Mark Ashley of Upgrade: Travel Better  posted a strategy yesterday to cash in on the Travelocity new hotel price rate guarantee. I took a closer look at Travelocity today and made a sample rate check for San Francisco next week to see if there are some possible claims.

The new Travelocity Best Rate Guarantee is an addition to the old policy in that a customer who makes a Travelocity “Good Buy” prepaid hotel booking can invoke a BRG claim at any time until the day before check in. A successful claim results in a refund on your prepaid room to match the lower rate found and until December 31, successful claimants will also receive one $50 promo code to apply to a future “Good Buy” hotel room or Flight + Hotel Vacation Package purchased on Travelocity.

The new Travelocity BRG policy for anytime “up until the day before check in” only applies to “Good Buy” bookings which are prepaid rates, but are not necessarily nonrefundable. The fine print for “Good Buy” prepaid rates on hotels I checked is cancellation must occur before 3 days of arrival or a penalty of one night’s room rate is forfeited. Travelocity Good Buy Rates terms.

Travelocity has several restrictions to their new “Good Rates” BRG policy. The main restriction I saw is a limit of 5 BRG claims in any one month. I had more than 5 successful BRG claims in May 2009 with Starwood Hotels.

TRAVELOCITY PRICE and SERVICE GUARANTEE

Rule 17  Limit: Each customer shall be limited to five (5) Price and Service Guarantee claims per customer per calendar month, regardless of the number of accounts used by the customer.  

http://svc.travelocity.com/info/info_popup/0,2766,TRAVELOCITY:EN%7CGUARANTEE_TERMS,00.html

The most important restriction for frequent guests focused on the price of a hotel room is group rates are not covered in Travelocity’s price guarantee. This means a lower rate available from the hotel chain using a AAA or a senior discount is not covered by the Travelocity guarantee. Since AAA is the most common lowest rate I find when searching hotels, this is a big gap in a Best Rate Guarantee policy from any online travel agency. The rate comparison table at the end of this thread shows several examples of lower AAA rates and there were some good senior rates deals in San Francisco.

Travelocity covers non “Good Buy” Hotel Rates with older Best Rate Guarantee policy

Travelocity’s old Best Rate Guarantee policy is still in effect for non-prepaid hotels and is more in line with hotel chains’ BRG terms. Find a lower rate on Travelocity or another US-based website within 24 hours of booking on Travelocity and you will receive a $50 promo code for a future “Good Buy” hotel or Flight + Hotel Vacation Package.

An even better plan may be to stick with a hotel loyalty program.

My searches today revealed several opportunities for cashing in with Travelocity’s $50 offer, but honestly I wouldn’t bother leaving the hotel chain’s own websites for the $50 credit with Travelocity. The points and benefits I earn from most of my hotel stays have a tangible value higher than $50. That is why I am a Loyalty Traveler.

I have invoked around 25 Best Rate Guarantee (BRG) claims this year directly with Hyatt and Starwood and about 2 out of 3 were approved. The denied claims were due to two reasons. The first reason is some online travel agency (OTA) websites do not actually book the room in real-time and these sites are not covered by the hotel chain’s BRG policy. Some agencies require you to submit your reservation and then they email you when the room is booked. These not in-real-time bookings are excluded from the hotel BRG eligibility. At least that is what I have been told by Hyatt over most of my denied claims I find through Kayak with OTAs I have never heard of before.

Travelocity, Orbitz, and Expedia all book in real-time and close the deal with a confirmation of your room purchase and price. GTAHotels.com is one particular smaller online travel agency site I have had great luck finding approved BRG claims this year.

The second and more common reason for a denied BRG claim is a rate change before the claim is processed by the hotel chain. This issue will likely be the same with Travelocity. Screenshots of a lower rate do not count. The good thing about Hyatt Hotels is the ability to call and process a claim directly over the phone. Starwood Hotels takes up to 24 hours and several of my valid BRG claims were not honored due to a rate change within 24 hours of finding a lower rate on an online travel agency site. I submitted a claim, but the rate had gone up in the typically 18 to 23 hours  before receiving a Starwood BRG reply.

Hotel  Chain’s own Best Rate Guarantee policies:

Hyatt Hotels BRG matches lower rate and discounts additional 20% off lower rate. BRG claims are allowed without having an existing room booking. Search Hyatt, search Kayak.com or other online travel agencies for lower rates, and call in any potential discrepancy for a 20% discount on the lower rate.

Starwood Hotels BRG matches lower rate and discounts an additional 10% or matches lower rate and receive 2,000 Starpoints rather than the 10% discount.  I have earned loads of Starpoints invoking the Starwood BRG points offer this year. BRG claims can be made before booking a room.

Hilton Hotels BRG Must book room through Hilton first, then if lower rate found on another site within 24 hours of your booking, Hilton will match lower rate and award you with a $50 American Express gift check.

Marriott Hotels BRG Must book room through a Marriott channel first, then if eligible lower rate found within 24 hours and at least 24 hours before check in, Marriott will discount lower rate 25%.

InterContinental Hotels Group BRG Must book room through IHG channel first, and if lower rate found within 24 hours on a competing site, IHG will discount the lower rate by 10%.

All BRGs aside, here is my rate search comparison for a downtown San Francisco hotel next Friday, November 6, 2009 for a one night stay. Take your chances with a Travelocity BRG claim or just go with the lowest rate. The lowest rate for the hotels I checked was found on the hotel chain’s own site nearly every time.

A hotel rate search strategy I recommend is use Travelocity’s “Good Buy” Flexible calendar rates to see 90 days of a specific hotel’s rates. This is a better search than most hotel chains’ websites. If a GoodBuy rate is low on Travelocity, then the rate will either be low on the hotel chain’s site or you have a good rate candidate for invoking the hotel chain’s Best Rate Guarantee option.

Holiday travel in November and December often means a one night hotel stay is unavoidable. A $50 Bonus Bucks promotion with Residence Inn can offer a high return on investment for a one night, Friday or Saturday hotel stay  by the end of 2009. The $50 Marriott Bonus Bucks certificate is valid for a future two-night weekend stay.

Stay as short as one night on a Friday or Saturday at a Residence Inn in the USA or Canada through December 31 and earn a $50 Bonus Bucks certificate per stay, per room valid for credit on a two-night weekend stay (valid Thursday-Sunday nights) at any participating Marriott brand hotel worldwide.

