Country Means Business is the initial goldpoints plus 2011 Q1 offer.

Earn 10,000 bonus goldpoints for one night, Sunday through Thursday,  at a Carlson Hotels Country Inn & Suites from Jan 2 and Feb 17, 2011. Promotional code = COUNTRY.

Offer applies to new reservations made beginning December 31, 2010. This offer requires 3-day advance booking.

Bonus can only be earned one time during the promotion period regardless of number of eligible hotel stays.

There are more than 500 Country Inn & Suites hotels in the USA, Canada, Mexico and Latin America.

Country Means Business - 2011 Q1 goldpoints plus hotel loyalty promotion

Loyalty Traveler analysis:

Country Inn & Suites Nashville Airport, Sunday Jan 9 

• $85 room rate

Goldpoints Plus members normally earn 15 points per dollar for Country Inn stays.

$85 x 15 base points/$1 = 1,275 base points

Online booking bonus = 1,000 bonus points goldpoints plus member or 2,000 points for elite members.

COUNTRY Promotion Bonus = 10,000 bonus points 

Total: $85 room rate = 12,275 goldpoints 

Earn 12,275 points for this one night $85 Country Inn stay as a goldpoints plus member without elite status.

The Value of Goldpoints Plus

Free nights at Carlson Hotels brands of Radisson, Country Inn, Park Inn and Park Plaza start at 15,000 points for category 1 hotels and go up to 60,000 points for category 6 hotels. 

Country Inn & Suites Nashville Airport is a goldpoints category 2 hotel reward for 25,000 points for one night. Goldpoints has a unique program feature offering additional reward nights at a 10% discount. A two night stay at a category 2 hotel is 25,000 points for the first night and 22,500 points for the second night. 

Goldpoints Plus also offers Points + Cash reward nights. This same Nashville Airport hotel night for $85 is available for 5,000 points + $51. 

Using this Points + Cash data for Country Inn Nashville Airport shows the value of 5,000 points + $51 saves $34 on the regular $85 rate. A reasonable estimate for the value of 10,000 goldpoints is $68 using this hotel example.

One $85 Country Inn hotel night earns 10,000 bonus points that can save $68 in future hotel stays using Points + Cash. 

That is an 80% promotion bonus rebate value on a future hotel night for one paid night.

Bottom Line: This is a high value offer for a one night stay at Country Inn & Suites. Too bad there is not more promotional incentive to stay longer than one night during the promotion period. 

I think of Country Means Business as a hotel brand sampler promotion. Get yourself into a Country Inn for one night and check out the hotel brand. The promotion bonus of 10,000 points provides a future hotel stay rebate value nearly equal to the cost of one room night at a Country Inn & Suites this winter 2011.

The common method used to compare different hotel loyalty programs is to compare the cost of a hotel reward with the cost to earn base points.

For example:

• Hyatt Regency Miami –  Jan 19, 2011 = $329/night
• Gold Passport category 3 reward night = 12,000 points

$329/night earns 1,645 base points with Gold Passport. A member needs 7.3 nights paying $329 per night to earn one free night at this hotel. This is the method used by NerdWallet.com in its hotel loyalty program comparison.

But this method is not practical for me since I would never pay $329 for a room I can get for 12,000 points. Creating averages is useful for hotel program comparison, but my objective with hotel loyalty programs is to be better than average.  

Loyalty Traveler looks at this Hyatt Regency Miami room rate and calculates 12,000 Gold Passport points saves $329. Getting $27.42 value for every 1,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points is an excellent redemption opportunity.  

• Four Points Miami Beach -  Jan 19, 2011 = $199/night
• Starwood Preferred Guest category 4 reward night = 10,000 points

$199/night earns 398 base points with SPG. A member need 25.1 nights paying $199 per night to earn a free night at this hotel.

Remember this is just one points value for one hotel on one particular night. Other hotels will give a different value.

Some comparative analyses use this method and calculate the rate for earning a free night across hundreds of hotels and then develop an average for that program. Nerdwallet came up with a value of 13 Hyatt nights being the average for earning a free night and 22 Starwood nights to earn one free night.

The basic problem with the average number of paid nights to earn a free night methodology is any one hotel loyalty program member will have a unique set of hotels with different values than those used by NerdWallet or any other random sample.

For example: Hyatt Regency Santa Clara California for 12/30 has a room rate of $79. This Gold Passport category 2 hotel is 8,000 points for a free night.  $79 hotel rate earns 395 base points. This hotel takes 20.3 nights to earn a free night (8,000/395).

Averaging the Hyatt Miami (7.3 nights) and Hyatt Santa Clara (20.3 nights) gives 13.8 nights I need to stay at Hyatt hotels to earn a free night.  Whether this is an accurate estimate for any specific member’s hotel stay pattern is questionable, but at least this is a method for evaluating the rate at which a free night is earned in a specific hotel loyalty program and the numbers for different hotel loyalty programs can be compared to each other.

Promotions Make All the Difference

The limitation of the NerdWallet.com method shown for nights needed to earn a free night is the promotion factor is excluded. Promotions make all the difference in the ability to earn free nights with less spend.

Base points equivalent value (BPEV)

Hyatt Gold Passport Reward nights = 5 points per dollar base points earn rate.

• Hyatt category 1 = 5,000 points (equal to base points earned for $1,000 hotel spend)
• Hyatt category 2 = 8,000 points ($1,600)
• Hyatt category 3 = 12,000 points ($2,400)
• Hyatt category 4 = 15,000 points ($3,000)
• Hyatt category 5 = 18,000 points ($3,600)
• Hyatt category 6 = 22,000 points ($4,400)

Hyatt hotel rewards show how much hotel spend is needed to earn a free night using the base points earn rate as a monetary scale equivalent to a free reward night. Hotel program comparisons have used this method of comparison for several years.

Hotel loyalty member’s objective is reducing the spend amount to earn a free night.

Earning 15,000 Gold Passport points will take $3,000 in hotel spend if only 5 points per dollar are earned for all hotel stays. Ways to improve the earn rate are:

• Hyatt Gold Passport promotions
• Hyatt Gold Passport elite status for elite bonus points (Platinum = 15%; Diamond = 30%)
• Hyatt Gold Passport G bonus for specific hotel stays
• Hyatt Gold Passport Visa Credit Card

Hotel loyalty promotions are perpetual bonuses that can be maximized by planning hotel stays for that purpose.  Promotions alter the entire base points equivalent value methodology for comparing hotel loyalty programs due to the ability to earn far more than base points for hotel spend.

Evaluating promotion bonuses is not easy.

How do I compare a promotion bonus of 25,000 Hilton HHonors points after 4 hotel stays to 4x points for a 4-night stay?

How do I compare 500 bonus points per night for a three night weekend Starwood stay to Marriott Rewards free night after two stays?

Base Points Equivalent Value (BPEV)

As Loyalty Traveler I have analyzed hotel promotions for several years. One of the primary difficulties is finding an objective way to compare different hotel promotions.

I am commonly asked by hotel travelers, “What is the best promotion right now?”

Elite status, single night or multiple night stays, location are all factors to be considered. But is there a way to objectively compare the potential value of different promotions and rank them to each other?

The central idea for Base Points Equivalent Value is calculate the promotion bonus points and correlate the promotion bonus to a monetary scale using base points earn rate for the specific hotel loyalty program.

The rest of this post shows how to make these comparisons.

2011 Q1 Hotel Loyalty Promotions

I will compare Q1 2011 promotions from Marriott Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest and Hilton HHonors using BPEV methodology.

Hilton HHonors – 2x base points for two-night stays; 3x base points for three-night stays; 4x base points for four night or longer stays. No bonus points earning limit. Loyalty Traveler HHonors promotion analysis (12-28-10).

Marriott Rewards – one free night at category 1 to 4 hotel after two stays. Two free nights earning limit. Loyalty Traveler Marriott promotion analysis (12-27-10).

Starwood Preferred Guest – 2x base points + 500 points per night Thursday through Sunday nights. Loyalty Traveler SPG promotion analysis (12-15-10).

Stay Patterns (assume all hotel rates are $100 per night)

I use a hypothetical room rate of $100 per night for each hotel stay pattern to compare all programs on the same hotel spend. The base points equivalent value shown only applies to the promotion bonus and ignores the base points and elite bonus points normally earned for the hotel spend level. 

