Can You Use Delta SkyMiles for Hotels?

Delta SkyMiles are a popular loyalty program that allows members to earn miles when flying with Delta Air Lines.

These miles can then be redeemed for free flights and upgrades. But can SkyMiles also be used for hotel stays?

While looking for the best 18+ hotels In the United States, make sure to check these offers from Delta SkyMiles, or from other payment options to enjoy the maximum benefits.

What Are Delta SkyMiles?

Delta SkyMiles is the loyalty and rewards program of Delta Air Lines. When you fly with Delta or use any of Delta’s partners like Lyft and Airbnb, you can earn miles.

These miles are called SkyMiles. The more you fly and spend, the more miles you rack up. SkyMiles don’t expire, so you can accumulate them over time.

Once you have enough miles, you can redeem them for free flights with Delta. You can also use miles to upgrade your flight, buy seat upgrades, or pay for baggage fees and other extras.

Using Miles for Delta Hotel Stays

SkyMiles are best known for free flights. But Delta has now partnered with many major hotel chains so you can use miles for hotel stays too.

Delta allows SkyMiles members to pay and book hotel rooms using miles at over 300,000 hotels worldwide.

How It Works

To book a hotel with miles, call Delta directly or email them. You can’t book hotels online through your SkyMiles account.

The miles needed depend on the room rate, hotel category, location, and dates. Delta publishes an award chart showing approximately how many miles are needed on average per night.

For example, a mid-tier hotel in North America starts at 7,500 miles per night. More luxurious hotels can cost up to 45,000 miles per night.

Benefits of Using Miles for Hotels

There are some good reasons you may want to redeem SkyMiles for hotel stays:

1. Use Miles Instead of Cash If you have any spare miles but don’t plan to fly much, hotels offer another redemption option. It lets you get value from miles without spending cash.
2. Free Nights During Peak Times Using miles allows you to score free nights even during peak holiday periods. This is when cash room rates are often sky-high.
3. Chance to Stay at Luxury Hotels Redeeming lots of miles lets you afford stays at 5-star hotels you may not usually pay cash for.

Limitations to Know

While the option to get free hotel nights with SkyMiles is great, there are some big limitations too:

1. No Way to Book Online: Having to call Delta to book hotels with miles is inconvenient compared to instantly online booking. The manual process can also lead to more errors.
2. Availability Issues: There have been many complaints of poor hotel award availability. The hotel you want might say it has rooms available to book with cash but not with miles.
3. Expensive Redemption: Rates To get a free night, the number of miles needed is often higher than what you’d earn from taking the same hotel stay and flight. This makes hotel redemptions poor value for money.

Tips for Booking Hotels with Miles

If you do plan to use SkyMiles for hotel stays, here are some handy tips:

• Book Well in Advance: Try to call at least 2-3 months before your trip dates for the best chance of award availability.
• Be Flexible: Having a few destination and hotel options in mind makes it easier if your first choice isn’t available. Checking multiple dates also helps.
• Focus on High-End Hotels: As the redemption rate is fixed per hotel category, you get more value when redeeming for more expensive 5-star rooms.
• Take Advantage of Sales: Delta has big hotel award sales a few times a year, cutting redemption rates by up to 50%. Wait for the next sale to save more miles.

Hotels Now Bookable with Miles

Delta adds new hotels all the time. You can now use SkyMiles for free nights at hotel chains like:

1. Marriott Hotels Including Ritz-Carlton

These range from mid-priced Courtyard by Marriott to luxury Ritz-Carlton resorts. Marriott has the largest number of hotels bookable by miles.

2. Hilton Hotels

Choose from budget Hampton by Hilton up to Waldorf Astoria luxury resorts. Hilton offers reliable quality standards.

3. Accor Hotels

Options include mid-scale Novotel and Mercure to premium Pullman and Fairmont hotels. There is wide geographic coverage.

4. World of Hyatt

Luxury Park Hyatt and fun Hyatt Ziva all-inclusive resorts join more standard Hyatt Place and Hyatt House hotels.

5. Best Western

From reliable mid-priced hotels perfect for family vacations to higher-end BW Premier Collection boutique hotels.

6. Radisson Hotel Group

CoversRadisson Blu upscale hotels along with mid-market Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inn & Suites brands.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ques 1: Still unsure if you can or should use SkyMiles for hotels?

Ans: Here are answers to some common questions.

Ques 2: Can hotels be booked with Delta miles online?

Ans: No, you have to call Delta Reservations to book hotels with SkyMiles. The process can’t be completed through the Delta website or app.

Ques 3: What’s the best way to use miles for hotels?

Ans: Look for high room rates of over $350+ per night at luxury 5-star hotels. The high cash price means you get more cents per mile value.

Ques 4: How many SkyMiles for a hotel room?

Ans: The number of miles starts at 7,500 per night for budget hotels and goes up based on the room price. Some hotel suites at peaks times can cost 100,000+ miles.

Ques 5: Can you use Delta miles for Airbnb?

Ans: Airbnb stays booked through deltaairbnb.com are eligible to earn SkyMiles. But miles cannot be redeemed to pay for Airbnbs.

Should I use miles for flights or hotels? If you don’t fly often, hotels give flexibility. But usually more value is gotten when redeeming Delta miles for flights in premium cabins.

Conclusion

Delta SkyMiles can now be exchanged for free hotel room nights as well as flights. While not the most convenient booking method, it gives another use for idle miles.

Just be aware of the more limited hotel availability issues. And look to redeem for high room rate luxury hotels to maximize value.

The option to go cash-free on pricey hotel stays is still a nice perk to Delta SkyMiles membership.