Fee increase to $65. No big deal.

Sheraton 3^rd night free offer. No big deal.

Five nights elite credit per year. No big deal.

Elimination of SPG50 annual certificate. No big deal.

The July 30 announcement on FlyerTalk by Starwood Lurker (Starwood Hotels employee) of two exciting new benefits pointed out changes coming to the SPG credit card from American Express. To date there have been 28 pages with over 400 responses on the SPG-AMEX changes.

All in all I find the changes to be no big deal and nothing too exciting.

 

Fee Increase

The $20 fee increase is a drag, but this is really only equivalent to about 500 starpoints lost for the year. When you stay at Starwood Hotels you receive 2 points/$1 when you use your SPG American Express card. Points for $250 in hotel room stays is neutralized with the annual fee increase.

Sheraton 3^rd Night Free Benefit

The Sheraton 3^rd night free offer is not clearly a new benefit as of yet. The restrictions for the ZHA or ZRA are the same as for the current 3^rd night free offers. Room is prepaid and you must arrive Thursday through Saturday. The fact that you must use your SPG-AMEX card is even more restrictive than the long available 3^rd night free Z3H/Z3R rates.

The 3^rd night free benefit will actually be an enhancement only if there is hotel availability using ZHA/ZRA codes for hotels unavailable using the Z3H/Z3R codes. The current 3^rd night free offers are available for Sheraton Hotels – as well as Westin, W Hotels, and Four Points.

Starwood Hotels 3^rd Night Free link

Starwood Resorts 3^rd Night Free link

Five Nights Elite Credit

I am in the camp who sees little personal benefit from this enhancement. I have never qualified for SPG elite status on nights.

Gold elite requires 25 nights at Starwood Hotels in a calendar year. The SPG-AMEX benefit reduces this threshold to just 20 nights.

But you only need 10 stays in a calendar year for Gold status. A person can earn SPG Gold elite with as few as 10 one-night stays in a year, or a total of 10 nights.

How many SPG-AMEX cardmembers stay 20 to 24 nights in a year, with fewer than 10 stays? Cardmembers who finish the year with 20 to 24 paid nights and fewer than 10 hotel stays are the only Gold elite recipients of this SPG-AMEX enhancement.

Platinum elite requires 25 stays or 50 nights in a calendar year. The five nights elite credit only makes a difference if you are in the subset of SPG-AMEX cardmembers who stay 45 to 49 nights in a calendar year without 25 stays.

The five nights elite benefit affects a small subset of cardmembers.

 

50% off award discontinued as annual benefit.

The SPG50 certificate is 50% off the rack rate for a hotel stay up to five nights. Most of my annual certificates have gone unused. I have only found a lower rate using SPG50 twice and the last time was in 2008. There is almost always a lower rate available. And I avoid prepaid rates whenever possible.

But any SPG member still has the same 50% rack rate option available for just 1,000 starpoints and there is no requirement to use an SPG-AMEX card.

If you regularly used your SPG50 certificate, then the changes are equivalent to losing another 1,000 points per year.

Conclusion:

Some SPG-AMEX cardmembers lost an equivalent value of 1,500 Starpoints with the annual card fee increase and loss of the SPG50 certificate.

For some cardmembers the five nights elite credit may be the difference between general SPG membership and Gold elite. Some frequent guests will find the 20 night threshold will be easier to reach than 10 stays for Gold elite.

For most Platinum elite members I do not see the five nights credit having any impact unless you are in a very select group of cardmembers having 45 to 49 paid nights and less than 25 stays.

October 14, 2010 we will see if the Sheraton 3^rd night free ZHA/ZRA offer is actually an enhancement to the SPG American Express card.

In recognition of Hilton Worldwide becoming the official hotel partner of Little League Baseball and Softball, DaddyForever.com is giving away a free night for any Hilton Worldwide hotel brand.

Simply leave a comment on this DaddyForever blog post by September 7, 2010 telling your favorite Little League team for the 64th Little League World Series (currently happening in Pennsylvania) or a youth sports memory.

After months of sharing mommy blog hotel giveaways, lo and behold, here is an actual “daddy” blog giveaway.

The baseball prize pack from DaddyForever.com consists of:

• A free night at any Hilton hotel on earth
• $100 Ticketmaster gift card
• $100 Dick’s Sporting Goods gift card

Giveaway is limited to USA entrants.

