Fans of the hotel atrium can thank architect John Portman and Hyatt Hotels for reintroducing this design element to US hotels. The Hyatt Regency Atlanta opened in 1967 with a 23-story high atrium interior with glass elevators allowing guests to view the enclosed open space while being lifted to the room floor.  On top of the hotel sat a revolving restaurant.

John Portman did not invent the atrium design for hotels. The original Palace Hotel San Francisco from 1875 was an atrium design hotel. That design element was removed from the post earthquake 1909 Palace Hotel that exists today. The Brown Palace in Denver, Colorado built in 1892 is another 19^th century atrium design hotel still in use.

Link to Brown Palace atrium lobby photo: http://www.brownpalace.com/popups/photo_tour22.cfm

As a teenager I recall passing through the lobby of the Hyatt Regency San Francisco and being dazzled by the large open space atrium and the metallic sculpture Eclipse. Here is a link to the artistic elements of the 35’ x 35’ Eclipse sculpture: http://www.isama.org/hyperseeing/07/07-01.pdf

Back in the 70s sitting in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency at Embarcadero Center provided a respite from the streets of San Francisco, same as today. Here was a large hotel space I could sit and rest my feet, use a free toilet, and drink some water while watching people move vertically through the hotel in the glass elevators and take each other’s photos in front of the sculpture.

Ironically the criticism of John Portman’s hotel atrium designs is that the focus of these large buildings is interior rather than exterior. The buildings are considered exclusionary to the people outside on the city streets. My memories of the Hyatt Regency San Francisco as a place where I could enjoy the beauty and comfort of a grand hotel as a person seeking shelter from the streets defies that criticism. The Hyatt Regency San Francisco is a hotel I have visited for over 30 years, yet I was a registered hotel guest for the first time in 2008.

Three San Francisco hotels are John Portman designs: Hyatt Regency at the Embarcadero and Le Meridien San Francisco (formerly the Park Hyatt) are part of the mixed use Embarcadero Center near the San Francisco Ferry Building waterfront.

The J.W. Marriott San Francisco (formerly the Pan Pacific and Portman Hotel) is John Portman’s creation just off Union Square behind the St. Francis Hotel.

http://www.portmanholdings.com/experience_hotels_panpacificSF.htm

So the next time you are admiring the atrium rainforest in an Embassy Suites you may think of John Portman and his influence on hotel design.

Other notable John Portman hotels are the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square, Westin Bonaventure Los Angeles, Westin Peachtree Plaza Atlanta, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, and Renaissance Center, Detroit.

http://www.portmanholdings.com/experience_hotels_NYmarriott.htm

I would love to hear your comments on the architecture of John Portman’s hotels.

Links:

1. Portman & Associates Hotel Architecture:  http://www.portmanusa.com/hotel.html

2. John Portman wikipedia  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Portman

3. NYT June 25, 2006 Aric Chin “The Kubla Khan of Hotels”  http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/06/25/travel/25portman.html

4. Karrie Jacobs – I left my heart at the Hyatt Regency  http://www.metropolismag.com/story/20050919/i-left-my-heart-at-the-hyatt-regency

 

 

Offer: Book 2 or more rooms at the same time at the same hotel using the same credit card by June 15, 2009 for a stay completed by September 1, 2009. Upon completion of your stay Priceline will deposit a $100 credit to your account within 4 to 6 weeks. Link to Priceline offer.

Terms: Priceline.com booking using a published hotel rate, Name Your Own Price hotel rate, or a vacation package will qualify as long as you book 2 rooms at the same time.

The credit is valid for $20 per night, up to five nights, on a Name Your Own Price bid for a 3 or 4 star hotel stay completed by December 31, 2009.

This offer is only valid for US customers and bonus cash may only be earned once and used once.

Loyalty Traveler analysis: This is a good offer for someone needing two or more rooms this summer. This offer fits in nicely for a stay pattern that may not meet the terms of the major loyalty program free night promotions at Marriott (3 stays), Starwood (2 stays), or IHG (2 nights).

If you need two rooms for only one night you will not earn a free night with Starwood, Marriott, or IHG, but you can earn a good value with Priceline and a bidding credit for travel later in the year.

