As a kid, Memorial Day marked the start of pool season and summer golf tournaments. But as an adult, it’s the first three-day weekend I’ll get since January without using any vacation time.
If you, too, get a three-day weekend this Memorial Day, you might want to take a short two- or three-night vacation. Here’s a look at a few popular Memorial Day destinations and their hotel award availability (as of the time of writing).
Miami
Miami is a popular spot for a long weekend. There’s still a lot of availability if you want to book a hotel in the Magic City for Memorial Day weekend. Here’s a quick look at your options.
Marriott Bonvoy
Most Marriott Bonvoy hotels you’d want to book in Miami are still available for a Memorial Day weekend stay using points.
Although many of these properties cost too many points for my budget, especially since I like to save my Marriott Bonvoy points for stays of five nights or more, the Courtyard Miami Beach South Beach offers Marriott PointSavers award pricing for Memorial Day weekend. As a result, it may provide an excellent option if you want to stay near South Beach.
World of Hyatt
Most World of Hyatt hotels in Miami are still available for Memorial Day weekend.
However, you’ll only see whether there’s award availability by clicking through to the individual property. I’d likely choose the Hyatt Regency Miami if I wanted to redeem Hyatt points for a Memorial Day weekend stay since it’s a bit less expensive than the other centrally located options in the city.
Related: The best hotels in Miami, from luxury beach stays to points properties
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Hilton Honors
Most Hilton Honors hotels in Miami still have standard room awards available for Memorial Day weekend. However, you’ll pay 70,000 points (and up for premium room awards) per night to stay in Miami Beach. You’ll pay at least 60,000 points per night to stay in downtown Miami.
Unless you have a few Hilton weekend night certificates to use on this trip, it may be best to skip Hilton if you want to travel to Miami for Memorial Day. But if you’re set on staying with Hilton and don’t mind staying away from the beaches, you can find some less expensive award nights at the properties by the airport.
Related: 12 ways you can earn more Hilton Honors points
IHG One Rewards
IHG One Rewards has perhaps the worst award availability for Miami stays this Memorial Day weekend, but if you want to redeem IHG points, you’ll still find some opportunities.
If you’re not interested in staying at a hotel near the airport, the Holiday Inn Port Of Miami-Downtown is a good option. The Kimpton Angler’s Hotel South Beach carries a similar award cost but also has a $39-per-night amenity fee, which sours me against the property.
Related: How to maximize redemptions with the IHG One Rewards program
Austin
Late May is typically a good time to visit Austin since the summer heat shouldn’t be too bad yet. You should be able to catch some live music shows, take a walk around Lady Bird Lake and perhaps even visit Zilker Metropolitan Park. Luckily, there’s still plenty of hotel award availability over Memorial Day weekend.
Marriott Bonvoy
Using points, you can still book most centrally located Marriott Bonvoy hotels in Austin for a Memorial Day weekend stay.
As a former Austin resident, I usually rent a car and stay on the city’s northern end while seeing friends and visiting my favorite spots. But as a tourist looking to enjoy a Memorial Day weekend in central Austin, I might redeem 110,000 Marriott points for a three-night stay at the Residence Inn Austin Downtown/Convention Center.
Related: 5 ways to maximize Marriott Bonvoy award night redemptions
World of Hyatt
World of Hyatt has seven hotels in downtown Austin, five of which offer standard room award availability for stays over Memorial Day weekend.
I’d likely stay at the Hyatt House Austin/Downtown for its Category 3 pricing and location near the Red River Cultural District’s music venues.
That said, the Hyatt Regency Austin — a Category 4 Hyatt property — is also a good pick if you prefer to be on the south side of Lady Bird Lake.
Related: 5 easy ways to maximize Hyatt award redemptions
Hilton Honors
Plenty of standard room rewards are still available if you’re looking to redeem Hilton Honors points for a Memorial Day vacation to Austin.
I’d likely book the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Austin, which costs 44,000 points for the first night. After all, it’s right next to the Texas State Capitol and its scenic grounds. If you want to stay closer to the nightlife, the Hilton Austin (which costs 50,000 points for the first night) might be a better option.
Related: 5 reasons to get the Hilton Honors Amex Surpass card
IHG One Rewards
Travelers have two primary options they can book with IHG points in downtown Austin for a Memorial Day weekend stay.
I’d likely choose the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Austin Downtown — University because its location is better for live music. However, the Holiday Inn Austin-Town Lake is also a reasonable option close to Rainey Street and Lady Bird Lake.
Related: The best hotels in Austin, Texas
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is a popular destination for all ages. You’ll likely have a great time if you want to walk the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge or hang out in downtown Charleston’s South of Broad neighborhood. And, as luck would have it, Charleston still has plenty of Memorial Day weekend hotel award availability.
Marriott Bonvoy
If you want to redeem Marriott points for a trip to Charleston over Memorial Day weekend, you have plenty of options.
You’ll need to decide whether to prioritize keeping the amount of points you redeem low or staying near the spots you want to frequent. I usually stay over the bridge on the Mount Pleasant side when visiting Charleston, as I only want to spend about half a day in downtown Charleston and don’t mind using a ride-hailing service to get around, but your preferences might be different for a long-weekend trip.