Bonus Bucks certificates are valid for eight months from date of issue.

Promotion Code = RPN

Promotion Link: http://www.marriott.com/marriott.mi?page=suiteweekend

Loyalty Traveler Analysis:

San Francisco Bay Area shows 11 Residence Inn properties within 25 miles of San Francisco ranging from $79 to $129 for Friday, October 30. Each of these hotels offers the $50 Bonus Bucks certificate.

Rate for one night at Residence Inn Fremont, CA or Pleasanton, CA = $79 + tax. Net cost is just $37 with the $50 Bonus Bucks discount on a future stay. This certificate has more flexible rules than the Marriott Fairfield Inn $50 Smart Bucks certificate only valid at for the Fairfield Inn brand.

San Francisco Airport/Oyster Point Residence Inn $129 ($143 after tax). Net cost is $93 with $50 Bonus Bucks certificate for future stay.

This offer is budget lodging that will help you sleep well over the holiday travel season. You might even want to splurge and put the kids in a two bedroom suite, although you might just get a better deal by booking two rooms and claiming two $50 bonus bucks certificates.

Pool at Residence Inn Oyster Point, north of San Francisco Airport

Bad news first:  This was not a good deal for 2 of the 4 hotels I checked tonight in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Offer: Get a $20 prepaid MasterCard per stay at any Hyatt Place or Hyatt Summerfield Suites for a hotel stay including at least one night on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday between September 21 and November 25, 2009.

Hyatt Place promotion link: http://www.hyatt.com/hyatt/place/specials/giftCard.jsp

Hyatt Summerfield Suites promotion link: http://www.hyatt.com/hyatt/summerfield/specials/giftCard.jsp

The GFTCRD rate did not show in my searches of Hyatt rates unless the promotional code is entered. The links provided in this post prefill the special rate offer code.

Terms: Must pay Hyatt Daily Rate and use promotion code offer “GFTCRD”. The Hyatt Daily rate is generally a higher rate than the Hyatt.com prepaid, nonrefundable rate or the AAA rate. Only one gift card may be earned per stay regardless of number of rooms booked, but multiple gift cards can be earned for separate stays during the promotional period. The offer says it is not combinable with other promotions, although I doubt this offer would disqualify the Gold Passport member for free nights,  double elite credit, or airline miles.

Loyalty Traveler Promotion Value Key = Variable 1 to 2 out of 5 keys depending on rate differences.

 This deal is no deal unless you can find rates where the promotional rate is not $15 to $20+ more than other available rates.

Hyatt Place and Summerfield Suites $20 MasterCard per stay promotion rate analysis

Smith Travel Research (STR) released data through Hotel News Now  (HNN) on the US hotel industry’s 3^rd quarter performance. Numbers are still going down in the US. After a dismal 1^st quarter 2009 when nationwide hotel occupancy was just over half full at 51.8%, which was probably viewed by most hoteliers as a hotel half-empty, the best hotel loyalty promotions in years possibly had some effect in raising occupancy in the past two quarters.

IHG Priority Club gave us four free nights anywhere in the world for staying 8 nights between May 4 and August 15.

Hyatt Gold Passport gave anyone who asked top elite Diamond status and a low threshold of 15 nights for renewal (normally requires 50 nights) through the summer months and immediately followed that up with the best loyalty promotion in years offering free nights, airline miles, and elite status for the same Hyatt hotel stays.

Starwood Preferred Guest offered a free weekend night for every two stays between May and July with the unusual benefit of Category 6 hotel redemption for the free nights. I spent about $1,800 and earned 8 free nights for stays in Starwood Hotels with average rates over $400 per night.

It was a year ago that the bottom fell out of the hotel market. I noticed steep room rate declines in the 4^th quarter 2008 for areas I traveled. Prices dropped by 20% or more all along the west coast during a two week road trip I made from Monterey to Vancouver, Canada in the first half of November 2008.

The hotel industry is now looking to the 4^th quarter 2009 for signs of improvement. Recent reports have suggested the luxury and upper upscale markets may be showing some signs of revived life, but this report using STR data indicates room rates will continue to drop for some time and may require several years just to get back to the room rates currently being offered . The room rate collapse of late 2008 is expected to result in smaller room rate declines than the previous three quarters when comparing year-over-year change in the 4^th quarter 2009 hotel industry data.

For now, the market still looks fairly weak across the board. San Francisco has had high occupancy lately. My stays in the city last month revealed the lights were on in most rooms around the hotels of SoMa district near the Moscone convention center. San Francisco had over 90% occupancy in the first weeks of October.

And New York hotels are filled with a near 87% occupancy rate in mid-October.

So what is the bad part of the 3^rd quarter news for hotels which will keep the loyalty bargains going for consumers?

Occupancy nationwide is just over 60.5% for the third quarter. These were the summer peak tourist season travel months of July, August, and September. The decline from last year was nearly 8%.

Average room rates for US hotels during these months dropped nearly 10% from last summer to $96.84. Considering the budget and economy sector hotels are already at rock-bottom rates with bare-thread profit margins, one would expect the declines are disproportionately due to drops in the midscale to upper-upscale/luxury hotel market.

The hotel industry in some locations like Houston (52.3% occupancy), Dallas (52% occupancy), and Phoenix (44.8% occupancy) is struggling with an over-supply of rooms for the current market conditions. Look for loyalty program offers. Phoenix has had some amazing discounts with hotels like the Fairmont Scottsdale offloading rooms for under $100 a night.

Hotel rates in New York City have fallen over 25% since last year. Sure there are some incredibly pricey hotels for some dates, but savvy shopping can uncover some knockout deals through Priceline, SkyAuction, Hotwire, and other outlets if you just want a fancy hotel at a bargain price without the loyalty amenities.

Denver, Colorado has been a great loyalty program destination for me over the past year. Rates in the mile-high city continue to plummet with a 21.3% decline year-over-year in the average room rate to just $90.72. Those loyalty program promotions offering a free night for two stays are the route to cheap luxury vacations in low-priced cities like Denver, Houston, and Phoenix.

Currently Hyatt is the only hotel loyalty promotion still offering free nights for every two stays through January 31. As the nation gears up for holiday family travel over the next two months, think about planning some hotel stays with high value. Spring vacation 2010 may still be pushing rates high in resort destinations. Shop now for the bargains, earn some points, miles, and free nights, and enjoy 2010 in the luxury of your own free hotel room.