There is also a link for a 15% discount of the Best Available Rate using the Hilton Little League booking link.

Links: Little League Baseball and Softball Hilton Worldwide Partnership

Hilton Worldwide -Little League partnership Press Release

Glenwood Hot Springs is called the world’s largest hot springs pool at 405 feet long and 100 feet wide. The hot springs pools make a nice stop when traveling between Aspen and Vail or driving the I-70 freeway across Colorado. Hot Springs Lodge is a modern hotel and part of the historic hot springs pool complex.

Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge has 107 air-conditioned rooms. The Glenwood Hot Springs hotel itself is nothing special (AAA two-diamond). This place operated as a self-service hotel for moving baggage from the car to the room during our stay. The hotel was pretty basic but supplied all the amenities of a midscale hotel. Complimentary wireless internet and poolside café breakfast are additional perks of the Hot Springs Lodge. Poolside café breakfast means a 200 yard walk to the café in the pool complex.

The real value of booking a room at the Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge is free admission to the Hot Springs pools included in your room rate. Each guest received a coupon for pool admission. Once we entered the pool gate there was a self-service stamp that allowed re-entry for the entire day. One paid night at the hotel saved over $200 in pool admission fees for two days of swimming with six of us. We received pool passes for the afternoon we arrived and the next day, even though we checked out of the hotel at noon.

The hotel operates a shuttle to take people around the large pool to the front side entrance which is about a 200 yard walk. The shuttle is convenient for after dark.

Glenwood Hot Springs Pool is the main tourist attraction of the city. The pool was named a Fodor’s Choice 2010 Gold award winner as one of the Top 10 pools in the U.S. There are two main pools, an infant pool, kid’s pool slide area, and several dedicated lap lanes for swimming. The historic hot springs bathhouse is now Spa of the Rockies.

Personal pool testimony: I did not like the idea of being surrounded by hundreds of people in a big pool or being in a 94 degree pool on a 98 degree day. To my surprise the water actually felt comfortable and helped my body temperature cool down on the hot day. And the pool was so large that I found plenty of space even with hundreds of other swimmers. I was surprised and entertained by the high proportion of international tourists at the Glenwood Hot Springs pools.

There was very little shade around the pool complex, but grass and trees are above the pool and available for seating in the shade. But in the pool there was no relief from the July sun until evening. Lather up the sunscreen and wear a hat.

 

Hotel Colorado, Glenwood Springs

I prefer the historic Hotel Colorado next door. Built in 1893 this hotel is the grande dame of Glenwood Springs. The walk-up rate was $130 for a basic room compared to $200 for the Hot Springs Lodge. The pool admission is a big factor in Hot Springs Lodge, however, as far as a hotel goes the Colorado Hotel is nicer in my opinion.

Hotel Colorado has no air conditioning though. The ceiling and window fans were not nearly adequate for cooling the room to my satisfaction in the near 100F mid-day temperatures prevalent during my July visit.

Kraig Kenning, a national slide guitar champion, gave an afternoon outdoor performance in the Hotel Colorado courtyard. Good music is one thing that trumps my desire to keep my body temperature cool. While the family headed to the pool, I headed for the music. Kraig played for hours and I was fortunate enough to see about half of his show.

I was feeling the karma sitting under the shade of old trees in the courtyard of a historic Colorado hotel, smelling the barbecued food on the outside grill, and hearing a guitarist play tunes for hours.

Hearing Kraig Kenning perform was one of my highlights of this Colorado trip.

Hotel Colorado is one of those places where I just walked the hallways and admired old style craftsmanship that I do not see in modern hotels.

Large wooden banister stairways and wide hallways, stories of President Theodore Roosevelt and Titanic survivor the unsinkable Molly Brown – both with named boutique hotel suites on site, legends of the origin of the teddy bear, high ceilings and big paintings, and of course the antler adornments common to hotels in Colorado.

History and a bygone era greet you at every turn as you meander through Hotel Colorado.

Travel Resource: AAA Travel Views  

AAATravelViews has good links for hotel stories, contests and giveaways, and most importantly – hotel and travel discount notices.

There are more than the Top 10 family getaway destinations in the AAA Family Getaways report (9-page pdf file).

One of the Family Getaway locations listed is Glenwood Springs Lodge.  The Glenwood Hot Springs pools were a great family getaway for pool fun in the sun. Glenwood Springs is also the gateway to Aspen.

