I started out writing today wanting to argue a point about hotel loyalty program comparisons.  Quite often a hotel program comparison will state how much spending is needed to earn a free night.  Frequently, a table will show how much spending is required to earn the points for a free night at the lowest category hotel in the hotel loyalty program.

I made a comment on a Budget Travel article and my comment received a Budget Travel editor’s response.

One of the points I wanted to make is the lowest category hotel redemption level is not all that practical in real travel simply due to the small percentage of hotels in the lowest category.

Hilton HHonors Opportunity Hotel Redemption is 7,500 points per night, but only 2% of USA Hilton properties are in the Opportunity Points Redemption Category.

Marriott Rewards Category 1 Hotel Redemption is 7,500 points per night, but only 12% of USA Marriott properties are in the lowest Category 1 Points Redemption Category.  While this is a much higher percentage of hotels in the lowest free night redemption category than Hilton HHonors, I anticipate a major shift of Marriott Rewards hotels to Category 2 in 2009. 

Hilton HHonors Hotel Categories in the USA of 2,673 Hotels in November 2008

HHonors Hotel Category	Number of HHonors Hotels	Percentage of Total Hotels (2,673 HHonors Hotels in USA)
Opportunity	49	2%
1	153	6%
2	944	35%
3	940	35%
4	408	15%
5	124	5%
6	55	2%

The numbers shown here for Hilton HHonors are based on a quick HHonors spreadsheet sort and count.  The exact number of hotels in each HHonors category may be slightly lower or higher.

 

Marriott Rewards Hotel Categories for the 2,663 hotels in USA in November 2008

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category	Number of Marriott Rewards Hotels	Percentage of Total Hotels (2,663 Hotels in USA)
1	308	12%
2	691	26%
3	963	36%
4	441	17%
5	187	7%
6	61	2%
7	12	<1%

Good for Consumer = Marriott Rewards Redemption Table Weighted Heavily to Lower Category Hotels

Today I played around with numbers and the startling observation to me is the alignment Marriott Rewards has taken to emulate Hilton HHonors in free night redemption.  And the 5th free night is just a little edge on HHonors VIP elite 6+  night discounts and matches Starwood’s 5th Night Free.

Marriott looks surprisingly consumer-friendly at the present time with most hotel properties in the lowest half of the categories.  I expect the second big Marriott Rewards announcement is going to be a major category shift in its USA hotels for 2009.

Corresponding Hotel Category Low to High	Marriott Hotels (2,663)	Hilton Hotels (2,673)
1	308	49
2	691	153
3	963	944
4	441	940
5	187	408
6	61	124
7	12	55

All categories for Hilton were bumped up a level to correspond with Marriott’s 7 lowest levels.

The level of the HHonors Category has been increased by one level for comparisons of relative hotel distribution among points redemption categories between Hilton HHonors and Marriott Rewards . 

Hilton Opportunity = 1; HHonors Category 1 = 2; and so on to HHonors Category 6 shown as Category 7 in charts and tables.

Hilton HHonors is weighted much more heavily to the higher end hotel redemption categories than Marriott in 2008.  The number of hotels compared here is almost identical for Hilton (2,673) and Marriott (2,663) and they are both divided into 7 categories. 

I predict category shift will be the knockout punch for Marriott Rewards members in the 2009 changes.  The shift from Category 1 and 2 hotels into Category 3 and 4 hotels will be a major shift to align Marriott categories more closely with HHonors.  The introduction of a new Marriott Rewards Category 8 in January 2009 will likely create a major shift of hotel properties upwards into Categories 5, 6, and 7.

Marriott currently has 1 of 8 USA hotels in its lowest Category 1 redemption level, whereas, Hilton HHonors has only 1 in 50 hotels in its lowest category of Opportunity Hotels. 

Marriott currently has 26% of its hotels, 1 out of every 4 hotels in the USA,  in the second to lowest Category 2 redemption level, whereas, Hilton only has 6% or 1 of every 16 USA hotels in its corresponding level.

Comparison of Marriott Rewards 2008 Stay Anytime to 2009 Award Nights

Category	NIGHTS
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
1	15,000 Anytime 7,500 2009 Award	28,000   15,000	40,000   22,500	50,000   30,000	60,000   30,000	70,000   37,500	80,000   45,000
2	20,000 10,000	38,000 20,000	54,000 30,000	70,000 40,000	86,000 40,000	100,000 50,000	110,000 60,000
3	30,000 15,000	56,000 30,000	82,000 45,000	104,000 60,000	126,000 60,000	146,000 75,000	164,000 90,000
4	40,000 20,000	76,000 40,000	110,000 60,000	140,000 80,000	170,000 80,000	190,000 100,000	210,000 120,000
5	50,000 25,000	92,000 50,000	130,000 75,000	160,000 100,000	190,000 100,000	210,000 125,000	230,000 150,000
6	60,000 30,000	110,000 60,000	156,000 90,000	190,000 120,000	220,000 120,000	240,000 150,000	260,000 180,000
7	70,000 35,000	130,000 70,000	180,000 105,000	220,000 140,000	260,000 140,000	280,000 175,000	300,000 210,000
8	na 40,000	na 80,000	na 120,000	na 160,000	na 160,000	na 200,000	na 240,000

The elimination of Stay Anytime awards is a significant point saver for the consumer, but quite a loss for Marriott for hotel stays using points requiring the large number of points for a No Blackout Stay Anytime Redemption.  I have no idea what percentage of Marriott rewards redeemed are Stay Anytime Rewards. 

Most of my lifetime Marriott stays have been through Priceline. 

I expect a significant category shift for Marriott Rewards points redemption will take place in 2009 to recoup more of the points and revenue being lost to the new award schedule with the concurrent elimination of blackouts and Stay Anytime awards.  A comparison of Hilton and Marriott, two chains with almost identical numbers of USA hotels, indicates to me a major shift upward will be coming from Marriott in Category Redemption Level to more closely correlate with Hilton HHonors hotel category distribution for USA hotels. 

I hope I’m wrong about my prediction of a major Marriott Rewards hotel category shift upwards.  But, I think it will happen.

A shift upward in hotel category is inflation and devalues your earned points.  Opportunities for getting sufficiently more bonus points to compensate for higher prices of room night redemption may not happen.  The bottom line is your points buy less with changes each year and that seems to be a principle of travel loyalty programs.

LHW 1928 RIP

The Good News: Some people got the $19.28 rate for a luxury hotel during the revamped 1928 promotion last Thursday.

The Bad News: I wasn’t among the lucky.  Although Lucky, BoardingArea.com blogger of “One Mile at a Time,” was successful.  His online name fits.

Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) promoted their October 1, 2008 online 80-minute sale heavily in September.  The hype was so widely promoted that their reservations system crashed.  Three weeks later the sale was back on.

Thursday, October 23, 2008 I logged on 7am and dutifully filled out the form for only two hotels, although the option for four choices was available.  The deal was good, but no so good that I would fly across the country or to another country just for a two-day cheap stay at a luxury hotel.

My primary objective was to get a night at the Bernardus Lodge in Carmel Valley so I could create a review for my future CarmelTraveler.com website.  $400 per night is above my economic comfort level, even though it can be a business write-off in my case.  I don’t make the kind of money with Loyalty Traveler (yet) to be throwing down $400+ per hotel night.