Here is a snapshot graph I saw today of global hotel rates and occupancy by region from the STRGlobal website. While I have not been out of the USA much these past two years, my Loyalty Traveler strategies for vacation travel developed over the past decade due to the low cost of earning hotel points and free nights from stays in the US and redeeming most of my points and free nights in other countries where hotel rates are much higher.  

http://www.strglobal.com/News/News.aspx

STR Global Hotel Index 10-28-2009

Hilton HHonors is changing the hotel redemption categories and HHonors elite member VIP Reward Tables January 15, 2010.

Discussion on FlyerTalk over the past two weeks with input from HHonors Representative regarding the impending HHonors changes suggests the Hilton HHonors category changes may indeed be across the board with most Hilton brand hotels being repositioned one category level higher for 2010.

Loyalty Traveler blog posted a table October 13 showing HHonors elite member VIP Reward changes by hotel category for 2010 compared to 2009. Today I saw some posts on FlyerTalk saying the tables I created were misleading.

Upon re-reading the FlyerTalk quote I responded to with a link to the Loyalty Traveler  tables  of October 13 I realize this is not the information the original poster was seeking. The comments inspired me to create another table showing the changes in the points required for VIP Rewards in 2010 combining the impact of both the HHonors free nights redemption with the new Category 7 along with what looks to be a massive shift of hotels across the chain one category level higher for 2010.

This table shows the effect when the hotel stay you enjoyed in summer 2009 using a Category 5 hotel VIP reward in 2009 requires a Category 6 hotel VIP reward in 2010 using the new HHonors free nights tables. The combined effect of a new 50,000 points per night Category 7 hotel along with a category level increase for virtually all hotels creates a 20 to 28% differential in the overall cost in points for many HHonors elite member VIP Rewards in 2010.

HHonors Representative said in this FlyerTalk post the category levels of hotels for 2010 will be released in about two months.

I created this speculative table for today’s post to show the points cost changes in 2010 for HHonors elite member VIP rewards if a hotel increases by one category.

The table displayed in this post shows points needed for a VIP Reward in 2009 compared to the points needed for the new VIP Rewards in 2010 with the assumption that a hotel will be one category level higher for free nights using points for 2010 reward stay of 6 to 14 nights in the new Category 1 through 7 redemption table.

For example, a 6-night HHonors VIP reward at a Category 5 hotel in 2009 is 150,000 points. The same hotel, if increased to Category 6 redemption level for 2010 will cost 180,000 points for the same 6-night HHonors VIP reward; a 20% increase in points for the same hotel in 2010.

The decision on hotel category placement is not finalized yet. “HHonors Representative” posting on FlyerTalk stated the 2010 hotel category placement will be released in late-December or early January. FlyerTalk threads like this will get some attention and perhaps lead to more favorable distribution of hotels in the new Category 1 to 7 scheme than just an across the chain category increase for 2010.

HHonors VIP Rewards in 2010 for a hotels one category higher than 2009

Starwood Preferred Guest Cash & Points awards are the best way to get excellent value out of your SPG points. Cash & Points Award Nights, when offered, provide a 60% discount in the points required for a free room night in exchange for a specific cash co-pay that is set according to the SPG hotel redemption category.

Free nights using points-only is covered by the SPG “No Blackouts” policy, but the Cash & Points option is not. Cash & Points may have blackout dates, and in fact, are frequently not offered on the SPG website when points-only rooms are available. [Tip from Gary Leff is to call the hotel anyway and check for Cash & Points even when they are not appearing on the website. He reports this frequently works for Cash & Points awards.] When you have the Cash & Points award option it is a great way to conserve points on a hotel stay.

Here are some important points regarding Cash & Points award stays:

1. Cash & Points Awards are not applicable to the 5^th Night Free Awards. A 5-night stay requires 5 nights of Cash & Points payment. A “Points-Only” 5^th night free award requires only 4 nights of points-only payment.

2. Cash & Points award stays do not earn Starpoints on the paid cash portion. You are eligible for Starpoints on other eligible hotel charges like dining. A Cash & Points stay may not even show up on your account. Check with the hotel or SPG if no points post on additional charges from your Cash & Points hotel stay.

3. Cash & Points award stays are not eligible for elite qualifying credit. This also applies to points-only award stays.

4. Cash & Points award stays may not be upgraded in advance with supplemental points. Points-only award stays may be upgraded in advance based on availability using additional points. As an SPG Platinum member I have frequently received very nice upgrades on Cash & Points awards.

5. International hotels priced in non-US Dollars will be converted to local currency for payment. (Loyalty Traveler note – some exchange rates are wacky. I have ended up paying 20% less than the US dollar amount and I have paid 20% more than the US dollar amount for Cash & Points stays outside the US.)

SPG Cash & Points Award Table with Loyalty Traveler Excellent Quality Scale

Yesterday’s Loyalty Traveler post displayed a qualitative table based on a scale where an excellent redemption value for your points results in a cash savings greater than $35 per 1,000 points spent. The table points out the difficulty in getting a high redemption value in the range of $35 per 1,000 Starpoints when redeeming points for SPG high category hotels.

An SPG Category 6 hotel needs to be over $700 per night when spending 20,000 points for a free night in order to realize a cash savings of $35 per 1,000 points redeemed. Most Category 6 hotels are not priced that high in the present hotel travel economic environment.

 The value of Cash & Points becomes apparent when running the numbers for these awards at a Category 6 hotel.

For example, St. Regis Monarch Beach at Dana Point, California is a SPG Category 6 property. A check of rates for next week shows Cash & Points availability for the dates Tuesday, November 3 to Friday, November 6 for a 3-night stay.

Here are the options: (I am ignoring the $25 per day resort fee in these calculations. The resort fee is additional to numbers shown for the three options. Tax is a confusing issue. Sometimes I have been charged hotel tax on the Cash portion of the Cash & Points award and other times I have not paid the tax. In the past two years the hotel tax has usually been applied to the cash portion for my US hotel Cash & Points award stays.)

St. Regis Monarch Beach Payment Options

Cash & Points: $150 + 8,000 points per night = $450 + 24,000 points

Points-Only: 20,000 points per night = 60,000 points

Cash-Only: $470 per night (includes 10% tax) = $1,410

The SPG redemption options are either spend 60,000 points to save $1,410 or spend 24,000 points to save $915.