Related: Marriott elite status: What it is and how to earn it
World of Hyatt
The only centrally located World of Hyatt properties in downtown Charleston with award availability for a Memorial Day weekend stay are the co-located Category 4 Hyatt House Charleston/Historic District and Hyatt Place Charleston/Historic District.
If you’re willing to stay a short drive from downtown Charleston — and closer to the beach — the Category 2 Hyatt House Charleston / Mount Pleasant or Hyatt Place Mount Pleasant Towne Centre might be a more budget-friendly option.
Related: 6 great ways to use 75,000 World of Hyatt points
Hilton Honors
If you want to visit Charleston for Memorial Day weekend, there’s plenty of standard award availability, but the rates are high.
I’d likely choose a different destination, but if you have your heart set on Charleston and want to stay downtown, the Hampton Inn Charleston-Historic District might offer the best value.
Related: 7 great ways to use 100,000 Hilton Honors points and a free night reward
IHG One Rewards
Award availability is scarce if you want to redeem IHG points for a Memorial Day weekend stay in Charleston.
As such, your best option when redeeming IHG points is the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Charleston Dwtn — WestEdge. However, this hotel will require a bit of a walk to reach many of downtown’s popular sites.
Related: How to earn IHG points via stays, credit cards and more
Palm Springs, California
Memorial Day weekend in Palm Springs sounds bougie, and the award prices match. But, there is still ample award availability for stays in Palm Springs over Memorial Day weekend.
Marriott Bonvoy
You have four choices if you want to redeem Marriott points to stay in Palm Springs.
Travelers looking to experience Palm Springs while minimizing the points they redeem might enjoy a stay at the Courtyard Palm Springs for 117,000 points. But there’s also something to be said for redeeming 153,000 points to stay at the Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel.
Related: Here’s why you need both a personal and business Marriott Bonvoy credit card
World of Hyatt
World of Hyatt only has one hotel currently open in Palm Springs: the Category 3 Hyatt Palm Springs. Unfortunately, this Hyatt only has premium suite award availability over Memorial Day weekend.
Related: Here’s how to quickly stock up on Hyatt points for your next vacation
Hilton Honors
You’ll still find award availability at multiple Hilton Honors properties in and around Palm Springs.
If you want to stay in Palm Springs, the Hilton Palm Springs will be the best Hilton option for you. But if you have a car and want to save some points, the Homewood Suites by Hilton Cathedral City Palm Springs or the Hampton Inn & Suites Cathedral City might provide better value.
Related: Best hotels in Palm Springs that are an oasis in the desert
IHG One Rewards
There’s no award availability at IHG properties in and around Palm Springs. You can keep checking back to see if an opprotunity to redeem IHG points appears, but I’d recommend choosing a different destination or hotel loyalty program for your Memorial Day vacation.
Related: Should you buy IHG points or transfer rewards from Chase?
Portland, Maine
While several New England destinations like Boston and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, still have availability at points properties for Memorial Day weekend, I focused on Portland since I’ve enjoyed my time there and found a number of solid accommodation options.
Marriott Bonvoy
You can still redeem Marriott points to stay in or near Portland for Memorial Day weekend.
You’ll likely want a rental car even if you fly in, so you may be able to save some points by staying outside Portland. Redeeming 88,000 points for a three-night stay that only requires paying a $5 parking fee per night makes the nearby Residence Inn Portland Scarborough appealing.
If you’d rather stay in downtown Portland, consider redeeming 154,400 points for a three-night PointSavers stay at the AC Hotel Portland Downtown/Waterfront, ME.
Related: How much value does Marriott Bonvoy status provide when you book directly?
World of Hyatt
The only World of Hyatt property in Portland is the Category 5 Hyatt Place Portland-Old Port. Luckily, this ideally located property still has availability for two room types for stays over Memorial Day weekend.
Related: 6 reasons I love my World of Hyatt Card and plan to keep it for the long term
Hilton Honors
You have plenty of options if you want to redeem Hilton points for a Memorial Day weekend stay in Portland. You’ll find three properties in downtown Portland starting at 70,000 points for the first night, but award rates drop to as low as 52,000 points for the first night if you are willing to stay out by the airport.
Consider what you plan to do during the long weekend and whether you’ll have a car when deciding where to stay in Portland.
Related: 6 things to do when you get the Hilton Aspire Amex Card
IHG One Rewards
If you want to redeem IHG points to stay near Portland this Memorial Day weekend, only one property currently has award availability: the Holiday Inn Express & Suites South Portland.
Related: Why you should get (and keep) the IHG One Rewards Premier card
Bottom line
All isn’t lost if you haven’t booked a Memorial Day trip yet but want to go somewhere. However, flight prices are likely to be high at this point. So, you may want to search for inexpensive airfare to several destinations or find an appealing destination within driving distance.
Consider booking your trip soon, as I expect availability and pricing will worsen as the holiday nears. And if you’re looking at redeeming IHG points for a three-night stay, consider extending your stay to four nights to benefit from the fourth-night-free reward perk offered as a perk of having select IHG credit cards.
Related: Maximize your hotel points by getting a fourth or fifth night free on award stays