The offer should be viewed as a $20 per night savings on a future stay rather than $100 credit. The actual credit received depends on the length of your hotel stay. Book a one night stay with Priceline using your $100 coupon and your actual savings is only $20. 2 nights=$40; 3 nights= $60, 4 nights = $80, and a 5-night Priceline stay is required to get the full $100 value.

Bidding with Priceline.com

I still use Priceline when I can’t get a good value from my loyalty program choices. My analyses of hotel loyalty program benefits over the years has led me to believe the value of maintaining high elite status with its associated benefits and frequent room upgrades is worth the extra cost in hotel stays.  I conduct simple price comparisons with estimates of the value added benefits of a hotel stay as an elite loyalty program member with the value of a hotel stay as a Priceline bid. The uncertainty of the actual hotel received until a winning bid is accepted is also a factor to consider.

Biddingfortravel.com and Betterbidding.com offer data to assist in determining the likely hotel for your bid and the likely low bid that will be accepted. Data is good for making decisions, but I have been disappointed at times when the hotel I thought I would get based on the data turned out not to be the hotel accepting my winning bid. I have never received an unacceptable hotel through Priceline.

The best Priceline value tends to be for mid-week stays at urban center hotels. A quick survey of the San Francisco bids on the sites mentioned above shows many people trying for July 4^th weekend in San Francisco.

The St. Francis may be a bargain at $75 per night on Priceline.com, however, a regular AAA rate of $107 as a platinum elite will get me a much better room category than the Priceline guest. I do not like to attempt a buy-up at check-in.

I saw another bid for 4 nights in June during midweek at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco at $65 per night. The winning Priceline bid came out to $77.50 per night after tax and fees. That is an incredible deal for this hotel even if you are in the low floors with no views. This stay is a $400+ savings for four nights in San Francisco at an ideal location downtown.

A $20 per night credit would bring this room down to under $60 per night. A loyalty program just isn’t going to be able to compete with that kind of savings.

This Priceline bonus offer is a good deal to consider if you have a need for two rooms and you are ready to book by June 15, 2009.

 

 

 

 

Marriott Rewards has a free night offer after three stays. The free night is limited to the lowest Category 1 to Category 4 hotels for redemption. This restriction greatly limits the usefulness of the certificate in the 8 hotel redemption categories in Marriott Rewards system, although you can take your free night at the Category 4 JW Marriott Bucharest, Romania.

You can see hotels by redemption category level at this link. Just select the Category you desire and click Find: http://www.marriott.com/rewards/pointsGridPopUpPropertyList.mi

There are different variations of the Marriott Rewards Summer promotion. Some members may have points based promotions. My wife and I both received the free night after 3 stays offer.

Offer: Stay 3 times at a Marriott brand hotel between June 1 – August 31 and receive one free night after your 3^rd qualifying stay.

·         The free night may be redeemed at a Marriott Category 1, 2, 3, or 4 hotel from June 1 through December 31, 2009.

·         There is a maximum of one free night you can earn for this promotion.

·         Free night will post 3 to 5 days after 3^rd qualifying stay.

·         Registration is required by June 30.

There is no direct registration link. You must sign in to your account and the summer offer should appear on the Marriott Rewards homepage to allow registration for your offer. Your account may be targeted for a different promotion.

Terms: Stays completed during promotional period prior to promotion registration will qualify for the free night award as long as member registers for free night promotion by June 30.

 

Loyalty Traveler Analysis: Nice promotion to keep in mind as you shop for hotels this summer. Throwing 3 stays Marriott’s way will have added value of one free night.

The category limitation is big in my opinion. There is much more leverage opportunity when redeeming your free night for an IHG or Starwood free night at a high-end hotel.  Many major cities and resort areas start at Marriott Rewards category 5 hotels.

Marriott’s promotion excludes Category 5-8 from free night redemption. Last October I predicted category increases with Marriott Rewards hotels. That has only partially come true with the Marriott Vacation Club increases recently announced. The table I created in my October post shows only about 10% of Marriott’s properties globally are in the high-end categories of 5, 6, 7, or 8.

Knock off the top 300 Marriott resorts and city hotels and there are still over 2,500 hotels to redeem your free Marriott Rewards category 1-4 hotel night.

Summer 2009 is the year of free night qualifying hotel stays. Marriott Rewards will cover August after the Starwood and IHG promotions end.  I’ve seen Marriott-brand hotel rates in the San Francisco Bay Area recently under $60 per night.

