Ever since Citi added the ability to double your points when transferring to Choice Privileges (details here), I’ve been on the hunt for great uses of Choice points. Towards that end, I’ve looked at Choice’s Ascend Collection, Nordic Choice hotels, and the ability to redeem Choice points for Preferred Hotels & Resorts. Now, I’ve turned my eye towards the final upscale Choice brand: Cambria Hotels. Cambria Hotels cost, at most, 35,000 points per night. This means that it’s possible to book any Cambria Hotel with as few as 17,500 Citi points per night (since Citi points double when transferred to Choice, as long as you have a Citi Premier or Prestige card). That can be a good deal when cash prices are over $200 per night, and a great deal when over $300.
I’ve only ever stayed in one Cambria hotel: Cambria Hotel LAX. It was a steal for only 10K points per night at the time (the price has since gone up to 25K – 30K), and I enjoyed the stay (details here). It wasn’t a luxury hotel by any means, but it was comfortable, beautifully styled, and served the purpose of offering a nice place to sleep. And, it had a cool magic mirror:
For this new post, I looked at the Cambria Hotels listed on Choice’s website (here), and briefly researched the ones that appeared to be in an interesting location. For each of those, I looked at reviews and in most cases only picked out the ones where the reviews were overwhelmingly positive. One exception was the Cambria Hotel Ocean City. It had mixed reviews, but appears to offer incredible point value compared to summer cash rates (often over $500). Other exceptions include a couple of properties that haven’t yet opened, but appear to be really nice (one in Detroit and one in Savannah).
California
Cambria Hotel Calabasas
- Book suites with points? No
- Points Price: 20K or 30K
Apr 24, 2022 – Jul 2, 2022: Sun – Thu 20,000/Room Fri – Sat 30,000/Room
Jul 3, 2022 – Sep 15, 2022: Sun – Thu 30,000/Room Fri – Sat 30,000/Room - Sample Cash Rate: $278 before taxes (July 29th)
- Choice Point Value: 0.92 cents per point
- Citi ThankYou Point Value: 1.84 cents per point
Cambria Hotel Napa Valley
- Book suites with points? No (but you can book deluxe rooms with points)
- Points Price: 25K, 30K, or 35K
Apr 24, 2022 – Jul 2, 2022: Sun – Thu 25,000/Room Fri – Sat 35,000/Room
Jul 3, 2022 – Sep 15, 2022: Sun – Thu 30,000/Room Fri – Sat 35,000/Room - Sample Cash Rate: $436 before taxes (July 29th)
- Choice Point Value: 1.25 cents per point
- Citi ThankYou Point Value: 2.49 cents per point
Cambria Hotel Sonoma Wine Country
Drew B says: “We lived next to the Cambria wine country. Just know that it’s about as “in wine country” as the Hyatt regency wine country. Both by the freeway 30 min away from Napa, Sonoma etc. At least the Cambria isn’t surrounded by homeless drug users so I’d give it the win.”
- Book suites with points? No
- Points Price: 16K, 25K, or 30K
Apr 24, 2022 – Jul 2, 2022: Sun – Thu 16,000/Room Fri – Sat 30,000/Room
Jul 3, 2022 – Sep 15, 2022: Sun – Thu 25,000/Room Fri – Sat 30,000/Room - Sample Cash Rate: $270 before taxes (July 29th)
- Choice Point Value: 0.9 cents per point
- Citi ThankYou Point Value: 1.8 cents per point
Florida
Cambria Hotel Fort Lauderdale Beach
- Book suites with points? No
- Points Price: 30K
Apr 24, 2022 – Sep 15, 2022: Sun – Thu 30,000/Room Fri – Sat 30,000/Room - Sample Cash Rate: $262 before taxes (July 29th)
- Choice Point Value: 0.87 cents per point
- Citi ThankYou Point Value: 1.7 cents per point
Cambria Hotel St Petersburg-Madeira Beach Marina
- Book suites with points? Yes
- Points Price:
Apr 24, 2022 – Jul 2, 2022: Sun – Thu 25,000/Room Fri – Sat 35,000/Room
Jul 3, 2022 – Sep 15, 2022: Sun – Thu 30,000/Room Fri – Sat 35,000/Room - Sample Cash Rate: $296 before taxes (July 29th)
- Choice Point Value: 0.99 cents per point
- Citi ThankYou Point Value: 2.0 cents per point
Georgia
Cambria Hotel Savannah Downtown Historic District
- Book suites with points? Unknown (Available for bookings beginning Sep 1 2022)