Hyatt Tamaya in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico was selected by AAA as one of the Top 10 US Family Destinations in a AAA inspectors report issued August 2010. Hyatt Tamaya has launched a Facebook family weekend giveaway in celebration of the AAA honor.

Send Hyatt Tamaya a Facebook message stating why your family deserves to win a fall 2010 free weekend at Hyatt Tamaya.  This giveaway includes a two-night stay, horseback riding for four and Chile Harvest cuisine!

Keep your entry at 150 words or less. Winner will be chosen September 7, 2010.

Hyatt Tamaya has received numerous honors including Travel + Leisure’s 500  World’s Best Hotels 2009; Condé Nast Traveler #11 top spa resort in USA (April 2010); Silver Award medalist from Golf Magazine for Premier Resorts (March 2010)

Hyatt actually has two properties in the 2010 AAA Top 10 Family Destinations with the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa & Marina in Cambridge, Maryland. This hotel also has specials on Facebook and Twitter including 20% off for September stays.

Best Western Rewards has triple points and miles offers for the promotion period of September 12 through November 21. The main offer is triple points on your second stay booked through BestWestern.com.

• There is a limit of one bonus during the promotion period for general members.
• Elite members may also earn triple points on the 4^th stay for two bonuses.
• Reservations not made online through BestWestern.com or AAA.com only earn double points.
• Registration is required for the Fall 2010 promotion offers.

Triple Points Promo Code: FALL10

AAA Best Western Preferred members promo code: AAAFALL10

Best Western Rewards Special Offer registration links: https://goldcrownclub.bestwestern.com/members/regoffers.asp  (Note: you may need to sign in to your Best Western Rewards account to see the promotion offers in this link.)

Triple points is 30 points/$1 instead of the normal 10 points per $1. This would be an extra 2,000 points on a $100 stay or 6,000 bonus points on a $300 stay.

 

American Airlines AAdvantage Triple Miles

Promo Code: AMERFALL10 

I favor earning miles as the better value of these promotion offers due to no earning limit.                       

Stay 2 times between September 12 and November 21 and earn triple AAdvantage miles. The promotion states triple miles bonus is in addition to the standard 250 miles for a Best Western stay. This reads to me like two stays earns:

• Stay 1: 250 miles
• Stay 2: 250 miles + 750 bonus miles (triple miles) = 4x miles

Total: 1,250 miles after two stays. 

(Note: This is a new promotion offer without discussion on FlyerTalk yet so I may not be interpreting the triple points promotion correctly. This offer may actually only result in 750 total miles for Stay 2, but the promotion wording reads triple miles as “offer is in addition to the standard 250 AAdvantage® miles per qualified stay” which in my interpretation actually results in 4x miles on second hotel stay.)

 

Air Canada Aeroplan 4x Miles

Promo Code: AEROFALL10 

This offer reads “stay 2 separate times at any Best Western branded hotel worldwide between September 12, 2010 and November 21, 2010 will earn 4X Aeroplan Miles. There is no limit on mileage bonuses during the promotion period. Offer is based on the standard 250 Aeroplan Miles per qualified stay.”

Interpreting the fine print:

So the American Airlines AAdvantage promotion states triple miles in addition to the standard 250 miles per stay and the Aeroplan promotion states 4x miles based on the standard 250 miles per stay. 

AAdvantage and Aeroplan say triple and 4x miles respectively in their promotions, yet these two frequent flier mile offers sound like the same offer to me. 

1,250 miles every two stays is a decent bonus for Best Western Rewards. 

Of course, if you have a high priced stay at a Best Western planned you may want to go for the triple points.

Related Link: Best Western Hotels 2009 Best of the Best Awards – this link shows Best Western Hotel winners for Quality, Customer Service and Design. The Design Awards are a small list but look over these Best Western properties to find some real gems.

$129 is one of the lowest rates I recall for this Hilton HHonors category 7 award hotel, particularly since this rate is available for stays through Dec 30, 2010. Travelzoo $129 rate must be booked by Tuesday, August 24 for stays from August 22 through December 30, 2010. Friday and Saturday nights are $139.

TravelZoo offer link. TravelZoo rate includes complimentary BayView room upgrade and bottle of wine or champagne upon arrival.