My second choice was Sedona’s Enchantment Resort and Spa and I picked dates when I knew I would be able to drive to Arizona for the stay.

I submitted my reservation request in minute 4 of the 80 minute time frame.  From what I have read on FlyerTalk, there does not appear to be anyone, or very few, who had a successful request from minute 4 to minute 80 of the promotion.  It truly was a speed event.

Even more unfortunate to those of us who actually planned viable hotel stays was the LHW hotel request option to receive any hotel reservation at the discretion of LHW.  Several persons posted in the FlyerTalk thread that the LHW hotel and/or dates given are not a viable option and the guest has no intention of using the successful $19.28 hotel reservation.

I held out hope for a discount room until today, a week after submitting my hotel request, and I received the following email from LHW:

Dear Richard Garrido,Thank you for participating in The Leading Hotels of the World’s 80th anniversary USD 19.28 Sale. We are sorry to inform you that we were unable to fulfill your travel request.

We appreciate your support and interest in our brand, and hope to bring you more celebratory offers in the future. As previously promised, all personal information obtained from you with regard to this promotion will be removed from our database. Should you wish to receive updates and news from The Leading Hotels of the World, please feel free to sign up for our e-newsletter at www.lhw.com.

Thank you again!
The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd.

 

 

Congratulations to all the successful guests. 

As for this Loyalty Traveler – LHW 1928 – Rest in Peace.

 

My prior post on the LHW 1928 promotion has links to the earlier Loyalty Traveler LHW 1928 posts or you can link to all the LHW posts using the Categories links on the left side of page through Category “Leading Hotels of the World”.

Hotel Best Rate Guarantee Claims

In a recent Loyalty Traveler post I titled “Why Kayak is Not Your Best Friend for Hotel Rates” I showed a lower rate found on Kayak.com than appeared on the Marriott site for the Renaissance Eden Roc Hotel in South Beach Miami.  GTAHotels.com was the online travel agency with the lower hotel rate ($330) than Marriott ($369).  I commented a Best Rate Guarantee claim could probably be made with Marriott Hotels and, if successful, the $330 rate would be reduced by 25% to $247.50.  The Marriott Best Rate Guarantee would have reduced the Marriott.com rate from $369 to $247.50, however, I went on to show an even lower rate found on Marriott.com through a hotel special offers link for a rate of $129 per night.

This week I was planning travel to Vancouver, British Columbia.  I checked hotel rates on the Starwood website.  I then checked Kayak.com and found the Sheraton Wall Centre had a lower rate listed on Kayak.com with the same GTAHotels.com online travel agency.   The hotel rate listed as $169 Canadian Dollars on the Starwood site and $98USD on the GTAHotels.com site.  This was about a $32USD difference.

On Monday I submitted a Best Rate Guarantee claim with Starwood Hotels.  My claim was successful and I will be receiving 2,000 bonus Starpoints in addition to the lower $129CAD rate.

The process for submitting a Best Rate Guarantee (BRG) is different across the hotel chains.  Starwood and Hyatt have the most consumer-friendly processes for Best Rate Guarantee claims.  A Starwood Hotels customer seeking a Best Rate Guarantee fills out an online claim showing the hotel rate on the third-party site and a Starwood representative validates the room rate offered on the third-party site to the Starwood Hotels rate for the same type of room for the dates of your hotel stay. 

A Hyatt Hotels customer can call to validate a claim over the phone before making a reservation.

I received an email reply from Starwood Hotels about 10 hours after submitting my Best Rate Guarantee claim.  The email stated my claim was valid and I had 24 hours in which to book the hotel room at the listed $169CAD rate on a Starwood website.  After booking the higher rate through Starwood Hotels and sending an email reply to the BRG email from Starwood Hotels with my new reservation confirmation number, my rate was adjusted within a couple of hours to $129CAD to match the GTAHotels.com $98USD rate.

How do other hotel chains handle Best Rate Guarantee Claims?

Hilton Hotels Best Rate Guarantee Terms

Hilton requires a reservation be made on a Hilton website or directly with the hotel.  Then, if a lower rate is found within 24 hours for the same room type, Hilton will match the lower room rate and give you a $50 American Express gift certificate for hotel stays in USA, Canada, and Mexico.  International hotel rates will be adjusted to the lower rate and a $50 credit applied at check-out. 

Hyatt Hotels Best Rate Guarantee Terms

Hyatt will discount a competing lower rate by 20%.  You do not have to make your reservation first.

If you find a publicly available and immediately bookable room-only rate on the Internet for a Hyatt Hotel (“Competing Rate”) that is lower than the room rate available for the same reservation on http://www.hyatt.com/ (i.e., same hotel, same type of room, same number of guests, same dates of stay and same length of stay), then prior to or within 24 hours of booking the reservation on http://www.hyatt.com, please call Hyatt Hotels & Resorts at 1-888-96 HYATT (1-888-964-9288) or 402-593-5445.

Once Hyatt confirms the availability of the Competing Rate on the Internet, subject to room availability at the applicable Hyatt Hotel, Hyatt agrees to match the Competing Rate for the same reservation, plus discount an additional twenty percent (20%) off the room rate for the duration of the stay being so reserved.

InterContinental Hotels Group Lowest Internet Rate Guarantee

Every hotel reservation booked through an IHG web site is guaranteed to have the lowest rate publicly available on the internet or IHG will match a lower rate under the following conditions:

If you find a rate on a competing web site that is lower than the lowest rate shown on the ‘Best Available’ search of IHG web site, IHG will honor that rate for the nights for which the lower rate was found, plus give you an additional 10% discount off the lower rate found upon its verification by IHG.

 

 

 

Marriott Hotels Best Rate Guarantee

Must book hotel rate through Marriott channel first and then within 24 hours if a lower rate is found on a competing website, Marriott will adjust your rate to the lower rate and will give you a 25% discount off lower rate.

Starwood Hotels Best Rate Guarantee

Starwood Hotels will discount a competing lower rate by 10% or award you 2,000 Starpoints.  The choice is yours.  You do not need to make the reservation with Starwood first.

·          

Starwood Hotels and Hyatt Hotels do not require you to make a reservation before making your Best Rate Guarantee claim.  The advantage of this for the consumer is you will not have booked the higher rate through the hotel chain’s reservations if the BRG claim is unsuccessful.

Hilton, InterContinental Hotels Group, and Marriott require you to make a reservation through them before you can file your Best Rate Guarantee Claim.  Additionally, you must make your claim within 24 hours of your initial reservation. 

I have found lower hotel rates on third-party websites for Hilton and Marriott in the past, but making a reservation with Hilton or Marriott first at the higher room rate and then filing a claim is too restrictive a condition for me.  I search rates until I make a reservation and I am unlikely to continue searching for a lower rate during the 24 hours after booking a room.  I also am reluctant to book a more expensive room than I need to book in case the Best Rate Guarantee claim is unsuccessful.