Starwood Hotels offer is two stays earns one free Fri, Sat, or Sun night through Sep 26 and no promotion earning limit for hotel stays through July 31. InterContinental Hotels Group promotion is every two nights earns one free night valid from July 3-Dec 26 and maximum 4 nights earned for hotel stays through July 3.

The presence of Marriott brand hotels in many more locations than Starwood Hotels may make this “stay three, one free night” offer from Marriott a good alternative to Starwood’s Stay Two, one free weekend night.

Starwood Hotels is much more liberal in the free night redemption with any hotel in Category 1-6. The Starwood promotion excludes only 18 hotels of around 900 hotels globally.

IHG is the easiest free night to earn with only two nights needed to earn a free night. Two nights can be in either one stay or two one-night stays.  The Marriott Rewards terms seem more liberal than IHG with changes to free night reservations allowed and the possibility of redeeming your free night for December 31 New Year’s Eve night stays.

Hotel choices for your destination and your ability to get good value from your free nights will determine your best hotel loyalty program option.

Regardless of where you travel there will be a high value free night promotion available for your summer stay.

 

 

I toured several San Francisco Airport hotels last week including several Marriott Rewards Category 4 hotels like:

San Francisco Marriott San Mateo – a nice looking hotel adjacent to Highway 101 that I have noticed for years and first visited last week.

San Francisco Airport Courtyard and Residence Inn at Oyster Point – Residence Inn has great outdoor pool adjacent to San Francisco Bay park path. The pool was unused last Saturday when the temperature was a rare 80s on the coast.

SPG Promotion Progress: Paid $685 and received estimated $2,760-$3,960 in hotel and airline travel value.

Kelley observed the hallways at the century old Westin St. Francis and The Palace Hotel in San Francisco have wide hallways on the room floors. Modern hotels tend to squeeze more room space on floors with narrow halls.

 

 

Ten years ago when I first started reading FlyerTalk I wondered about all these traveler stories on great loyalty promotion offers and elite status benefits. The deals sounded too good to be true.

I came into travel loyalty programs as a relatively low wage person seeking a way to travel comfortably at an affordable price for someone with limited vacation money. I learned that spending time planning travel could reduce the cost of travel by 50% or more while going upscale. In other words, I learned to travel in upper upscale style for the price of Priceline rooms.

Even after learning many strategies over the years with FlyerTalk, I needed to ante up thousands of dollars to test the loyalty program waters when it came to the high value promotions.

In 2003 I planned a trip to Australia and Starwood Preferred Guest ran an Asia/Pacific hotels promotion for 50,000 Starpoints for any SPG member who stayed in 5 of the 6 Starwood brands: Westin, Sheraton, W Hotels, Luxury Collection, Four Points, and St. Regis.

Australia had all these brands except for St. Regis (China). At the time I was a Hilton HHonors Diamond elite. I applied for a Starwood Preferred Guest elite status match and I was given complimentary SPG Platinum elite membership normally requiring 25 stays or 50 nights in a calendar year. I have been SPG Platinum since 2003.

My first qualifying hotel night for the 50,000 points bonus was at the Luxury Collection Sheraton Southgate in Melbourne, Australia. Reviews on FlyerTalk were not kind to this hotel.

I received a three room corner suite. I wouldn’t normally call a bathroom a room in a suite, but when it has a walk-through shower for two leading to a Jacuzzi tub large enough for a small party, the bathroom qualifies its status as a room. Kelley was blown away by the size of the room.

The second night at the hotel was under Kelley’s name and we had to move to a standard room. Kelley was only SPG Gold elite.

Four out of five of our stays in Australia followed the pattern of a lovely preferred view room or suite for my reservation night as a Platinum elite, followed by a move to a smaller room, or the less desirable view for Kelley’s reservation as SPG Gold elite. Four Points Sydney was the exception to the rule by keeping us in the same hotel suite for two nights.

Starwood Preferred Guest Elite Status and BRG claims

The current free nights promotion is a great deal for any SPG member. The deal is awesome for this SPG Platinum elite.

And if you are not SPG elite, then there is no better year to go for 25 stays. The ability to earn a free night at nearly any Starwood Hotel worldwide is an incredible offer.  

Request a status match to SPG elite if you have status with another hotel loyalty program.

