17
Aug
The world’s tallest hotel is scheduled to open March 2011 when the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong takes residence in the 102 to 118 floors of the International Commerce Center. This picturesque panorama taken from the ICC observation deck on the 100th floor is still 200 feet below the level of the spa facility on the 116th floor of the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong.
The Extended Stay segment is the last of the hotel market segments covered in the JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study. These are apartment style rooms generally with a kitchen and dining table and usually one or two bedrooms, although studios and three-bedroom facilities are available in some locations. This is the territory of business folk sequestered away in a remote work site for weeks or months.
These hotel accommodations are also a good alternative to Embassy Suites for families seeking a cheap hotel location with plenty of room. Weekend rates at extended stay hotels are typically about 50% of the weekday rates when business travelers are filling rooms. The drawback is these hotels are usually near business parks and may require a drive to get to markets and shopping malls.
The advantage of extended stay locations include the ability to save big on food expenses by grocery shopping and cooking at the hotel rather than dining out frequently. Some extended stay hotel properties even have outdoor barbeque grill facilities.
Another common feature of extended stay hotels are recreational facilities for games like basketball courts, volleyball courts, tennis courts, pools, ping-pong tables and pool tables. Some or none of these facilities may be present at any specific location. Check with the hotel. My general observation though when visiting extended stay properties is at least a couple of sports areas are available to enhance the social atmosphere of a property where some guests are on site for several consecutive weeks.
The main drawback as a hotel loyalty program member when staying at extended stay properties is the lower earning tier typically applied.
Priority Club Rewards only earns points at 5 points per $1 spend when staying at Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites. This is 50% earning rate compared to Holiday Inn Express at 10 points per $1.
Marriott Rewards members also earn points at only 50% rate for stays in Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites. Marriott’s extended stay brands earn points at the rate of 5 points per $1 spend whereas all other brands earn 10 points per $1.
Hilton HHonors members earn full points credit when staying at Homewood Suites, however, members choosing fixed miles only earn 100 miles per stay with most airlines and several international airlines do not earn any miles for Homewood Suites stays.
JD Power 2010 Extended Stay Segment Satisfaction Index
Sources:
JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study press release
JD Power 2010 Extended Stay Hotel Market Segment Full Ratings Report
JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Market Segment Ratings
There are only seven hotel brands rated in the JD Power Extended Stay Market Segment.
The study indicates Hyatt Summerfield Suites, Hawthorn Suites (Wyndham), MainStay Suites (Choice), and Studio 6 (Accor) have too few hotels to rate in the index.
Extended Stay Hotel Brands by Number of Hotels
Residence Inn (Marriott Rewards) = 589 hotels (June 18, 2010). Residence Inn locations.
Extended StayAmerica = 363 hotels in U.S. and Canada. Locations. Extended Stay Deluxe brand includes another 109 hotels.
Candlewood Suites (IHG Priority Club) = 273 hotels in North America. Candlewood Suites locations.
Homewood Suites (Hilton HHonors) = 230 hotels. Homewood Suites e-directory.
TownePlace Suites (Marriott Rewards) = 190 hotels (June 18, 2010). TownePlace Suites locations.
Staybridge Suites (IHG Priority Club) = 180 hotels (June 30, 2010). Staybridge Suites hotel locations.
Homestead Studio Suites = 132 hotels in U.S. and Canada. Locations.
These Extended Stay hotel brands were too small for JD Power ratings.
Hawthorn Suites (Wyndham Rewards) = 77 hotels in U.S. Hawthorn Suites locations.
Suburban Extended Stay (Choice Privileges) = 63 hotels in U.S.
Studio 6 (Accor) = 62 hotels in U.S. and Canada. Studio 6 locations.
MainStay Suites (Choice Privileges) = 36 hotels in U.S.
Hyatt Summerfield Suites (Hyatt Gold Passport) = 35 hotels. Hyatt Summerfield Suites locations.
Homestead Studio Suites and Extended Stay America are hotel brands under the same parent company – Extended Stay Hotels. Extended Stay Hotels does not operate a points-based hotel loyalty program. The company has a direct marketing approach to hotel loyalty. Get $10 off your next stay just by signing up to receive email discount offers and promotions for the hotel brands in the 700+ hotel chain Extended Stay Hotels.
Related Loyalty Traveler posts on JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study
Overview JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study (Aug 10)
Comments on JD Power 2010 Luxury Hotel Satisfaction Index (Aug 11)
Comments on JD Power 2010 Upscale Hotel Satisfaction Index (Aug 11)
Comments on JD Power 2010 Midscale Full Service Hotel Satisfaction Index (Aug 13)
Comments on JD Power 2010 Midscale Limited Service Hotels Satisfaction Index (Aug 15)
Comments on JD Power 2010 Economy/Budget Hotel Satisfaction ratings (Aug 16)
Mini-Golf at Staybridge Suites Sunnyvale, California
Baggage fees are the top complaint about airlines these days according to a June 2010 Consumer Reports survey. IHG has a “Check it Free” offer for U.S. residents only to reimburse the airline baggage fee for your first checked bag when staying at least two weekend nights (Fri-Sat-Sun) from September 1 through December 30, 2010 at any IHG hotel worldwide in conjunction with a flight.
