New Year’s Eve Planning Starts Now! Here’s How to Get a Free Hotel!

Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full advertising policy: How we make money.

Update: One or more card offers in this post are no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.

New Year’s Eve is right around the corner.  And for folks looking to get away to celebrate, now is the time to book your hotel!

The holiday season is the hardest time of year to book free hotel nights.  But even then, you still have options if you plan ahead and know where to look.

Whether you’re looking be in the middle of the party, or to relax on a romantic getaway, you can do it for free!

Here’s where to go, and the points that can get you there!

Pick Hotel Chains That Don’t Have Blackout Dates

Lots of hotel chains have blackout dates during the most popular times of the year.  But even hotels without blackout dates, like Hyatt, sell out quickly on New Year’s Eve!

If your New Year’s Eve hotel search has stalled, here are some great places that were still available to book when I did my research.

1.   Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach

The Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach is right in the heart of the action in Honolulu.

It’s only a few blocks from Waikiki beach, where you can join 100,000+ other people to watch a great New Year’s Eve fireworks display.  And there are lots of night-clubs that have huge parties planned for New Year’s Eve.

Folks like staying here because of the excellent service and perfect location.

You can book a free night at the Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach for only 20,000 Hyatt points.  And with Hyatt’s no blackout dates policy, as long as a standard room is available you can book it with points!

I saw rooms going for ~$595 a night.  So you’ll get an excellent value of ~3 cents per point ($595 room rate / 20,000 points)!

I love staying at Hyatt hotels, because of the excellent redemption rates, and top notch service.  Plus, Hyatt is a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner.  So earning points is easy!

2.   The Stowehof

Looking to avoid the crowds on New Year’s Eve?  Then check out The Stowehof  in Stowe, Vermont.

If skiing, snowshoeing, and quiet are what you’re after, then this is a lovely pick for New Year’s Eve.  Stowe, Vermont is located in the middle of some of the best skiing the Northeast has to offer.

The Stowehof’s unique personality and cozy atmosphere have earned it a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.

The Stowehof isn’t part of a major hotel chain, so you can’t book an award night.  But you can use the Chase Travel Portal to pay with points for your stay.

A night on New Year’s Eve costs ~$192.  Or you could spend Chase Ultimate Rewards points for the stay.  How many points you’ll need depends on which Chase card you have.  You’ll get:

• 1 cent per point with the Chase Freedom, Chase Freedom Unlimited, and Ink Business Cash cards
• 1.25 cents per point with the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Ink Business Preferred, or Chase Ink Bold / Ink Plus (no longer offered) cards
• 1.5 cents per point with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card

So New Year’s Eve at The Stowehof would cost you 12,814 to 19,221 Chase points.

3.   Old Monterey Inn

The Old Monterey Inn is a luxury bed and breakfast located along Northern California’s coast.  Folks on TripAdvisor love it for its old-world charm and friendly staff.

It’s a great location for a walk by the bay or a romantic dinner.  And all of the rooms have a fireplace, which is perfect for relaxing with some wine and cheese at the end of the day.

The rooms are $219 to $329 for the night.  And an easy way to get a free night here is with Capital One Venture miles.  You can redeem miles for 1 cent per point towards travel (including independent and boutique hotels).

The Capital One Venture card currently comes with a 50,000 Venture mile bonus after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.  That’s worth $500 in travel!

Flexible Points Are Your Best Bet

Transferable points are a great option for booking free hotel stays on New Year’s Eve.  You can transfer them to a hotel partner, or if there are no award nights available you can pay for the room with points!

 1.   Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards Points or Book Paid Rooms Through the Chase Travel Portal

Chase points transfer at a 1:1 ratio to IHG, Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, and Hyatt hotels.  Plus, you can always use the Chase Travel Portal to pay with points.

I love earning Chase Ultimate Rewards points. But Chase has strict application rules.  If you have opened more than 5 credit cards within the past 24 months you’re not eligible for Chase Ultimate Rewards points earning cards.

If you qualify, there are lucrative bonuses available on some of Chase’s best credit cards!  You could earn:

• 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points with the Chase Sapphire Preferred after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening
• 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points with the Chase Sapphire Reserve after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening
• 80,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points with the Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening

If you’re planning on using Chase points to book your stay (or transfer them), then you’ll want to meet your minimum spending requirement quickly.

Otherwise, the bonus points might not post to your account in time to book a night for New Year’s Eve.  But you can always use the points for Valentines Day! 😉

 2.   Or Consider Capital One Cards to Erase Your Hotel Charges

Some folks are over the Chase “5/24” rule.  Others like staying at independent hotels that can’t be paid for with points.  If you’re in that situation, Capital One has several cards that earn miles or cashback that you can use to erase hotel charges.

You can earn a sign-up bonus worth $500 with these cards:

• Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card comes with a 50,000 mile sign-up bonus (worth $500 in travel) after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
• Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business comes with a 50,000 mile sign-up bonus (worth $500 in travel) after spending $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
• Capital One® Spark® Cash for Business comes with a $500 cash bonus after spending $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening

Once you pay for your stay with your Capital One Venture card or Capital One Spark Miles for Business card, you will have up to 90 days after paying to “erase” the travel charge with miles.  This is helpful because you won’t have to earn the miles before you stay!

And with the Capital One Spark Cash for Business card you’ll get the bonus as statement credit that can be redeemed at any time for any amount!

These aren’t the only cards to consider if you’re looking for New Year’s Eve hotel discounts.  You can always check out our Hot Deals page for the best offers.  We’ll always share the best deals with you, even if we don’t earn a commission.

Bottom Line

New Year’s Eve is one of the most difficult nights of the year to book a free hotel.  But there are still enough options out there to find a place that fits your personality.

You could party it up in Hawaii, or relax along the California coast.  And you can do it all for free with the great bonuses available on cards like the Chase Ink Business Preferred or Capital One Venture cards.

Where do you plan to ring in the New Year?