TravelZoo corporate code = N2705992

This TravelZoo rate is $30 to $80 less per night than other prepaid or BAR rates for dates I checked. The TravelZoo rate cancellation window is up to 72 hours before arrival.

Weekends are peak room night rates for Monterey Bay area. This offer is a chance to lock in a great rate if the Travelzoo rate is available for your dates.

Oddly enough the Hilton website states the rate booking date is August 18 for the TravelZoo special rate. The TravelZoo promotion page states August 24 is the booking date deadline. Since the rate is currently showing on the Hilton website I am going with the August 24 date as the correct deadline for this offer.

Embassy Suites Monterey Bay-Seaside is a five minute walk to the beach. Upper floor balcony rooms on the bay side have great views. The main tourist part of Monterey with Fisherman’s Wharf and Cannery Row is another three miles south on Highway 1 and Del Monte Boulevard or you can walk Del Monte Beach all the way around to the Wharf. Embassy suites is a central location for cycling on the ten mile paved bike path along southern Monterey Bay between Pacific Grove and Marina.

October is peak season in Monterey, typically the warmest weather of the year without the persistent fog. The month’s lack of sunshine has me feeling SAD much of this grey August on the Peninsula.

$139 per night for an October weekend stay is a bargain rate for the Monterey area in peak tourist season. Embassy Suites would not be my first choice for a hotel in Monterey, but this is a good price for the hotel. Certainly better than using 50,000 points for an award night.

The weather forecast is for little rain the coming season so blue skies are to be expected once the hot summer weather inland turns and our daily foggy skies over southern Monterey Bay subside.

August 23 Update: Two beautiful days of sunshine and blue skies since this post have dramatically improved my disposition regarding the weather in Monterey this month.

Embassy Suites Monterey Bay – Seaside link

Here is a comprehensive list of current hotel loyalty program promotions. There are only about 15 additions since last month’s update. Please leave a comment if you know of other good hotel promotions I have overlooked.

In general, I think the fall 2010 promotions are scaled-back from the great offers in the first half of 2010. The hotel industry is generally upbeat about the higher occupancy levels of summer and double-digit rate increases in places like New York.

I have my doubts about the recovery since the general population in the US is still being beaten down with high unemployment and low consumer confidence. Leisure traveler forecasts are not so rosy. A double dip recession in the U.S. may put hotel loyalty programs back on track to more lucrative offers after the summer leisure travel drops off.

Will business travel really keep hotel occupancy moving up? We will see.

Still waiting on the official announcement of SPG’s double/triple points before including that offer here. 

Official link to SPG Double/Triple Points went up August 20.

No word yet as to Hyatt’s next offer.

Current Hotel Loyalty Promotions and News – updated August 20, 2010

The frequent guest has the choice of many hotel loyalty promotions with little guidance to their relative value. Here is Loyalty Traveler’s summary of current hotel loyalty promotions and limited time rate offers for the frequent guest. Newly added offers since the last July 25 update are marked with an asterisk (*).

Loyalty Traveler ranks the consumer value of hotel loyalty promotions on a Five Key Scale.

Five Keys = one of the best hotel loyalty promotions of the year.

Four Keys = high value rebate on the cost of hotel stays.

Three Keys = good value hotel loyalty promotion or rate offer

Two Keys = a bonus value if you play, but not necessarily worth going out of your way.

One Key = There is limited or no value. You are likely paying more than the bonus value.

Rate discounts and loyalty program bonuses are two types of hotel chain incentives to consider when booking travel. 

Rankings are subjective and subject to change. Your specific travel pattern may result in some promotions ranking more favorably for you. When assigning a key rank I take into consideration the following factors and probably more: 

• The opportunity for significantly high-value return on hotel spend in terms of a future hotel rebate in free nights and discounted hotel nights. 
• Current loyalty program promotions and offers from other hotel chains.
• Past loyalty program offers and rates for the specific hotel chain and loyalty program.
• Current economic conditions in the hotel location and travel industry.

 

Accor A-Club

Limited Time Offer: Motel 6 is accepting A-Club $60 vouchers at over 1,000 North America hotels for stays from June 1-October 31.

 

Best Western Rewards 

3-key Promotion – Earn 500 American AAdvantage bonus miles for every $50 Best Western Travel Card purchase through August 31. There is no limit to the number of bonus miles you can earn.

