Awayz: A complete guide to optimizing your hotel reservations

Awayz isn’t just another hotel booking tool; it’s a revolutionary platform designed for travellers who want to maximize their hotel stays.

This guide takes an in-depth look at its features, benefits and how to use it effectively. Awayz is an innovative accessory created specifically for people looking to maximize the value of their hotel stays, whether it’s selecting the right type of points to redeem or knowing whether it’s better to pay in cash. This article will guide you through Awayz’s many features, ensuring you exploit its full potential.

So here’s our guide and review of Awayz, which has just launched its Canadian platform.

Awayz has carved out a place for itself in the crowded world of hotel booking platforms. What sets it apart from sites like Hotels.com, Booking.com, Expedia.ca, Agoda.ca, etc., is its unique ability to let people compare hotel costs in cash and loyalty points.

This ensures that every traveller gets the best value for money, or points, as the case may be. Currently, Awayz supports a range of major hotel chains, including stalwarts such as Accor, Choice Hotels, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott and Wyndham. And the good news is that other banners will soon be joining this list.

The question of whether to pay in points or in cash depends on several factors.

For example, with the Marriott Bonvoy program, we can get the fifth night free when we pay in points, which is not the case with cash bookings.

Awayz allows us to quickly compare our different options with an overview so we can make a more informed decision on how to spend our precious points.

Secondly, Awayz makes it easy for us to see availability in points for the next 12 months, which is very practical if we don’t want to have to search date by date.

In addition, you can save your hotel points bank and the balance of points from transferable programs such as the American Express Membership Rewards points in your Awayz account; with its geographical map tool, you can see all the ways to book, whether with Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt, Accor, Choice Hotels, IHG or Wyndham. As a result, you can save time, since you don’t have to search, by trial and error, on each program’s website.

Finally, like any good premium search tool, Awayz allows alert creations to notify you when availability becomes open at a specific hotel. Awayz is a tool for hotels, just as ExpertFlyer, Point.me and Seats.aero are for flights.

The free level is perfect for people who’d like to get a feel for the Awayz tool, with five searches and the creation of availability alerts.

However, if you have a specific project or objective in mind, it would be wise to opt for a Trip Pass, especially if you’re ready to make your reservations. Indeed, if you already have a points balance and want to save time while optimizing your hotel booking process, Awayz is offering a very generous offer of 50 searches over a 3-day period.

For example, if you’re planning a family vacation in Portugal next summer, you can do all your hotel research and choose the best establishment and the most advantageous booking method for each stage of your itinerary.

It’s a great way to use Awayz effectively to maximize the value of your hard-earned points or cash. What’s more, the Travel Pass allows you to include theuse of a free night certificate in your search results or program-specific discounts such as the fifth night free when paying with points at Marriott Bonvoy.

For those who make several trips a year, or who are often on the lookout for inexpensive getaways, the Premium package fromAwayz Premium package is a must for saving on hotel reservations. With up to 250 searches allowed per month and the ability to create multiple availability alerts at the same time, this Awayz package is particularly interesting for finding space in certain hotels where points rooms are more limited.

Then, an exclusive privilege comes with the Premium package; you can receive a weekly summary (via a newsletter) of the best deals that can be booked with points like this:

Awayz allows personalized searches, as you can add the credit cards and hotel loyalty programs you hold under “My Wallet” and “My Awards” respectively. We advise you to enter your information before you start your search and to keep it up to date. This way, you can filter the results according to what you are able to book. Awayz also takes into account current transfer promotions.

This is particularly interesting with the many Membership Rewards credit cards in Canada, since they can be transferred to Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors, or used as an account credit to reimburse any travel purchase.

Awayz will therefore analyze the different options for you and not only give you the best loyalty program for your hotel reservation, but also tell you whether it’s more advantageous to pay in cash with your credit card and use the points to reimburse the expense instead of transferring them.

As a Canadian, you can also obtain U.S. credit cards and add them to your wallet. Awayz.

Searching on Awayz is child’s play, thanks to its user-friendly interface. Users can quickly make comparisons between different hotel chains, ensuring they make an informed choice. The platform also boasts advanced features, such as the inclusion of free night certificates and searches for specific loyalty programs in the results.

And the icing on the cake? The unique algorithm ofAwayz algorithm, which immediately highlights the most profitable booking option, aptly named “Best Value Indicator”.

Like any other search tool, you need to start by entering basic information such as where you want to book your hotel and the dates of your stay. It should be noted that it is not currently possible to modify the number of guests, but this feature should be available in the future.

Then, under the “All Hotels” tab, you can tick only the channels that apply to you, and Awayz will present you with the results according to your selection.

Then, you have the opportunity to select one or more transfer partners.

What’s more, you can check the maximum number of points for your certificate.

For example, certificates accompanying the Marriott Bonvoy^® American ^Express®* Card and Marriott ^Bonvoy® American ^Express® Business Card can be redeemed for rooms costing less than 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. However, you can also combine the use of these certificates with points to book a night costing up to 50,000 points. So, with Awayz’s advanced filters, you can select the first three options and quickly see where this will be possible.

Finally, you have the option of choosing points transfer programs and can filter the results to see only what you are able to book.

Once the results are in, you can see the best way to book your stay with the “Best Value” indicator, or the best value above the most profitable option.

