I’ve long heard that redeeming Choice Privileges points at Nordic Choice Hotels offered great value, but I’ve never previously looked very closely at this. Now I have. And I found that great value is easy to find in Norway and Sweden! In Norway, for example, the $342 per night Funken Lodge in Svalbard costs only 12,000 points per night. And in Sweden, I found three hotels that in the summer cost $220 per night or more (Hotel Wisby, Stromstad Spa & Resort, Hotel Grand Ostersund) and each can be booked for only 10,000 points per night! In other Nordic countries, I found good value, but not as great as in Norway and Sweden.
Nordic Choice Hotels is a Scandinavian hotel chain with over 200 hotels. Even though Nordic Choice has its own rewards program, their hotels also partially participate in the Choice Privileges program: you can redeem Choice Privileges points for Nordic Choice hotels, but you can’t earn Choice Privileges points at those hotels. Nordic Choice Hotels offer multiple brands that map directly to Choice Hotel brands:
| Nordic Choice Brand | Choice Hotels Brand |
|---|---|
| Comfort Hotel | Comfort |
| Quality Hotel | Quality |
| Clarion Collection Hotel | Clarion |
| Clarion Hotel | Clarion |
| Independent hotels | Ascend Hotel Collection |
Acquiring Choice Privileges Points
You can earn Choice Privileges points, of course, from hotel stays at Choice Hotels properties (but not at Nordic Choice Hotels). The best way to earn Choice points, though, is to earn Citi ThankYou Points and then transfer them 1 to 2 to Choice. For example, you could sign up for the Citi Premier Card which has an 80,000 point welcome bonus at the time of this writing and transfer those 80,000 Citi points into 160,000 Choice points!
Using Choice Points at Nordic Choice Hotels
It’s easy to use your Choice points at Nordic Choice Hotels. Simply log into your Choice Privileges account and search for hotels in Scandinavia. Here are some things to know:
- Choice only allows booking with points within 100 days of your stay.
- Often (but not always), all room types can be booked with points for the same price as a standard room. Sometimes even multi-room suites can be booked for the same award price as a standard room!
Sweet Spot Finds
I used Nordic Choice’s website to find Independent Hotels (Ascent Hotel Collection) and Clarion Hotels. Even limiting to those top two brands, the list of available hotels was too large for me to go through all of them, so I searched for prices on July 7-10, 2022 and picked only the hotels that cost ~$200 USD per night or more. This was my rough way of finding high end hotels. Then, for each of the remaining hotels, I turned to the Choice Hotels website to find more information about each hotel: what it cost in points, whether suites were available for points, and what types of meals were included for free. With that data, I also calculated the redemption point value for each hotel. In other words, based on the cash rate shown on the Nordic Choice website, I calculated how many cents per point in value one would get by booking the hotel with points.
At the time of this writing, our Reasonable Redemption Value for Choice points is 0.68 cents per point. Any point values higher than that can be said to be good value. In this case, though, I was looking for very good value and tossed out any results where point values were lower than 1 cent per point. Out of 27 hotels, I only had to toss out four because the point values were too low. One of the four tossed out was in Denmark (Villa Copenhagen with points worth 0.8 cents each) and the other three were in Finland (Hotel Lilla Roberts, Hotel Fabian, and Hotel Haven with points worth 0.7, 0.8, and 0.8 cents each, respectively).
When reading the “Cents Per Point Value” numbers, below, keep in mind that Citi ThankYou points are twice as valuable (since they double when transferred to Choice!).