Elite Status Match Offer (February 19, 2010)

*Program Change for Elites: Elite members earn 250 bonus points for stays in Us/Canada or a welcome snack. (Aug 3, 2010)

 

Carlson Hotels – Goldpoints Plus

5-Key promotion: June 1-August 31 Stay two times at any Carlson Hotel (Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn, Country Inn & Suites) and earn one free night at any property. Earn limit is seven free nights. Redeem nights at any Carlson Hotel September 1 – February 28, 2011. Registration is required. (May 25)

Goldpoints Plus program change – elite members earn 2,000 points for online booking. This change doubles the regular 1,000 online booking bonus for goldpoints elite members. (LT post July 18)

 

Choice Hotels – Choice Privileges

*FlyerTalk members report a new promotion for 8,000 points after two stays from August 26 – November 3, 2010. The promotion allows members to earn up to four free nights (32,000 points after 8 stays), except Choice  Privileges Platinum and Diamond members may earn unlimited bonus points during the promotion. Choice calls this a free night offer, even though only about 25% of Choice Hotels are available for 8,000 points.

There is also a new component to this offer. Elite members can choose to earn triple points. This option favors the high spender.

After two stays points will be added to your account up to 8,000 total points. Choice Privileges members normally earn 10 points per $1 at most brands. Spend $75 for each hotel night and the 1,500 base points ($150 @ 10 points /$1) will be boosted up to 8,000 points. This promotion favors the low spender. A general member who spends $400 for a five night stay will earn 4,000 points for the stay. Two stays like that and you do not earn a bonus at all. Keep this promotion in mind for those $50 one night stays.

 

 

Hilton HHonors 

*HHonors Program change: Gold and Diamond members receive complimentary internet at all Hilton Worldwide hotels beginning September 1, 2010. (Hilton – Aug 2 press release) 

4-key promotion Hilton Golf Vacation Sweepstakes – Grand Prize is 3 nights with two rooms at a Hilton Golf Resort in Scotland, Mexico, Hawaii, Arizona, or Orlando, three rounds of golf, economy airfare for four persons with United Airlines, check for $3,370 and 100,000 HHonors points. Three Grand Prizes awarded. Prize value is $8,000 to $11,000.

HHonors members get one online sweepstakes entry by registering at www.hhonors.com/golf between June 15 and September 6, 2010. Sweepstakes is limited to US 50 states + DC legal residents.

Additional entries: Each night you stay at a Hilton brand hotel through September 6, 2010 will create an additional entry into the golf sweepstakes. Loyalty Traveler post July 15.

4-key promotion – Hilton Top Chef Culinary Sweepstakes for a 6-Night Barcelona, Spain Vacation and $5,000 cash. Prize value $9,080. Enter sweepstakes by September 15. Only open to USA residents. LT post July 19.

3-Key promotion Double Points or Double Miles July 7-September 30, 2010. This is the standard promotion for HHonors. There are some good miles opportunities. You must remain with your choice for the duration of the promotion once you select double points or double miles. (July 6)

 

Hyatt Gold Passport

*5-key opportunity – Convert unused free nights from the Big Welcome Back promotion into 5,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points by August 31, 2010.  (Aug 13, 2010)

*2-key promotion – (earn future stay hotel credit for stays by Sep Hyatt Bounceback Promotion gives a certificate for up to $150 in hotel services credit on a future two night or longer stay when staying at a Hyatt Hotel, Grand Hyatt or Hyatt Regency in the U.S. by September 8. The low promotion value is due to Hyatt requiring higher rates for the future booking to use the credit certificate.

4-key Promotion – 1,000 bonus miles per night for up to 30,000 bonus miles through September 30, 2010 with a choice of nine airlines. Amtrak, ANA, Japan Airlines, Jet Airways, Lufthansa Miles & More, Southwest, Thai, United, US Airways. Southwest Airlines earns 1 bonus Rapid Rewards credit per night. Bonus miles are in addition to regular 500 miles per hotel stay (or 0.5 Southwest credit). Member must choose miles as earning preference which excludes earning most G bonuses or hotel specific points bonuses.

4-key promotion = 60,000 AAdvantage miles. 2,500 bonus miles per stay with American Airlines AAdvantage through October 15, 2010. This offer may be repeated for up to 20 stays. Bonus miles are in addition to regular 500 miles per stay. 60,000 AAdvantage miles registration link. Loyalty Traveler post July 16.

