The Rove Miles platform allows members to enjoy double savings at “loyalty-eligible” hotels, and in addition to Rove miles, you can also earn hotel points and elite status benefits. You can even earn bonus miles by paying with a co-branded hotel credit card… at least in theory.
I’m excited about the prospect of jackpots, but also skeptical that it’s going to be as easy as Ralph Myers says. So I booked a cheap two-night stay at a hotel near my home to see if Rove’s loyalty-qualified bookings actually worked.
This is my experience.
Related: What are Rove Miles? Everything you need to know about this new loyalty program
Booking process
I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to get double hotel rewards through Rove Miles. In fact, the hardest part is the booking process.
Rolf’s site can be slow, finicky, and ugly. The “near you” search location tool didn’t work very well (it put me over 25 miles south of my location), and some hotels didn’t show up in my search results because the Rove map has a very narrow city limits. But when I expanded the map view, I found the hotel I wanted.
Additionally, when you filter for “Eligible for Loyalty,” applicable properties are not always displayed. I had to remove the filter and click into the hotel I wanted to see both standard and loyalty qualifying prices.
1 of 2
rolf myers
While the cost per night looked slightly different depending on whether I earned World of Hyatt points or not, the total cost of my two-night stay was the same.
Another oddity: It is said that the loyalty qualifying price only covers the room and no free breakfast facilities, but this hotel offers a free buffet breakfast to all guests.
Reward your inbox with the TPG daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers and get breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive offers from TPG experts
I checked the Hyatt Hotels website to see how room rates at The Rove compare. In total, the cash price at Rove Miles is about $23 cheaper than at Hyatt, but that’s likely because Rove reservations are non-refundable, while Hyatt has a flexible cancellation policy. (Rove Miles only offered non-refundable rates for my stay, probably because I booked the day before check-in. When I checked further for rates at the same hotel, I saw both non-refundable rates and flexible rates.)
With the loyalty qualification option, I earn 5 Rove miles per $1 spent on stays, plus World of Hyatt points and Elite Stay points. However, if I choose to book at Rove rates and give up my Hyatt earnings, I will earn 13 Rove miles for every $1 spent.
On the reservation page, I entered my World of Hyatt membership number under “Guest Details” and paid with my credit card World of Hyatt Credit Card (See Rates and Fees). The blue font confirms that I will receive both Rove miles and Hyatt points.
Within an hour, the reservation appeared in my Rove and Hyatt accounts.
1 of 2
rolf myers
Check-in experience
The day after booking, my 1,266 Rove miles showed up as pending in my Rove account. But what about my World of Hyatt rewards and benefits?
When I checked in and showed my ID, the Hyatt front desk easily found my reservation. I was not required to provide a confirmation number or email, which sometimes happens when I book accommodation through portals like Capital One Travel and Chase Travel℠.
The staff didn’t mention my Discoverist elite status (which I get for free as a World of Hyatt cardholder), but when I asked, they saw my membership on my account and offered me Discoverist membership benefits like free bottle of water and 2pm late checkout.
Additionally, the staff confirmed that I was indeed entitled to the free daily breakfast buffet.
The staff asked for my credit card to cover incidental charges during my stay. I realized I forgot my World of Hyatt card so I asked if there was already a card associated with the reservation and she brought it out.
I booked an accessible room because that’s what Rolf Myers offers. The staff asked me if I wanted this type of room and when I said no, she moved me to a regular room. When I went upstairs with my key card around 3:15 p.m., my room was ready
Later, I ordered churros ($5) from the hotel restaurant and charged them to my room—for testing purposes, of course.
double reward
Now, let’s get to the fun part: maximizing my rewards.
After checking out, I waited for my Hyatt points and Elite Stay points to be credited to my account. They arrived a few days later.
Then, I checked my credit card statement. As promised, the items purchased (including my churros) were coded “Hyatt Place” and I received bonus points accordingly.
Overall, this is what I earned from my two-night stay:
- 1,266 Rove miles (5 miles per $1 spent on a $254 stay)
- 2,290 Hyatt points: 1,141 base points (5 points per $1 spent on $228 of qualifying purchases), plus 114 points with the 10% Elite Rewards, and 1,035 points with the Hyatt Credit Card (4 points per $1 on $259 of qualifying purchases with my card)
- 2 Hyatt Elite Stay Points
If I book directly through Hyatt, I will receive all of the above minus the Rove miles.
On the other hand, without the loyalty qualification option, I could book the same stay through Rove Miles and earn 13 Rove miles per $1 spent (3,266 miles total).
It’s nice to have options, but I’d rather double up because I often redeem points for free World of Hyatt stays, and Hyatt is not one of Rove’s transfer partners. Plus, if I sign up for a Hyatt promotion to earn bonus points, I could theoretically earn more points on my stay.
Related: Earn bonus points by signing up for hotel promotions
Is it worth it?
Based on my experience, the answer is yes. However, there are a few things to consider before going on two dives with Rove Miles:
- If the price for your hotel on Rove is about the same as the price on the hotel website, then booking through Rove is a no-brainer. In addition to all the miles you normally earn through hotel rewards programs, you can earn transferable Rove miles without much extra effort.
- You’ll earn 5 Rove miles per $1 spent at most loyalty-eligible hotels, but you can get a higher rate of 7 miles per $1 through February 11 through Rove’s latest promotion.
- Before deciding which approach to take, please do your due diligence and compare prices, cancellation policies and other fine print on Rove Miles with the information provided when booking directly with the hotel. Keep in mind that some points hotels are not available on Rove, so you may have more options if you book direct.
Related: What you need to know about booking direct vs. third-party travel bookings
bottom line
While the number of loyalty-eligible hotels on Rove is limited, the ability to earn transferable Rove miles on top of hotel points while climbing the elite status ladder could be a game-changer.
Rove Miles isn’t the only platform offering double savings. Chase Travel’s Edit now lets premium cardholders earn hotel points and elite stays at select hotels. However, with Rove, you don’t have to pay a premium credit card annual fee to use this feature.
Next time you’re planning a paid stay at a points hotel, be sure to check out Rove Miles’ booking platform. Through February 11, you can earn an additional 40% in Rove miles at loyalty-eligible hotels.
If you’re new to Rove Miles, you can join through TPG’s link to earn 1,500 bonus miles before February 11.
