How I Paid $16 for an $800 Hotel Stay

The Chase Sapphire Reserve's best-kept secret? It's not the lounge access.

Meet Our Guest Author, Madison

If you've seen the Bargain Bougie blog posts about Sardinia, Venice, or Majorca, you've seen Madison Pope in the photos. She's a frequent travel partner of mine and a perfect example of what happens when you get strategic about points. Here's her breakdown of one of the best credit card perks most people overlook.

- Mendy

The Destination

Downtown Chicago. The Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park with marble lobbies, holiday décor, and the kind of quiet that makes you forget what day it is.

Suites in hotels like this typically run $400 a night or more, especially in a major city. But for the right dates, this one quietly became a steal.

The Bargain

Here's the math:

Two nights in a premium suite at a luxury downtown hotel. 13,000 Chase points. $15.95 out of pocket.

That's it.

Here's what made it work. I booked through the Chase Sapphire Reserve's Edit Hotels program, which is a collection of luxury properties that come with built-in perks. The booking was structured as half points, half cash. The points were boosted for those specific dates, which is a newer Chase feature that increases your point value on select bookings. And the cash portion stacked with the $250 Edit Hotels credit that cardholders receive every six months.

Three things worth remembering: points are date-sensitive, boosted redemptions matter, and splitting points and cash is sometimes the smartest play.

The Bougie

Edit Hotels bookings come with perks that feel like elite status, and this one delivered.

The room was upgraded without asking. Breakfast was included daily at the hotel restaurant. There was a $100 property credit to use however I wanted. And a welcome amenity waiting in the room (fruit, which was a little underwhelming, but still counts).

The hotel itself was beautifully decorated for the holidays. Calm, upscale, and exactly what you want from a city escape. I used the breakfast credit for room service one morning and at Toro the next. The $100 credit went toward a room service dinner, though a spa treatment would have been just as good if the schedule allowed.

Without the Edit Hotels program, this same stay would have meant high nightly rates, paid breakfast, no upgrades, and no credits. Instead, I paid $15.95 and walked away with a luxury experience.

That's the difference between booking blind and booking with intention.

What Is Chase Edit Hotels?

If you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve, you have access to Edit Hotels, a curated collection of luxury properties with built-in perks. Here's what you get when you book through the program:

• Room upgrades when available, without needing to ask or have status with the hotel chain.

• Daily breakfast at the hotel restaurant, which at luxury properties can easily run $40 to $80 per person.

• Property credits (typically $100) to use on dining, spa services, or other hotel amenities.

• Welcome amenities like fruit, wine, or snacks waiting in your room.

These are the kinds of perks that usually require top-tier elite status with a hotel loyalty program, like Hyatt Globalist. With Edit Hotels, you get them just by booking through the portal.

Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders also get $500 in Edit Hotels credits each year, distributed as $250 every six months. If you're not using this benefit, you're leaving money on the table.

Why Edit Hotels Is Different from Other Portal Bookings

Here's a caveat I give everyone: don't book through a credit card portal unless it's actually the best deal. Transferring points directly to hotel or airline loyalty programs usually gets you better value than redeeming through a generic travel portal.

But Edit Hotels is a real exception.

You get boosted point value on select dates. You get elite-style perks without needing status. You get statement credits that stack with your points. And the properties in the program are genuinely nice, not random three-star hotels with inflated prices.

For luxury properties especially, Edit Hotels often beats a direct transfer. This stay is proof.

How to Get the Most Out of Edit Hotels

• Watch for boosted points dates. Chase now boosts point value on select bookings. Same hotel, same room type, different dates can mean wildly different value. When you see boosted points available, that's your window.

• Don't default to all points or all cash. Full points isn't always the best redemption. Full cash isn't always smartest either. Split bookings can unlock better value, lower out-of-pocket costs, and access to perks you wouldn't get otherwise.

• Use your $250 credit every six months. This is free money for Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders. If you're not booking at least one Edit Hotels stay per year, you're missing out on $500 in credits.

• Stack everything. That $250 off the cash portion made this booking ridiculous. Before you book anything, ask yourself: Are there statement credits available? Am I booking through the right channel? Can the perks stack?

The Highlights

Here's what I walked away with:

• Luxury Fairmont stay in downtown Chicago

• Holiday décor that made it feel extra special

• Free breakfast that actually felt like a treat

• Room upgrade without asking

• $100 property credit

All for less than the cost of a decent dinner.

The Takeaway

You don't need elite status at every hotel chain. You need the right card and the right strategy.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve Edit Hotels program is one of the most underrated perks in travel right now. When you combine boosted points, statement credits, and built-in luxury perks, expensive hotels become surprisingly affordable.

This is Bargain Bougie in action: look expensive, pay very little, and know exactly why it worked.

Interested in Building Your Own Points Strategy?

Book a 1-1 strategy session with Mendy to get more from the points you already have.