Potential Best Rate Guarantee (BRG) claims are all over the place with lower online travel agency competitor rates on sites like Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity, and Hotels.com.  I have submitted over a dozen claims in the past month and many more I passed over since I have scheduling issues due to Kelley’s cancer treatments keeping me from taking advantage of many Starwood Hotel deals I have found. The online travel agencies are blasting the web with hotel rate discounts and undercutting Starwood Hotel’s own sites.

There are 7 Starwood Hotels in the city of San Francisco and 3 Starwood Hotels at San Francisco airport. In the past three weeks I have submitted BRG claims for 8 of these 10 hotels.

I don’t even bother with the St. Regis San Francisco since its rates are over $300 per night. I plan to use some of my free nights there.

And I haven’t noticed a BRG rate for the W San Francisco yet, but with rates as low as $150 per night, the W is already showing rates as low as I have seen in the past six years.

I keep finding multiple properties for the same night. I have thought about applying BRG claims under Kelley’s account, but that takes me back to the issue of elite status.

I booked a BRG claim for the Westin Market a couple of weeks ago. My lowest category room reservation for a traditional room on Floors 4-7 was upgraded to a full suite on the 33^rd floor. I received a $400 value complimentary suite upgrade on a $110 BRG rate. ( I underestimated the upgrade value in the table below.)

Kelley currently has no elite status with SPG. Submitting a BRG claim under Kelley’s name will get the same rate as I would receive, but we are unlikely to get the same type of room. Kelley would likely be booked in a room on Floors 4-7 at the Westin Market Street. Kelley would likely receive the booked room for a double bed in a room with no view at the Westin St. Francis rather than the Junior Suite room I received with Union Square view room.

Elite status makes a big difference in the hotel experience. So if you currently do not have status this is the time to go for it.

My ‘go for elite’ advice: Hammer out 25 stays at the lowest rates you can find during this Starwood promotional period through July 31. In many locations this can be achieved for about $2,500 for 25 stays. Earn platinum elite status by July and then use your free weekends for resort stays in August and September after you have attained Platinum elite. Your $400 per night free room may well be upgraded to an $800 per night free room.

SPG Promotion Progress: Paid $685 and received estimated $2,760-$3,960 in hotel and airline travel value.

Paid $595 for 6 hotel stays + $90 taxes = $685

Received $1,055 in room value through complimentary upgrades based on SPG Platinum elite status.

Earned $430 value in Starpoints based on purchase price of $35/1,000 points.

Earned 3 free weekend nights from Stay Two, Earn One Free Night promotion. ($1,200-$2,400 value?)

Earned 6,000 Northwest Airline miles from combinable airline miles + free nights promotion. ($75 value)

Hotel	SPG Category	Rate/ Type/ room category	Category room received	Upgrade Value	Bonus Points
Four Points SFO	Cat 2	$79/BRG/traditional	$119 Penthouse Bi-level  Suite	$40 upgrade	2,000 BRG points + 250 Platinum amenity
Westin Market Street	Cat 4	$110/ BRG / traditional	$250 33rd floor full  suite	$140 upgrade	2,000 BRG points + 500 Platinum amenity
Westin St. Francis	Cat 4	$107 AAA traditional	$250 Historic wing Junior Suite partial Union Square view	$150 upgrade	500 Platinum amenity
Luxury Collection The Palace	Cat 5	$134 AAA  traditional	$172 Junior Suite	$40 upgrade	500 Platinum amenity
Four Points SFO	Cat 2	$76 BRG  traditional	$119  Penthouse Bi-level  Suite	$43 upgrade	2,000 BRG points + 250 Platinum amenity
Sheraton Gateway SFO	Cat 2	$89  BRG  traditional	$145 Club Floor	$56 upgrade	2,000 BRG points + 500 Platinum amenity ; Club lounge access; complimentary breakfast; free appetizer; $6 parking
My Starwood Hotel promotion summary for completed stays:		$595 paid rates (+$90 taxes)   San Francisco has >15% room tax.	$1,055 value of rooms I stayed in, if booked at lowest rates at the time I made my reservation.	$470 complimentary value-added upgrades	10,500 bonus points in BRG claims and Platinum elite amenity points; plus 1,785 regular points earned ($595x 3 points/$1)   $430 value

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The catch is you must stay a minimum two nights to earn 6x miles. And you must register for this promotion.