I have had good luck this year with several successful BRG claims.  And I have seen several more that would have likely been successful if I had decided to stay at those hotels.  It pays to compare rates on a couple of third-party sites when searching for better hotel rates than the hotel chain listed rates.  The Best Rate Guarantee keeps most hotel rates on third-party sites from being lower, but when they are lower on a competing site, the loyalty traveler knows an even better deal awaits through the hotel’s Best Rate Guarantee process.

 

This story and travelogue is my contribution to Angela Nickerson’s Just Go Blogapalooza invitation.  Last month I wrote about Twitter after being at BlogWorld 08 in Las Vegas.  I had never heard of Twitter before last month.  I signed up and started tweeting this month.  As a result of Twitter I met Angela and signed on to write a story for her Halloween Blogapalooza party.  There are around 30 bloggers participating and you can link to the Blogapalooza stories through Angela’s Just Go blog. 

The following travel story took place in Singapore, June 2006.

Changi Beach, Singapore

I am a man of science. Practical applications of food science, labor economics, and education pedagogy have been my studies.  Measurements and quantifiable data are my keys to understanding.  I now apply my calculations and statistics to hotel rate analysis and discussions of hotel loyalty program value for consumers.

The truth of the matter is I had a paranormal experience a couple of years ago.  The paranormal is outside my realm of understanding and all the more reason not to tell my tale.  Nothing came to mind when approached to write a story detailing a strange or frightening trip for Angela Nickerson’s Just Go Blogapalooza.  I am a good travel planner and my skill and good luck generally prevents strange and scary things from happening to me when traveling.

My wife reminded me of the incident in Singapore two years ago.  She wasn’t even there, but she remembers me telling her the story.  I keep paranormal thoughts out of my mind.  The visitation happened, only once, for a brief moment of time, not too far in the past, and it scared the hell out of me. 

I can rationalize the encounter now as an anxious dream after a week living in the humidity and heat of Singapore.  The event was irrational to me.  The end of the story is true to my original writing made at the time I had the encounter in the Le Meridien Changi Village Hotel.  Ghost seekers seem to take interest in photographic orbs as a paranormal activity sign and I have included photos from the Changi Village hotel rooms in this story. 

First, before I describe the paranormal event, allow me to indulge in a Singapore travelogue.

·          

Singapore is known to frequent flyer mileage geeks as the farthest place to fly from the USA for the least amount of money when compared to airfare for Australia, Africa, Middle East, or India.  Singapore is a Southeast Asian country where English is the national language and widely spoken and the national pastime of hanging out in shopping malls is a familiar cultural practice to Americans. 

The mileage distance is 8,444 miles from San Francisco to Singapore.  Most people don’t realize how far away Singapore is from the USA.  The airline travel is broken up with a stopover in Tokyo after 11 hours of flight time. 

Bath Amenity Kit for United Airlines Red Carpet Club, Narita Airport, Tokyo

With a little luck and no flight delay there is generally time in a two hour window for taking a shower in the United Red Carpet Club lounge complete with complimentary bath amenities kit and drinking some glasses of Asahi beer from the automated beer dispenser.  You need 50,000 mile elite status for the privilege of complimentary access or flying on a business or first class ticket.

Then, it is back on the plane for another 7 hours flying across the South China Sea, past Vietnam and Cambodia, to the tiny island of Singapore at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula in the Indian Ocean.

·          

An early June trip in 2006 provided me with an opportunity to earn United Mileage Plus frequent flyer miles, visit some new luxury hotels, and make my first stays in the Le Meridien brand that had recently been integrated into the Starwood Preferred Guest loyalty program of Starwood Hotels. 

Le Meriden Orchard Road Hotel, Singapore (2006)

This was my sixth trip to Singapore since 2001.  And this was the first time I had been in the city for the “Great Singapore Sale,” the biannual “shop til you drop” ritual, advertised as “8 Weeks of Shopping Madness”.  Singapore is not your haggle over a few dollars bargaining for colorful silks with the local handicrafts seller under the beach palm tree. 

Singapore is to outlet mall shopping what Thailand is to your local flea market.  Everything is available in the Singapore ultra-modern malls and it is all on sale in the thousands of stores.  Every article is priced and there is almost always some type of discount. Shopping for clothes in Singapore is a delight for me.  I am a short man.  In Singapore I can buy 29” inseam slacks right off the rack in most department stores. 

Pedestrian tunnels allow you to walk a long way under the streets between malls

An American has the feeling you are not in Kansas when you see internet terminals with free access for customers and large-screen plasma TVs showing World Cup soccer at 3am in McDonald’s burger restaurants.  

Imagine the largest shopping mall you have ever visited and then project an image of block after block of major shopping malls in high-tech electronic light and music constantly playing from the speakers of another retail shop.  Plasma TVs in the shopping mall corridors give directions, display information, and show store promotions and music videos.

McDonald’s had World Cup 06 games on Plasma TV at 3am

The weekend I arrived was “Late Night Shopping”, with extended store hours to 11pm or 1am for most stores at the dozens of major shopping malls.  Shopping is the way of life in Singapore.  The USA economic gurus wish we could instill the shopping culture present in Singapore society.  I wish we could instill the education culture I see so entrenched in Singapore family life.

Singapore Orchard Road, Major Hotel and Shopping District

After a week of shopping madness, hotel tours, and outrageously priced beer to accompany my favored Chinese cuisine I sought a lifestyle of cheap exotic food against a palm tree beach backdrop for my last day in Singapore.  

 

Changi Beach Singapore

I checked into the Le Meridien Changi Village Hotel on the east side of the island adjacent to Singapore’s Changi International Airport.  This was my second stay at this luxury hotel near the Changi Airport.  

I was upgraded to a suite for the stay on my first night in Singapore and then again for my last night in Singapore.  The location of the room for my second stay was Room 301, directly below the fourth floor Room 401 I had stayed in the week before.

Room 401 floor map, Le Meridien Changi Village hotel, Singapore

The Le Meridien Changi Village hotel room had nonlinear features and design.  The hotel had style. The immenseness of the drapery, freestanding walls and colorful features of the lobby and dining areas were visually stimulating. 

Le Meridien Changi Village Hotel, dining area

The rooftop pool with orchid petals floating on the water was a resort spa vision.  The pool view of incoming jets at Changi Airport was sufficiently far as to not be overbearingly noisy.

 

 

 

 

 

Le Meridien Changi Village Hotel pool

There is a popular public campground location on Changi beach just across a small bridge from the hotel. I spent the last afternoon of the Singapore trip walking Changi Beach. Families and friends gathered on the beach and relaxed in the campground. Men and boys fished, and the more adventurous outdoor types paddled sea kayaks. 

 

Fishing on Changi Beach, Singapore

Informational signs at various points along the beach showed photos of old Malay villages from the 1930s and 1950s.

I came across a plaque describing a World War II massacre.  On the 20^th of February, 1942, 66 Chinese males were executed on this stretch of Changi Beach.  A two-week campaign to purge the Singapore Chinese population of suspected anti-Japanese civilians resulted in more than 1,000 men and boys being executed on the beaches of Changi and the present-day airport runway region.

After a couple hours on the beach I headed to Changi Village for a take-away dinner which I ate back in the room while watching World Cup soccer.  USA-Czech Republic was scheduled to play around 11pm, but a 7am flight had me early in bed and asleep in Room 301, Le Meridien Changi Village.

