RedWeek: A Legit Hotel Alternative

Hotel Travel Hack

When I had family coming in to New York City for a holiday visit, I did what I could to help make the best hotel arrangements for them, since I couldn’t host. Trying to accommodate a list of preferences, above all, budget and location, during prime tourist season was a challenge. It was possible at that point that availability for a choice hotel was going to be sparse.

But then I remembered a colleague who told me about an alternative vacation rental option with RedWeek, a travel hack that acts like a back door to unadvertised hotel room inventory. So I checked it out.

RedWeek, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, describes its unique platform as hotel-meets-vacation rental. So essentially, instead of renting out someone’s home, I would be renting out a timeshare unit that exists in any number of well-known preferred hotels or resorts. It’s kind of like an Airbnb hotel hybrid. A lot of these units are owned by corporate jet-setters, apparently. After signing up for a free account to see more details on a given unit, I poked around RedWeek which serves as the liaison for the transaction.

Location is Everything

As I browsed, there were some offerings with a family-friendly environment like a kitchenette or washer/dryer …very practical. But during a busy time of tourism, I needed that midtown location. A daily breakfast, and dare I say a room with a view would be nice, too, right?

I landed on the Marriott Vacation Club Pulse, surprisingly. A four-star, sophisticated lodging choice accessible to everything so, as the hotel touts, ‘you can live like a local.’ After weighing the benefits, I found actual availability reasonable for the budget, in fact, at a sweet discount.

And with concierge service, security, on-site fitness facilities, and a restaurant, the amenities were available to use just like any hotel guest, there was no downgrade for not booking it through the hotel. Plus, lo and behold, there was a view of her majesty, the Empire State Building, from the Marriott Pulse’s rooftop open-air bar and lounge.

Good to Have Options

RedWeek’s verified, guaranteed booking system secured the room. And compared to the regular rates, even if a room were available through that hotel, RedWeek has the better deal. I dare you to try to find a great midtown hotel deal near Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade just a couple of days before!

Upon check-in, I was welcomed as any guest might be welcomed being informed of happy hour, breakfast, and special daily events in the lounge that weekend, etc… I didn’t notice any difference as I exited the elevator, making my way to the room before the family showed up.

I did look for something telling, but it seemed like any normal NYC hotel room. Nothing out of the ordinary upon inspection waiting for my guests. This was simply a RedWeek client’s seldom-used timeshare instead of the typical hotel inventory.

The RedWeek travel trend was under my radar until then. I know people can tune out after hearing the word timeshare, but this is simply just an innovative option for a one-time rental. After some personal research into the company’s history, seeing reputable affiliates, and giving it a try in a prime destination, I would consider RedWeek when booking accommodations anywhere now. The new Holiday Inn in New Orleans looks great …and those villas in Hawaii, too. It’s good to have options.