Staying on Points in Ohio
Apr. 17th, 2026 03:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerOhio Waterfalls Travelog #5
Circleville, OH · Fri, 17 Apr 2026. 9am
We checked in last night to a Holiday Inn Express hotel in Circleville, OH. You've never heard of Circleville? Neither had I until I searched for hotels near Hocking Hills State Park, where we're going hiking later today.
This hotel is about 45 minutes away from the park. It's hardly the closest. There are only, like, 100 hotels that are closer. So why stay here? A few reasons:
We're here for four nights, which gets me a bonus on using points thanks to one of the IHG credit cards I own. After four nights here we'll drive to another part of the state— and stay in another IHG hotel, also on points. So all of our lodging this trip is paid for with points. It's nice not to have to lay out the cash.
Circleville, OH · Fri, 17 Apr 2026. 9am
We checked in last night to a Holiday Inn Express hotel in Circleville, OH. You've never heard of Circleville? Neither had I until I searched for hotels near Hocking Hills State Park, where we're going hiking later today.
This hotel is about 45 minutes away from the park. It's hardly the closest. There are only, like, 100 hotels that are closer. So why stay here? A few reasons:
- One, cost. Plenty of hotels/lodges closer to the park are pretty spendy. To us it's kind of "8 hours and a shower" so we're not looking to spend a lot.
- Two, reliable standards. Mom-n-pop lodges are a crapshoot. There might be a fireplace and beautiful exposed wood beams in the room, but the bedspread could be all dusty and the shower the size of a telephone booth with hot water that's lukewarm at best. While our travel style is low-impact we prefer having a reliable level of basic creature comforts like a modern, maintained building, good beds, wifi that works, and onsite 24 hour management who can help if anything goes wrong.
- Three, points. We've got a lot of points with certain hotel chains, IHG being one of them. We're always on the lookout for opportunities to spend them. Good opportunities to spend them— meaning, a good redemption rate. We found that here even though it's not the closest hotel.
We're here for four nights, which gets me a bonus on using points thanks to one of the IHG credit cards I own. After four nights here we'll drive to another part of the state— and stay in another IHG hotel, also on points. So all of our lodging this trip is paid for with points. It's nice not to have to lay out the cash.
