One of the best-value ways to book hotels in Japan with points just got worse — but it’s not all bad

For years, Choice Privileges has been one of the best-value ways to book hotels in Japan with points. The program has offered relatively inexpensive yet centrally located award options, making it my go-to loyalty program when visiting Japan.

In the past four years, I’ve redeemed Choice points for 45 nights, including 37 nights in Japan. That’s largely because while Choice Privileges increased its award cap and pricing across many properties over the last few years, the program mostly spared its Japan properties.

Unfortunately, that’s no longer entirely the case. As LoyaltyLobby reported Saturday, Choice Privileges recently increased the cost of award nights at some Japanese properties by as much as 200%. Still, when I took a closer look, I found that it’s not all bad news: Some Choice Privileges properties in Japan now cost fewer points, and many others appear to have stayed the same. Here’s what you should know.

Choice Privileges increases cost of award nights at some Japan properties

The worst of these Choice Privileges award night increases is in Tokyo and Osaka. As a reminder, you can check nightly award rates for each property by searching for an award stay and looking at the calendar that loads.

Award pricing can vary by night at Choice Privileges properties, but it doesn’t appear to vary by night at Choice Privileges properties in Japan.

Unfortunately, you’ll now need to redeem 20,000 to 30,000 Choice points per night to stay in the heart of Tokyo.

To put these award rates in comparison, I paid 8,000 points per night for an August 2023 stay at the Comfort Hotel Tokyo Higashi Nihombashi; that same stay would now cost 20,000 points per night. In May 2024 and January 2025, I stayed at the Comfort Hotel Tokyo Kanda for 8,000 points per night; now, award nights at the property cost 20,000 points. And in February 2026, I booked a stay at the Comfort Hotel ERA Tokyo Higashi Kanda for 12,000 points per night, but now, award nights cost 25,000 points.

The sad part of these award pricing increases is that many nights at these hotels don’t carry high paid rates. For example, you could book this night at the Comfort Hotel ERA Tokyo Higashi Kanda for $96 or 25,000 points. If you redeem points for this night, you’d only get 0.38 cents per point in value (well below the 0.6 cents per point number noted in TPG’s June 2026 valuations).

The cost of Choice Privileges award nights also increased in Osaka at the centrally located Comfort Hotel Osaka Shinsaibashi. I stayed at this property for 8,000 points per night in May 2023, but now, it costs 20,000 points per night.

The number of Choice Privileges properties in Japan that have significantly increased their award rates is small, but the properties that increased significantly are many of the ones I’ve stayed at over the past four years.

Related: Travel to Japan with points and miles: Best ways to redeem your rewards for flights and hotels

A few Choice Privileges properties in Japan now cost fewer points

Interestingly, I did find several Choice Privileges properties in Japan that now cost fewer points. For example, I’ve seen award nights for 12,000 or 16,000 points at the Comfort Suites Tokyo Bay within the last year. However, award nights at this property — which is well located for visiting Tokyo Disney — now cost just 8,000 points per night.

Weekend nights often cost $171 at this property, meaning you’d get 2.14 cents per point in value when redeeming Choice points.

Likewise, I stayed at the Comfort Hotel Sapporo Susukino in February 2024 for 16,000 points per night. Now, this property is bookable for 8,000 points per night.

I’m not 100% confident this drop occurred within the last few weeks, but I am confident the Comfort Hotel Sapporo Susukino cost more than 8,000 points per night earlier this year.

Many Choice Privileges properties in Japan still cost 8,000 points per night

It’s also worth mentioning that the vast majority of Choice Privileges properties in Japan still cost 8,000 points per night. You can see ample properties bookable for 8,000 points per night in the region surrounding Tokyo and Nagoya, for example.

So, it’s still possible to reliably get award nights in Japan for 8,000 Choice points per night if you select your destinations carefully and avoid Tokyo and Osaka. But, even in the case of Osaka, you could stay in Shin-Osaka, Kobe or Kyoto for just 10,000 points per night (which is reasonable, especially in Kyoto).

Related: How (and why) to plan a ski trip to Niseko, Japan, with points and miles

Bottom line

Choice Privileges is no longer the easy answer it once was for booking centrally located award stays in Tokyo and Osaka. With some properties now charging 20,000 to 30,000 points per night — even when paid rates are relatively low — I’ll likely book inexpensive business hotels such as APA Hotels or Toyoko Inn more often in these cities.

But this isn’t a reason to write off Choice Privileges in Japan entirely. There are still plenty of 8,000-point properties, and a few hotels — including Comfort Suites Tokyo Bay and Comfort Hotel Sapporo Susukino — may now be better Choice sweet spots than before.

The practical takeaway: Don’t assume Choice points are the best option in Japan, especially in Tokyo and Osaka. Compare paid and award rates, run the cents-per-point math and consider nearby cities or less obvious destinations where inexpensive award nights may still offer outsize value.