For example, for our getaway at the Moxy Lisbon City in Lisbon, it’s best to pay in cash according to Awayzeven when you consider that the fifth night is free when you pay in points.

In fact, according to Milesopedia’s valuation estimate, we’re not getting our target value for our points.

It’s important to remember that when Awayz tells us we should pay in cash, it doesn’t mean we can’t use points to help us save. On the contrary, when you pay in cash, there are a multitude of rewards programs to help absorb the costs, such as CIBC Aventura points, Scène+, NBC Rewards, etc., to name but a few.

When doing further research for a trip to the Maldives, we can quickly see that it’s better to pay in points if you want to stay at Le Méridien Maldives Resort & Spa with a “Best Value” rating.

I also cross-checked the results reported by Awayz with the Marriott website; as you can see here, you can indeed book Le Méridien Maldives Resort & Spa for 179,000 Marriott Bonvoy points on the same dates.

Once you’ve chosen the accommodation that’s right for you, Awayz will present you with a summary of the different options again in greater detail. You can also create an alert to be notified of availability (top right) or to view the calendar of unoccupied rooms for this hotel.

Awayz does not take into consideration the 5X points multiplicator you can earn by paying cash with your Marriott Bonvoy credit cards or ongoing program promotions such as bonus elite nights leading to status, for example.

So it’s something to keep in mind when using the tool. Nevertheless, Awayz is excellent at presenting us with numerous options for booking hotels at a lower cost.

However, real-time transfer promotions should be integrated shortly.

The Calendar feature ofAwayz Calendar feature allows you to easily identify days with lower points rates, particularly beneficial for luxury properties. If I go back to my example with Le Méridien Maldives Resort & Spa, I can quickly visualize the dates when it would cost me less in points or money.

If you’re flexible, Awayz can save you a lot of money! In fact, you can scroll through the calendar to quickly find the days when your hotel is the least expensive.

When you combine Awayz with premium flight search tools like Point.me, Seats.aero or ExpertFlyer, you’ve got the winning formula for an inexpensive vacation!

In the event of no availability, bonus or cash, you will see N/A.

You can also set up alerts under “Availability Alert” in the top right-hand corner for specific dates if your desired hotel has no availability in points with Awayzno matter which subscription you have.

For example, at the time of writing, the JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa is not available for August 2024.

This function is also very useful for establishments where availability is very scarce (both in points and in cash), such as the JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge.

Indeed, I searched long and hard for a room at this establishment and, thanks to AwayzI quickly realized that there were a lot of dates marked complete with calendar. So I set myself an alert to stay on the lookout.

You can create up to 10 alerts with the Awayz Premium package.

Then you can clearly see whether the hotel is available or not, and manage, modify and remove your alerts in the “Preferences” section for a tailor-made experience.

Then, when a room becomes available, Awayz will send you an e-mail. Also, a window will appear when you log in to your account to notify you.

With theAwayzmap, it’s possible to view hotel locations in any city with a colour-coordinated map corresponding to hotel chains. Don’t forget that you can select only those you’re interested in; this will lighten your analysis task.

This is ideal for travellers wishing to stay in a specific part of a city, allowing them to see the options available and refine their search. For example, for a family vacation in San Diego, you can quickly target available hotels near the famous San Diego Zoo and click on an establishment to view more details.

I findAwayz is an excellent tool for saving money on hotel reservations, whether you pay with points or cash. I particularly like the fact that I can view hotels from several chains on the same results page, as I can save a lot of time compared to what I used to do before, i.e. search on each respective site. Also, the availability calendar is a key feature of the platform.

Awayz adds an extra layer with its “Best Value” indicator, which helps us to make a decision; this question comes up often in our community! Ever since I discovered this tool, I’ve been using it constantly to find the best hotel deals!

Awayz is in constant development, so there’s no doubt that there are elements that can be added to this already excellent product. Indeed, I’d particularly like to see the integration of special codes and rates into their search engine; for example, the rate for a government employee or a member of the military will be lower than the standard price. As a result, with the option of displaying these rates, the results will be even more personalized and better reflect the user’s reality.

Finally, it would be nice to be able to add children as well when entering basic room information; travelling as a family with young children, I’d rather not be disappointed to discover that the hotel doesn’t accept children under a certain age after finding availability and affordability. Similarly, large families will be delighted to see all the choices available to them, as not all establishments or room types can accommodate more than 2 people.

Awayz stands out from the other reward hotel booking tools on the market. Its ability to handle searches for renowned properties such as Accor, Choice Hotels, Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG and Wyndham puts it at the top of the list in terms of versatility. What’s more, with specific search criteria, Awayz aims to continually improve the user experience, guaranteeing hassle-free browsing and searching.

One of the most impressive features ofAwayz is its ability to display prices and availability for the next 12 months. This feature is invaluable for travellers, whether planning ahead or looking for last-minute deals. Also, with the introduction of future conveniences, such as notifications of hotel price changes, Awayz is well positioned to further strengthen its dominant market position.

In short, Awayz is not just another tool on the market. It’s a revolution in reward-based hotel reservations. Its unique combination of features and user-friendly interface make it an indispensable tool for every traveller. Whether you’re a casual traveller or an experienced globetrotter, Awayz is there to ensure that your hotel booking experience is as smooth and rewarding as possible.