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You may have seen hotels advertised on airline websites. These properties often offer bonus miles for your stay, but you typically give up earning hotel points and elite status perks in return. Southwest runs a platform like this called Southwest Hotels, which is designed to help you earn more Rapid Rewards points.
Since Southwest recently slashed how you earn points by flying, every point now matters just a little bit more. Here's a look at how the Southwest Hotels program works and whether it's worth giving up other hotel benefits to book through it.
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What Is Southwest Hotels?
Southwest Hotels is the airline’s hotel booking platform. It lets you earn Rapid Rewards points on stays. Typically, this comes at the expense of earning the hotel’s loyalty currency, as most hotel loyalty programs don't reward points when you don't book directly with the property. The site is hotel brand-agnostic — similar to Expedia or other online travel agencies — and is powered by Booking.com.
You’ll find hotels in cities Southwest flies to, along with destinations around the world. This platform is only for hotel bookings and doesn’t include packages like those offered through Southwest Vacations.
How to book on Southwest Hotels
Southwest Hotels works like any other online hotel search tool. Start by entering your destination, travel dates, number of travelers, and how many rooms you need, then click search.
The search engine will show you how many “Points Plus properties” (read: better earning rates) appear in the results. In one example, there were 349 total properties and 16 Points Plus properties available.
Since the goal is to earn Rapid Rewards points, the best way to search is by sorting results by “points.” This option is only visible after the first few listings, which can be frustrating. Once selected, the site will reorder results based on which hotels offer the most Rapid Rewards points.
Click “See availability” to view room types and pricing. In some cases, a higher rate will earn more Rapid Rewards points. It’s worth comparing options to ensure the extra cost is worth the extra points.
After selecting your room, click “Continue to book.” On the final booking page, you’ll enter your details, including your Rapid Rewards number, to ensure the points are credited to your account.
How many Rapid Rewards points can you earn through Southwest Hotels?
You’ll earn a set number of Rapid Rewards points per dollar, depending on the hotel you book. At a minimum, you’ll earn one point per dollar spent on the pre-tax room rate.
For example, a three-night stay at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas priced at $122 before taxes and fees would earn 122 points for a Deluxe room for two. Other room types cost a bit more, so you’d earn slightly more points, still at the one-point-per-dollar rate.
For the same dates, some Las Vegas hotels qualify as Points Plus properties, which offer significantly higher earning rates. Treasure Island – TI Las Vegas Hotel & Casino showed a bonus of 30,000 points for a rate of $854 before taxes and fees for a three-night stay. That's over 35 Rapid Rewards points per dollar!
The number of points earned at Points Plus hotels varies. In the Las Vegas search, I found hotels offering between 1,000 and 30,000 points for a three-night stay. Most awarded somewhere between 3,000 and 11,000 points. It’s worth reviewing all the options to make sure you’re getting the best return.
Remember that any Rapid Rewards points earned through Southwest Hotels are in place of hotel loyalty points. You likely won’t receive elite benefits, either, since the booking is not made directly with the hotel.
Do Points Earned Through Southwest Hotels Help Me Earn Status?
Points earned through Southwest Hotels do not count toward A-List or A-List Preferred status with Southwest Airlines. However, they do count toward earning the Southwest Companion Pass, which is one of the most valuable perks in the Rapid Rewards program. Every point earned brings you closer to the 135,000 qualifying points needed each calendar year.
If this is a perk you're chasing, you might consider using a Southwest credit card when booking through Southwest Hotels. Spending on the card counts toward the Companion Pass, and you'll also earn bonus points on the reservation.
In other words, it's a win-win if you're serious about earning this perk and boosting your Rapid Rewards balance.
- 2X points per $1 spent on Southwest® purchases and Rapid Rewards® Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
- 2X points per $1 spent on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming services
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- 3X points per $1 spent on all Southwest® purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent on all Rapid Rewards® Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
- 2X points per $1 spent on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming services
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- 3X points per $1 spent on all Southwest® purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent on all Rapid Rewards® Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases
- 2X points per $1 spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
- 2X points per $1 spent on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming services
- 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases
Related: Which Southwest Airlines Credit Card Is Right for You?
Our Take
While you give up the chance to earn hotel points and elite benefits by not booking directly, Southwest Hotels is hard to ignore if you’re focused on earning Rapid Rewards points. Since the points earned count toward the Companion Pass, it can be a useful tool for loyal Southwest flyers — at least for those still sticking with the airline in 2025.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card (Rates & Fees), and Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
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