Hotel Stay Pattern 1:

1 night + 1 night + 1 night + 1 night  ($400 total hotel spend)

• Marriott = $4,000 Base Points Equivalent Value.
• SPG = $1,200 Base Points Equivalent Value
• Hilton HHonors = $0 Base Points Equivalent Value.

Hilton = 0 bonus points. There is no bonus for one night stays.

Hilton HHonors = $0 Base Points Equivalent Value.

Marriott = 2 free nights. Equivalent to 40,000 points.

Marriott = $4,000 Base Points Equivalent Value.

SPG assume all Friday and Saturday nights = 400 bonus points (double points x $400) + 2,000 bonus points (500 points per weekend night x 4 nights) = 2,400 points

SPG = $1,200 Base Points Equivalent Value

The promotion bonus for the member with four one night stays has no promotion bonus value for Hilton HHonors where the bonus only kicks in with a two night or longer hotel stay.

SPG earns 2,400 bonus points in this example which is equivalent to the points earned for $1,200 in hotel spend. SPG has a BPEV equal to $1,200 for this hotel stay pattern including four weekend nights.

Marriott Rewards earns two free nights after four stays and the BPEV is a high $4,000. A Marriott Rewards member would need to spend $4,000 to earn 40,000 points without any promotion or elite bonuses.

Hotel Stay Pattern 2: 

1 night ($100) + 1 night ($100) + 2 nights ($200) + 2 nights ($200) for $600 total hotel spend.

• Marriott = $4,000 Base Points Equivalent Value.
• Hilton = $400 Base Points Equivalent Value.
• SPG = $300 Base Points Equivalent Value.

Hilton earns no bonus points for the two 1-night stays and double points for two two-night stays.

1 night ($100) 0 bonus points + 1 night ($100) 0 bonus points + 2 nights ($200) 2,000 bonus points + 2 nights ($200) 2,000 bonus points = 4,000 bonus points.

 (0 + 0 + 2,000 + 2,000) = 4,000 bonus points.

$400 Base Points Equivalent Value.

Marriott Rewards = 2 free nights with four separate hotel stays. Spending an additional $200 over the four one-night stays earns no additional promotion bonus. Two nights for a category 4 hotel reward is equivalent to 40,000 points. $4,000 Base Points Equivalent Value.

SPG assume all Monday to Wednesday nights for SPG = 600 bonus points (double points) = $300 Base Points Equivalent Value.

SPG double base points is a low value bonus unless combined with a Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday night.  

Hotel Stay Pattern 3: 

2 nights ($200) + 2 nights ($200) + 3 nights ($300) for $700 hotel spend.

• SPG: $2,100 Base Points Equivalent Value.
• Marriott Rewards: $2,000 Base Points Equivalent Value.
• Hilton HHonors: $1,000 Base Points Equivalent Value. 

Hilton HHonors: BPEV = $1,000.

2 nights ($200) 2,000 bonus points + 2 nights ($200) 2,000 bonus points + 3 nights ($300) 6,000 bonus points = 10,000 bonus points.

Marriott Rewards: $2,000 Base Points Equivalent Value.

1 free night at category 4 hotel earned for two stays and equivalent to 20,000 points.

SPG: $2,100 Base Points Equivalent Value.

Assume all weekend nights. SPG = 700 bonus points ($700 double points) + 3,500 bonus points (7 x 500 points weekend night). 4,200 bonus points.

Hotel Stay Pattern 4: Average $200 per night room rate

3 nights ($600) +  3 nights ($600) + 4 nights ($800) + 4 nights ($800) for $2,800 hotel spend.

• Hilton HHonors: $7,200 Base Points Equivalent Value.
• Marriott Rewards: $4,000 Base Points Equivalent Value.
• SPG: $1,900 Base Points Equivalent Value.

Hilton HHonors: BPEV = $7,200.

3 nights ($600) 12,000 bonus points + 3 nights ($600) 12,000 bonus points + 4 nights ($800) 24,000 bonus points + 4 nights ($800) 24,000 points = 72,000 bonus points.

Marriott Rewards: $4,000 Base Points Equivalent Value.

2 free nights at category 4 hotels is equivalent to 40,000 points.

SPG: $1,900 Base Points Equivalent Value.

Assume Monday through Wednesday and Monday through Thursday stays.

SPG = 2,800 bonus points ($2,800 double points) + 1,000 bonus points (2 x 500 points Thursday nights) = 3,800 bonus points.

The Value of Promotion Bonus Points 

Base Points Equivalent Value is simply a scale for objective comparisons of hotel loyalty promotions, but you still need a way to compare the relative value of the bonus points earned. 

A Loyalty Traveler cardinal rule is hotel points have no value until redeemed.

Commonly used redemption valuations for hotel program points are based on a variety of models. The simplest way to value points is a comparison of hotel reward cost divided by room rate.  

For example: Hyatt Regency Miami with a $329 room rate is 12,000 points for a reward night.

1,000 Hyatt points are worth $27.42 in redemption value for this hotel night.

Repeat this calculation for thousands of hotels in a hotel loyalty program and you will likely find a range of redemption value centered around the ranges shown below. Most reward night redemptions will fall into these value ranges.

Common Redemption Value Range for 1,000 Hotel Points 

• Hilton HHonors = $3 to $7 per 1,000 points.
• Hyatt Gold Passport = $12 to $20 per 1,000 points.
• IHG Priority Club = $5 to $10 per 1,000 points.
• Marriott Rewards = $7 to $11 per 1,000 points.
• SPG = $23 to $35 per 1,000 points.  

The ability to go lower than $4 per 1,000 points is easy with Hilton where finding $100 room nights costing 50,000 points is not too difficult ($2 per 1,000 points redemption value.)

Starwood redemption opportunities in the $60 per 1,000 points range is possible when redeeming Cash & Points for a $300 room night at a category 4 hotel for $60 + 4,000 points.

4,000 points saves $240 cash and the SPG redemption value is $60 per 1,000 points. 

I can calculate the rebate value using redemption value estimates for each of the stay patterns shown previously as a function of total hotel spend.

Hotel Stay Pattern 1: Total Hotel Spend = $400 on four 1-night stays. 

Hilton HHonors = No bonus for one-night stays = $0 promotion value rebate. (0% rebate value) 

Marriott Rewards = 40,000 points bonus = $280 to $440 in rebate value. Actual value is more likely closer to $280 since free hotel nights limited to category 4 hotel reward.

$280 points redemption value/$400 hotel spend = 70% bonus points rebate value.

SPG = 2,400 bonus points = $55.20 to $84 redemption value for promotion bonus points = 14% to 21% rebate value.

Hotel Stay Pattern 2: 

Total Hotel Spend = $600 for 1 night ($100) + 1 night ($100) + 2 nights ($200) + 2 nights ($200). 

Hilton HHonors = 4,000 bonus points = $16 to 24 promotion value rebate = 3% to 4% rebate on $600 spend.

Marriott Rewards = two category 4 nights is equivalent to 40,000 bonus points.  $280 points redemption value/$600 hotel spend = 47% points rebate value on $600 hotel spend. 

SPG = 600 bonus points = $13.80 to $21 redemption value for bonus points earned from $600 in spend = 2% to 4% rebate value on $600 hotel spend.

Hotel Stay Pattern 3:

Total hotel spend = $700 with 3 stays for 2 nights ($200) + 2 nights ($200) + 3 nights ($300)

Hilton HHonors = 10,000 bonus points = $40 to $60 promotion value rebate = 4% to 6% rebate on $700 spend.

Marriott Rewards = one category 4 night is equivalent to 20,000 bonus points.  $140 points redemption value/$700 hotel spend = 20% points rebate value on $700 hotel spend.

SPG = 4,200 bonus points = $96.60 to $147 redemption value for bonus points earned from $700 in spend. 14% to 21% bonus points rebate value on $700 hotel spend.

Hotel Stay Pattern 4:

Total hotel spend = $2,800 with 4 stays for 3 nights ($600) + 3 nights ($600) + 4 nights ($800) + 4 nights ($800). 

Hilton HHonors = 72,000 bonus points = $288 to $432 promotion value rebate = 10% to 15% rebate on $2,800 spend. 