Hyatt Hotel brands: Park Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Place, Summerfield Suites, Andaz

Participating Airlines: Most airlines normally earn 500 miles per Hyatt stay, except Virgin Atlantic earns 750 miles per stay and Southwest earns 0.5 credits per stay. This promotion is 6x miles, so 3,000 miles for all these participating airlines, except 4,500 miles with Virgin Atlantic and 3 credits with Southwest Airlines for a minimum two-night stay.

·         Air Canada

·         Alaska

·         American

·         Amtrak

·         Continental

·         Delta

·         Midwest

·         Northwest

·         Southwest

·         Turkish

·         United

·         US Airways

·         Virgin Atlantic (750 miles x 6)

Registration Links:

Air Canada

http://www.goldpassport.com/gp/en/aa/offer4.jsp?me02_mbr_src=AC6X

Alaska

http://goldpassport.com/gp/en/aa/offer4.jsp?me02_mbr_src=AL6X

 

American

http://goldpassport.com/gp/en/aa/offer4.jsp?me02_mbr_src=AA6X

 

Amtrak 

http://www.goldpassport.com/gp/en/aa/offer4.jsp?me02_mbr_src=2V6X

Continental

http://goldpassport.com/gp/en/aa/offer4.jsp?me02_mbr_src=CO6X

Delta

http://goldpassport.com/gp/en/aa/offer4.jsp?me02_mbr_src=DL6X

Midwest

http://goldpassport.com/gp/en/aa/offer4.jsp?me02_mbr_src=MW6X

Northwest

http://goldpassport.com/gp/en/aa/offer4.jsp?me02_mbr_src=NW6X

Southwest

http://www.goldpassport.com/gp/en/aa/offer4.jsp?me02_mbr_src=WN6X

Turkish  

http://www.goldpassport.com/gp/en/aa/offer4.jsp?me02_mbr_src=TK307

United

http://goldpassport.com/gp/en/aa/offer4.jsp?me02_mbr_src=UA6X

US Airways

http://goldpassport.com/gp/en/aa/offer4.jsp?me02_mbr_src=US6X

Virgin Atlantic (750 miles x 6)

http://www.goldpassport.com/gp/en/aa/offer1.jsp?me02_mbr_src=VS334

Terms for the American Airlines offer page: (All other airlines show similar terms specific to airline)

EARN SIX TIMES THE MILES WITH HYATT

You must be a Hyatt Gold Passport™ member and register for promotion to participate. To register or enroll in Hyatt Gold Passport visit url goldpassport.com/american. Receive 2,500 American Airlines® AAdvantage® bonus miles on eligible stays between May 1, 2009 and August 31, 2009 at any Hyatt Hotel & Resort™, Hyatt Place™, Hyatt Summerfield Suites™ or Andaz™ worldwide. Stays at AmeriSuites™ are not eligible toward this promotion. You must stay a minimum of two nights, provide your Hyatt Gold Passport and American Airlines AAdvantage account number at time of check-in, choose miles for your stay and pay an Eligible rate. Hyatt Gold Passport will track all stays in which Hyatt Gold Passport and American AAdvantage account numbers are provided.

“Eligible Rate” is any hotel published room rate, including, but not limited to rates found on hyatt.com, hyattplace.com, hyattsummerfiedsuites.com, prevailing rack rate, BAR, volume, AAA and senior citizen rates, etc. “Ineligible Rates” are discounted rates, including, but not limited to, any free night stays, Internet wholesale rates (such as priceline.com, hotels.com, etc.), traditional wholesale rates (such as GOGO Worldwide Vacations, Pleasant Holidays, etc.), airline crew rates, airline employee rates, travel agency employee rates, Club at the Hyatt discount certificate stays, Hyatt Vacation Club stays, Hyatt employee or employee family discount rates, airline interrupted-trip vouchers or contracted rooms (a contract room is a room that has been reserved pursuant to a written and executed agreement between a hotel and a corporation, government agency or individual for a negotiated room rate in exchange for an agreed upon number of rooms to be rented for an extended period of time).

A qualifying stay means one or more consecutive nights at any participating hotel or resort when paying an eligible rate, whether or not the guest checks out and back in during such period; award stays do not qualify. Only one bonus will be given per member, per stay, regardless of the number of rooms.

