Choice Hotels International and Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide have entered into an agreement whereby members of Choice Privileges, Choice Hotels’ guest rewards program, may redeem points for free nights at Preferred Hotels, a global brand of independently-owned luxury hotels and resorts.

Choice Privileges members who earn points by staying at Choice’s Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion and MainStay Suites hotel brands may redeem points to earn free nights at any of the 129 luxurious Preferred Hotels properties worldwide.

With Choice Privileges, there are no blackout date restrictions on point redemption at a Preferred property. Awards nights must be booked within 30 days of arrival for locations in the U.S. and Canada and within 60 days of arrival for all other locations.

The move should assist what some pundits consider to be an image problem with Choice – the chain of essentially economy-level hotels has struggled to make inroads with higher-spending frequent travelers. The addition of Preferred Hotels as a redemption partner could well alter that perception.