2-key promotion – 5,000 bonus points for two-night stays at northern California Hyatt Hotels through September 12, 2010. Rate code NCA5K  includes 20% off spa, 20% off lunch and dinner dining and 5,000 bonus points. You need to compare rates as most hotels return a higher daily rate than otherwise available when using this code. LT post July 19.

3-key offer: Hyatt offers a COSTCO discount rate (use Group/Corporate # 13365) that is equivalent or even better than AAA rate for many hotels. The Costco discount rate is up to 25% for North America hotels. Bookings must be made between May 7 – September 9 for stays from May 7 through September 12.

There are several different codes being tossed around for this offer.

Inserting 13365 in the Group/Corporate # has worked best for me in retrieving the $25 per night credit rate and the rate tends to match the prepaid rate, but with cancellation policies equivalent to AAA rates. For a one night stay the AAA full breakfast rate may be a better deal. Compare prices.

• North American Park Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, and Andaz up to 25% + $25 nightly stay credit.
• Hyatt Place and Hyatt Summerfield Suites up to 15% discount.
• International Hyatt properties – up to 10% discount. 

Program change: Hyatt Gold Passport hotel award categories increased for 25% of hotels as of June 4, 2010. Loyalty traveler post.

 

InterContinental Hotels Group – Priority Club

*5-key offer Priority Club PointBreaks 5,000 points per night awards to October 30 (Aug 2, 2010)

*3-key promotion – Sep 1-Dec 30 – Stay two consecutive weekend nights (Fri, Sat or Sun) at an IHG brand hotel in conjunction with a flight and get reimbursed for one roundtrip checked baggage fee up to $50. (Aug 17)

3-key promotion: 5,000 Bonus Points for stays at two different Hotel Indigo locations through September 17. This offer may be repeated five times for up to 10 different hotel locations in the USA and Canada. Promotion registration is required. LT post July 21.

Europe IHG Rate Discount: 2 nights for the price of 1 for hotel stays through September 27, 2010. The InterContinental Budapest was available for $83 per night when I first posted this offer. These rates are prepaid and nonrefundable, but there are some fantastic savings if you want to prepay your hotel stay. (May 25)

3-Key promotion Priority Club Double Points or Double Miles May 14-August 31 (April 15)

3-key promotion 1,000 Points for Android Application Bookings to September 30.                  (LT post July 17)

2-key promotion: Ambassador members receive 25,000 points for a two-night stay at participating InterContinental Hotels (June 1-September 30). Unfortunately most hotels are asking a significantly higher rate ($50 to $100 per night over lowest available) for this offer. Bonus may be earned three times for 75,000 points.  (May 11)

IHG Friend & Family Hotel Rates (through Dec 26, 2009)

Program Change: Ambassador Annual Membership Fee Increased from $150 to $200 as of July 1, 2010. You can also buy Ambassador membership for 32,000 Priority Club Rewards points (formerly 24,000).

 

Joie de Vivre Hotels – Joy of Life Club

3-key promotion - Earn both Virgin America Elevate points and Joy of Life points for the remainder of 2010. LT post July 22.

 

Kimpton Hotels In Touch

4-key promotion – Bring Your Own Wine to a Kimpton Restaurant. Through Labor Day you can bring up to two bottles of your own wine to a Kimpton Restaurant and receive complimentary corkage. This offer is only valid in the more liberal states of California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, and the U.S. capital city of Washington, D.C. Loyalty Traveler post July 16.

 

Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) – Leaders Club Rewards 

3-key promotion – Earn 1 free night after every 5 hotel stays in 2010. Must stay in at least two different hotels. Bellagio in Las Vegas is LHW member. (April 13, 2010)

 

Marriott Rewards

*4-key promotion –Marriott MegaBonus (Sep 15-Jan 15, 2011) various targeted offers with the basic offer being one free night after two stays paid with Visa. Limit of two free nights during promotion. Free night valid only for Category 1 to category 4 hotels.

Active Marriott Rewards members may receive bonus points offers based on total nights stayed or 5,000 points for every two stays. There are several variations mentioned for 25,000 to 50,000 bonus points.  

4-key promotion – (through Sep 6) Up to 60,000 Delta Skymiles. Earn 5,000 Skymiles per stay beginning with your second stay from May 1 through September 6, 2010. Registration required. Note: Your Marriott Rewards account earning preference must be set to miles for this offer to load correctly on your web browser.