$1,410 cash-only rate – $495 cash portion  of Cash & Points rate = $915 equivalent value of points.

(I added 10% hotel tax to the cash portion of $450 for 3 nights = $45 tax for the award stay).

Spending 60,000 points for 3 hotel award nights gives a redemption value of $1,410 ÷ 60,000 = $23.50 per 1,000 Starpoints. 

I rate this as a “Fair” redemption value in my Redemption Quality table shown above for SPG Category 6 hotels.

Spending 24,000 points to save $915 gives a redemption value of $915 ÷ 24,000 = $38.12 per 1,000 Starpoints and now the redemption value rates as “Excellent” in the Loyalty Traveler Category 6 redemption quality scale.

At this rate of redemption value the remaining 36,000 points saved by using Cash & Points rather than 60,000 points for Points-only free nights at the St. Regis Monarch Beach next week has a value of $1,372 for future cash savings on hotel stays.  (36,000 points x $38.12/1,000 points = $1,372)

The economics of Cash & Points provides high value opportunity for Starwood Preferred Guests.

Here are SPG Cash & Points Redemption Quality tables to correspond with the Points-Only tables from yesterday’s Loyalty Traveler post.

SPG Cash & Points Redemption Quality Guide

Loyalty Traveler's SPG Cash & Points Redemption Quality Guide

One of the most common hotel loyalty program questions is, “What is the value of a point?”

Typically, I use the cost of points through the hotel program as the value of a point. This is an objective measure since buying points directly from the hotel program is one of the easiest ways to obtain hotel points. The purchase price of hotel points set by the hotel chain is an objective value for hotel points that can be applied across hotel programs.

Starwood hotel points purchased through SPG cost $35 per 1,000 points and there is an annual calendar year purchase limit of 20,000 points ($700). When I calculate the value of points earned from a loyalty promotion, I project the value of the points based on the purchase price from the hotel program.

 Alternatively, I should be able to calculate the value of points I spend at the same ratio of $35 per 1,000 points. If I am getting the value from my points that SPG charges for points, then I consider those spent points as getting excellent value. When calculating the value of SPG bonus point promotions or the value of points earned through a Starwood SPG American Express card, I can estimate the value of my points earned at $35 per 1,000 points.

Unfortunately, the value of my points in the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) program may not bring a $35 per 1,000 points return on some free hotel night redemptions. The SPG Redemption table shows that the room rate for a SPG Category 3 to 7 hotel reward needs to be an extremely high priced hotel rate to actually get a $35 per 1,000 points redemption value from SPG points. The redemption rate at Category 1 and 2 hotels is much better aligned with actual hotel room rates.

In other words, I am pretty sure I can find a Category 2 hotel on a Friday night where my 3,000 points will save me more than $105 on the published room rate for the Starwood Hotel. Remember that the reward night covers room tax so basically any Category 2 hotel with a room rate over $95 will be $105 after tax and I am receiving excellent value from my points redemption.

Finding a Category 6 hotel charging over $700 per night is going to be a bit more difficult for most SPG members. While spending 20,000 points to avoid spending $500 for a night in a Starwood Category 6 hotel may be considered a favorable exchange by many SPG members, the redemption value of your points will be quite a bit less ($25 per 1,000) than you could probably find by spending points at low category hotels.

SPG Free Night Rewards Quantitative Value Table (based on $35 per 1,000 points Scale)

Sample room rates for Starwood Hotels in New York City

Wednesday, November 18, 2009:

W New York – Times Square (SPG Category 6) = $499 (Best Available Rate) $576.10 after tax

Redemption value: $576 ÷ 20,000 points = $28.80 per 1,000 points.

AAA rate = $474.05 ($547.47 after tax)

Redemption Value for AAA rate : $547.47 ÷ 20,000 points = $27.37 per 1,000 points (Good Redemption Value).

Westin New York at Times Square (SPG Category 5) = $407.55 (AAA rate) or $471.16 after tax.

Redemption Value: $471 ÷ 12,000 points = $39.25 per 1,000 points (Excellent Redemption Value).

Sheraton Manhattan at Times Square (SPG Category 5) = $360.05 (AAA rate) or $416.66 after tax.

Redemption Value: $417 ÷ 12,000 points = $34.75 per 1,000 points (Excellent Redemption Value).

New York City hotels appear to refute my argument that obtaining a redemption value near $35 per 1,000 points is unrealistic. My counterpoint is New York is the highest priced hotel market in the USA. Finding redemption values in the $35 range in other locations may prove more difficult.

Los Angeles, November 18, 2009

SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills (SPG Category 6) = $287.20 (AAA rate) or $327.61 after tax.

Redemption Value: $328 ÷ 20,000 points = $16.40 per 1,000 points.

W Los Angeles – Westwood (SPG Category 5) = $255.20 (AAA rate) or $291.13 after tax

Redemption Value: $291 ÷ 12,000 points = $24.25 per 1,000 points.

Westin Pasadena (SPG Category 4) = $159.20 or $183.19 after tax.

Redemption Value: $183 ÷ 10,000 points = $18.30 per 1,000 points.

Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles -LAX Airport (SPG Category 3) = $119.25 (AAA rate) or $136.03 after tax.

Redemption Value: $136 ÷ 7,000 points = $19.43 per 1,000 points.

I think Los Angeles is the more typical redemption value for US hotels using Starwood points. New York City, or major international destinations like London and Paris, or resorts like the Maldives and Bora Bora are going to have skyhigh hotel rates where there may be good redemption value in the range of $35 per 1,000 points at the upper SPG category hotels of 5, 6, and 7.

Most of us will likely find our choice is redeeming 10,000 points to save $200 which may be a desired exchange, but certainly not a high value exchange of SPG points for cash savings.

Table of Qualitative Value for Starwood Preferred Guest Free Night Redemption

My basic question as Loyalty Traveler has been, “What is the value of a SPG point?”

In an article earlier this month, “Hotel Points Exchange Rate Theory”, I argue that hotel points only have potential value until they are actually redeemed for something of tangible value. A hotel room has tangible value and the value has a set dollar amount for the night you buy with your points.

Obviously a person who redeems 12,000 points for the Westin New York Times Square at a redemption rate of $39.25 per 1,000 points gets a better quantitative value than the person who redeems 10,000 points for the Westin Pasadena on the same night for a redemption value of $18.30 per 1,000 points.