Terms:
Check It Free with IHG
The primary restriction for this promotion is the date of your inbound or outbound flight must occur within three days in conjunction to the hotel stay. And of course, you must pay for your hotel stay with Visa. Visa payment is not required for the airline ticket or baggage fee payment.
There is substantial fine print to understand the details of the offer. The original terms from the IHG site are shown below with some bold-face print inserted by me for key sections.
Rebate Requirements
Booking through IHG.com or hotel
Booking through a 3rd party site (ie. Travelocity or Expedia)
Terms & Conditions:
For baggage fee rebate, must book at any IHG brand hotel worldwide on or after August 16, 2010 and stay between September 1 – December 30, 2010. Open to residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who have attained the age of majority in the jurisdiction of their residence.
One reward (IHG Visa® Prepaid Card) will be awarded on every qualifying two-night weekend stay booked on or after August 16, 2010 at participating InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Hotel Indigo®, Holiday Inn®, Holiday Inn Express® and Express by Holiday Inn™, Holiday Inn Club Vacations™, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites® hotels for U.S. resident stays worldwide between September 1 and December 30, 2010. Stay method of payment must be a valid Visa credit card.
Rebate documents required:
• Copy of hotel folio (bill) showing qualified hotel stay and Visa payment method (with stay period shown)
• Copy of baggage fee receipt for same trip with flight date shown that coincides with weekend stay and originates within three days of check-in or check-out. Guest name on hotel folio must match guest name on the baggage fee receipt. Visa payment method not required for payment of baggage fee.
Bookings not made through an IHG channel require copies of 3 receipts: Hotel Invoice from IHG hotel (with stay period shown), Invoice from non-IHG third party booking source showing Visa payment method (with stay period shown), and airline baggage fee receipt (with flight date shown)
Submit rebate redemption form along with copies of the required documents as stated above to the address shown on the rebate form. Rebate must be postmarked no later than January 31, 2011.
A stay is defined as two consecutive weekend nights (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) at the same hotel, regardless of frequency of check-in/out. A stay is qualified when paying qualifying rates, which include most business and leisure rates. Qualifying Room Rates do not include the following reduced room rates: net wholesale individual and group rate, certain package rates, employee discount rate, friends and family rate, crew rate, special discounted contract rates, seasonal worker/crew rate, 50% travel club discount rate, travel industry discount rate, distressed passenger rate, Priority Club Reward Nights/Airline Hotel Reward rate, complimentary hotel stays and any other rates not defined as a Qualifying Room Rate. Rates booked via third parties such as Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz and Booking.com are also valid under this promotion , but specifically excluded are opaque (hotel name, location and/or rate not visible until after booking is submitted) and “name your own price” rates as well as any rates not available on this approved online booking site.
Only one bag per hotel stay combined with one round-trip baggage fee from corresponding flight will result in a reward being awarded per weekend stay. The number of qualified rewards awarded are unlimited during the promotional period. Baggage fees will be reimbursed based on the airline baggage fees of air carriers for one normal checked bag that is not overweight and not oversize under the carrier’s rules roundtrip up to a maximum of $50 for one bag and one passenger. Baggage fees will be based on the fees that are specified by the applicable carriers on the date of this publication 8/13/10. Baggage fees vary by airline carrier. Limit one (1) reward payable per qualifying form per weekend.
Reward will be returned to the name and address designated on the required rebate form (U.S. addresses only) and will be fulfilled in U.S. dollars via an IHG Visa Prepaid Card. Claims postmarked after applicable dates, incomplete or illegible submissions, counterfeit copies of forms or receipts, and duplicate submissions will be rejected. IHG is not responsible for loss of rebate forms or rewards due to lost or misdirected mail or for illegible entries. Good for actual purchases by end users only; excludes resellers and distributors of products and their families. You should receive your reward within 6-8 weeks after claim is received. Limit one reward per person, receipt, household, family or address per qualifying weekend stay. IHG reserves the right to request additional information regarding this claim.
The IHG Visa Prepaid Card is not redeemable for cash and may not be used for cash withdrawal at any cash-dispensing location. Each time you use the card the amount of the transaction will be deducted from the amount of your available balance. Additional Terms and Conditions apply to the card. Please refer to the Cardholder Agreement insert provided with your prepaid card. Subject to applicable law, a monthly maintenance fee of $3 (USD) applies, but is waived for the first six months after the card is issued. No additional fees will be assessed once the card balance reaches zero. The Visa prepaid card is non-transferable and non-refundable. Your card is issued by MetaBankTM pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Cards can be used at any merchants that accept Visa debit cards. IHG reserves the right to substitute a check of equal value in lieu of a Visa prepaid card at its discretion. Offer valid only on purchase of hotel room nights at IHG hotels as stated above. Your rebate rights cannot be transferred, and this offer is void where taxed, restricted or prohibited by law. Keep copies of all materials submitted: originals will not be returned. Warning: Fraudulent submission could result in federal prosecution under mail fraud statues (Title 18, USC Sections 1341 & 1342). Your reward will be mailed within 6-8 weeks. If you have not received your reward within 10 weeks, visit www.ihgrebate.com or call 1-800-318-7972.
