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Stay 5 Nights, Get 1 Free With Hard Rock Hotels: Worth It or Not?

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    Spring break on the beach, St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago, Thanksgiving break at Disney, and all-inclusive hotels are the draw of the new Hard Rock promotion.  But is it really a deal?

    Travel With Grant reports you can get a free night certificate good now through winter at participating Hard Rock Hotels for every 5 nights you stay by June 5, 2015.
    Stay 5 Nights, Get 1 Free at Participating Hard Rock Hotels (Guitar Not Included)

    As with most hotel promotions, there are restrictions which I’ll explain.  Let’s see if this is a good deal!

    What’s the Deal?

    Link:   Hard Rock Rewards Hotel Free Night Promotion

    Link:   Hard Rock Rewards

    When you stay 5 nights at participating Hard Rock hotel by June 5, 2015, you’ll earn a free night certificate.  Free nights can be used at any participating hotel (all-inclusive too!), and are valid for stays until December 20, 2015.

    However, there are blackout dates that vary depending on the hotel.  To check dates and book a free stay, you have to call Hard Rock hotels at 844-373-9273.

    You Could Use Your Free Night at an All-Inclusive Resort Like the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya in Mexico

    Your 5 qualifying nights don’t have to be consecutive, or even at the same hotel.  To qualify for the promotion, sign-up for the free Hard Rock Rewards loyalty program and fully activate your account (complete your profile) before you book.

    You can stay at any of these Hard Rock locations:

    Party Like a Rock Star for 5 Nights at the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago, and Earn a Free Night

    To earn a free night, your 5 paid nights must be at an eligible rate.  The terms and conditions say:

    An Eligible Rate means the standard rack room rate for the applicable lodging and excludes wholesale/tour operator packages, contracted crew rates, travel agency discount rates, and stays paid for using other discount coupons or promotional codes

    So to get this deal, you should book your stays directly with Hard Rock hotels and NOT through discount websites like TravelPony or Hotwire.

    That said, Hard Rock hotels has a Best Rate Guarantee, so rooms booked on their website should be at competitive rates.

    Is It Worth It?

    This could be a deal for folks already planning stays at a Hard Rock hotel.

    Some of their hotels are in popular Spring Break destinations, like Cancun, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Palm Springs, and Tampa.  So this could be good for families or friends looking for a beach vacation.

    But you can NOT use the free night certificate to extend your stay.  You’ll only get the certificate ~1 week after your 5th paid night.  So you’ll have to use it on a separate trip.

    Keep in mind many of their hotels are expensive!  And only 6 of the hotels on the list are located in the US.

    Half of the Participating Hotels Are Overseas, Like the Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza

    So the trick to making the most of the deal is to book cheap paid nights, then use the free night certificate(s) at an expensive hotel or all-inclusive resort.  For all-inclusive hotels, the free night is for 2 people (but you can pay extra to add more).

    For example, you could stay at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Biloxi for $79 per night plus taxes and fees.

    This Was the Cheapest Hard Rock Hotel Room I Could Find

    If you stayed 5 nights, you’d pay a total of $395 plus tax (5 nights x $79 per night).  And you’d earn a free night certificate.

    You could then use the free night at a much more expensive hotel, like the all-inclusive Hard Rock Hotel Cancun.  A room for 2 people in March costs $543.

    You Can Use the Free Night Certificate for 2 People at an All-Inclusive Resort in Cancun

    And why not extend your stay by transferring your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt and hopping to the all-inclusive Hyatt Zilara Cancun!

    This is a good deal if you’re planning to stay at a Hard Rock hotel anyway.  But I wouldn’t go out of my way to do a mattress run, unless you can find a really inexpensive rate in a convenient location.

    Plus, you might have to be flexible in your schedule if your travel dates conflict with the hotel’s blackout dates.  And there’s no way to tell if dates are available without calling.

    Fort Lauderdale Is a Popular Spring Break Destination, and You Could Stay at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Nearby Hollywood, Florida

    Emily and I prefer to use miles and points for hotel stays instead of cash.  And it’s even better when we get free nights from sign-up bonuses on credit cards such as the Chase Hyatt and  Citi Hilton Honors Reserve Card!

    Most folks will do better with other current hotel promotions, like Club Carlson Extend Your Stay or IHG Set Your Sights.  That’s because they have MANY more hotels, and you can earn bonus points with fewer nights.

    As with any hotel booking, don’t forget to use a credit card that earns bonus points for travel, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard!

    Bottom Line

    You’ll earn a free night certificate after staying 5 nights at participating Hard Rock hotels until June 5, 2015.  The certificate must be used by December 20, 2015.

    And you can use your free night at expensive all-inclusive resorts in Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

    I wouldn’t change travel plans just for this promotion.  Because they have a limited number of hotels and many of them are expensive.  But if you’re able to find a cheap rate, it might be worth it.

    Have you stayed at a Hard Rock hotel?  Please share your experiences in the comments!

    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! :)