Denmark
SKT. PETRI, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Brand: Ascend
- Cash Price Per Night: $223.36
- Award Price Per Night: 20,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 1.1
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? No
- Meals Included: N/A
Finland
Hotel F6, Helsinki, Finland
- Brand: Ascend
- Cash Price Per Night: $230.24
- Award Price Per Night: 20,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 1.2
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? No
- Meals Included: Full Breakfast
Norway
Funken Lodge, Svalbard, Norway
- Brand: Ascend
- Cash Price Per Night: $342.34
- Award Price Per Night: 12,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 2.9
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? No
- Meals Included: Continental Breakfast
Son Spa, Son, Norway
- Brand: Ascend
- Cash Price Per Night: $349.18
- Award Price Per Night: 16,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 2.2
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? Yes
- Meals Included: Full Breakfast
The Thief, Oslo, Norway
- Brand: Ascend
- Cash Price Per Night: $324.60
- Award Price Per Night: 20,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 1.6
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? No
- Meals Included: Afternoon Tea
Hotel Brosundet, Alesund, Norway
- Brand: Ascend
- Cash Price Per Night: $226.30
- Award Price Per Night: 16,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 1.4
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? No
- Meals Included: Organic breakfast and light evening buffet
Norefjell Ski & Spa, Norefjell, Norway
- Brand: Ascend
- Cash Price Per Night: $225.48
- Award Price Per Night: 16,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 1.4
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? Yes
- Meals Included: Full Breakfast
Clarion Hotel & Congress Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, Norway
- Brand: Clarion
- Cash Price Per Night: $224.67
- Award Price Per Night: 16,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 1.4
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? No
- Meals Included: Full Breakfast
Hotel Arcticus, Harstad, Norway
- Brand: Clarion
- Cash Price Per Night: $196.15
- Award Price Per Night: 16,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 1.2
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? Yes
- Meals Included: Full Breakfast, Waffles 3 to 6, Evening meal 6 to 9
Hotel Havnekontoret, Bergen, Norway
- Brand: Clarion
- Cash Price Per Night: $194.99
- Award Price Per Night: 16,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 1.2
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? No
- Meals Included: Free organic breakfast and a light evening buffet
Amerikalinjen, Oslo, Norway
- Brand: Ascend
- Cash Price Per Night: $228.50
- Award Price Per Night: 20,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 1.1
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? No
- Meals Included: Full Breakfast
Hotel Tyholmen, Arendal, Norway
- Brand: Clarion
- Cash Price Per Night: $205.89
- Award Price Per Night: 20,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 1.0
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? No
- Meals Included: Full Breakfast
Hotel Helma, Mo i Rana, Norway
- Brand: Clarion
- Cash Price Per Night: $196.15
- Award Price Per Night: 20,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 1.0
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? No
- Meals Included: Full Breakfast
Sweden
Hotel Grand Ostersund, Ostersund, Sweden
- Brand: Clarion
- Cash Price Per Night: $234.66
- Award Price Per Night: 10,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 2.3
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? Yes
- Meals Included: Full Breakfast
Stromstad Spa & Resort, Stromstad, Sweden
- Brand: Ascend
- Cash Price Per Night: $230.51
- Award Price Per Night: 10,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 2.3
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? Unknown
- Meals Included: Full Breakfast
Hotel Wisby, Visby, Sweden
- Brand: Clarion
- Cash Price Per Night: $220.37
- Award Price Per Night: 10,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 2.2
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? No
- Meals Included: Full Breakfast
Hotel Odin, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Brand: Clarion
- Cash Price Per Night: $203.77
- Award Price Per Night: 10,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 2.0
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? No
- Meals Included: Free organic breakfast and light evening buffet
Hotel Packhuset, Kalmar, Sweden
- Brand: Clarion
- Cash Price Per Night: $213.57
- Award Price Per Night: 16,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 1.3
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? No
- Meals Included: Organic breakfast and light evening buffet
Hotel Sea U, Helsingborg, Sweden
- Brand: Clarion
- Cash Price Per Night: $243.88
- Award Price Per Night: 20,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 1.2
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? No
- Meals Included: Full Breakfast
Avalon Hotel, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Brand: Ascend
- Cash Price Per Night: $239.39
- Award Price Per Night: 20,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 1.2
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? No
- Meals Included: Full Breakfast
Hotel Post, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Brand: Clarion
- Cash Price Per Night: $213.57
- Award Price Per Night: 20,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 1.1
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? No
- Meals Included: Full Breakfast
At Six, Stockholm, Sweden
- Brand: Ascend
- Cash Price Per Night: $207.69
- Award Price Per Night: 20,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 1.0
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? No
- Meals Included: N/A
Hotel Martenson, Halmstad, Sweden
- Brand: Ascend
- Cash Price Per Night: $206.89
- Award Price Per Night: 20,000
- Cents Per Point Value: 1.0
- Book Suites for Same Award Price? No
- Meals Included: Full Breakfast
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The Thief Oslo provides a delicious buffet breakfast on Choice Privileges points stays. I have stayed there several nights in 2023.