Marriott Rewards = two category 4 nights is equivalent to 40,000 bonus points.  $240 points redemption value/$2,800 hotel spend = 9% points rebate value on $2,800 hotel spend.

SPG = 3,800 bonus points = $87.40 to $133 redemption value for bonus points earned from $2,800 in spend. 2% to 5% bonus points rebate value on $2,800 hotel spend.

Conclusion:

This post shows mathematical models for evaluating hotel loyalty promotions. The hotel stay patterns I used in these examples illustrate the variability in earning promotion bonus points dependent on the specific hotel stay pattern and hotel spend. Hilton, Marriott and SPG each show the best promotion value  for at least one of the hotel stay patterns.

Determining the best hotel promotion depends on your hotel stay pattern. Comparing promotions to each other is complicated even when excluding factors like hotel brand preferences and elite status benefits.

My overall opinion of the three 2011 Q1 hotel loyalty offers from Hilton, Marriott and Starwood indicate the value of these first quarter promotions is relatively low compared to many promotions in 2010.

The hotel loyalty program member wants promotion value to be more than 20%.

For example: The free night for every two stays like Priority Club had for the end of 2010 makes a 100% promotion rebate possible. I spend $80 per night at two Holiday Inn hotels and use my free night earned for a $200 InterContinental Hotel night. My promotion bonus rebate value is equivalent to 125% of my total hotel spend. This far exceeds the 2% to 21% promotion rebate value shown for Hilton and SPG with these 2011 Q1 offers.

Free nights are high value promotions and Marriott Rewards promotion rebate value shows the high value of free nights compared to bonus points offers from SPG and Hilton.

Free night offers were uncommon prior to 2009, except for the recurring Hyatt Gold Passport free nights.

Loyalty Traveler does not expect free nights to continue at the pace they were offered these past two years, however, promotion bonuses that have less than 10% rebate value are the kinds of offers that make Expedia package deals look better than hotel loyalty programs.

Hopefully these models shown here will help readers evaluate the promotion value for your own hotel stay pattern.

The best hotel loyalty promotion for Q1 2011 really depends on your specific hotel stay pattern.

And we wait to see what Hyatt, Priority Club and Goldpoints Plus roll out for Q1 2011.

Related Post:

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2010/12/29/base-points-equivalent-value-method-for-hotel-program-comparisons/ (Dec 29, 2010)

One of the most stable aspects of the major hotel loyalty programs like Starwood Preferred Guest, Hyatt Gold Passport, IHG Priority Club, Hilton HHonors and Marriott Rewards is the rate for earning base points per US dollar in hotel spend.  

The cost of hotel reward nights changes every year for most programs, but the rate for earning base points in each hotel loyalty program has not changed in a decade.

Base Points Equivalent Value

Base points earn rate provides a stable scale specific to each hotel program. I call this scale the “Base Points Equivalent Value” or BPEV and I will show how to apply this scale for program comparisons and hotel loyalty promotion value analysis.

This first post shows how base points equivalent value correlates fairly well to the cost of hotel reward nights using points across hotel loyalty programs with the notable exception of high category Starwood Hotels being outliers.

In other words, $4,000 in hotel spend will earn sufficient base points for one free night in the highest category hotel reward in most hotel programs. The level of hotel spend to earn a free night is similar across different programs from the low to high range of hotel reward categories using base points equivalent value.

The low end category hotel rewards typically require $1,000 in hotel spend using base points equivalent value. The high-end category hotels for IHG, Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt are all in the $4,000 range.

Hotel Spend Base Points Earning Rate

Assume $100 hotel spend for one hotel room stay.

• Hilton HHonors = 10 base points per $1 = 1,000 base points
• Hyatt Gold Passport = 5 base points per $1 = 500 base points
• *InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club = 10 base points per $1 = 1,000 base points
• *Marriott Rewards = 10 base points per $1 = 1,000 base points
• Starwood Preferred Guest = 2 base points per $1 = 200 base points

* Marriott Rewards and IHG Priority Club have a lower rate of earning base points, 5 points per dollar, for stays at some of their extended stay hotel brands like Residence Inn (MR), TownePlace Suites (MR), Staybridge Suites (IHG) and Candlewood Suites (IHG). InterContinental Hotels brand earn a set 2,000 base points per stay, regardless of hotel spend.

Most hotel programs use 10 base points per $1 including Wyndham Rewards, Best Western Rewards and Choice Privileges.

SPG, Hilton and Hyatt always give a set rate of base points per dollar, regardless of hotel brand.

Hyatt Gold Passport Reward nights = 5 points per dollar base points earn rate.

• Hyatt category 1 = 5,000 points (equal to base points earned for $1,000 hotel spend)
• Hyatt category 2 = 8,000 points ($1,600)
• Hyatt Category 3 = 12,000 points ($2,400)
• Hyatt Category 4 = 15,000 points ($3,000)
• Hyatt Category 5 = 18,000 points ($3,600)
• Hyatt category 6 = 22,000 points ($4,400) 

Marriott Rewards = Earn 10 base points per dollar at all hotel brands, except 5 base points/$1 for Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites.

• Marriott category 1 = 7,500 points (equal to base points earned for $750 hotel spend)
• Marriott category 2 = 10,000 points ($1,000)
• Marriott Category 3 = 15,000 points ($1,500)
• Marriott Category 4 = 20,000 points ($2,000)
• Marriott Category 5 = 25,000 points ($2,500)
• Marriott category 6 = 30,000 points ($3,000)
• Marriott category 7 = 35,000 points ($3,500)
• Marriott category 8 = 40,000 points ($4,000)

The hotel spend values shown double in cost if all Residence Inn hotel nights.

Hilton HHonors = 10 base points per dollar for Points & Miles earners.

• Hilton HHonors category 1 = 7,500 points (equal to base points earned for $750 hotel spend)
• Hilton HHonors category 2 = 12,500 points ($1,250)
• Hilton HHonors Category 3 = 25,000 points ($2,500)
• Hilton HHonors Category 4 = 30,000 points ($3,000)
• Hilton HHonors Category 5 = 35,000 points ($3,500)
• Hilton HHonors category 6 = 40,000 points ($4,000)
• Hilton HHonors category 7 = 50,000 points ($5,000)

Hilton HHonors = 15 points/$1 for Points & Points earners (10 base points + 5 bonus points per dollar).

• Hilton HHonors category 1 = 7,500 points (equal to base points earned for $500 hotel spend)
• Hilton HHonors category 2 = 12,500 points ($833)
• Hilton HHonors Category 3 = 25,000 points ($1,667)
• Hilton HHonors Category 4 = 30,000 points ($2,000)
• Hilton HHonors Category 5 = 35,000 points ($2,333)
• Hilton HHonors category 6 = 40,000 points ($2,667)
• Hilton HHonors category 7 = 50,000 points ($3,333)

Starwood Preferred Guest = 2 base points per dollar hotel spend.

• SPG category 1 = 2,000 points (Fri/Sat = $1,000) or 3,000 points (Sun-Thu = $1,500)
• SPG category 2 = 3,000 points (Fri/Sat = $1,500) or 4,000 points (Sun-Thu = $2,000)
• SPG Category 3 = 7,000 points ($3,500)
• SPG Category 4 = 10,000 points ($5,000)
• SPG Category 5 = 12,000 points ($6,000); peak season 16,000 points ($8,000)
• SPG category 6 = 20,000 points ($10,000); peak season 25,000 points ($12,500)
• SPG category 7 = 30,000 points ($15,000); peak season 35,000 points ($17,500) 

The Starwood Preferred Guest table illustrates the common complaint about SPG with extraordinarily high redemption cost for high category hotels. The high cost of reward nights for category 5, 6 and 7 hotels are outliers among the average cost of $4,000 to $5,000 in base spend to earn a free night at the highest category hotels. The high cost of high-end hotel rewards necessitates high value promotions as an essential component for making SPG competitive to other programs.

IHG Priority Club = 10 points per dollar, except Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites 5 points/$1

• Holiday Inn / Holiday Inn Express = 10,000 points ($1,000); 15,000 points ($1,500); 25,000 points ($2,500)
• Candlewood Suites = 15,000 points ($1,500)
• Staybridge Suites = 20,000 points ($2,000)
• Crowne Plaza / Hotel Indigo = 25,000 points ($2,500)
• InterContinental Hotels = 30,000 points ($3,000) or 40,000 points ($4,000)

Base points equivalent value shown will be higher if hotel stay pattern includes Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites earning just 5 base points per dollar. IHG’s Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites make up a much smaller overall percentage of IHG hotels compared to Marriott Rewards Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites for Marriott among the hotel brands offering lower base point earn rates.