In reality you need a hotel where and when you need a hotel and your redemption value will vary. So now my question is how do I compare the qualitative difference between the free night redemption at Westin Times Square, New York and Westin Pasadena?

I have set up a qualitative scale based on quantitative values. My standard of excellence is based on getting an “Excellent” redemption value when a SPG member can realize $35 per 1,000 points spent on a free night. SPG sells points at the rate of $35 per 1,000 points, so any redemption that saves money at a higher rate than $35 per 1,000 points is “excellent” in my opinion. You can simply buy points from SPG and get the room for less money than the room rate being charged (up to your annual 20,000 points purchase limit of course).

The scale drops in incremental levels of ½ a penny per point. In other words, $35 per 1,000 points is an excellent redemption value. When you realize $30 per 1,000 points you have made a “Good” redemption value. $25 per 1,000 points is an “Average” redemption value. $20 per 1,000 points is a “Fair” redemption value. $20 per 1,000 points is a “Poor” redemption value. Less than $20 per 1,000 points is a “Bad” redemption value.

The SPG table looks like this based on a standard where redeeming points for free hotel rooms at a rate greater than $35 per 1,000 points is considered an “excellent” value:

SPG Redemption Value - Qualitative Scale (based on $35 per 1,000 points)

Working from this standard table of qualitative value I can now create tables for any SPG category hotel to show the qualitative value of a hotel free night based on the room rate being charged for the night at that particular hotel.

SPG Redemption Value for Free Nights Using Points

SPG Redemption Value by Hotel Category (based on $35 per 1,000 points being "Excellent")

What I see in these tables is the use of points at a Category 7 hotel is less likely to provide excellent value (Is the room rate > $1,050 per night at the Category 7 hotel?) than a Friday or Saturday night at a Starwood Category 2 hotel where any rate over $105 (after taxes) is going to be an “excellent” redemption value based on the same quantitative-qualitative scale.

I have also ignored peak season rates which were suspended for 2009at the upper end SPG Category 5 to 7 hotels. If reinstated in 2010 there will need to be additional tables to account for Category 5 hotels at 16,000 points, Category 6 at 25,000 points, and Category 7 at 35,000 points. These peak season tables will be less favorable for finding excellent value redemptions.

Conclusion: You will likely pay more points for an equivalent cash savings when redeeming points for a high category hotel with Starwood compared to a low category hotel.

[correction 11:00am Sun, Oct 25 - original post used 70,000 as nightly Category 7 rate for Bora Bora all-suites properties which is incorrect for these uber-category 7 hotels. These Category 7 hotels are available for points on these dates, however, Le Meridien is actually 75,000 points per night or 300,000 points for 5 nights for the lowest category room SPG customer service could find. A different category room in overwater suite is 120,000 points per night or 480,000 points for 5 nights.

The St. Regis Bora Bora is available at 480,000 points for a 5-night stay.

Le Meridien Bora Bora (SPG Category 7 all suites hotel @75,000 points per night) November 16-21, 2009

All rooms are suites and are double points. 75,000 points per night with 5^th night free = 300,000 points for a 5-night stay.

Published rate = 51,000XPF (after tax per night) = about $3,200 for 5 nights.

$3,200 ÷ 300,000 points = $10.67per 1,000 points redemption value. (Bad value on my qualitative scale)

St. Regis Bora Bora (SPG Category 7 all-suites hotel @ 120,000 points per night) November 16-21, 2009

Published rate = 70,000XPF = about $4,850 for 5 nights

$4,850 ÷ 480,000 points = $10.10 per 1,000 points redemption value. (Bad value on my qualitative scale)

On one hand you can just pay the cash for Bora Bora and save your points for higher value redemptions at other Starwood Hotels. On the other hand, blowing 300,000 to 480,000 points for an incredible 5 night hotel stay leaves you with $3,000 to $5,000 to invest in paid Starwood Hotel stays that can earn many of these points back while also earning high elite status.

Figuring the best value for your points is ultimately a personal decision.

I’m working to come up with qualitative ranges in value because it would be really cool to just look at a chart and make a quick decision of which hotel provides a good or excellent redemption value for my hotel points when faced with a choice of hotels at various price levels and different redemption categories requiring different amounts of points.

Translating Quantitative Points Value into Qualitative Value

Example using a Hilton Hotel in Paris, France.

A single night at the HHonors Category 6 Hilton Arc de Triomphe for dates I checked came to $495 per night. The choice is $495 or 40,000 points. The quantitative redemption value works out to be $495 ÷ 40,000 points x 1,000 (or simply $495/40) = $12.38 per 1,000 HHonors points redemption value.

This is an “excellent” redemption value in my opinion.

So here is the basis for creating a qualitative judgment based on quantitative values. I think most of us will agree that getting $12 per 1,000 HHonors points is an “excellent” value.

As value drops below $12 per 1,000 points spent we must reach a point where the value is no longer “excellent”, and simply a “good” value.

At an even lower quantitative redemption value, say $5 per 1,000 points the qualitative value at some point drops to another lower level of just an “average” value for hotel points spent.

And at some point the money saved by spending points must become a “poor” value, i.e. the cash saved is not worth the cost in points for a free night, and the choice to spend cash rather than points becomes the better value for most hotel loyalty program members.

I’m working to come up with these qualitative ranges in value because it would be really cool to just look at a chart and make a quick decision of which hotel provides a good or excellent redemption value for my hotel points when faced with a choice of hotels at various price levels and different redemption categories requiring different amounts of points.

In yesterday’s Hilton HHonors post I set $7.00 saved per 1,000 points spent as my marker for when the redemption value using points is “excellent”. I set less than $3.00 per 1,000 points as a “poor” redemption value. This is a work in progress that I am trying to refine.

The Value of HHonors Points Exchanged for a Free Room Night

(based on a set-point of trying to get $7 in cash savings for every 1,000 HHonors points spent on free night rewards.)

Hilton HHonors Qualitative Value by Hotel Category for Excellent and Poor Points Redemption Value

Now I know there are category 6 hotels that will cost over $280 per night (Hilton Arc de Triomphe) and these hotels provide an excellent value for HHonors points based on this scale of $7 per 1,000 points being rated “excellent” redemption value. Even if the Hilton Arc de Triomphe goes to category 7 in 2010, the redemption value will still be “excellent” when spending 50,000 points to save $495, the room rate for the July 2010 dates I checked. $495 ÷ 50,000 points = $9.90 per 1,000 points.

