A number of hotel chains and online booking sites offer hotel rewards programs which typically allow you to accumulate points or credits which can later be applied towards a future reservation or redeemed for a free stay. Each chain can offer these rewards through a variety of methods. Some allow you the option of signing up for a credit card that will keep track of your points and which can be applied towards stays at a particular chain, while others may offer their program online. One advantage of booking online is that it is often much easier to compare the rewards programs of one chain to the other directly by browsing the offers and programs available on their websites.

You should ask yourself, "What hotel chain do I stay at most often?" To accumulate these rewards it makes sense to stay at the same hotel or within the same chain as often as possible. So keep track of where you travel most often and which hotels have locations where you travel most frequently. Another point to keep in mind is that when it comes time to redeem your free hotel stay, that most hotels charge more points on holidays and other busy times of the year. To get the most out of your rewards, it helps to look twice at which particular day you choose to redeem and be flexible if at all possible to ensure that you get the most out of the free stays you have accumulated.