 

 

 

 A multitude of orbs around the bed in Room 401

These pictures keep disappearing from my post.

Large orb in bathroom, Room 401, Le Meridien Changi Village, Singapore

[The rest of this section is presented here as written at the time on June 12, 2006 after my fright in room 301.]

I’ve just had a supernatural experience.  It is freaking me out because the feeling shook me out of my pragmatic reality.

I remember looking at the clock and seeing it was 11:00pm.  I shut my eyes again to return to sleep in this hotel bed in Changi Village.

Aoife jumped on the bed.                             

Then I remembered I am here alone, in a hotel room in Singapore.

I thought, “Who is on the bed with me?”

I tried to look and suddenly I felt a weight on me, holding me down, and pressing me into the bed.

I was scared and all my thought was:

“I’ve got the power and you are not going to take me.”

But, I could not move.  This weight had my whole body pressed to the bed.

And I kept chanting:  “I’ve got the power.”

A pounding on the wall sounded.  I took it to be the water pipes rattling, but suddenly I wasn’t so sure.

I tried to turn my head to see what was on the bed and I could not move my head.  I tried to use my arms to lift me up and I could not move my body.

And I kept chanting to myself:  “I’ve got the power and you are not going to take me.”

Finally I was able to kick my legs up and free myself from the bed.  I kicked twice and threw the weight off me.

And I lay there on the bed, in the dark, scared straight.

I knew I had been visited by the spirits.  The spirits of the jinns who live in these walls.  The spirits of the dead Chinese who were killed by the thousands here in a Japanese massacre across the street over a two-week period in 1942.  The spirit of the man I saw somewhere this morning down by Orchard Road in Singapore and then saw again a short while later on the train with me.  He had swollen sleepy eyes and I thought, “How can that man possibly have ended up here in this train car with me?  Is this Chinese man following me?”  He looked too sleepy to even be moving. 

I studied his clothing to remember what he looked like in case I saw him somewhere else later.  I am in a city of 3 million Chinese and how can I ever recognize the same man twice?  He had on loafers with gold buckles and no socks.  He was old, 70 or older.  His eyes were so puffy.

·          

I got out of bed and grabbed the camera.  I took flash pictures of the dark room thinking maybe something was here I might see. 

First photo after the encounter in Room 301

Photo of bed after the encounter in Room 301

I turned on a couple of lights and the TV and found new age music playing.  The music calmed me. 

The clock read 11:10pm.  I didn’t think I could go back to sleep.  I turned on World Cup football.  USA v. Czech Republic.

I caught a 7am flight back to Tokyo the next morning.  I haven’t been back to Singapore since. 

 

 

 

 

Changi International Airport, Singapore, World Cup 06 viewing area

Aoife, our cat I had thought jumped on the bed that night in Changi Village, died of skin cancer in May 2007.  I was working from our home and I was her hospice care-giver for the final two months of her life.  I’d never really been a cat person even though we have had cats most of the 26 years my wife and I have been together.  They have always been her pets.

Two days after Aoife died, my wife brought home a little 3-week old tiger-stripe kitten that had been found in the street by one of her 1^st grade students.  Pim is our first cat who has been more my cat than my wife’s. 

 

Pim the footballer soccer kitty

 

Pim’s favorite activity is playing soccer across the floor with water bottle caps.  He will bat and bounce plastic caps across the house.  He has been an agile footballer, nimble with his paws, from his early days.  He’ll be a World Cup 2010 cat.  The Merlion of Monterey.  And now I too am part of the cat world. 

Note: Le Meridien Changi Village Hotel rebranded shortly after my June 2006 hotel stay and is no longer part of the Starwood Hotels family.

 

 

 

Marriott World of Rewards Sweepstakes for 25 Days

This is Day 2 of the Marriott World of Rewards 25^th Anniversary sweepstakes.  For 25 days, through November 20, 2008, Marriott will feature 25 destinations and each featured location will have a question of the day.  Answer the question (correctly or not) to enter the sweepstakes for the Grand Prize.

Marriott World of Rewards Grand Prize

 The Grand Prize is a 6 night trip for two to any Marriott destination worldwide with First Class airfare and a $2,500 Visa gift card with a total prize value of $10,355.  Grand Prize drawing will be on November 21, 2008.

·          

Daily Instant Prizes: 

Each day also provides an opportunity to win an instant prize of the day.  I didn’t win today and I could really use a road bike.

Recharge Package: Bedding  supplies – value $1,350  Offered on Days 1, 7, 13, 18, 24

Weekender Package: Bikes and watches – value $2,730  Offered on Days 2, 8, 14, 20

Technology Package: 40”TV, DVD Player, digital camera – value $2,448  Offered on Days 3, 9, 15, 21

TV/DVD combo – value $800 Offered on Day 5

Weekend Golf Package: 2 nights at Marriott Golf Resort with economy class airfare – value $3,407 Offered on Days 6, 11, 17, 23

Garmin GPS System – value $350 Offered on Day 12

250,000 Marriott Rewards points – value $1,200 Offered on Day 19, Friday November 14

(Loyalty Traveler would value the points at significantly more than $1,200 if used wisely.)

 

2009 Ford Escape Hybrid – value $35,100 Offered on Day 25, November 20, 2008, the final day of sweepstakes.

 

·          

 

The option to select a daily email reminder for the Sweepstakes is included when you register for the promotion.

 

Good luck.

 

Hyatt Hotels allows you to earn a free night after two stays on top of a 21% discount. 

Click here for the promotional link.

Booking Window: Friday, October 24 – Wednesday, November 5. 

Use or ask for special offer code LTGP06 for the discount rate.

Travel Window: Friday, October 31 – Sunday, February 1, 2009 

• Fully Pre-Paid and Nonrefundable Limited Time Offer Rate

This discount rate is eligible for Faster Free Nights. 

Hyatt even goes so far as mentioning Faster Free Nights promotion on the 21% discount reservations search webpage.  The terms and conditions state this special 21% discount rate “may not be combined with other promotional offers”, however, the Faster Free Nights is combinable with this rate according to Hyatt Customer Service. 

•  

Hyatt Gold Passport members were notified of the Hyatt Discount Rate by email on Friday, October 24.  My searches last Friday and over the weekend found little value for this rate as most of the hotels I checked were not offering the discount on dates I searched.  The hotels I checked offering the discount rate tended to be only a few dollars savings on the AAA rate.  All locations vary and others might have better luck for the locations you are staying. 

•  

The sale is available to everyone as of today and the website now appears to bring up the 21% discount rate without even needing to use the special promotional link or LTGP06 code.  Try your luck.

 

 

 Dandelion Flower is used in Hyatt Promotion

The Hyatt promotional advertisement photo on the Hyatt website is a dandelion blowing in the wind.  I was born a military brat, here on the Monterey Peninsula of California, and traveled around the country and Germany for 15 years until returning here to California in 1975.  Around 1998 I came across a military brats association on the internet, now known as militarybrats.com or military-brats.com or militarybrat.com  (so many sites). Dandelions were chosen as the organization symbol. Growing up as military brats, we were kids who could blow around the world and always take root and thrive in a new place.

Thank you for the imagery Hyatt.   