All hotel reservations are subject to availability and must be made in advance. Allow 6 to 8 weeks for bonus miles to be posted to your account. Miles are subject to the terms and conditions of the American Airlines® AAdvantage™ frequent flyer program. This promotion is subject to the complete terms and conditions of the Hyatt Gold Passport program. For complete terms and conditions of the Hyatt Gold Passport program, please visit www.goldpassport.com. Hyatt reserves the right to alter or withdraw this program at any time without notice. Hyatt Hotels & Resorts® encompasses hotels managed, franchised or leased by subsidiaries and affiliates of Global Hyatt Corporation. The trademarks Hyatt™, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts™, Park Hyatt™, Andaz™, Grand Hyatt™, Hyatt Regency™, Hyatt Place™, Hyatt Summerfield Suites™, Hyatt Gold Passport™, and related marks are trademarks of Hyatt Corporation. © 2009 Hyatt Corporation. All rights reserved.

Bay to Breakers race starts out on Howard Street near the San Francisco Embarcadero and passes by the W San Francisco and InterContinental San Francisco in the first mile of the race.

Bay to Breakers is an annual street party stretching 7.5 miles across the city. The race has been held since 1912, but the party atmosphere is a modern phenomenon. The competitive racers are never seen by most of the thousands who complete the Bay to Breakers course. Most of the participants who complete the cross-city street course never even officially register for the race.

 

The race winner had probably already passed the finish line before the crowd I was in even made it to the starting line. The noncompetitive participants spent an hour waiting and shuffling along, the air filled with corn tortillas being tossed like Frisbees from Costco hundred packs. This is Halloween in May. One hundred thousand course walkers feed onto Howard Street from several corrals of fenced off streets, each corral a couple of city blocks long to provide controlled access to the official race start line.

San Francisco had an uncommon weather day when the temperature reached the upper 80s and 90s in the city. Even more unusual was a warm morning in the mid-60s for the race start at 8am.

Beer and nudity were supposedly barred this year. There was plenty of beer to be seen, perhaps less nudity and the party stretched for 7.5 miles across the city.

Bay to Breakers is always the third Sunday of May. Book a night or two at the W San Francisco or InterContinental San Francisco and request a Howard Street facing room for an incredible front-row spectacle.

Or stay anywhere in the Bay Area and come join in the street party. This is San Francisco and you do not have to officially enter the Bay to Breakers race to participate. Just follow the crowd and make your way 7.5 miles across the city. And take your time. The journey is the point of the trip.

I saw a t-shirt today after crossing the finish line on the Great Ocean Highway that borders the Pacific Ocean in San Francisco.

“You can see the spectacle or you can be the spectacle.”

Links: San Francisco Chronicle story 5-18-09 link. Lots of photos.

This YouTube video from 2008 captures the spirit of Bay to Breakers in two minutes: http://www.metrowize.com/video/bay-to-breakers-2008-video

Top 10 Bay to Breakers Survival Tips: 

 

http://www.metrowize.com/articles/top-10-bay-to-breakers-tips

Marriott Vacation Club Awards will change July 16, 2009 to be a category based award level corresponding to hotel categories used for other Marriott Rewards hotels. Points required for a Marriott Vacation Club Award will also change and as with regular hotel awards the cost for a stay will increase – at some properties by as much as 85% for the same award in August 2009.

Link: https://www.marriott.com/marriott.mi?page=mvci-faq

The good news?

5^th Night is free as with other Marriott Hotel awards.

Most Vacation Club properties are classified Category 6 at 30,000 points per night. A few properties are Category 7 and a few are Category 5.

The main factor resulting in increased points for stays is the addition of a per night points surcharge for 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom properties. A 1-bedroom is an additional 5,000 points per night, a 2-bedroom is an additional 10,000 points per night, and a 3-bedroom is an additional 15,000 points per night.

 

Most Vacation Club properties will be Category 6. The award changes are displayed below for a sample Marriott Category 6 property.

Marriott’s Timber Lodge, South Lake Tahoe, California

Current Award Table is equivalent to the old Category 5 Marriott award tables for a basic room, Category 6 for a 1- bedroom villa, and Category 7 hotel for a 2-bedroom villa (before January 2009 award changes). The per night points discount is currently greater the longer the hotel stay.

That will all change July 16, 2009.

