I first heard of Awayz by Odynn when Bilt launched a lodge award availability device powered by the location. Awayz is certainly one of many apps and web sites getting into the market to make award redemptions simpler to search out and guide.
Though I incessantly use Level.me — a device for locating award flights — I would largely ignored lodge award availability instruments regardless of residing out of inns as a digital nomad. Though these instruments may be helpful for snagging difficult-to-find lodge availability, I normally redeem my factors at value-focused inns the place award availability isn’t a problem.
However, particularly after making an attempt out Awayz when writing up the information about its integration with Bilt Rewards, I used to be wanting to look nearer on the full Awayz product and see whether or not it might assist me discover higher lodge redemptions. Here is what I realized and the way Awayz may be helpful for vacationers.
What’s Awayz?
Awayz is a device that helps vacationers discover inns they will guide with factors in particular locations. The device additionally helps vacationers resolve when to redeem factors and when to guide a paid fee for a particular keep.
Awayz retrieves dwell award availability and charges so vacationers can evaluate their choices without having to individually search with every lodge loyalty program. Lastly, Awayz additionally provides the choice to set award availability alerts if a lodge you need to guide on particular dates is not at the moment bookable with factors.
Associated: Apps and web sites make award redemptions simpler to search out
What lodge applications does Awayz cowl?
At present, Awayz covers the next lodge loyalty applications:
Awayz rapidly added many of those applications, although. So, if Awayz does not cowl a lodge loyalty program you incessantly use, it might be added finally.
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Associated: How to decide on a lodge loyalty program
Researching a stick with Awayz
The first use of Awayz is to analysis lodge stays, so let’s contemplate a pattern five-night keep in Austin.
Enter your required dates and deselect any undesired lodge loyalty applications underneath the “All Inns” dropdown. Develop the “Superior Choices” space to type your outcomes by money, factors, distance from middle or star score. You may as well select to solely see outcomes you could guide with rewards from choose transferable factors currencies or solely see outcomes you’ll be able to guide with particular free evening certificates. As soon as you have gotten every part arrange, click on “Search.”
When you click on “Search,” you may see award charges and paid charges for inns at your vacation spot on your dates. These charges aren’t cached, so what you see is what was bookable while you clicked “Search.”
You’ll be able to click on on any property’s pin on the map and see the evening charges in factors and money. Awayz will even inform you whether or not it believes it’s best to redeem factors or guide a paid fee based mostly on its factors and miles valuations (which can differ from your individual). You will see within the instance under that Awayz is contemplating the fifth-night free perk for Hilton Honors elite members and Marriott Bonvoy members.
Awayz can be helpful when researching stays in cities and areas with few main lodge manufacturers. For instance, I used to be ready to make use of Awayz to rapidly study there is just one lodge in Zermatt, Switzerland, that participates in any of the key lodge loyalty applications I exploit.
One facet that frustrates me about Awayz is that once I zoom in and click on “Search This Space,” I would just like the outcomes to replace to solely present inns in that space. Sadly, this performance does not work as anticipated. As an alternative it re-centers the search on that time however nonetheless shows outcomes for inns in a bigger radius.
Associated: Errors to keep away from when redeeming lodge factors
Organizing your Awayz pockets
As you may think, Awayz turns into extra helpful when you customise it. For instance, you’ll be able to inform Awayz you have got particular playing cards that supply perks — such because the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit score Card and its fourth-night reward while you redeem IHG factors for stays of 4 nights or extra. You need not enter private data, comparable to your card quantity and even while you signed up for the cardboard. As an alternative, you choose the playing cards you at the moment have.
You may as well add your financial institution and lodge reward balances, which Awayz would presumably contemplate when deciding which ends up to indicate you. Nevertheless, there is not any requirement to enter your balances. You may as well click on on Preferences on the highest navigation bar and choose your most popular lodge loyalty applications. Once more, there is not any requirement to take action.
At present, Awayz makes use of a set of valuations for factors (you could’t alter) to information its suggestions to redeem factors or guide a paid fee for a particular keep. Hopefully, Awayz customers will finally have the ability to set their very own valuations for every program’s factors if desired.
Associated: The within scoop on how a lot inns receives a commission while you redeem factors
Setting an Awayz award availability alert
So, I went to Awayz and arrange an award availability alert. To take action, I looked for the property by identify after which clicked on its tile.
As anticipated, Awayz confirmed no award availability for my dates. I clicked on the inexperienced arrow on the right-hand aspect of the tile.
Then, I clicked on the “Availability Alert” button on the right-hand aspect of the display. Doing so created an award availability alert for this property on these dates.
To verify my Awayz award alerts, I can click on the “Improve” button within the higher proper of the window to go to my account web page. On my account web page, I can scroll all the way down to see my present award availability alerts.
I anticipate to get an e-mail when (or if) award availability turns into obtainable on the Vacation Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives for my desired dates.
Associated: The very best lodge rewards applications on the earth
How a lot does Awayz price?
Awayz provides a free trial which is an effective place for brand new customers to start out. The free trial provides 5 award searches and 5 award availability alerts.
For those who like Awayz throughout your free trial, you might have considered trying entry to extra award searches and availability alerts. You should purchase 72-hour journey passes as wanted for $4.99 every. These 72-hour journey passes provide you with 50 searches and 10 award availability alerts. Or you’ll be able to enroll in a premium subscription for $11.99 per 30 days (or $8.33 per 30 days when billed yearly), providing you with 250 award searches per 30 days, 20 award availability alerts and entry to lodge deal alerts.
Awayz additionally provides a professional subscription with extra award searches per 30 days and extra award availability alerts. This selection has no said fee.
All Awayz members — from free trial to professional subscription members — get entry to dwell money and award pricing in addition to a 12-month award availability outlook on their searches. All members can even seek for lodge free evening certificates and see award pricing that considers fourth- or fifth-night free advantages on their searches.
Lastly, keep in mind that you need to use Awayz throughout the Bilt Rewards app or web site to see availability with the Bilt Rewards lodge switch companions: IHG One Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt.
Associated: How and why it’s best to maximize your lodge stays by utilizing a number of loyalty applications
Backside line
Awayz is a great tool for researching upcoming lodge stays, particularly in case you are touring to a number of new locations and have a wide range of lodge factors (and transferable factors you could switch to numerous lodge loyalty applications). The 72-hour journey cross in all fairness priced at $4.99 and supplies 50 searches and 10 award availability alerts. That is possible sufficient for many vacationers who could need to spend a number of days planning a number of upcoming journeys.
I am hopeful the Awayz crew will proceed to enhance the device and add new options. As famous above, I would love the power to set my very own valuations for lodge factors — or no less than know the valuation Awayz is utilizing when it advises me to guide a stick with factors or money.
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