OpenTable points can now be used to whittle down cost of a hotel stay

OpenTable Dining Points are good for more than just another meal: On Thursday, January 17, OpenTable opened up point stashes to hotel reservations booked on travel platform Kayak. The update allows diners in the U.S. to redeem points on Kayak to save between $20 and $200 on a hotel.

The expanded point system allows diners with at least 2,000 points to use them on discounts at more than 400,000 participating hotels. The more points users save up, the bigger the discount — 2,000 points is good for a $40 discount, OpenTable says.

OpenTable points are earned by making — and keeping — reservations on the OpenTable platform. Previously, those points were only good for additional books at 20,000 different restaurants. OpenTable users can find their current points balance on the profile page inside the desktop view.

“OpenTable diners are avid travelers, so we are excited to offer a Dining Reward that will help them save on their next trip,” Kayak CEO Steve Hafner said in a press release. “Kayak and OpenTable are both Booking Holdings’ brands and creating shared value for our respective users — diners that love to travel and travelers that need to eat — is a priority.”

OpenTable says that the hotel discounts are just the start. “This will be the first of several additional ways that OpenTable users will be able to redeem their Dining Points,” Joseph Essas, chief technology officer at OpenTable, said. “We’re looking forward to rolling out more options in the near future to further enhance the Dining Rewards program.” 

OpenTable dining points are redeemable by going to opentable.kayak.com to search for participating hotels. The available reservations include a variety of hotels from boutique properties to international favorites, OpenTable says. Users can choose how many points to redeem when booking. A user with 1,000 points can redeem a $20 discount, 2,000 points a $40 discount, 5,000 points a $100 discount, and 10,000 points a $200 discount.

With more than 1.8 billion diners using the platform since the launch, OpenTable allows users to browse restaurants, including menus and reviews, and see what’s available before booking available tables. The San Fransisco-based company now averages 27 million diners a month booking online or through the app. OpenTable currently has reservation options in 20 countries.

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