caribbean and Mexico you can book with Hyatt points, including a few all-inclusives!

3.   IHG

Link:   IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card

IHG‘s all-inclusive hotels are also available to book with points with no additional cash, including:
How To Stay At All Inclusive Hotels For Free
Enjoy the Beaches and Views at Los Cabos, Mexico, Free of Charge When You Redeem 35,000 IHG Points per Night!

Rooms rates are based on single or double occupancy, with a maximum of 4 people per room.  There’s an extra charge for the 3rd and 4th person, which varies based on the hotel but starts at $75 per day.

Two nights at the Holiday Inn Los Cabos is ~$706, or 70,000 IHG points.

Remember you get 1 free night certificate each year you renew your Chase IHG Rewards Card to use at ANY IHG hotel.

And if you need more IHG points, you can transfer 1:1 from Chase Ultimate Rewards.  Although I prefer to transfer to other travel partners like United Airlines, Hyatt, or Southwest because the same number of points is worth more Big Travel.

But if you need to top off your account, this is a fast way to get more points for an award night redemption.

Here are my tips on how to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points to fly to the Caribbean and Mexico!

4.   Wyndham

Link:   Barclaycard Wyndham Rewards

You can redeem ANY Wyndham hotel for 15,000 Wyndham points per night.  And the sign-up bonus on the premium Barclaycard Wyndham Rewards is sometimes 45,000 Wydham points, which is enough for 3 nights at Wyndham’s all-inclusive hotelsworth over $1000, including:

So it might be worth waiting for the higher sign-up bonus on the Barclaycard Wyndham Rewards to come back again!

How To Stay At All Inclusive Hotels For Free
The Viva Wyndham Dominicus Palace Costs 15,000 Wyndham Points per Night, and Meals, Snacks, Drinks, Yoga Classes, and Caribbean Dance Lessons Are Included!

You can have up to 4 people in a room with no additional points needed.  If you pay in cash, however, you’ll pay depending on how many people are with you.  So if you bring a partner, spouse, or little ones, your points are worth even more!

For example, you’d pay $1,275 or 45,000 Wyndham points for 3 nights at the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Palace in April 2016.

How To Stay At All Inclusive Hotels For Free
Live Shows and Entertainment Are Included

Remember, most everything is included in the price!  You can see live shows…

How To Stay At All Inclusive Hotels For Free
Kids Have Their Own Play Area
…play with the kids…
How To Stay At All Inclusive Hotels For Free
Chill Out on White Sand Near Crystal Blue Water
…or simply relax!

Bottom Line

It’s easy to redeem your hotel points to stay at all-inclusive resorts run by Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, and Wyndham hotels for unforgettable vacations.  Save hundreds of dollars (or more!) with your points!

Folks like all-inclusive hotels because meals, snacks, alcohol, and entertainment are included in the price.  Be sure to read the fine print to see exactly what’s included in the room you want to book, and how many people you can have in the room.  And some hotel chains, like Hyatt, let you pay more points for premium rooms or suites.

All-inclusives can be a fantastic deal, especially if you want to fly to somewhere warm and spend most of your time relaxing.

Let me know if you’ve stayed at any of these hotels, or if you’re planning a trip!

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

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