·          

 

Word of warning on nonrefundable rates. 

Here is another opportunity to express my reluctance to book pre-paid nonrefundable rates. 

I am currently researching hotel rates for the cities of Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; and Vancouver, British Columbia. 

In the two weeks since I started looking at hotel rates for these cities, the rates in Vancouver have dropped over 10% just due to currency exchange fluctuations. 

The W Seattle dropped its nightly rate by over $50 per night for the night I plan to be in the city. 

I learned after further research that two new Starwood hotels in Portland, Oregon can be reduced over $50 per night by booking a SPG 50% off rack rate rather than using the best available rate currently advertised. 

The aloft Cascadia, in Portland, Oregon can be reduced to $79.50 from $139. 

The new Luxury Collection hotel, Portland’s The Nines, is reduced $50 per night from the current opening rate of $249 by booking a 50% off rack rate for $199. 

One discount rack rate covers my SPG American Express card membership fee ($40 for the year) and provides an opportunity to use that annual 50% Starwood Hotels certificate that comes each year of card renewal. 

The other rack rate discount costs only 1,000 Starpoints as an SPG award option.  Getting a $50 value for 1,000 Starpoints is a good return on investment in SPG loyalty.  And 50% off rack rate Starwood awards qualify for elite qualification nights towards renewing SPG elite status. 

I am glad I did not try to lock in hotel rates with an internet-only nonrefundable discount rate two weeks ago.

Puddle jumping across the USA and over the pond may not be the wisest idea during the winter holiday travel season, but it sure is a cheap fare.

American Airlines routing SFO-SNA-DFW-ORD-DUB-ORD-STL-DFW-SFO

Can you say “flight delays”?

San Francisco – Dublin, Ireland over the winter holidays

for $480 might be worth the weather delay risk

IHG Priority Club PointBreaks Hotels

IHG Priority Club posted its list of participating PointBreaks hotels this past week.  The current list of hotels is available for 5,000 points per night for reservations through the end of February 2009.

This is one of the best redemption deals available through hotel loyalty programs.

IHG Priority Club hotel brands are Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites, Holiday Inn Express, Hotel Indigo, and InterContinental Hotel. 

Even if these hotel brands are not on your regular stay list and consequently you do not have Priority Club points, the low cost of a free night using points makes these offers worthy of considering the option to buy points ($11.50 to $13.50 per 1,000 points and there is a 10% bonus on purchases made through November 6) or make a points exchange using American Express Membership Rewards (1,000 Membership Rewards points converts to 1,000 Priority Club points) or Diners Club Rewards (1,250 Club Rewards = 1,500 Priority Club points).

Loyalty Traveler analysis shows the Priority Club purchase option is a better value than the AmEx or Diners points transfer to Priority Club.  Save your credit card points for airline miles or a better hotel points exchange value.

The current PointBreaks selection consists of 163 hotels:

·         USA – 78 hotels

·         Canada – 9 hotels

·         Mexico – 5 hotels

·         South America – 8 hotels

·         Europe – 25 hotels

·         Middle East/Africa – 14 hotels

·         Asia – 21 hotels

·         Oceania – 3 hotels

Generally the best values are for stays at InterContinental and Crowne Plaza hotel properties.

Here is an example of the savings using a PointBreaks award:

Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Harbor (Perfect for the night before your Mexico cruise)

Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Harbor PointBreaks Reservation

The same reservation paying cash will be double the price of just buying points for a PointBreaks award.

Paid Night At Crowne Plaza LA Harbour $145;

PointBreaks Night Buying 5,000 Points at $13.50/1,000 = $67.50

[Loyalty Traveler note:  I find Priority Club has one of the most frustrating websites for getting reservation options. I constantly get locked into a reservations page with limited choices for rate types.  I am not technically savvy enough to understand what is happening. 

For example, when I am searching I can get locked out of AAA rates when looking at multiple properties.  I have to close my browser completely and start again. 

I am having trouble today accessing PointBreaks.  I am not getting reward night options using the direct link. 

I only get this option when linking to a hotel from the PointBreaks page. 

PointBreaks links to hotels keeps taking me to this option and not the Reward Nights option

Clearing my cookies did not solve the problem.

I have more trouble with IHG Priority Club than any other hotel site. Today, I can’t access PointBreaks directly, but I did get to PointBreaks reward nights using an indirect hotel search route.]

List of PointBreaks Hotels Available October 25, 2008

United States

  

ALASKA

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites FAIRBANKS

 

ALABAMA

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites BIRMINGHAM-IRONDALE (EAST)

Staybridge Suites MONTGOMERY-EASTCHASE

 

ARIZONA

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites FLORENCE

Staybridge Suites PHOENIX-GLENDALE

Holiday Inn Express TUCSON

Holiday Inn YUMA

 

CALIFORNIA

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites SAN DIMAS

Crowne Plaza Hotel LOS ANGELES HARBOR HOTEL

Hotel Indigo ONTARIO RANCHO CUCAMONGA

Holiday Inn Express YREKA-SHASTA AREA

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites SAN JOSE-MORGAN HILL

 

COLORADO

Staybridge Suites DENVER-CHERRY CREEK

Staybridge Suites DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Candlewood Suites MERIDIAN BUSINESS PARK

Candlewood Suites LOVELAND

 

CONNECTICUT

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites KILLINGLY (DAYVILLE)

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites PLAINFIELD

 

GEORGIA

Holiday Inn Express AMERICUS

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites BUFORD-MALL OF GA

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites CANTON

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites MACON-WEST

 

IOWA

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites AMES

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites SHELDON

 

ILLINOIS

Crowne Plaza Hotel GLEN ELLYN-LOMBARD

Candlewood Suites CHICAGO/LIBERTYVILLE

Crowne Plaza Hotel CHICAGO-NORTH SHORE

Hotel Indigo CHICAGO-VERNON HILLS

 

KANSAS

Holiday Inn TOPEKA-WEST

Candlewood Suites OLATHE

 

KENTUCKY

Holiday Inn Express MONTICELLO

Candlewood Suites PADUCAH

Holiday Inn LOUISVILLE AIRPORT – FAIR/EXPO

 

LOUISIANA

Candlewood Suites LAFAYETTE

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites LAFAYETTE

 

MASSACHUSETTS

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites GREAT BARRINGTON

Holiday Inn Express PROVIDENCE-NORTH ATTLEBORO

Crowne Plaza Hotel PITTSFIELD-BERKSHIRES

 

MARYLAND

Holiday Inn Express BALTIMORE-BWI AIRPORT WEST

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites HAGERSTOWN

Holiday Inn Express ANNAPOLIS EAST-KENT ISLAND

 

MINNESOTA

Holiday Inn Express ALBERT LEA-I-35 & I-90

Crowne Plaza Hotel MPLS/ST PAUL ARPT-MALL OF AMER

 

MISSOURI

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites SEDALIA

Holiday Inn Express KANSAS CITY-LIBERTY (HWY 152)

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites ST. LOUIS WEST-O’FALLON

Candlewood Suites SPRINGFIELD SOUTH

 

NORTH CAROLINA

Holiday Inn ASHEVILLE-AIRPORT (I-26)

