In 2013, I attended the Final Four in Atlanta and saw Michigan lose to Louisville. The post was titled Final 4 Free. In 2018, I went to San Antonio and watched them lose to Villanova. The post was titled Go Blue! Left Blue. Thirteen years later, I am writing again about how I went to see Michigan play for the championship. Only this time the result was different.
The first step was to book a flight from SJU-IND. That cost 13,500 AA points and $5.60. I did so before Arizona played Michigan, knowing that I could cancel up to the time of departure if Michigan lost. I also booked a return flight for 13,500 AA points and $5.60. The retail cost per flight was $1,100.
The third step was to find somewhere to stay. I could not do that in advance as all the hotels had a non-refundable policy. After Michigan beat Arizona, I found myself sitting at the airport at 1 AM Sunday morning searching for hotels. The prospect of finding somewhere to lay my head looked bleak. All I found was phantom availability in downtown Indianapolis or the unenviable option of staying at an airport hotel.
Not one to panic, I kept hitting fresh. At 3:24 AM, the Residence Inn Indianapolis Downtown on the Canal opened up for Monday night. I redeemed 39,000 Marriott points instead of $1,053. At 3:39 AM, the Aloft Indianapolis opened up for Sunday night. I used a stay certificate worth 35k + 8k Marriott points to snag a hotel that retailed for $825. Finally, I used 8,000 Hyatt points to stay at the Hyatt Place Indianapolis Airport on the recovery day after the game, instead of paying $174.
The actual retail price of this showcase showdown was $8,503.70. Out of pocket, I paid $22.40.
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