This table advises me that I am getting excellent value for my HHonors points if I spend 25,000 points and get a Category 3 hotel room that would have cost over $175 per night. Are there Category 3 hotels that cost over $175 per night more than just a few days per year? I have not looked into that.

Certainly there should be Category 1 hotels in 2010 where the nightly rate will be over $52.50 and using points will provide an “excellent” redemption value.

Here are some real examples of redemption value using San Francisco hotels for Tuesday October 27, 2009.

Hilton San Francisco Union Square (HHonors Category 6 = 40,000 points)

Pay $160.65 ($185.68 after tax) or spend 40,000 points for King Bed Deluxe Room

$186 ÷ 40,000 points (x 1000) = $4.65 per 1,000 points (“average” value)

Hilton Union Square, San Francisco (white tower has great city views)

The factor that complicates the calculation is determining the points a member does not earn when using points for a free reward stay. Here is an example:

Hilton San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf (HHonors Category 6 = 40,000 points)

Pay $179 ($206.75 after tax) for a King Bed Deluxe on a special rate offering 2,500 bonus points.

A HHonors basic member can earn 15 points per $1 when choosing Points & Points earning preference.

This means the HHonors member is not earning 2,685 HHonors points when redeeming points for a free night rather than paying for the hotel stay. ($179x 15 points/$1 = 2,685.)

This particular Hilton property also has a rate offer for 2,500 bonus points per stay. The bonus points rate is no additional cost compared to the lowest best available rate for the hotel at $179.

By using points for a free night reward the HHonors member actually is not trading 40,000 points for $207 in savings since the member would earn 5,185 points by paying for this hotel night. If the HHonors member earning Points & Points spends $207 rather than 40,000 points, then the member’s account balance will be 45,185 points higher after the stay. (I’m ignoring elite bonuses and other promotional bonuses which will drive the redemption value even lower.)

The simple calculation is 40,000 points saves $207. Redemption value = $5.18 per 1,000 points. This is a “good” redemption value.

But, the real calculation should be $207 ÷ 45,185 points = $4.58 per 1,000 points. The redemption value is now below $5/1,000 points and I rate this as just “average” value.

And depending on what bonus points promotions you are eligible for and what elite or HHonors credit card spending bonuses you may be entitled to the redemption value for HHonors points drops even more.

Hilton Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco

Hampton Inn San Francisco/Daly City (HHonors Category 3 = 25,000 points)  Oct 27, 2009

Pay $139 King Bed ($152.90 after tax) or 25,000 points?

$153 ÷ 25,000 points = $6.12 per 1,000 points. This is a “good” redemption value.

A more precise calculation will count the points I do not earn when using a reward stay.

$139 x 15 points per $1 = 2,085 points

My new calculation is $153 ÷ 27,085 points = $5.65 saved per 1,000 points and this still ranks as a “good” redemption value.

Caveat: Although the Hampton Inn Daly City is quantitatively a “good” value, the added benefit of being in downtown San Francisco at the Hilton Union Square or Hilton Fisherman’s Wharf is value that one must consider when making a hotel points redemption. You may get better value quantitatively with the Hampton Inn Daly City, but the quality of a hotel stay in downtown San Francisco is a factor one must consider when choosing where to spend points.

Here is the link to the Qualitative tables by HHonors Hotel Category from yesterday’s Part 1 post.

Here is the link to Part 2 with rationale for why I created these qualitative tables.

I plan to develop qualitative tables for Starwood Preferred Guest next. And the SPG post will not include the detailed explanation of why and how I am creating these tables.

What is a good value when spending hotel points?

This is the basic question I am asking. This is a qualitative and subjective question. Yesterday, I just threw out some charts of qualitative value without much discussion of why I created the tables.

I’m working to come up with qualitative ranges in value because it would be really cool to just look at a chart and make a quick decision of which hotel provides a good or excellent redemption value for my hotel points when faced with a choice of hotels at various price levels and different redemption categories requiring different amounts of points.

Say I spend 40,000 hotel points instead of the $200 room rate (after tax) being asked by the hotel.  

Did I get “good” value for my points?

Quantitatively I can say I received $5.00 per 1,000 points I spent.

$200 ÷ 40,000 points x 1,000 = $5.00 per 1,000 points.

This is a simple quantitative value I can calculate based on the money I saved by using points. But my main question is qualitative.

Is spending 1,000 HHonors points to save $5 a “good” value for a Hilton HHonors member?  

When I spend 30,000 points rather than spending $100 for a hotel room I can calculate the quantitative value of my points spending as $100 ÷ 30,000 points x 1,000 = $3.33 per 1,000 points.

Is spending 1,000 hotel points to save $3.33 a “good” value? I know I can get much higher value when spending my points if I am selective about when and where I spend points.

In real travel I am often faced with choices. When I search Miami and see 12 hotel choices how do I determine which hotel is a good deal for my points?

I can stay at one Hilton hotel, rated HHonors Category 6, that will cost $300 per night or I can spend 40,000 points and leave the hotel with no credit card charge for the room night. (Tax is usually included in a hotel room night reward using points although some hotels have additional resort fees or city tax not covered in the hotel points reward.)

Another Miami area Hilton brand hotel is only a Category 3 hotel at 25,000 points or a room rate of $140.  Which hotel – the category 6 at 40,000 points saving $300 or the Category 3 at 25,000 points saving $140 is the better redemption value? Quantitatively it is easy to see that the Category 6 hotel provides better value on a simple numerical basis (Redemption value = $7.50 per 1,000 points), but how much worse is the value for the Category 3 hotel (Redemption value = $5.60 per 1,000 points).

Saving $7.50 per 1,000 HHonors points I spend is a better value, but is getting only $5.60 per 1,000 points a much lower value for my points? Should I be concerned if I only save $5.60 per 1,000 HHonors points? Am I wasting the value of my points?

I am only considering the numbers here and not specific hotel attributes like location on the beach, hotel facilities, and TripAdvisor reviews which may all be important factors in your final decision on where and when to spend points.

The primary qualitative question most of us want answered when trying to get hotel value out of our points spending still remains after determining the quantitative redemption value for hotel points.

Is redeeming 1,000 HHonors points for a $5 hotel cash savings a “good” value?, an “average” value?, or a “poor” value?