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites MT. HOLLY-BELMONT

Staybridge Suites DURHAM-CHAPEL HILL-RTP

Candlewood Suites WILSON

 

NEBRASKA

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites LEXINGTON

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites OMAHA WEST

 

NEW JERSEY

Hotel Indigo BASKING RIDGE

Hotel Indigo SKYVIEW RAHWAY

Holiday Inn GW BRIDGE-FORT LEE NYC AREA

Holiday Inn Express PARAMUS

Staybridge Suites PARSIPPANY

 

NEW MEXICO

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites CARLSBAD

Holiday Inn Express HOBBS

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites LAS CRUCES

 

NEVADA

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites CARSON CITY

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites ELKO

Staybridge Suites LAS VEGAS

 

NEW YORK

Holiday Inn ALBANY, NY – WOLF ROAD

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites EAST GREENBUSH (ALBANY-SKYLINE)

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites SALAMANCA

 

OREGON

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites ASHLAND

Holiday Inn Express MEDFORD

 

VIRGINIA

Holiday Inn Express DUBLIN

Holiday Inn Express SPRINGFIELD-I-95 S OF I-495

 

WISCONSIN

Candlewood Suites APPLETON

Candlewood Suites KENOSHA

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites MADISON WEST

 

WYOMING

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites BUFFALO

Holiday Inn CASPER EAST-MCMURRY PARK

Candlewood Suites CHEYENNE

Candlewood Suites SHERIDAN

 

 

Canada

 

ALBERTA

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites DRAYTON VALLEY

Holiday Inn CALGARY-MACLEOD TRAIL SOUTH

 

NEWFOUNDLAND/LABRADOR

Holiday Inn STEPHENVILLE

 

NOVA SCOTIA

Holiday Inn Express STELLARTON-NEW GLASGOW

 

ONTARIO

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites COLLINGWOOD-BLUE MOUNTAIN

Crowne Plaza Hotel HAMILTON

Holiday Inn WINDSOR DOWNTOWN

Holiday Inn Hotels & Suites LONDON

 

QUEBEC

Holiday Inn Express QUEBEC CITY (SAINTE-FOY)

 

·          

 

Mexico

 

Holiday Inn CAMPECHE

Holiday Inn SELECT GUADALAJARA

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites MEXICO CITY AT THE WTC

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites MONTERREY CENTRO-AV. COLON

Holiday Inn Express SALTILLO ZONA AEROPUERTO

 

 

Central & South America

 

 

ARGENTINA

Holiday Inn ROSARIO

 

BRAZIL

Holiday Inn Express NATAL

Crowne Plaza Hotel BELEM

Holiday Inn Express CURITIBA-AIRPORT

Holiday Inn PORTO ALEGRE

Holiday Inn RECIFE

 

CHILE

Holiday Inn Express PUERTO MONTT

 

VENEZUELA

Crowne Plaza Hotel MARUMA HOTEL & CASINO

 

·          

 

Europe

 

BELARUS

Crowne Plaza Hotel MINSK

 

CZECH REPUBLIC

Holiday Inn PRAGUE CONGRESS CENTRE

 

FRANCE

Holiday Inn CAEN CITY CENTRE

Holiday Inn NIMES, PETITE CAMARGUE

Express by Holiday Inn GRENOBLE-BERNIN

Holiday Inn MULHOUSE

Crowne Plaza Hotel PARIS-CHAMPS ELYSEES

 

GERMANY

Holiday Inn BAUTZEN

Holiday Inn FRANKFURT AIRPORT-NORTH

Express by Holiday Inn FRANKFURT AIRPORT

Express by Holiday Inn SINGEN

 

ITALY

Holiday Inn BOLOGNA-VIA EMILIA

Express by Holiday Inn VENICE EAST-QUARTO D’ALTINO

 

RUSSIA

Holiday Inn CHELYABINSK-RIVERSIDE

Holiday Inn SAMARA

 

SPAIN

Express by Holiday Inn MALAGA AIRPORT

Express by Holiday Inn ONDA-PROVINCIA DE CASTELLON

 

SWITZERLAND

Holiday Inn BERN-WESTSIDE

 

UNITED KINGDOM

Holiday Inn Express BURNLEY

Express by Holiday Inn CANTERBURY

Holiday Inn SHEFFIELD

Express by Holiday Inn CHELTENHAM

Staybridge Suites LIVERPOOL

Crowne Plaza Hotel MANCHESTER CITY CENTRE

Holiday Inn WASHINGTON

 

·          

 

Middle East

 

EGYPT

InterContinental Hotel GIZA (PYRAMIDS PARK RESORT)

InterContinental Hotel CITYSTARS CAIRO

 

SAUDI ARABIA

Holiday Inn HAFR AL BATIN

Holiday Inn JEDDAH-AL SALAM

 

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Holiday Inn Express DUBAI-JUMEIRAH

Express by Holiday inn DUBAI-SAFA PARK

 

·          

 

Africa

  

GHANA

Holiday Inn ACCRA AIRPORT

 

SOUTH AFRICA

Holiday Inn SOWETO-FREEDOM SQUARE

Express by Holiday Inn SANDTON-WOODMEAD

Holiday Inn SANDTON-RIVONIA ROAD

 

ZIMBABWE

Express by Holiday Inn BEITBRIDGE

Holiday Inn BULAWAYO

Crowne Plaza Hotel HARARE-MONOMOTAPA

Holiday Inn HARARE

 

 

Asia

 

CHINA – PEOPLES REPUBLIC

Crowne Plaza Hotel CHANGSHU

Holiday Inn CHANG AN WEST BEIJING

Crowne Plaza Hotel CITY CENTRE CHANGSHA

Holiday Inn EAST CENTURY CITY CHENGDU

Holiday Inn LIDO BEIJING

Holiday Inn Express BEIJING GUANGSHUN

InterContinental Hotel BEIJING FINANCIAL STREET

Holiday Inn Express BEIJING MINZUYUAN

Crowne Plaza Hotel BEIJING

Crowne Plaza Hotel LAKE MALAREN SHANGHAI

Holiday Inn Express MEILONG SHANGHAI

Holiday Inn Express WUJIAOCHANG SHANGHAI

Holiday Inn SHENYANG-CITY CENTRE

Holiday Inn SEA VIEW QINHUANGDAO

Holiday Inn Express LUOHU SHENZHEN

 

INDIA

Holiday Inn GEM PARK-OOTY

 

JAPAN

Holiday Inn KOCHI

Holiday Inn MITO

 

MALAYSIA

Holiday Inn MELAKA

 

SRI LANKA

Holiday Inn COLOMBO

 

TAIWAN

Holiday Inn Express TAOYUAN

 

 

Oceania

 

AUSTRALIA

Crowne Plaza Hotel PELICAN WATERS GOLF RESORT & SPA

Crowne Plaza Hotel TORQUAY

 

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Holiday Inn PORT MORESBY

 

 

 

 

 

 

When prices fall this low, can you afford not to travel? 

V Australia was selling roundtrip tickets from Los Angeles to Sydney for most of the day yesterday as low as $185 base fare, or $484 after taxes.  The airline is scheduled to start service at the end of February 2009 and tickets were available for most dates from March through July.