Loyalty Traveler Analysis:

The main thing to remember is the hotel spend values shown above are the maximum hotel spend needed to earn a free night for the hotel category reward. As a loyalty program member and consumer my goal is to reduce the $3,500 in hotel spend needed for a Marriott Rewards category 7 hotel reward night by as much as possible.

The two primary ways to earn points at a better rate are promotions and hotel loyalty elite status. The combination of base points from hotel spend, bonus points from loyalty promotions and bonus points for elite level membership lower the hotel spend needed for a reward night using points.

For example: I am a Starwood Preferred Guest Platinum member. Last month I stayed at the Sheraton Sunnyvale on a $79 room rate. I received $79 x 2 base points + $79 x 1 elite bonus point + 500 platinum amenity bonus points = 737 points (plus complimentary breakfast at the hotel restaurant Faz).

$79 hotel spend = 737 points without any other promotions. The cost shown in the chart above at $5,000 in hotel spend to earn a free hotel night at a category 4 Starwood Hotel is greatly reduced to just $1,075 at the rate I earned points for the Sheraton Sunnyvale hotel stay. The chart is showing hotel spend amounts using only base points equivalent value. Real travel at Starwood Hotels earns bonus points for elite status and promotions. I actually earned 9.3 points per $1 in hotel spend just for elite status.

The 2011 Q1 weekend nights promotion offers double points every night and 500 points per night for Thursday through Sunday nights. An $80 rate on a Friday night as a general SPG member earns 740 points ($80 x 2 base points/$1 + 80 bonus points (double points) + 500 points (Friday night).

SPG Platinum elite member on an $80 hotel rate earns 1,320 points ( 740 points  + 500 points platinum amenity + 80 points elite bonus).

The cost to earn a Starwood category4 hotel reward night at 10,000 points has decreased from the $5,000 base points spend level shown in the table above to just a little over $600 in Starwood hotel spend.  

Base Points Equivalent Value Hotel Reward  Category Comparisons

Hilton HHonors has the best earn rate for top end hotel reward nights of these five major hotel loyalty rewards programs. HHonors points & points earner will earn top reward category 7 hotel free night after just $3,333 in hotel spend. 

Starwood Preferred Guest category 5 hotel is a similar market segment hotel to Hilton HHonors category 7 hotel in many major cities like San Francisco where the W San Francisco is category 5 and Hilton San Francisco is category 7. Peak season SPG category 5 hotel night can take $8,000 in hotel spend to earn 16,000 points. This is more than double the hotel spend for a similar hotel market segment reward with Hilton HHonors.

The Starwood Preferred Guest member needs high value promotions to earn comparatively more bonus points with SPG to be competitive with the base points advantage the Hilton HHonors member earns with Hilton stays.

SPG is sometimes a competitive loyalty rewards program on the basis of reward nights, even for high category hotel rewards.

Promotions offering 500 to 1,000 Starpoints per night are high value offers for SPG members. 1,000 bonus SPG points is a $500 base points equivalent value compared to 1,000 bonus HHonors points being just a $100 base points equivalent value. Hilton HHonors has to offer 2,500 to 5,000 bonus points per night to match the SPG rate for the typical promotion bonus.

The Promotion Variable — How Much is this Hotel Loyalty Promotion Worth?  

Hotel loyalty programs roll out new promotion offers every few months to reward members.  25,000 points after four stays, a free night after three stays, or quadruple bonus points for Sunday stays are examples of some of the promotions this past year. 

One of the main questions I ask myself as Loyalty Traveler is “How can I compare the value of two different promotions objectively within a program like Hilton HHonors or between different programs like Starwood Preferred Guest and Marriott Rewards?”

Calculating base points earned correlated to hotel spend is much easier than calculating promotion bonus points earned based on hotel spend. There is a wide variability in promotion bonuses earned among loyalty members of the same program due to different hotel stay patterns resulting in highly variable points earning.

My next Loyalty Traveler post will compare Q1 2011 promotions from Hilton, Marriott and SPG using the base points equivalent value method and a variety of hotel stay patterns.

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2010/12/30/comparing-2011-q1-hotel-loyalty-promotions-using-base-points-equivalent-value/

Hilton HHonors 2011 first quarter promotion is “More Nights, More Points” offering bonus points for stays of two nights or more. Earn double points on two-night stays, triple points for three-night stays and quadruple points for stays of four or more nights between January 3 and March 31, 2011.

Promotion registration is required before stays count for this offer.

Hilton brands include Hilton Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn & Suites, Homewood Suites, Home2 Suites, Conrad Hotels and Waldorf Astoria Collection.

There is no earning limit on bonus points for this promotion, although there is a 100,000 base points earning limit for any single stay. So if you are planning $10,000 in eligible hotel spend, then plan to stay at least four nights at the hotel to earn the extra 300,000 bonus points along with your Diamond elite.

Hilton HHonors "More Nights, More Points" 2011 Q-1 promotion

Hilton HHonors Promotion Analysis

Double, triple and quadruple points are calculated as a multiple of 10 base points per dollar earn rate for Hilton eligible spend.

HHonors Points & Points Earning Preference

• Double Points = 25 points/$1 for two-night stays
• Triple Points = 35 points/$1 for three-night stays
• Quadruple Points = 45 points/$1 for four-night or longer stays

HHonors Points & Miles Earning Preference

• Double Points = 20 points/$1 for two-night stays
• Triple Points = 30 points/$1 for three-night stays
• Quadruple Points = 40 points/$1 for four-night or longer stays

Calculating HHonors Promotion Points

Double Points

Assume $100 per night room rate on a 2-night stay = $200 = double points.

HHonors Points & Points earns:

10 base points + 10 bonus points (2x promotion bonus) + 5 bonus points (P&P bonus) = 25 points per $1.

$200 x 25 points per dollar = 5,000 total points for this 2-night stay.

Triple Points

Assume $100 per night room rate for a 3-night stay = $300 = triple points.

HHonors Points & Points earns:

10 base points + 20 bonus points (3x promotion bonus) + 5 bonus points(P&P) = 35 points per $1

$300 x 35 points per dollar = 10,500 total points for this 3-night stay.

Quadruple Points

Assume $100 per night room rate for a 4-night stay = $400 = quadruple points.

HHonors Points & Points earns:

10 base points + 30 bonus points (3x promotion bonus) + 5 bonus points(P&P) = 45 points per $1

$400 x 45 points per dollar = 18,000 total points for this 4-night stay.

Look at HHonors “More Nights, More Points” offer in this way where the nightly rate is the same at $100 and the HHonors bonus points increase is clearly apparent for a four night stay.  Two stays at 2-nights each earn 10,000 total points compared to one stay of four nights that earns 18,000 points for the same $400 level of hotel spend.

Extended stays earn many more points although less stay credit with this offer.

Nonparticipating Hotels

Nearly 350 hotels are not participating in this Q-1 2011 promotion and most of these non-participating hotels are in the USA. The promotion page is a bit misleading when it states “Book at any of the 3,600 hotels in 82 countries (unless Hilton has grown by 350 hotels  in the past year).

http://hhonors1.hilton.com/en_US/hh/landing/excluded_hotels_q1/index.do

Hilton sure does not make it easy to locate nonparticipating hotels. The list of hotels is ordered by brand and hotel name with no geographic information. There is no information on the Hilton webpage for the city, state or country of the nonparticipating hotels for the member when trying to figure out if a hotel participates in this promotion.

Hilton Garden Inn Solomons.

Where the hell is that?

I figure this hotel is not in the Solomon Islands of the South Pacific since it is a Hilton Garden Inn, but I have no idea where this hotel might be located in the United States. I can see the hotels are ordered geographically by state, but is it really too much to ask that a geographically labeled list of excluded hotels be provided by HHonors when 10% of their global properties are excluded from this promotion offer?

And am I really going to remember to check the promotion list sorted by hotel brand and hotel name and notice the HGI Solomons before I book a promotion ineligible four-night hotel stay in Dowell, Maryland?

“The Hilton Garden Inn Solomons hotel is located on Dowell Road in historic Solomons, Maryland and 2.5 miles from the Patuxent Naval Air Station (Pax River), headquarters for the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), the Navy Test Pilot School and over 150 technology firms that support Pax River. Nearby our Solomons, MD hotel are some of the finest nature and water oriented recreational activities on the East Coast. Access to the world famous Chesapeake Bay is minutes away by boat.”

Conclusion

This is a good value Hilton HHonors promotion for the member who needs extended hotel stays and typically qualifies for elite by nights. This promotion has no bonus value for the one-night stay Hilton HHonors member.  

Loyalty Traveler Promotion Key Rank =

Hilton HHonors triple and quadruple bonus points is 4 out of 5 keys on three and four night stays;

3 keys for two night stays; and  

1 key for one night stays (no promotion bonus).

Marriott Rewards rolls out its twice yearly MegaBonus for stays from February 1 through April 30, 2011 with no Visa card payment tied to this early 2011 promotion. Marriott Rewards marketing department does not have to work too hard to roll out essentially the same promotional offer every year.

Registration is required and available from December 16, 2010 through March 31, 2011.

Various targeted offers reported on FlyerTalk:

• 2 stays = 1 free night for a category 1 to 4 hotel. Limit of two free nights earned during the promotion. Free night credit must be redeemed by September 30, 2011. (This is the most prevalent offer.)
• 20 nights = 35,000 points; 25 nights earns additional 15,000 for 50,000 points total.
• 15 nights = 25,000 points; 20 nights earns additional 15,000 for 40,000 points total.

The primary offer is one free night after every two stays with an earning limit of two free nights during the promotion period. Free nights are restricted to Marriott Rewards category 1 to 4 hotels. The positive slant on the restricted hotel categories is the vast majority of Marriott hotels are in categories 1 to 4 with over 2,800 hotel options for free nights around the world.

The major drawback of the free nights promotion is the two night limit and the fact that many major cities like San Francisco start at the category 5 level for any downtown hotels. New York takes a category 6 reward for any Manhattan property. There are plenty of properties, particularly major airports, where you can redeem a category 4 hotel night, however, you may find your options limited to the suburbs if you are planning free nights restricted to a category 4 hotel reward for a major city trip.

Loyalty Traveler MegaBonus 2011 Analysis

15 nights = 25,000 points works out to 1,667 bonus points per night. Stay 20 nights and the promotion value increases to 2,000 bonus points per night.

20 nights for 35,000 points works out to 1,750 bonus points per night. Stay 25 nights and the promotion value increases to 2,000 bonus points per night.

These two night-based MegaBonus offers are similar. The more difficult analysis is the value of one free night after two stays. A hotel stay can be one night or an extended stay of multiple nights.

Loyalty Traveler Encyclopedia - Stays vs. Nights for Hotel Promotions

Two 1-night stays at Marriott brand hotels earn one free night for a category 4 Marriott Rewards hotel. The value of the free night is 20,000 points.

The cost to earn the free night is two paid stays which in this example is considered the minimum of two paid 1-night stays.

Two stays (two nights) = 20,000 points free night value.

Marriott Rewards MegaBonus promotion value = 10,000 points per stay (night). The free night offer has the potential to be 10,000 bonus points per paid night value compared to just 2,000 bonus points per paid night value on the 20 or 25 night MegaBonus offers.

This value decreases when you have extended paid stays to qualify for the free night. Assume you stay 4 nights for one paid stay and three nights for the second paid stay to earn one free night.

• Two stays = 7 nights = one free reward night.
• 7 nights = 20,000 points free night value.

The MegaBonus promotion value is now only 2,857 bonus points per night. This is still higher than the per night bonus for 20 or 25 nights offers, but far less than the 10,000 bonus points value per night offer when earning a free night through two 1-night stays.

MegaBonus is a high value offer for two free nights for Marriott Rewards members who do not use Marriott as their primary hotel program. 2,000 bonus points per night is a decent return if you are a loyal Marriott Rewards member, although 20 to 25 nights in a three month period is a high threshold geared for the Marriott Platinum member staying 80 to 100 nights a year.

Most Marriott Rewards members will likely get better value from the two free nights offer. And unlike Priority Club’s free night offers, you still earn Marriott Rewards base and elite points while earning free nights with Marriott MegaBonus.

Related Loyalty Traveler Post: Instant Marriott Gold Elite Air China offer (Nov 22, 2010)

Note: Air China instant Marriott Rewards Gold offer requires 12 nights between Dec 27 and March 31, 2011 to maintain Gold elite through February 2012.

There is also an HSBC credit card offer that requires just 8 nights to retain Gold elite, however, the terms for the HSBC offer have been amended since this offer was widely reported on a variety of blogs and now includes the terms:

“Offer is valid for HSBC Premier China customers with a China residential / business address.”

The Air China fast-track for Marriott Rewards Gold elite still appears available to any Air China Phoenix Miles member regardless of location and may be the more reliable offer for someone truly interested in maintaining Marriott Rewards Gold elite through 2011.

Related Loyalty Traveler post: Marriott MegaMiles Feb 1 – April 30, 2011 (Triple miles)

California has had some rain clouds this week. Even on stormy days there is usually a bright spot or two.

Getty Museum Los Angeles

Speaking of bright spots. Take a look at the growth of BoardingArea.com readers this past month as shown on Compete.com website traffic analytics.

BoardingArea.com tops 123,000 unique visitors for November 2010

My holiday gift will be a new camera from the BoardingArea.com ad revenue.

At this rate I might even be able to travel outside the USA again in 2011.

Thanks to all the bloggers and all the readers. Together we create one of the finest travel resources on the web.

Hilton Worldwide settled the two year old trade-secrets case brought by Starwood Hotels. In June 2008 two former Starwood luxury brand executives became Hilton executives. The job move included taking thousands of W Hotels proprietary documents in an effort to fast-track the launch of Denizen Hotels, a Hilton luxury boutique brand modeled after W Hotels lifestyle brand success.

The Cosmopolitan Hotel Las Vegas, finally opened last week, was the hotel project announced in March 2009 to become the first Hilton Denizen Hotel. Starwood filed an April 2009 lawsuit accusing Hilton of corporate espionage by using Starwood brand development materials taken by Klein and Lalvani to fast-track the new Denizen hotel brand. The court issued an injunction in April 2009 against Hilton to cease development of the Denizen boutique brand.

Ross Klein and Amar Lalvani were the named Starwood executives in the center of this trade-secrets corporate theft case when their move from Starwood to Hilton in 2008 included transferring over 100,000 documents related to Starwood W Hotels development to their new employer Hilton.

Ross Klein had been President of Starwood’s Luxury Brands Group when he changed employer in June 2008 after five years with Starwood Hotels to become Hilton’s Global Head of Luxury & Lifestyle Brands. Klein had been the creative lead for the division that launched Starwood’s aloft hotels.

Amar Lalvani had been Starwood’s Senior Vice President responsible for development of Starwood’s luxury brands. Lalvani also served as global head of W Hotels development. Lalvani’s title at Hilton was Global Head of Luxury & Lifestyle Brand Development. Prior to Starwood Lalvani worked as an associate in the Blackstone Group’s Mergers & Acquisitions.

Hilton Worldwide was purchased by Blackstone Group in July 2007 for $26 billion dollars.

Hilton Settlement Deal

• Hilton makes $75 million cash payment to Starwood.
• Starwood is entitled to another $75 million in hotel management contracts.
• Hilton is subject to an injunction on introducing a lifestyle hotel brand before January 2013.

Sources: New York Times – Hilton and Starwood Settle Dispute (Dec 22, 2010)

Los Angeles Times – Hilton Settles with Starwood in Trade-Secrets Case (Dec 24, 2010)

Las Vegas Sun – New Hilton Brand Expected to Replace Cosmopolitan (Mar 11, 2009)

Hotel-Online.com – Hilton Hotels Makes Significant New Executive Appointments; Two Former Starwood Execs, Ross Klein and Amar Lalvani, Join Hilton to Advance its Goal of Developing a Presence in the Luxury and Lifestyle Sectors (June 2, 2008)

The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas might have been The Denizen by Hilton

Mandarin Oriental is a small luxury hotel chain with fewer than 30 branded hotels worldwide.  The hotel brand is planning to grow by 50% over the next few years with hotel projects currently in development. There are six Mandarin Oriental hotels in the U.S. and one in Bermuda and one in Riviera Maya Mexico.

