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Accommodation is the easiest part of a sporting trip to cover with points, as long as you book before the city fills up. A match, a race or a tournament pushes room rates up over just a few days, and that is exactly when your points are worth the most.
Two methods work, depending on what you collect. Hotel program points pay for the room directly. Flexible points reimburse any booking after the fact, short-term rentals included. Our guide on how to attend a sporting event with your points puts this step back into the rest of the trip.
The flight is booked even earlier than the room. See how to find affordable flights with points before you lock in your accommodation.
Marriott Bonvoy is the best represented chain in the Canadian cities that host major events. In Toronto, properties like the Delta Hotels Toronto or The Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto sit close to BMO Field and the stadium district.
We recommend booking as soon as the date of the event is confirmed. For fixed-date events, hotels near the venue sell out months in advance, well before cash rates become prohibitive.
If Marriott Bonvoy hotels near the venue are fully booked, two fallbacks work well:
The gap shows up clearly on a real case. During the World Cup, the night of June 12, 2026 at the Marriott Downtown at CF Toronto Eaton Centre was going for 66,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, against $663 in cash. On that night, the point is worth 1 cent. That is exactly what a major event does to rates, and why the award night makes sense on those dates.
When hotels around the venue are sold out, short-term rentals often remain available, and Airbnb covers the neighbourhoods hotel chains do not reach.
The major advantage is that, unlike traditional hotels, you can use a program that offers flexible points to cover any travel expenses, including your Airbnb bookings.
With this type of points, the key is to:
One of the most popular and easiest of these programs is Scene+. You earn Scene+ points with certain Scotiabank credit cards, at grocery stores (IGA, Safeway, Les marchés Tradition, Foodland, etc.), Scene+ Travel, restaurants, through special offers, and more.
The Scene+ program gives you the flexibility to turn 10,000 points into a $100 travel credit. For example, if your Airbnb costs $425, you’ll use 42,500 points to pay it all off. In the end, it won’t cost you a thing!
It’s the same principle as in the image below. You can also use your Scene+ points to reimburse your train ticket, accommodation or airfare.
A particularly interesting card that gives Scene+ points is the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite +* Card.
Additionally, it does not charge any foreign currency conversion fees. This way, you won’t have to pay an additional 2.5% on every transaction as soon as the event is held outside Canada.
Plus, you can use its 6 complimentary accesses to relax in airport lounges before departing and upon your return from your trip.
Preparation Steps:
Earning Steps:
Steps to Redeem:
One simple rule to decide: if the award night costs you less than 1 cent per point, book with points. Above that, pay cash and keep your points for the flight, where the gap is almost always better.
A major tournament pushes hotel rates up for a few weeks. A hockey game does the same thing on a smaller scale and far more often. Rates climb around rivalry dates, especially when Toronto or Montreal is in town. The upside is that the calendar gives you the choice: each of the seven Canadian clubs plays 42 home dates between 29 September 2026 and 10 April 2027.
The instinct is identical to a soccer match. You stay one transit stop from the arena rather than across the street, and you spend the free-night certificate on the most expensive date. One exception is worth flagging, however: in Ottawa the arena sits in Kanata, roughly 25 km from downtown. Staying downtown still makes sense for the city itself, but the ride needs planning in both directions.
Savings are this way:
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