Considering the website advertisement for $1,759USD all-in for flights from February 28-April 30, 2009 the $484 all-in is quite a discount.

V Australia homepage promotional fare is $1,769USD all-in. 

Yesterday’s fare shaved the price to $484USD all-in.

Onward travel within Australia from Sydney is available on the cheap using the Virgin Blue Airpass .

V Australia Airlines is a new international airline start-up of Virgin Blue, the Australian discount airline founded by Virgin Airline’s Richard Branson back in 2000.  Initial flights are scheduled to operate between Los Angeles – Sydney and Los Angeles – Brisbane, Australia.

Sydney Skyline from Ferry, July 2003

The fare was posted on this FlyerTalk thread at 10:20am California time Thursday morning and the fare was available for at least 6 hours after that.  I purchased tickets at 4:30pm after several unsuccessful attempts during the day to get the credit card processing to work from my wife’s work computer.  It was quite aggravating to click purchase and see the processing page frozen in time.  Back at home the processing worked fine and I received the ticket purchase confirmation page.

Sailing in Sydney Harbour, July 2003

The fare booked as a V Saver, which is not even the lowest fare class.  According to the ticket rules, the V Saver fare is allowed date changes for $100 per person per change.  Rules state passenger must pay fare difference between original and new fare, so this might be an expensive change to make, but at least it is an option. 

The ticket has a $300 cancellation fee.

Sunset over Sydney Opera House

Aircraft is supposed to be a 777-300ER.  A 15 hour flight in economy is an endurance test, however, after our trip to Australia in 2003 I swear that Australia is a trip to be made in your lifetime if you have the opportunity.  We found the abundant wildlife, even in downtown Sydney with cockatoos and grey-headed flying fox bats, makes Australia an exciting vacation destination.

Flying Fox Bats in Sydney

 

My intrepid animal-loving wife braving Cockatoo love in a Sydney park

 

Update Wednesday 10-22-08.   

Monday, October 20, I analyzed the Fairmont Hotels 7-day winter sale offering up to a 20% discount and a free night in this post.  The problem was the promotion terms and conditions did not mention the free night specifics.  Sample bookings I tried on the internet did not show a free night being calculated in the total stay hotel pricing.  My conclusion was this promotion was flawed because either the free night was not being offered or the details of the free night offer were not clear to the consumer booking the Winter Sale rates on the internet.

On Monday, October 20, I contacted Fairmont Hotels marketing department asking for clarification of the 7-Day Winter Sale promotion and Free Night offer.  I questioned the telephone customer service reply I had received regarding the free night being credited back to the guest’s account at checkout since this detail was not mentioned anywhere in the promotion terms and conditions.  It is not uncommon to get incorrect responses from customer service agents when making phone inquiries.  I wanted a written response regarding the free night terms before urging people to make a non-refundable $3,000 hotel reservation.

This morning I received an email from David Doucette, Executive Director of Internet Marketing for Fairmont Raffles Hotels International.  The website promotion pages have been updated to include the sentences:

“Advertised rates do not include price adjustment for the free night. Free night credit is applied at check-out.”

Loyalty Traveler gives this deal a big thumbs up in light of the explicit free night clarification now shown for this promotion. 

There are still 5 1/2 days to take advantage of the great rates being offered for this 7-Day Winter sale promotion. 

The offer was a good deal and now I consider it a great deal.  The free night on top of the 10% to 20% nightly rate discount makes this sale up to a 40% discount on Fairmont Hotel rooms.  This is exactly the kind of hotel deal travelers need in this economy.

I do not have time today to rewrite my October 20 post, but aside from the drawback of these Winter Sale hotel rates being nonrefundable, the opportunity to book a luxury Fairmont hotel stay at up to a 40% discount is an offer you may want to jump on this week.

 

Marriott Rewards Analysis of January 15, 2009 Program Changes

The news of the 2009 Marriott Rewards changes yesterday has been dissected and lamented over a 130-post thread on FlyerTalk in the past 36 hours as I write this piece.  Interestingly, the discussion on something that will impact millions of Marriott visitors over the next few years gets far less comment than a LHW $19.28 room that 6,000 people might luxuriate in over the next few weeks.

Loyalty Traveler has read over FlyerTalk posters’ issues and the responses by the Marriott Hotels corporate representative who posts on FlyerTalk as “Marriott Concierge”.

I will attempt a concise guide to Marriott Rewards changes for 2009 since many of the questions addressed in the FlyerTalk thread are repeated by members who have not followed all the entries on the thread.

To recap 2009 Changes as posted on Marriott’s website:

“Starting January 15, 2009, Marriott Rewards will introduce four changes to the program.   No Blackout Dates Blackout Dates have been eliminated at nearly 2,900 Marriott hotels worldwide.   Redeem for 4 Nights and Get the 5th Night Free Rewards Use Marriott Rewards points to stay at Marriott hotels for 4 nights and get the 5th redemption night free.   50% Platinum Elite Bonus Platinum Elite members who choose to earn points will now earn a 50% bonus on base points earned during stays at Marriott hotels, versus the 30% bonus Platinum members earn today.   New Award Schedule The new award schedule has been restructured to let you stay when and where you want to stay regardless of the time of year.”

Loyalty Traveler analysis of No Blackout Dates:

                Marriott states “starting on January 15, 2009 hotels will have standard rooms available for redemption every day.”  Another sentence states, “ Hotels may limit the number of standard rooms available for redemption on a limited number of days.”

                8 Hotel Properties are not participating No Blackouts:

·         Rome Marriott Grand Hotel Flora, Rome, Italy

·         Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort and Spa, Waikoloa, Hawaii, Hawaii

·         Wailea Beach Resort  and Spa, Wailea, Maui, Hawaii

·         Camelback Inn, JW Marriott Resort and Spa, Scottsdale, Arizona

·         JW Marriott Capri Tiberio Palace Resort & Spa, Capri, Italy

·         Aspen Wye River Conference Center, Queenstown, Maryland

·         NCED Marriott Conference Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

·         Jesse H. Jones Rotary House Conference Center, Houston, Texas

                Marriott Concierge stated on FlyerTalk that hotels will need to request and receive corporate approval for limiting standard room availability.  While there may be a range of days among the 2,900 Marriott-family hotels, the number will be roughly 11 days per year.

                I would assume nights like New Year’s Eve in urban center hotels, Caribbean resorts during Easter week, and Monterey during the Monterey Jazz Festival are the kinds of extraordinary demand days that will tend to limit standard room availability.  A place like Monterey, California has high attendance festivals and races throughout the year and I imagine the Monterey Marriott will be one of those hotels that exceeds the 11 night estimate for corporate approval to limit standard room availability for reward nights using hotel points.

                The good news with the no blackout policy is the elimination of Stay Anytime awards which currently require double the points per night.  The no blackout dates will save some travelers points who will not need to pay double the points when a Stay Anytime award was the only option.

                Another concern is the inability to know how many standard rooms a particular hotel has available for a room using points.  Why not just use a counter to indicate the number of standard rooms available for a given night when someone tries to book the hotel using points? 