Link: Global Mandarin Oriental hotel locations.

Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas is one of three hotels in the MGM/Dubai World $9 billion dollar CityCenter project on the Las Vegas Strip between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo casino resorts. Aria Resort & Casino is the focal point of CityCenter and the only hotel of the three with a casino. Vdara is a mixed-use hotel and residential building located adjacent to the Cosmopolitan, the newest Las Vegas casino resort opened December 15, 2010, although a separate property from the CityCenter complex.

Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas opened one year ago in December 2009 with the CityCenter Las Vegas grand opening. Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas at CityCenter is a 539-ft building. The building is 47 stories, with the hotel in the lower 23 floors containing 392 guest rooms and suites.

The 23^rd floor is the top Sky Lobby hotel floor at the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas. 

The lobby reception desk on the 23^rd floor is also the concierge desk on the right end. The lobby is a bright space in day with large windows letting in the Vegas sunny sky and a dimly lit space at night with great views north along the Las Vegas Strip and City Center building lights and sights.

Sky Lobby 23rd floor - photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

The reception desk, lobby seating, Mandarin Bar and Twist restaurant are located at the Sky Lobby. The 3^rd floor holds the hotel conference center wing and the all-day restaurant MOzen. 

The hotel ground floor lobby entrance has elevators giving access only to the 3rd floor and 23^rd floor Sky Lobby.

MOzen Bistro - photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas elevators have a cushioned bench.

Eating and Drinking at the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

Tea Lounge: The lobby lounge area seating offers a high tea service daily in the afternoon from 2:30 to 5 pm. 

MOzen is seemingly Mandarin Oriental zen, although I like the American twist for mo’ zen in a BustaRhymes  gimme some mo’ word way to have ‘more zen’ all-day dining restaurant. Prices are high with oatmeal breakfast in double digits and breakfast plate around $30.

Mandarin Bar is currently only open evenings with 5pm to 1am hours or 2am Friday and Saturday. The view from Mandarin Bar is one of the best publicly accessible views in Las Vegas. One drink is worth the cost of admission if a good window seat is available. Think $20 to $30 for each set of drinks for a couple.

Mandarin Bar - photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

I lounged for about an hour in a chair by the picture windows looking out to Planet Hollywood and Paris Las Vegas. Great bar snack crunchies of three varieties including wasabi nuts came with the beer. $12 poorer upon departure. Cool feature for CityCenter hotels is charges for Aria and Vdara bar and dining can be direct billed to Mandarin Oriental hotel bill and same for guests of those hotels.

Mandarin Bar - The Edge - photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

Twist is evening fine dining on the 23^rd floor of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas. The cuisine is fusion, creative, and around $50 per entrée.

Twist by Pierre Gagnaire - photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

Large Windows on 23^rd floor define Mandarin Bar and top of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas Hotel. Higher floors are Mandarin Oriental residences.

Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas - photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

Sky Lobby and Mandarin Bar are left window bank and Twist is right window bank on 23^rd floor.

Arrival at Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

Mandarin Oriental is a luxury hotel with prices in the luxury range for everything except the room rates. Room rates under $200 per night, particularly with a flight inclusive travel package through sites like Expedia and Orbitz make Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas one of the lowest priced Mandarin Oriental hotels in the world.

Parking is valet only and $30 for overnight at the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas. The hotel entrance is on Las Vegas Boulevard just past the City Center entrance. You can save $30 parking fee if you take the CityCenter entrance and self-park at Aria Casino and walk to the Mandarin Oriental hotel.

Aria Resort & Casino has free self-parking and takes a five minute walk to Mandarin Oriental from the Aria self-park garage casino entrance using the outdoor sidewalk in the CityCenter complex.

By the large colorful typewriter eraser art sculpture is a flight of stairs from the sidewalk to the entry level of Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Alternative to the stairs is a sidewalk escalator by the pedestrian overpass and at the bottom of the escalators is the world’s slowest 3-ft. elevator ride from the CityCenter sidewalk down to the Mandarin Oriental driveway.

CityCenter sidewalks in front of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

CityCenter pedestrian overpass and road to Aria self-park or Aria hotel entrance.

The Aria garage is at the left side of the Aria Hotel in the background. The Mandarin Oriental is to the left of the pedestrian overpass.

Mandarin Oriental and CityCenter - photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

The Lower Lobby

Lower Lobby - photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas has a small ground level lobby with seating area, staff desk and elevators to the 23^rd floor main reception desk in the Sky Lobby.

Sky Lobby – 23^rd floor Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

The hotel guest is greeted with this image when the elevator opens to the Sky Lobby.

Sky Lobby Elevator Opens to View - photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas  CityScape Room

Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas requires two sets of elevators to go from the entrance to guest rooms. A separate set of elevators takes guests from Floor 23 Sky Lobby level down to lower floor guest rooms within the hotel. Key card access is required for hotel elevators to guest rooms.

Hotel guest room floors are 4 through 22. There is no floor 13. Spa, fitness rooms and pools are accessed on Floor 8.

I stayed in room 1124 on the 11^th floor booked in a King CityScape room basic room on a higher floor. 

Link to Mandarin Oriental hotel room and suite categories.

CityScape Room - photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

Here are my photos of this room with a different orientation in the hotel. 

Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas PR image for CityScape room differs from my image in that the sliding doors on the bathroom wall panel reveals the robed woman and conceals the glass bath wall from the bedroom when opened.

The TV shows the electronic master controls available for room lighting and entertainment using the TV remote. These are same electronic controls found in Aria Resort with wall switches, TV master remote and a nightstand remote pad.

The nightstand remote pad was not working properly in my Mandarin Oriental room. Actually, the remote may have worked, but the screen was too dim to read icon options. I reported the dim nightstand screen twice and I was told to contact them again if I couldn’t figure out how to make the screen brighter.

Hey, I had already pushed every button on the gadget to no effect. I used the TV remote for my stay. The remote system ran a little more smoothly than at Aria room.

Weirdest thing about the hotel is my hotel room in this building had the distinction of providing the worst access I’ve ever had in the USA to Verizon Wireless. Mandarin Bar was much better than my room.

Internet access at Mandarin Oriental is $18 per day.  

In contrast to the high tech room electronics was the old fashioned tub with bath salts for a relaxing soak.

A small TV and vanity mirror are on left side of counter. Aromatic sandalwood soaps are provided. I like the smell. My wife, the soap purist, thinks the Aromatherapy Associates soap makes her skin too dry.

Shower marble and tile

My pictures do not give the room justice. Furnishings were all high quality. The bed was quite comfortable for me and my preferences. Funny thing is I commented on the Aria hotel bed being too soft for me in my Loyalty Traveler review and a highly detailed review I read of the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas complained the bed was too hard.

To each his/her own.

Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas 10-minute video walkthrough

HeWhoTravels (Ether on FlyerTalk) has a FlyerTalk post describing the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas in far more detail than I will here. He also posted an excellent January 2010 edited 10-minute YouTube video with musical soundtrack. The video opens with views of CityCenter from the pedestrian bridge and a walk-through of the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas with detailed views of a Premier Room. All the features of the premier room are the same as the CityScape room I stayed except for my lower category room did not have a sink by the toilet and the Premier room video shows an extra chair with footstool and small table.

My initial thought was being thankful I had stayed in Aria Resort the week before this stay since I probably would have been less favorable to Aria if I had stayed in the Mandarin Oriental hotel room first. I always prefer to finish my stay with the top of the line hotel when hotel hopping in a city.

Mandarin Oriental 8^th Floor Lap Pools and Spa Tubs

Every staff member at the hotel told me the pools were closed for the winter, except for the guy who actually works at the fitness center in front of the pool doors. He said pool hours were 9am to 5pm.

Pool deck - photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

The pool area was lovely in the 65 degree weather of December. Odd everyone kept saying it was closed.

Spots on the pool deck showed cement bubbling and cracking from the intense desert sun and those 14 hour days of summer heat. 

View of south lap pool from room 1124

View from Mandarin Oriental room 1124 of hotel’s north lap pool and Aria Resort & Casino in background.