Clarion Congress Oslo Airport is a hotel I stayed at in 2023 for an early flight. I would not choose that property again. 80 NOK bus ride per person. Spent about $32 to travel between airport and hotel round-trip for two.
Room was nothing noteworthy.
In retrospect I should have stayed another night at The Thief Oslo or a Clarion Collection hotel for dinner meal and spent the 800 to 1,100 NOK $80-$110 for taxi to Oslo airport in early morning.
Greg,
Thank you sir! One of your best.
While I would say the value at the moment isn’t as compelling as it has been in the past due to current NOK vs USD currency rates, it is still an awesome way to save $ on a trip to a country that is typically one of the most expensive on earth to visit.
The Citi to Choice1:2 transfer gave me the opportunity to book 6 nights at various locations across Norway and save over $700 cash out of pocket which will go a long way to helping me make my Norway dream trip a reality.
Kind regards
Thanks for info, What benefits Nordic choice offers to choice privilege élite members? I am a gold member because of my card member and I was wondering if they offer anything .Thanks again.
My guess is that there are no special benefits, but I’m not really sure.
Thanks for reply, I looked more and you are correct they do not recognize it, Thanks again.
The SKT. PETRI, Copenhagen, Denmark is no longer a Nordic Choice hotel.
I don’t know if Clarion Hotel Sign in Stockholm belongs to Nordic Choice. At a rate of 10K/night, it is a great redemption. The cash rate for the hotel is over $200/night.
Has anyone managed to book
Yasuragi (Ascend Collection and Preferred Hotel)
https://www.nordicchoicehotels.com/hotels/sweden/stockholm/yasuragi/
or
ICEHOTEL
https://www.icehotel.com/icehotel-collaboration-stordalens-nordic-hotels-resorts?utm_source=NCHCOM&utm_medium=External%20Website&utm_campaign=Icehotel%20CTA
Both are listed on nordicchoicehotels.com and are further subsumed under the umbrella Nordic Hotels & Resorts
https://www.nordichotels.com/
In the end, probably every hotel somehow belongs to Strawberry Group/ Strawberry Hospitality Group owned by billionaire Petter Stordalen
https://www.strawberry.no/discover-strawberry/the-companies/strawberry-hospitality-group
Yasuragi appears bookable with Choice points for 20K per night: https://www.choicehotels.com/en-nz/suecia/saltsjo-boo/ascend-hotels/se101
Regarding Icehotel, I’ve looked many times but haven’t found a way to book it with Choice points
Hi Greg,
indeed Yauragi is listed with 20K per night but I never came across availability over the past years. Too sad!
That’s why I am curious whether someone ever managed to book it 😉
Yasuragi doesn’t seem to be bookable for cash either on the Choice website.
I had reservations there on points, maybe 2018, but ended up canceling stay when plans changed.
[…] is a well-researched, in-depth analysis of Choice sweet spots in Scandinavia from Frequent Miler: Nordic Choice Sweet-Spots: Great Value w/ Choice […]
Great list! I’d be curious if there is any way to amass points for Scandic Hotels, because the ones I’ve stayed at in Scandinavia have all been amazing and would probably be incredible points values. The breakfasts at Scandic hotels are unmatched.
From around sometime in mid-March 2021 and pretty well into September 2021, most Nordic Choice properties could not be booked using Choice Privileges points. Just something to consider, as this was the longest blackout of Nordic Choice properties for redemption availability using Choice Privileges points that I’ve ever seen.
Then I have been extremely lucky. Booked various Nordic Choice hotels on points only some weeks before our stays at the end of July until mid August. Even I had no issues to reschedule the bookings.