When I look at airline ticket booking and see “1 Seat Remaining at this Price”, I feel incentive to book.  Wouldn’t that be a great tool when planning your hotel stay points redemption?

 

5^th Night Free Reward and New Award Schedule

                All one-night stays for any category 1 to 7 hotel will remain unchanged.

1.       Points needed for a multi-night stay are based on the points required for 1 night at the Marriott Rewards hotel category level.  The only points reduction is for stays of 5 nights or longer.  Every 5^th night will be free.

2.       Stay Anytime Rewards are eliminated.

3.       PointSaver Awards are still scheduled for participating hotels based on the new award chart points levels.

4.       A new Category 8 hotel reward level will be introduced in 2009 changes.

The current Marriott Rewards standard redemption chart is a 7×7 table for Category 1 to 7 hotels for stays of 1 to 7 nights.  There are 49 point redemption options depending on hotel category and length of stay.

                The new 2009 Marriott Hotel Rewards table results in 3 of the 49 options decreasing in points cost, and all due to the 5^th night free reward:

·         Category 2 hotel for 5 nights will decrease in 2009 from 43,000 to 40,000 points.

·         Category 3 hotel for 5 nights will decrease in 2009 from 63,000 to 60,000 points.

·         Category 4 hotel for 5 nights will decrease in 2009 from 85,000 to 80,000 points.

 

The current Hotel Rewards sliding scale where multi-night stays cost fewer points per night is eliminated and in its place is the 5^th Night Free Reward.  The result is an increase in the number of points required for 75% of current hotel redemption options with redemptions from 4 nights to 7 nights at hotels in category 4 or higher increasing, on average, 25% to 60% in 2009.

 

New 2009 Rewards Redemption Comparison Chart to 2008 Rewards Redemption Level

Category	NIGHTS
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
1	7,500 7,500	14,000 15,000	20,000 22,500	25,000 30,000	30,000 30,000	35,000 37,500	40,000 45,000
2	10,000 10,000	19,000 20,000	27,000 30,000	35,000 40,000	43,000 40,000	50,000 50,000	55,000 60,000
3	15,000 15,000	28,000 30,000	41,000 45,000	52,000 60,000	63,000 60,000	73,000 75,000	82,000 90,000
4	20,000 20,000	38,000 40,000	55,000 60,000	70,000 80,000	85,000 80,000	95,000 100,000	105,000 120,000
5	25,000 25,000	46,000 50,000	65,000 75,000	80,000 100,000	95,000 100,000	105,000 125,000	115,000 150,000
6	30,000 30,000	55,000 60,000	78,000 90,000	95,000 120,000	110,000 120,000	120,000 150,000	130,000 180,000
7	35,000 35,000	65,000 70,000	90,000 105,000	110,000 140,000	130,000 140,000	140,000 175,000	150,000 210,000
8	na 40,000	na 80,000	na 120,000	na 160,000	na 160,000	na 200,000	na 240,000

Numbers in this color are 2008 redemption level. 

Dark Numbers are the new 2009 redemption levels.  

 

2009 Hotel Rewards Changes Shown in Percentages

Category	NIGHTS
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
1	0%	7.1%	12.5%	20.0%	0%	7.1%	12.5%
2	0%	5.3%	11.1%	14.3%	- 7.0% lower	0%	9.1%
3	0%	7.1%	9.8%	15.4%	- 4.8% lower	2.7%	9.8%
4	0%	5.3%	9.1%	14.3%	- 5.9% lower	5.3%	14.3%
5	0%	8.7%	15.4%	25.0%	5.3%	19.0%	30.4%
6	0%	9.1%	15.4%	26.3%	9.1%	25.0%	38.5%
7	0%	7.7%	16.7%	27.3%	7.7%	25.0%	40.0%
8	14.3%	23.1%	33.3%	45.5%	23.1%	42.9%	60.0%

 

The addition of a Category 8 level will see the highest increase in points for awards. 

The following hotels will move from Category 7 to the new Category 8 on January 15, 2009:

• Paris Marriott Hotel Champs Elysees
• Renaissance Paris Vendome
• JW Marriott Capri Tiberio Palace Resort & Spa
• Rome Marriott Grand Hotel Flora
• London Marriott Hotel County Hall
• London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square
• London Marriott Hotel Marble Arch
• London Marriott Hotel Park Lane
• Le Merigot, A JW Marriott Beach Hotel & Spa, Santa Monica
• Renaissance Chancery Court London
• New York Marriott East Side
• New York Marriott Marquis
• Renaissance New York Hotel Times Square
• South Beach Marriott Hotel

 

 Platinum Elite Bonus increased to 50%

                Marriott has been behind the other hotel loyalty programs in rewarding its top elite members with elite bonus points despite having the highest elite qualification standard of 75 hotel nights for Marriott Rewards Platinum membership.

Hilton HHonors Diamond,

28 stays or 60 nights,

50% bonus

 

Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond,

25 stays or 50 nights,

30% bonus

 

InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club

Platinum elite at 50 nights or 60,000 points,

50% bonus

 

Marriott Rewards Platinum at 75 nights

30% bonus increasing to 50% in 2009

 

Starwood Preferred Guest Platinum

25 stays or 50 nights

50% bonus (even for Gold members at 10 stays or 16 nights)

 

Marriott Rewards is rewarding its elite members with an increase of elite bonus points from 30% to 50%.  The high threshold of 75 nights per calendar year makes me assume Platinum members will be the group most affected by the changes in hotel rewards redemption increases since these are the Marriott Rewards members most likely to have 200,000 points for spending on a multi-night stay at a high-category hotel. 

Assume $200 per night spent for 80 hotel nights by a Marriott Rewards Platinum elite member in 2009.  $16,000 in hotel spending will earn 240,000 points in 2009 with the 50% platinum bonus, in addition to hotel promotion bonuses and other point earning opportunities.  For this argument I will only look at base points and a comparison of the 2008 30% elite bonus to the 2009 50% elite bonus.

2008 = 80 hotel nights @ $200 per night. 

Base points = $16,000 x 10 points/$1 = 160,000 points.

2008 platinum elite 30% bonus = 160,000 x .30 = 48,000 points.

Total 2008 points = 208,000 points for $16,000 in hotel spending.

 

 2009 = 80 hotel nights @ $200 per night. 

Base points = $16,000 x 10 points/$1 = 160,000 points.

2009 platinum elite 50% bonus = 160,000 x .50 = 80,000 points.

Total 2009 points = 240,000 points for $16,000 in hotel spending.

The Platinum member receives an additional 32,000 points after $16,000 of hotel spending in 2009.

A 7-night stay at a Category 5 hotel will cost 35,000 more points in 2009.

A 7-night stay at a Category 6 hotel will cost 50,000 more points in 2009.

A 7-night stay at a Category 7 hotel will cost 60,000 more points in 2009.

A 7-night stay at a Category 7 hotel than has moved to the Category 8 level will cost 90,000 more points in 2009.

Inflation makes what we worked for today worth less tomorrow.

 

Related link:  Just 3 weeks ago I wrote a post about how Marriott Rewards Hotel Redemption Chart was its competitive advantage over the other hotel programs.  I guess Marriott Rewards did not see this beneficial consumer attribute to the Marriott Rewards program worthy of maintaining for its members.