North pool view across CityCenter. Hot tub is located at far end of this pool near patio windows.

Light and Dark

Light plays an important role in the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas experience.

Subtle hall lighting creates light space design in Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas.

Hallway overhead lighting gives multiple color effects.

Hallway wall mounted light fixture at Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas.

Elevators to hall in Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas.

Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas Building

The building itself is a beautiful structure designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox. Their KPF.com architectural firm website has several nice photos of the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas hotel property.

The windows and metal frame reflect a variety of colors as the day evolves.

Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas in morning light.

Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas mid-day.

Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas afternoon sunlight.

Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas in sunset light.

Dusk - photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

view of Las Vegas Strip looking north - photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

CityCenter Night - photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

Mandarin Oriental hotels are outside my normal realm of loyalty travel. The opportunity to stay at the AAA 5-diamond Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas hotel came at an incredible bargain of $12 for one night in a CityScape King room for an Expedia.ca Air + Hotel travel package with airfare included on US Airways from San Francisco to Las Vegas.  Here is my Loyalty Traveler November 20, 2010 post on this special 48 hour Expedia Canada opportunity for incredible Las Vegas hotel deals that put me in CityCenter Las Vegas for three nights at the Aria Resort and Mandarin Oriental in December 2010 on two separate trips from California for under $100 all-in, including airfare.

Related Posts:

Betting on Expedia.ca for a Vegas Suite Deal (Nov 20, 2010) [This post tells how I bought my flight to Las Vegas and an upgraded room at the Mandarin Oriental for $12.]

CityCenter Las Vegas – Art, Architecture and Space (Dec 16, 2010)

Hotel Detail – Aria Resort and Casino Las Vegas in HD (Dec 11, 2010)

Aria Resort Las Vegas – Pools, Spa and Dining (Dec 12, 2010)

Aria Resort Corner Suite and SkySuites (Dec 18, 2010) 

Aria Resort Las Vegas SkyVilla 19 (Dec 19, 2010)

Vdara Hotel, CityCenter Las Vegas (Dec 19, 2010)

Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas (Dec 23, 2010)

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas (Dec 21, 2010) (The Cosmopolitan is next to Vdara Hotel, but not part of CityCenter complex. The Cosmopolitan is a Marriott Autograph Collection Hotel.)

Marriott Rewards is extending its elite rollover nights benefit into a third year with 2011. Marriott extends the policy begun in 2009 allowing all nights over the minimum elite qualification requirement to carry over for the following year as elite status nights. Marriott announced the 2011 extension of Elite Rollover Nights on its Marriott Insiders forum and FlyerTalk.

Marriott Rewards Silver requires 10 paid eligible nights in a calendar year, Gold is 50 nights and Platinum is 75 nights. These are the toughest standards for elite among the major hotel industry loyalty programs.

Elite rollover makes Marriott Rewards elite requalification a much easier task and places Marriott Rewards elite attainability on par with other hotel loyalty programs.

How Elite Rollover Works

Assume the Marriott Rewards member stayed 36 eligible paid nights in 2010 at Marriott brand hotels.  36 nights is 26 nights over Silver elite requirement of 10 nights and 14 nights short of Gold elite.

Elite rollover carries the extra 26 nights the member stayed over the 10 nights Silver elite threshold to the 2011 calendar year.

The Marriott Rewards member starts 2011 with 26 elite nights. Elite rollover nights from 2010 automatically qualify the member for 2012 Marriott Rewards Silver elite. The member needs just 24 nights in 2011 to qualify for Marriott Rewards Gold elite in 2012. Elite rollover reduces the Gold elite threshold for this sample member from 50 nights to just 24 nights in 2011.

Marriott Rewards credit card elite boost

Marriott Rewards Signature Visa credit card offers 10 elite qualifying nights annually with membership. Marriott Rewards Premier Visa offers 15 elite nights annually.

Sign up in 2011 for the Visa card and the member described above with 26 rollover nights elite credit for 2011 increases to 36 or 41 nights with the credit card elite nights. This Marriott Rewards member only needs 9 or 14 nights in all of 2011 rather than 50 nights to qualify for Marriott Rewards Gold elite for the 2012 calendar year.

This same elite rollover scenario now plays out for the 2011 calendar year with the recent announcement of 2011 elite rollover nights. Members can lock in 2013 elite status by planning Marriott Rewards hotel stays strategically in 2011.

Elite rollover makes Marriott Rewards one of the easier programs to earn elite status for loyal guests.

Elite Rollover Incentivizes Member Hotel Stays

The advantage of elite rollover for Marriott Hotels is a Marriott Rewards member incentive to stay more than the minimum nights for an elite qualifying level.

Many loyalty members move their hotel stays to another program once the desired elite status level is reached. For example, after 25 stays at Starwood Hotels in 2010, a member earns one extra Starpoint per dollar in spend through a current SPG promotion. Some members prefer to earn promotion bonuses like a free night after every two stays with Priority Club or perhaps elite status with another hotel program rather than stick with Starwood Hotels for stays at the end of the year once top level SPG Platinum elite status has been earned for 2011.

Marriott Elite Rollover incentivizes the Marriott Rewards member to keep staying with Marriott brand hotels in 2010 since all nights over the elite threshold rollover for a head start on 2011 qualification for 2012 calendar year elite status with Marriott Rewards. Marriott Rewards elite rollover in 2011 will keep some members locked into Marriott Rewards through 2013 for easy elite.

Marriott Rewards is the lone hotel loyalty program offering an elite rollover incentive. After three consecutive years of elite rollover, time will tell if 2011 is the last calendar year Marriott offers this unique loyalty program feature. The hotel economy is predicted to improve greatly in 2011.

And will any other hotel loyalty program follow Marriott’s lead with its own elite rollover promotion?

JW Marriott San Francisco

Gary Leff is giving away 44,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points on his View from the Wing blog. Here is his sweepstakes entry post for the Saturday, December 25 giveaway. Enter by noon EST Dec 25 for a chance to win enough points for two free nights at a top level category 6 Hyatt Hotel worldwide.

44,000 points for three category 3 nights at 12,000 points each and 1 night at a category 2 hotel for 8,000 points gives lots of options. 

Settle for free nights at a category 1 hotel  and 44,000 points will be just short of 45,000 points needed for 9 free nights. 

Hyatt Regency San Francisco atrium

The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas is part of the Marriott Autograph Collection of independently branded hotels. Marriott won the musical chairs game in branding the Cosmopolitan for its Marriott Rewards members.

The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas could have been a Grand Hyatt. That was the plan reported in the Las Vegas Sun April 6, 2005 when the Cosmopolitan Resort and Casino was scheduled for an early 2008 opening. Hyatt pulled out of the project.

Then the Cosmopolitan was reported to become the first representative of Hilton’s new Denizen hotel brand. Months after Deutsche Bank foreclosed on the Cosmopolitan project in 2008, the news broke in March 2009 that Hilton would rebrand the hotel-casino project.

Denizen Hotels never got off the ground due to legal troubles brought from an April 2009 corporate espionage lawsuit by Starwood Hotels claiming Mr. Ross Klein, former president of Starwood’s luxury brands group  took proprietary Starwood Hotel plans to Hilton Hotels Corporation when he became head of Hilton’s luxury and lifestyle brands and launched the Denizen brand project in amazingly short time.  USA Today story of Denizen. Lawsuit puts Denizen brand on hold - Hotel World Network (April 17, 2009). Mr. Klein was suspended from his position and the Denizen hotel brand was shelved by Hilton.

Finally in August 2010 Marriott Hotels penned an agreement with the Cosmopolitan to brand the hotel in the Autograph Collection of independent properties.

Identity – The Cosmopolitan loyalty program

No wonder the Cosmopolitan came up with the name “Identity” for its gaming rewards program. The hotel also participates in Marriott Rewards, so there is confusion with two hotel loyalty programs competing for guests.

Marriott Rewards members earn 10 points per dollar at the Cosmopolitan just like other full service Marriott Rewards hotels. The Cosmopolitan is a Marriott Rewards category 7 hotel reward at 35,000 points for a free night. FlyerTalk members report there is a Marriott Rewards representative at the hotel working with the Cosmopolitan to integrate loyalty benefits for its Marriott Rewards members.