- Points Price: 20K
Apr 24, 2022 – Sep 15, 2022: Sun – Thu 20,000/Room Fri – Sat 20,000/Room - Hotel opens for bookings September 1, 2022
Kentucky
Cambria Hotel Louisville Downtown – Whiskey Row
- Book suites with points? No
- Points Price: 25K or 30K
Apr 24, 2022 – Jul 2, 2022: Sun – Thu 30,000/Room Fri – Sat 30,000/Room
Jul 3, 2022 – Sep 15, 2022: Sun – Thu 25,000/Room Fri – Sat 30,000/Room - Sample Cash Rate: $149 before taxes (July 29th)
- Choice Point Value: 0.5 cents per point (poor value with points)
- Citi ThankYou Point Value: 0.99 cents per point (poor value with points)
Louisiana
Cambria Hotel New Orleans Downtown Warehouse District
- Book suites with points? No
- Points Price: 20K or 30K
Apr 24, 2022 – Sep 15, 2022: Sun – Thu 20,000/Room Fri – Sat 30,000/Room - Sample Cash Rate: $259 before taxes (July 29th)
- Choice Point Value: 0.86 cents per point
- Citi ThankYou Point Value: 1.7 cents per point
Maryland
Cambria Hotel Ocean City – Bayfront
- Book suites with points? No
- Points Price: 35K
Apr 24, 2022 – Sep 15, 2022: Sun – Thu 35,000/Room Fri – Sat 35,000/Room - Sample Cash Rate: $581 before taxes (July 29th)
- Choice Point Value: 1.7 cents per point (excellent value with points)
- Citi ThankYou Point Value: 3.3 cents per point (great value with points)
Michigan
Cambria Hotel Detroit Downtown
- Book suites with points? Unknown (bookings open Oct 15, 2022)
- Points price: 20K. Apr 24, 2022 – Sep 15, 2022: Sun – Thu 20,000/Room Fri – Sat 20,000/Room
- Hotel opens for bookings October 15, 2022
Cambria Hotel Traverse City
- Book suites with points? Yes (all rooms are suites)
- Points Price: 25K, 30K, or 35K
Apr 24, 2022 – Jul 2, 2022: Sun – Thu 25,000/Room Fri – Sat 35,000/Room
Jul 3, 2022 – Sep 15, 2022: Sun – Thu 30,000/Room Fri – Sat 35,000/Room - Sample Cash Rate: $485 before taxes (July 29th)
- Choice Point Value: 1.4 cents per point (excellent value with points)
- Citi ThankYou Point Value: 2.8 cents per point (great value with points)
New York
Cambria Hotel New York – Chelsea
- Book suites with points? No (but deluxe rooms can be booked with points)
- Points Price: 30K or 35K
Apr 24, 2022 – Sep 15, 2022: Sun – Thu 30,000/Room Fri – Sat 35,000/Room - Sample Cash Rate: $259 before taxes (July 29th)
- Choice Point Value: 0.7 cents per point
- Citi ThankYou Point Value: 1.5 cents per point
North Carolina
Cambria Hotel Downtown Asheville
- Book suites with points? No
- Points Price: 25K, 30K, or 35K
Apr 24, 2022 – Jul 2, 2022: Sun – Thu 25,000/Room Fri – Sat 35,000/Room
Jul 3, 2022 – Sep 15, 2022: Sun – Thu 30,000/Room Fri – Sat 35,000/Room - Sample Cash Rate: $338 before taxes (Aug 5th)
- Choice Point Value: 1.1 cents per point
- Citi ThankYou Point Value: 2.3 cents per point
Tennessee
Cambria Hotel Nashville Airport
- Book suites with points? Yes
- Points Price: 25K or 30K
Apr 24, 2022 – Sep 15, 2022: Sun – Thu 25,000/Room Fri – Sat 30,000/Room - Sample Cash Rate: $200 before taxes (July 29th)
- Choice Point Value: 0.7 cents per point
- Citi ThankYou Point Value: 1.3 cents per point
Cambria Hotel Nashville Downtown
- Book suites with points? No
- Points Price: 30K or 35K
Apr 24, 2022 – Sep 15, 2022: Sun – Thu 30,000/Room Fri – Sat 35,000/Room
(Note: I’m seeing rates of 30K per night on weekends, not 35K) - Sample Cash Rate: $341 before taxes (July 29th)
- Choice Point Value: 1.1 cents per point
- Citi ThankYou Point Value: 2.3 cents per point
Reader Input Requested
If you’ve stayed at a Cambria Hotel, please let us know your experience. Which one did you stay at? Was it particularly good or bad? Please comment below!
Conclusion
There are quite a few nice looking Cambria Hotels across the U.S., and many are a steal when starting with Citi ThankYou Points. When planning stays, though, don’t forget that there are lots of other great choices (pun intended) for spending your Choice points:
- Choice’s Ascend Collection Gems
- Nordic Choice Sweet-Spots
- Preferred Hotels & Resorts: