First off, Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads out there! Rather than buying Dad a cheesy neck tie or having dinner at an over-priced and crowded restaurant, my family decided to spend Dad’s day together a little differently than usual: by doing our very first mattress run. You see, this crazy points and miles lifestyle is really starting to get contagious. First it was Dad’s quirky obsession, then I got the itch… now Mom, my brother, and Kevin have all been sucked into the bizarre wonderful world of points and miles as well. With that all out on the table, it’s safe to say that my family has reached a new milestone together.
For those who are points and miles veterans, I’m sure you’re already familiar with the art of mattress running. For the more “normal” folks out there, mattress running is to hotels as mileage running is to air travel – simply booking a hotel room, checking in, and then leaving without actually spending the night. Usually the sole purpose of a mattress run is to take advantage of a significant hotel promotion (such as bonus points or free night certificates). Although the idea of sounds crazy, the benefits are usually substantial, making it “worth it”.
In our case, we hopped in one car for a two-hour drive to la la land, NJ, where all five of us each got our own room for $59.25 (we also used TopCashBack to get 10% back) at the Country Inn & Suites in Millville, NJ. That $59.25 room will get us close to 50,000 Club Carlson points each that we can redeem at any Radisson, Radisson Blu, Park Inn, Park Plaza, or Country Inn & Suites world-wide. That’s a pretty significant ROI if you ask me!
When we arrived at the hotel, we hung out for about an hour or so and then hit the road again. In all honesty, this property was the perfect choice for a mattress run because I’ve definitely seen better Country Inn & Suites before. Not that there was anything “wrong” with this place in particular, but it was very dated (at least 20+ years), stale, and lacked the “cozy-component”. Oh, and I was a bit turned off that 2 out of our 5 rooms were stocked with obviously-previously-used bath products… yuck. However, the staff were friendly, and this hotel could work as a good basic stay for those in need of one [and that’s about it].
-Insert Awkward Family Photo Here-
Inside the lobby of the Country Inn & Suites in Millville, NJ
The bed
The desk and very outdated TV
The lotion in my room was clearly used already (the bottle was squeezed in, the product was half-full, and it had a sticky and messy cap).
After leaving the hotel, we made a quick stop in Philadelphia because it was [sorta] on the way back home. Dad was craving a famous Philly cheesesteak, so we headed on over to south Philly to grab a few. We couldn’t collectively agree as a family whether to go to Pat’s or Geno’s, so we decided to make it a little fun and have our own taste-test face-off. Since both rivals are located directly across the street from one another, we ordered steaks from both places.
We made a pit-stop in Philly for our very own Geno's vs. Pat's face-off.
Mom and I both agreed that Geno's made the better steak, but the guys all voted for Pat's.
Granted, I believe there are better cheesesteaks in Philly (especially the place inside the Amish market… yum), but I personally preferred Geno’s over Pat’s because I thought the meat was more tender, it was cheesier, and the onions were sweeter and tastier. Mom also has good taste and liked Geno’s better, but all 3 of the guys chose Pat’s as their favorite. So there you have it – the conclusion of our very scientific study proves that females prefer Geno’s and males prefer Pat’s. Anyone care to chime in? Or am I opening up a can of worms?
Can you tell which is from Geno's and which is from Pat's?
In the end, it’s safe to say that the Aucello family (plus Kevin) had a great Father’s day together. The best part about it all was that we collectively earned close to a quarter million points in one shot. Seeing the words “quarter million” and “points” in the same sentence excites me. =)
How did your family spend Father’s Day today? Did anyone else use this day to earn points and miles too? Please share!
HI Angelina,
I’m curious if you physically checked out an hour after checking in? I was going to do a mattress run this weekend too but thought I’d have to check in and return the next day to check out according to the T&C. But you didn’t do that right?
Thanks!
Stacey
Hi Stacey! No we did not physically check out & do not plan on going back and doing so. In previous instances I have been fine (so have others on the forums), but I’ll be sure to update you once the points post/stay is credited =)
Thanks Angelina! So did you stop by the desk at all on the way out? Or just walked out and you automatically got checked out the next day?
I’m going to try this at a Radisson… have you done Radisson yet?
By the way, how gross on the Lotion! LOL!
Thanks again for the report ;)
Stacey
No prob =) Nope, didn’t go to desk on way out. I’m feeling confident that the points will post (I was nervous just as you were too, but then I read some comments on this thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/club-carlson/1344513-2012-big-night-giveaway-promos-master-thread-3-brands-details-1st-post-36.html)
I did my Radisson stay on Friday, but I actually spent the night there and checked out so that’s a no brainer. =)
Another idea if you want to play it safe is to call the hotel the next morning and ask them to check you out via the phone. Say something like you were running late for a meeting so you had to dart out or whatever the case might be LOL =)
Thanks for reading!!
Angelina
Awesome! Thanks Angelina! I like the idea of calling the next a.m. Will do that for sure. Where you going to use all your bonus points now??
Stacey
I have no idea! Between last year’s promo and this one, we sure have a lot of points to burn! Maybe we will plan a New Year’s Getaway somewhere special and use them =) How about you? What do you have in mind??
you don’t need to physically check out (confirmed by FT and myself). I got both CI 44K & Radisson 50K posted in 3-4 days after the stay
the “ghost checkout” should not be a problem We have had hundred of hotel stays where we did Not do an actual front desk checkout. If they have your money for the booked night, thats all that matters! Leave your key on the desk in the room. Sometimes i do call to let them know i am leaving, so housekeeping will know the room is now empty and can be cleaned for the next waiting guest.
Love the family photo!
My wife ‘gets it’. She agreed to spend the night with me at the Four Points in Norwalk CT a couple of years ago. It was stay #10, enough for gold status.
My son (think acorn and tree) gets the whole credit card churn business. Now my daughter in law seems to be seeing the forest through the trees. :) I finally told her how I got the 225,000 miles to send them 1-way to Columbo Sri Lanka in business on Cathay (CX). I wish you could have seen the look on her face. I’d like to publically thank AA for offering 75,000 miles times 3.
It’s just a matter of time before we join you on a Mattress Run Do!
One more thing, if anyone is feeling guilt about not staying in the room overnight, do what I have done. remove the cover and sheets on the bed. This way the room will look lived in. ;)
Cheesesteaks!!! Is always at least one meal, if not more, on every trip to Philly and south jersey. Ymmm