 

The new award table for Marriott’s Timber Lodge will be the same as any Marriott Rewards Category 6 Hotel with a surcharge for separate bedrooms. This is the effect compared to the current award levels:

 

                Currently                                      From July 16, 2009           Increase

• 1 night in a deluxe guest room — 25,000           30,000                          20%

• 2 nights in a deluxe guest room — 40,000          60,000                          50%

• 3 nights in a deluxe guest room — 50,000          90,000                          80%

• 4 nights in a deluxe guest room — 65,000          120,000                         85%

• 5 nights in a deluxe guest room — 75,000          120,000                         60%

• 6 nights in a deluxe guest room — 90,000          150,000                         67%

• 7 nights in a deluxe guest room — 100,000        180,000                         80%

 

• 1 night in a 1 bedroom villa — 35,000                35,000                          0%

• 2 nights in a 1 bedroom villa — 60,000              70,000                          17%

• 3 nights in a 1 bedroom villa — 75,000              105,000                         40%

• 4 nights in a 1 bedroom villa — 90,000              140,000                         56%

• 5 nights in a 1 bedroom villa — 100,000            140,000                         40%

• 6 nights in a 1 bedroom villa — 115,000            175,000                         52%

• 7 nights in a 1 bedroom villa — 125,000            210,000                         68%

 

• 1 night in a 2 bedroom villa — 45,000                40,000                          -11% (rate drop)

• 2 nights in a 2 bedroom villa — 80,000                80,000                           0 %

• 3 nights in a 2 bedroom villa — 100,000             120,000                         20%

• 4 nights in a 2 bedroom villa — 115,000             160,000                         39%

• 5 nights in a 2 bedroom villa — 125,000             160,000                         28%

• 6 nights in a 2 bedroom villa — 140,000             200,000                         43%

• 7 nights in a 2 bedroom villa — 150,000             240,000                         60%

 

 

List of the new Marriott Rewards hotel redemption category for Marriott Vacation Club Awards

United States

 

Arizona

Canyon Villas – Phoenix, AZ

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

California

Desert Springs Villas I – Palm Desert, CA

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Desert Springs Villas II – Palm Desert, CA

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Grand Residences by Marriott, Lake Tahoe – South Lake Tahoe, CA

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 7

 

Grand Residences by Marriott, Tahoe – South Lake Tahoe, CA

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 7

 

Newport Coast Villas – Newport Coast, CA

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Shadow Ridge I, The Villages – Palm Desert, CA

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Shadow Ridge II, The Enclave – Palm Desert, CA

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Timber Lodge – South Lake Tahoe, CA

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Colorado

Mountain Valley Lodge at Breckenridge – Breckenridge, CO

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Florida

Beach Place Towers – Fort Lauderdale, FL

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Crystal Shores – Marco Island, FL

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Cypress Harbour – Orlando, FL

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Grande Vista – Orlando, FL

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Harbour Lake – Orlando, FL

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 5

 

Imperial Palm Villas – Orlando, FL

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Legends Edge at Bay Point—Panama City, FL

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 5

 

Ocean Pointe – Palm Beach Shores, FL

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 5

 

Royal Palms – Orlando, FL

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Sabal Palms – Orlando, FL

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Villas at Doral – Miami, FL

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Hawaii

Kaua’i Beach Club – Lihue-Kauai, HI

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Ko Olina Beach Club – Kapolei-Oahu, HI

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 7

 

Maui Ocean Club – Lahaina-Maui, HI

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 7

 

Maui Ocean Club, Lahaina and Napili Villas – Lahaina, HI

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 7

 

Waiohai Beach Club – Koloa-Kauai, HI

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Massachusetts

Custom House – Boston, MA

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 7

 

Missouri

Horizons by Marriott Vacation Club at Branson – Branson, MO

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Nevada

Grand Chateau 1 & 2 – Las Vegas, NV

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

New Jersey

Fairway Villas at Seaview – Absecon, NJ

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

South Carolina

Barony Beach Club – Hilton Head, SC

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Grande Ocean – Hilton Head, SC

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Harbour Club – Hilton Head Island, SC

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Harbour Point and Sunset Pointe at Shelter Cove – Hilton Head, SC

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Heritage Club – Hilton Head Island, SC

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Monarch at Sea Pines – Hilton Head Island, SC

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

OceanWatch Villas at Grande Dunes – Myrtle Beach, SC

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

SurfWatch – Hilton Head, SC

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Utah

MountainSide – Park City, UT

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Summit Watch– Park City, UT

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Virgin Islands (US)