Loyalty Traveler Guide to HHonors Hotel Value

My Loyalty Traveler question is whether I can create a guide for hotel loyalty program members to reference and quickly decide what is a good value for any hotel program?

Yesterday, I started on this path of qualitative analysis with HHonors.

I have redeemed around two million HHonors points for free room nights over the past 10 years. Intuitively when I started to create tables I thought getting $10 per 1,000 HHonors points would be the benchmark for getting “excellent” value from points spending for free hotel nights. This means if I spend 25,000 HHonors points I want to realize a $250 cash savings with my hotel points redemption reward.

Once I placed these values into tables I had to reconsider my initial qualitative analysis. When looking for $10 per 1,000 points redemption value as the standard for determining an “excellent” use of points instead of cash, I am saying that I don’t rate a hotel redemption as “excellent” in a Category 6 property unless I am saving $400 by using 40,000 points for a free night.

Finding a Category 3 hotel requiring 25,000 points for a free night or charging $250 per night may be tough in the real world. I doubt Hilton has many hotels in the Category 3 level charging $250 for a free night.

In my economic reality I will be happy if I can save $300 by spending 40,000 points. Sure there may be better redemption values possible, but when faced with the choice of spending $300 or 40,000 points I almost certainly would go with spending points.

Higher category hotels can have outrageously high-priced room rates. Finding a Category 6 hotel requiring 40,000 points for a free night or charging $400 per night might be much easier to find than a $250 Category 3 hotel to realize  “excellent” value for my points.

Finding  a $200 per night Category 2 hotel costing 20,000 points per night is probably not that common a redemption value. I adjusted my initial tables based on seeking $10 redemption value per every 1,000 HHonors points to a lower $7.00 per 1,000 points to better match the real world rates of most Hilton Hotels across the 7 hotel redemption categories and Waldorf-Astoria Collection.

Qualitative table for HHonors Points Redemption Value

Hilton HHonors has released a new hotel rewards table with 7 categories of hotels (1-7) and a separate 2010 Waldorf Astoria redemption category. Point redemption amounts have changed. Changes go into effect January 15, 2010. Members may redeem rewards using HHonors points using the current HHonors redemption table through January 14, 2010.

Update February 8, 2010: Here is the Loyalty Traveler analysis of the HHonors Hotel Reward Category Shift of Jan 15, 2010.

 Waldorf-Astoria Collection properties (19 hotels currently) will have low-season and high-season redemption rates ranging from 50,000 to 80,000 points per night in 2010.

HHonors Category 7 is a new reward redemption category and will be 50,000 points for a free night. This is a 25% increase on the current top end Category 6 free night using 40,000 HHonors points.

The release of the new hotel category placement in late December/early January will keep us guessing which properties will move up to 50,000 points per night for a Category 7 room using HHonors points.

The HHonors Opportunity category free room night for 7,500 points is currently the lowest reward category in the Hilton chain. The Opportunity name is being dropped. The new Category 1 will be 7,500 points in 2010.

HHonors 2010 Categories and Points (2009 Reward Levels beneath)

Qualitative Value Table for HHonors Redemption Value per 1,000 points Spent for a Free Room

HHonors Redemption Value Quality Based on a $7/1,000 points Excellence Scale

1. Calculate the cost in points for the room

2. (Room $ Cost ÷ Points Cost) x 1,000 = Redemption Value per 1,000 HHonors points

3. Adjust the redemption value to fit your economic and travel situation. I have used $7 per 1,000 HHonors points since this gives a reasonable value at the upper end hotels. Spending 40,000 points to not spend $280 sounds like a great value to me. Spend 30,000 points to not spend $210 sounds like an excellent value to me.

4. The problem setting up the tables qualitatively with $7.00 per 1,000 points being an Excellent Redemption Value is the unrealistically low room rates resulting in excellent and good value at Category 1 and Category 2 hotels in 2010. I maintained the same redemption value range across all hotel categories at $7 per 1,000 points rated an excellent redemption value.

5. If you have more opportunities to spend points (i.e. road warrior) go to a higher scale where $10 per 1,000 points is excellent value and adjust other redemption values accordingly. I originally had the scale based on $10 redemption value where a Category 6 hotel would need to be >$10 per 1,000 points. In other words a $400 room rate savings would be necessary to get an excellent redemption value.

6. When the scale is based on $7 redemption value the upper end hotels hold more realistic values for when to spend points. $10 redemption value makes low category hotels more realistic on when to spend points.

This is my Loyalty Traveler preliminary estimate for rule of thumb advice on HHonors redemption value.

Here is another way to show this information to help determine when to redeem points based on the hotel cost in different hotel categories:

HHonors Category 7 Points Redemption Value Table

Question for Readers: Do you think the room rate ranges and redemption value quality statements are reasonable values?

HHonors Category 6 Redemption Value

Readers: Can you regularly get more than $10 per 1,000 points in your reward night redemptions?

HHonors Category 5 Points Redemption Value

Do you have any problem redeeming your points for rooms when your redemption value is less than $5 per 1,000 points? 

HHonors Category 4 Points Redemption Value

Currently there are around 1,200 Category 3 hotels. How many of these hotels will remain in category 3 in 2010? How many go up to Category 4?

HHonors Category 3 Points Redemption Value

Will any of the more than 1,200 Category 3 hotels go down a level for 2010?

I think it is unlikely for any category 3 hotels to go from 25,000 points per night to just 12,500 points per night as a Hilton HHonors category 2 hotel in 2010. Certainly not more than a few hotels.

HHonors 2010 Category 2 Points Redemption Value

It would be a cool enhancement to mitigate all the bad changes with higher Category 7 and Waldorf-Astoria Collection hotels if a portion of current Category 3 hotels dropped by 50% for points redemption free night. That would be a great enhancement for the traveler who just doesn’t earn 40,000 to 50,000 points in a calendar year to buy a high category free night.

HHonors 2009 Category 2 Redemption Value

In 2009 you need 20,000 points for a free night. HHonors has an opportunity to really help travelers by maintaining at least 50% of the current Category 2 hotels in Category 2 in 2010. This would mean a 50% reduction in the points cost for hundreds of hotels in 2010.

Hey Hilton HHonors. This paragraph is for you.

I think I have a good tip for you to save your ass with these category changes in 2010. Drop the cost for a free night at 500 Category 2 Hilton hotels by keeping half the current Category 2 hotels in Category 2 for 2010 so the cost for a free night is reduced from 20,000 points to 12,500 points.

The masses will be cheering while the high end travelers lament the cheap redemption days of Paris, Miami, and New York City.

HHonors Category 1 Points Redemption Value

Hey HHonors.

Really.

Keep a good chunk of current Category 2 hotels in Category 2 to give the members some enhancement with the changes.

 Related links: Loyalty Traveler – February 8, 2010  Analysis of 2010 Hilton HHonors Category Shift

Loyalty Traveler is ranked #73 in the Top 100 Travel Blogs on Technorati today. Yesterday my blog was #72, so my star is already fading. Like Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, Jack in the movie “Titanic”, I’ll gloriously ride the waves at the front of the ship as King of the World today before I go under tomorrow. For the time being I’m elated to be listed in Technorati’s top 100 Travel Blogs.

Loyalty Traveler #73 in Top 100 travel Blogs 10-20-09

The best aspect of the Technorati recognition is I am staying at my parent’s house in Las Vegas (going home to Monterey today) and I was able to show my mom the Technorati page with the Top 100 Travel icon. My dad asked me again, the fifth time this week, “What is a blog?”

I happened to be reading the State of the Blogosphere 2009 report being posted each day this week on Technorati.

Reading over the SOTB2009 report, I thought to myself, “Yeah, I fit the professional blogger profile. I have a graduate degree (labor studies), work like a dog over 40 hours a week for virtually no pay, I’ve been at this for over two years, and I have launched four or five websites.”

I also fit Stephen Colbert’s moniker of “internet hobo”. I’m a bootstrapper blogger and lifestyle entrepreneur struggling to carve out a living as a travel writer and social media player in a narrow niche of the travel industry before I go bankrupt.

Only 17% of professional bloggers in the SOTB 2009 report their primary income source comes from blogging. I currently fall in the 83% who do not get their primary source of income from my blog, however, I do earn my primary meager income from writing.

After browsing through the SOTB report I read the Penelope Trunk interview and her response to the question, “What’s your advice for aspiring professional bloggers?”

“Professional blogger? Really? Think about your blog as an audience builder for selling something that has a higher margin than advertising.”

Some advertising revenue from my blog sounds rather nice to me at the moment.

Odds are against a self-employed travel writer surviving as a viable business entity. I launched a Hotels-and-Points newsletter two years ago and sold one copy after four monthly issues. Obviously I needed a new business model. Then, I moved into blogging with the basic axiom of “write it, share it with the world for free, and they will come”.

The Loyalty Traveler blog has always been planned as a way to build an audience by sharing travel tips and analysis with others who may not realize the potential of hotel loyalty programs or simply desire more information about hotel loyalty programs. The leisure traveler and/or business traveler has scarce information on the value of hotel loyalty programs validating, analyzing, and critiquing the information provided by the corporate hotel entities aside from the FlyerTalk forums and the blogs on BoardingArea, SmarterTravel, and FrequentFlier.

The developing aspect of my business is Loyalty Traveler’s role as a marketer of California, and more specifically the marketing of my local region in the Monterey Peninsula and San Francisco.

“Travel globally, promote locally” is a business objective of Loyalty Traveler.

My aspiration is simple, but difficult to realize.  Work independently for myself in collaboration with the travel industry, provide real value to other travelers and the hotel travel industry as a writer and educator, and create a sustainable travel-oriented business that can keep me self-employed for the next 20+ years.

I’m not trying to build an empire, just make a basic living so I can afford to continue my life in Monterey  –  the environmentally, aesthetically, and culturally cool area of California where I was born and would like to remain. And of course, I desire to continue traveling the world which has been much more difficult since I became entirely self-employed 30 months ago.

Travel loyalty programs have allowed me to travel well on a rather limited travel budget for the past two decades. Some call it gaming the system. I call it travel economics and getting the best value for the money you spend as a smart shopper.

The real point of Loyalty Traveler blog is to build an audience and develop a community of travelers who can help each other travel better wherever our travels take us. I am a facilitator who brings up issues in my blog. I need readers to contribute additional insight to develop and grow the information into the knowledge base we need to travel better. So please leave comments on my blog. I have met some wonderful travelers and travel industry professionals through Loyalty Traveler. It takes a community to be successful in social media.

Honestly, I am not clear how I should develop my relationship with the hotel industry. Affiliate marketing, sponsorships, accept freebies so I can stay in more hotels and have more places to write about?

I’m looking for a win-win relationship where I can market hotels, hotel travel, and the value of loyalty programs while remaining a consumer advocate.

Admittedly I have made some errors in content, made some mis-steps in public relations, and I’ve probably been too critical of some hotels and hotel loyalty programs in public with my blog. But always I have strived to be honest and accurate, and constructive in my criticism. When aspects of my hotel experience suck I think many other frequent guests probably had a similar experience. I try and separate what I believe are one-time circumstances compared to what are likely systemic issues with a hotel or program.

I admit when I’m wrong, apologize when I go over the top (or delete, although nothing can really be deleted once it is published to the web), and I reach out to help others when and where I can. I desire to build a lasting relationship with the hotel industry as a traveler, writer, and consumer advocate. Hey hotel PR people –email me. And don’t be afraid to comment on my blog.

Loyalty Traveler blog needs to improve both technically and stylistically. That is an immediate objective. My writing needs to improve aesthetically. That is a life-long process.

I work to create trust with my readers by providing high value and accurate content. Believe me. I beat myself up whenever I realize I published a content error.

My main goal is to remain true to myself and the community of travelers seeking value for their travel dollars. Sustainable travel should allow travelers to get good value for money spent (i.e. not get ripped off). I will continue to develop Loyalty Traveler with the simple aim of providing a community of travelers informed analysis of hotel value for frequent guests.               

And that is all for my self-reflection as Loyalty Traveler blogger and entrepreneur. Anyone with teacher training knows self-reflection is a vital part of professional development.

My next blog post will be back on track with a hotel topic.

Congratulations to:

Debbie Dubrow – Delicious Baby #1 Travel Blog 10-20-09

Heather Cowper – Heather on her Travels #9 Travel Blog 10-20-09

Gary Leff – View from the Wing  #23 Travel Blog 10-20-09

Gary Arndt – Everything, Everywhere #29 Travel Blog 10-20-09

KiwiFlyer – Musings of the Global Traveller #70 Travel Blog 10-20-09

And there are loads of other travel blogs I need to look into from the Top 100 list.