Stash Hotel Rewards™ today launched a breakthrough hotel rewards program, including a new, flexible rewards currency shared exclusively by many of the country's best independent hotels.

 At last, travelers can quickly earn free nights at distinctive, independent hotels without blackouts or inflexible category restrictions.

"We've spoken with hundreds of travelers and many said they felt forced to make a frustrating trade-off," said Jeff Low, founder and CEO. "They can either stay at an independent hotel with a more memorable, personalized guest experience, or check in to another big-box hotel – with the same bland room and the same white bed they found in the last city – just so they can earn points."

"Stash fixes all of that by making it as easy to earn points at an amazing hotel as at a so-so one."

One-of-a-Kind Hotels At launch, 65 distinctive hotels in more than 50 cities participate in Stash, including some of the best spas in Napa, upscale resorts in the Rockies and Florida, and boutique gems in New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. Recognized for their remarkable design, comfort and service, many of the properties appear on the "Best Hotels" lists of the leading travel publications and have received some of the highest "recommend" ratings on top travel sites.

Free, Fast, Flexible Travelers can easily sign up for a free account at the Stash website. Points can be earned immediately and never expire. Redemption is simple and free from inflexible "category charts" common to many chain programs.

Additionally, Stash members have access to exclusive travel deals; for example, point bonuses matched to a member's travel history, or weekend get-away offers customized to a member's home city.

Just the Beginning Great independent hotels continue to join Stash, and an estimated 200 hotels will participate by the end of the year. In key cities like Seattle, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, travelers will have more hotel choices with Stash than they do with some big-chain programs. And unlike big-chain hotels, the hotels offering Stash Points are each one-of-a-kind. Visit www.stashrewards.com/hotels for a complete list of participating hotels.

About Stash Hotel Rewards Stash Hotel Rewards is a hotel rewards program where members earn and redeem points at authentic, independently-run hotels across the U.S. Launched in May 2010, Stash makes it easy for inspired travelers to break free from big, bland hotel chains and stay where they really want.