Did you just remember you need to book a hotel for the Paris Olympics? If so, now might be a good time to settle your lodging.
Most of the places you can book now with points or cash require you to make a nonrefundable reservation. But the good news is there’s still some award availability for stays in the critical July 26 to Aug. 11 Olympics window. Here’s a look at the hotel award availability I found.
Related: Paris Pocket Guide: What to see, do and eat in the City of Light
Can I book a hotel for the Paris Olympics?
You can still book a hotel for the Paris Olympics, although award availability in some programs is limited or nonexistent. A press release from STR relayed that Paris hotel bookings for the 2024 Paris Olympics are above 60%, which is likely why award availability is scarce.
For context, the numbers from the STR press release show this booking level is about three times what you’d normally see at this time of year for hotels in Paris. So, you may want to book soon if you plan to stay in Paris during the Olympics.
Related: The best hotels in Paris
Paris Olympics hotels with award availability
Admittedly, award availability for Paris Olympics hotels is worse than I expected when I agreed to write this story. But, using the Awayz hotel award availability tool, I found some hotels I could book with points for at least a four-night stay during the Paris Olympics.
Hyatt fans, I have bad news for you: I didn’t find any availability for redeeming Hyatt points for a stay in Paris of at least four nights during the Olympics. But here’s a look at some hotels with the best availability during the Paris Olympics when I wrote this story.
Choice Privileges hotels
Choice Privileges offers the most economical award rates you can still book for the Paris Olympics. You’ll find multiple hotels you can book with Choice points throughout the Olympics.
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I’d likely opt for the Comfort Hotel Paris Porte D’Ivry, which is within walking distance of a metro station and costs just 12,000 points per night on weeknights and 16,000 points per night on weekends. Paid rates are also reasonable at this hotel during the Olympics, starting around $75 per night.
Related: 14 ways to earn Choice Privileges points
IHG One Rewards hotels
If you have IHG points and access to the fourth-night reward offered by several IHG credit cards, IHG One Rewards might be the best option for booking a centrally-located Paris Olympics hotel. Look at the following nightly award rates for a four-night stay in Paris during the Olympics.
Availability and pricing vary depending on your dates, but I’d likely book at the Holiday Inn Paris-Montmartre since it offers reasonable award rates during much of the Paris Olympics.
Related: How to earn IHG points via stays, credit cards and more
Hilton Honors hotels
I looked at Hilton Honors hotels I could book for at least a five-night stay during the Paris Olympics. After all, members with Hilton elite status get a fifth night free when redeeming points.
Availability varies based on the dates of your stay, and many hotels only have more-expensive premium room rewards available. But, you’ll find some standard room rewards bookable for five nights or more at some Hilton Honors hotels during the Paris Olympics.
I’d likely choose the Hampton by Hilton Paris Clichy, starting at 50,000 points per night and just a 10-minute walk from a metro station. If you want to be closer to the city center, the Hotel Camille Paris Gare de Lyon, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, starts at 65,000 points per night and is just a five-minute walk from the Gare de Lyon.
Related: 12 ways you can earn more Hilton Honors points
Marriott Bonvoy hotels
As with Hilton Honors, I also checked for five-night Marriott Bonvoy stays in Paris during the Olympics since Marriott offers its members a “Stay for 5, Pay for 4” perk when redeeming points.
Award availability is limited if you want to redeem Marriott points for a stay during the Paris Olympics. Also, award rates are high, especially if you want to stay close to the center of Paris.
The Le Meridien Etoile is bookable for 216,000 points for the sample five-night stay in the Marriott search results above. However, the Marriott website claimed no award was available each time I clicked through to book. So, double-check that the award prices you see in the results are bookable.
If you’re looking to redeem fewer Marriott points, you may want to consider the Courtyard Paris Creteil. It’s well outside Paris but is a short walk from a metro station.
Related: Best ways to earn Marriott Bonvoy points
Accor Live Limitless hotels
Finally, Accor Live Limitless uses fully dynamic award pricing tied directly to paid rates. Specifically, every 1,000 Reward points are worth 20 euros (about $21) toward your stay. So, as long as you can book a paid rate at an Accor Live Limitless property, you can also redeem Accor points. Many Accor hotels are still bookable in Paris during the Olympics.
If you already have Accor points, you might find it useful to redeem them for a stay during the Paris Olympics. However, we don’t typically recommend transferring credit card rewards to Accor to book an award stay since the value is relatively low. You’re usually better off booking a paid rate through an online travel agency or credit card travel portal.
Related: Best hotel credit cards
Bottom line
I highly recommend using Awayz or a similar hotel availability tool to find stays within a hotel loyalty program that you have points for or can transfer points to. However, note that many hotels in Paris do not offer free cancellation rates for stays during the Olympics, so you’ll want to be 100% sure you’ll use your hotel reservation before you book.
If you don’t think the best hotel option you can find now is ideal, you may want to wait to book. Availability may open up as the Paris Olympics approach. Although, of course, it’s also possible that you’ll have to stay at an even less ideal property if you wait to book.
You can periodically check award availability or set up a hotel award availability alert through a service like Awayz. If you set up an alert, you can usually request to get an email or text message if the service finds availability at your desired hotel on your specific dates.