But then some days after our trip I realized that most properties were not bookable on points. I thought that the sweetspots have been gone but happy to see that they are not gone forever
I use the Hotel Wisby a lot …. on points. It’s a big money saver for me at a time when Visby/Gotland is popular with summering Swedes.
Choice’s approach to points pricing in Scandinavia is more or less hands-off after initial set-up; and higher point prices primarily have come about in the following way: when a new hotel joins Nordic Choice, Choice Privileges sets it up to be on the “expensive” end in terms of points price. Fortunately, it has left older properties generally untouched in terms of points pricing. That said, there are times when most Nordic Choice properties are sudden;y not available for booking with Choice Privileges points and the blackout can last weeks or months without explanation provided to the public.
Just a comment on vacationing with a family in Norway, since Choice hotels aren’t always convenient/available where you want to go…
do searches for “hytte” in the towns you want to visit. Think cabins or Airbnb type accommodation where a family can stay and cook their own meals. The real expensive part of vacationing in Norway is eating out. Like $40 for McDonalds or a pizza.
Light buffet dinner at Clarion Collection hotels has always been plenty of food for a dinner meal. Salads, soups, some meats and cheeses. There used to be more Clarion Collection hotels, but several rebranded to Ascend Collection and dropped the light dinner buffet. Many hotels also have a pancake hour in the afternoon.
There are some hotels where family rooms are available for up to six guests.
My first trip to Norway in 2014 when the country was the most expensive tourist destination in the world due to the strong value of the Norwegian Krone, I redeemed 214,000 Choice Privilges points (my cost about $1,000 purchased in Daily Getaways) for 13 nights in rooms with the total room rates at time over $5000.
Choice points have held better redemption value than any other hotel loyalty program over the past 7 years as all other programs devalued. Although IHG points currently have great value too since the pandemic with lower points rates in many places than before the pandemic.
Ric! Great to hear from you again. Miss your blog. Hope you’re doing ok through all this
Ric,
I owe you a big thank you!
I followed your advice above in 2019, collected enough Choice points at Daily Getaway’s. In turn that afforded me a wonderful six night stay at Bergen Havnekontoret.The hotel is in a central location.That made it very easy to get around by foot and public transportation. The hotel food was good and healthy.Would love to go back.
Thank you for writing about this. Bookmarked.
I recently started planning a trip to Svalbard/Norway and saw that I’d likely want a lot of Choice points. There are some good options for getting those points right now, and I’m taking a hard look at both Citi Premier and Venture X. I know that on a straight up transfer basis, the Citi Premier offers a better return. However, I’d really like to make a foray into the Cap One points arena. Decisions…decisions…
For Svalbard it is a bit stressful, because of the 100 day window for making award bookings. For a trip like that presumably you are booking further out and so you definitely would want a back up at the Radisson or something. I am planning a trip there too and the unavailability of rooms for more than 2 throughout almost all of Scandinavia turns out to be a real drag.
I’m about a year out from deciding all the particulars, and the 100 day window for Choice bookings is certainly inconvenient. Good idea to have the Radisson backup plan!
Actually, according to NerdWallet: Nerdy tip: The 100-day booking window can be frustrating for those who want to lock down their travel plans well in advance. But don’t fret. Set a reminder for 100 days from arrival to book your stay. If you do so, there’s still likely to be award availability, even at popular properties.
I was able to confirm with a Choice hotel rep that you can later apply the points to an existing reservation. BUT – you need to pick a room that is eligible for points. None of the big suites are, it appears that Double Bed rooms appear to be eligible across the board, but it does vary from hotel to hotel. If you spend time playing with Choice’s website, you can generally figure it out.
And of course, make a cancellable reservation, not a paid in full upfront reservation.
This is why FM is so great. Original content that’s 100% actionable. Love it.
I was literally about to write a comment just like this. I follow a bunch of blogs and I find FM consistently writes the best/most helpful, unique pieces. Keep it up!
The rates got my attention as I stopped paying attention to my Choice account a while back. Got me thinking about a Sweden/Norway trip now