Frenchman’s Cove – St. Thomas, USVI

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Virginia

Manor Club at Ford’s Colony – Williamsburg, VA

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 5

 

Aruba

Aruba Ocean Club – Palm Beach, Aruba

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 7

 

Aruba Surf Club – Palm Beach, Aruba

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 7

 

France

Village d’Ile-de-France – Bailly Romainvilliers, France

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

St. Kitts and Nevis

St. Kitts Beach Club – Frigate Bay, St. Kitts and Nevis

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Spain

Club Son Antem – Llucmajor, Spain

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Marbella Beach Resort – Marbella, Spain

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Playa Andaluza – Estepona, Spain

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 6

 

Thailand

Mai Khao Beach – Phuket, Thailand

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 5

 

Phuket Beach Club – Phuket, Thailand

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category: 5

 

link: https://www.marriott.com/marriott.mi?page=mvci-property-popup

 

Shout out to Pointswizard for bringing the Marriott Rewards Vacation Club awards changes to my attention.

This promotion for 1,000 Northwest or Delta miles is combinable with the Stay Two, Earn Free Weekend Night promotion through July 31.

You must choose between earning Delta or Northwest miles. I had 7,000 miles in NW and 4,000 in my DL account from another SPG promotion in 2007. I went with NW since I anticipate 18 to 20 stays during the free night promotional period. I might even earn a frequent flier award through Starwood activity.

You need to check hotel properties to make sure your hotel stay qualifies. The hotels are limited to the Americas and mostly the USA. Most of the hotels in the San Francisco Bay Area are participating. I did not see two Palo Alto hotels on the list so there are some exclusions.

Registration is required for miles and this link will simultaneously register you for the free weekend night promotion: https://www.spgpromos.com/weekends/airline.cfm?brand=NWD&language=en_us&airline=DL&EM=VTY_SPG_DELTAWEEKEND_PROMOTION

This incredible Starwood promotion just keeps getting better.

I have completed four hotel stays so far and I have earned over 7,000 points (2 BRG claims for 4,000), two free nights, and now I will also receive 4,000 airline miles. I have received a platinum upgrade on all four stays with Starwood. I was upgraded to junior suites at the Westin St. Francis and Palace Hotel in San Francisco. We received suites at Four Points SFO and Westin Market Street San Francisco.

We are stuck in staycation mode for the next few months while Kelley has chemo and radiation treatment. Starwood is making the weekend getaways to San Francisco a better experience to remember.

Hilton HHonors is offering double miles for stays at Hilton brand hotels between April 1 and June 30, 2009.

Register at this link: www.HiltonHHonors.com/Q2united

 

This can be a quick way to double the 500 miles from Points & Miles to earn 1,000 miles per hotel stay.

Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites only earn 100 miles per stay regularly so this promotion takes that to 200 miles.

 

Big spenders can set earning preference to Points and Fixed Miles to earn 1 mile per $1 and double that to 2 miles per $1 during this promotion. This is probably a better deal if staying at Hampton Inn or Homewood Suites with more than $100 in charges or spending more than $500 per stay at another Hilton brand.

I sat down and cranked out a 250 word essay. Actually it was 350 words and I had to edit. My readers know I hate to be short on words.

I really had not looked at the contest in a month. I had to refresh my memory on the 250 word limit.

I could use 365 Hyatt nights. One million miles can go a long way with good planning. I would develop quite a plan for a million miles and free Hyatt hotel nights.

Looks like the essay is a vote contest. If I manage to make it past the first round will I need to organize a vote campaign?

Organizing vote campaigns is what got me out of labor politics. Sell, sell, sell out.

Hanging out in San Francisco this past weekend I made another trip to the Westin Market Street. The sky was wonderfully clear in San Francisco and the temperature was a California coastal perfect at 65 degrees.

Wasn’t I surprised to see that in my stays at the Westin Market Street I still haven’t had a room with the preferred view. The Westin St. Francis Hotel is prominent on the left and the Grand Hyatt is the tall skyscraper on the right. The Fairmont Hotel tower is on the far right in the background with a flag.  Even a Golden Gate Bridge tower can be seen on a clear day from this side of the hotel.

I was in the right room at the right time last week. Perhaps 3326 next time?