Identity may be the preferable rewards program for guests more interested in the Cosmopolitan property than Marriott Hotels in general. Identity members receive 10 points per $1 for hotel room rate and a free night after 8 nights at the Cosmopolitan. Assume $200 per night average room rate and you earn a free night after just $1,600 in hotel spend. Use your free night on a weekend for best value.

Marriott Rewards requires $3,500 in base spend to earn a free night, although elite members and promotion bonuses may reduce that hotel spend amount significantly.

The big advantage of Identity is for gamblers.

Earning Identity Points

Identity Points reside in a member’s personal account and are based on the amount of dollars either spent or wagered.

Identity Points can be earned by members as follows:

· 10 points for every $1 spent on room or suite accommodations

· 10 points for every $4 of other resort spending (e.g., restaurants, spa, selected retail)

· 10 points for every $15 wagered on reel/video reel slot

· 10 points for every $50 wagered on video poker

· 10 points for every $100 wagered on table games (approximate – varies by game type)

· Identity members who book their hotel stay through a third-party partner or online travel agency will receive a flat amount of 1,000 points per night of accommodations, in addition to points earned on their other expenditures.

Identity points may be used for room upgrades. 

FlyerTalk member Cova provides a detailed description of the Identity loyalty program and membership tier benefits with qualifications.

The Rooms at the Cosmopolitan

The vibrant blue of the couch, contemporary art and open space  bathrooms are modern decor for guests. The type of guest being marketed by the Cosmopolitan is a little difficult to ascertain from this 60-second TV spot.

The Cosmopolitan appears to be a pet-friendly hotel!

Cosmopolitan Las Vegas One Bedroom Terrace Suite (photo courtesy of The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas)

The club scene of the Cosmopolitan with the Bond Bar located right on Las Vegas Boulevard and the upstairs Marquee nightclub extending right out to the adults pool area with eight elevated clear glass hot tubs is the kind of place you lounge with a martini, but not in solitary comfort. The Cosmopolitan  is designed for partying, playing, dancing, dining and viewing Las Vegas from your room terrace. The Cosmopolitan is designed for people to hang out.

There is gambling too at The Cosmopolitan.

The Cosmopolitan is the last major new casino and hotel planned for Las Vegas over the next three to five years. Rates in the $200 to $300 range for the lowest category rooms over most of the next few months is a bold move in this economy.

One of the unique features of The Cosmopolitan is 70% of the nearly 3,000 hotel rooms have terrace balconies. No other major casino resort on the Las Vegas Strip offers terrace room balconies in regular hotel rooms.

Currently the lowest rates over the next several months are $135 for a Studio Terrace on January 2 and 3. You can book a Terrace Suite on these dates ($235) for less than the price of a Studio Terrace on most weekends (Studio Terrace $260 Friday Jan 28; Terrace Suite $410) for the next three months .

The rooms at The Cosmopolitan add 1.5% more rooms to Las Vegas. My gut feeling is room rates over the next few months will drop to the $120 to $150 range from their current $160 to $200 average. The Cosmopolitan will be a good indicator hotel to watch for rate fluctuation settling somewhere more specific in the Aria to Encore to Mandarin Oriental price range.

Pre-Opening Press Tour Tuesday, Dec 14

The pre-opening press tour did not permit photography inside the hotel. This Loyalty Traveler post has links to websites showing photos and videos of  The Cosmopolitan. YouTube video links uploaded by The Cosmopolitan show room tours. Room photos posted here were received from The Cosmopolitan hotel PR department.

There are five basic room types at The Cosmopolitan:

• Terrace Studio (620 sq. ft. + 110 sq. ft. terrace – kitchenette with microwave and refrigerator)
• City Room (460 sq. ft. studio with two queen beds – no terrace)
• Terrace One Bedroom (610 sq. ft. + 110 sq. ft. terrace – Japanese square soaking tub; kitchenette with stove, microwave and refrigerator)
• Terrace Suite (910 sq. ft. + 160 sq. ft. terrace – two bathrooms with master bath spa tub )
• Wraparound Terrace Suite (1,200 sq. ft. + 480 sq. ft. terrace - in-suite washer/dryer )
• Terrace Studio Premium View, Terrace One Bedroom Premium View and Terrace One Bedroom Plus with oversize terrace are better locations for these hotel room categories; likely a  Bellagio Fountain view.

The Cosmopolitan Room Data - source: The Cosmopolitan Fact Sheet pdf press release

The two Cosmopolitan tower buildings are about 600 ft. tall. The floor numbering is creative just like at Aria Resort where floors 40-49 do not exist.  The Cosmopolitan is confusing too with guest floors starting at 15 and no room floors in the 40s.

How to fit 75 floors in a 603 ft. tower?

Las Vegas has creative floor numbering.  My memory recalls 75 as the top floor elevator button in the east tower of the Cosmopolitan. I read a review by a person who stayed on the 68th floor last week. So how does a hotel not built for hobbits get 75 floors in a 603 ft. building?

I noticed during my stay at the Aria Resort that no elevators had buttons for floors 40 to 49 in the 59 floor tower. I asked several employees about the missing floors. Nobody simply explained that no floors in the 40s exist in the hotel. The floor numbering goes directly from 39 to 50. The 59th floor penthouse is actually a 49th floor location.

Wikipedia lists the tallest buildings in Las Vegas. Aria Resort at City Center is 600 ft. and 50 floors. The Cosmopolitan East Tower I toured last week is listed at 603 ft. and 51 floors. Check out the elevator numbers when you are going up the tower. There must be a lot of missing floor numbers between the Promenade restaurant level and the 75th top floor.

The reason cited for no floors in the 40s is an association with bad luck/death in Asian cultures. Others think it is just a way to make Las Vegas hotels appear taller to hotel guests than they actually are. Encore, Wynn and Palms Place also do not have room floors in the 40s.

Room Photos

The Cosmopolitan Terrace Studio

Terrace Studio Living Room-Bedroom (photo courtesy of LV Cosmopolitan)

Terrace Studio Bathroom (photo courtesy of LV Cosmopolitan)

Terrace Studio Bed (photo courtesy of LV Cosmopolitan)

Video: The Cosmopolitan Terrace Studio (YouTube 33 sec)

The Cosmopolitan City Room

The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas City Room (photo courtesy of the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas)

The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas City Room beds

The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas - City Room Shower

Video: The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas City Room (YouTube – 21 sec)

The Cosmopolitan  – Terrace One Bedroom

The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas - Terrace One Bedroom

The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas - Terrace One Bedroom

Video: The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas = Terrace One Bedroom (YouTube – 27 sec.)

The Cosmopolitan - Terrace Suite

The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas Terrace Suite

The Cosmopolitan Terrace Suite living room

Video: The Cosmopolitan – Terrace Suite (YouTube – 49 sec.)

The Cosmopolitan Wraparound Terrace Suite

The Cosmopolitan - WrapAround Terrace Suite

The Cosmopolitan Wraparound Terrace Suite living room

The Cosmopolitan - Wraparound Terrace Suite bedroom

Video: The Cosmopolitan Wraparound Terrace Suite (YouTube – 1:03)

This Loyalty Traveler Dec 14 post shows the room view from a wraparound terrace suite on the 58th floor of the east tower.

Blog.Vegas.com has a gallery of photos of the lobby floors of the hotel and the central focal point of the hotel-casino Chandelier.

Related Posts:

Betting on Expedia.ca for a Vegas Suite Deal (Nov 20, 2010) [This post tells how I bought my flight to Las Vegas and an upgraded room at the Mandarin Oriental for $12.]

CityCenter Las Vegas – Art, Architecture and Space (Dec 16, 2010)

Hotel Detail – Aria Resort and Casino Las Vegas in HD (Dec 11, 2010)

Aria Resort Las Vegas – Pools, Spa and Dining (Dec 12, 2010)

Aria Resort Corner Suite and SkySuites (Dec 18, 2010) 

Aria Resort Las Vegas SkyVilla 19 (Dec 19, 2010)

Vdara Hotel, CityCenter Las Vegas (Dec 19, 2010)

Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas (Dec 23, 2010)

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas (Dec 21, 2010) (The Cosmopolitan is next to Vdara Hotel, but not part of CityCenter complex. The Cosmopolitan is a Marriott Autograph Collection Hotel.)