1-Key offer – Marriott Rewards Instant Redemption Awards (March 24, 2010)

 

Starwood Preferred Guest

*4-Key Promotion – (through Sep 30) Earn a free night at any Aloft or Element Hotel after three stays at an Aloft or Element brand hotel by September 30, 2010. (Aug 10, 2010)

*4-Key Promotion – (through Dec 30) 3,000 Bonus Points for Sunday night stay at 11 NYC area Starwood Hotels through December 30. (Aug 13, 2010)

*3-Key Promotion –  (Sep 8 – Dec 15) Every Night Counts Double/Triple Starpoints. Stay 1 to 9 nights during promotion and earn double base points; stay 10 or more nights and earn triple points (triple points applied retroactively on initial nine stays). Warning: Check this list of participating hotels since about 150 Starwood Hotels worldwide are not participating. SPG link. Loyalty Traveler analysis (Aug 19)

*3-Key Promotion – (through Dec 31) 3^rd Night Free or Two Free nights on six-night stay in Europe, Africa, and Middle East when paying with MasterCard

*SPG program change: Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards is new airline partner. Exchange rate for points-to-miles transfer is 1,500 Starpoints = 1 Rapid Rewards credit. Free roundtrip flight requires 16 credits. SPG members may also earn 0.5 credits per stay through SPG Airline Direct Deposit. (August 19, 2010)

*SPG Southwest Airline Bonus – Four Points hotel stays earn double Southwest Rapid Rewards credit through September 30 (1 credit per stay instead of regular 0.5 credit).

*Starwood and Harrah’s Total Rewards double dip opportunity:  For the remainder of 2010 members of Harrah’s Total Points may earn both Harrah’s points and Starpoints for Starwood Hotel stays. (Aug 6, 2010) 

4-Key Promotion – SPG Rewarding Returns offers members a choice after 5 stays by December 31, 2010. Promotion choices are 25% off an award up to five nights at any category 1 to 5 hotel for redemption by July 31, 2011. Discount may be combined with “5th night free award”. Other choices are $50 hotel credit certificate or 4,000 Starpoints. Loyalty Traveler post July 14.

There are variations of this offer including only requiring one stay by August 31 for targeted members. Points offer ranges from 2,000 to 8,000 points, and some members may have a free night choice. Offers are targeted.

Promotion registration is required at https://www.spgpromos.com/rewardingreturns/index.cfm.

4-Key Award Discount – Le Parker Meridien Palm Springs Cash & Points $15 + 4,800 points through September 2. Friday and Saturday night rate is $30 + 4,800 points. You must call 866-912-1169 to book this offer. (July 5)

3-key promotion SPG link: Pay Your Birthyear Rate (This promotion can be an incredible savings or no savings depending on the hotel and your birthyear.) LT post 4/28/2009

3-key discount rates Starwood Hotel Rate Discount Codes for Multiple Night Stays

These offers are for rate discounts on stays of 2 to 6 nights. Third night free tends to be one of the best discount rates. Important to check other rates (AAA, Senior, Special Offers) as these discounts are generally based on the Best Available Rate (BAR) and may not be the lowest overall rate for some hotels. 

Starpoints Airline Direct Deposit is Better for United, Continental, and Singapore miles (March 25, 2010)

 

Wyndham Rewards

4-Key promotion: Earn up to 25,000 American AAdvantage miles after 9 stays from April 30 to September 30, 2010. Wyndham, Wingate, and Hawthorn Suites brands only. Earn 3,000 bonus miles after 3 stays. Earn 7,500 miles bonus after 6 stays. Earn 10,000 bonus miles after 9 stays. Combined with the normal 500 miles per stay, you can earn 25,000 AAdvantage miles after 9 stays. (June 15, 2010)

 

Airline-Hotel Partner Bonuses:

*Air Canada Aeroplan – Receive 1,500 bonus miles when exchanging hotel points into at least 10,000 Aeroplan miles through September 20, 2010 from Best Western Rewards, Carlson Goldpoints Plus, Choice Privileges, Hilton HHonors, Hyatt Gold Passport, IHG Priority Club Rewards, Marriott Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest, and Wyndham Rewards. (Aug 9, 2010)

 

Hotel Points to Airline Miles Conversion Tables

Hotel Points-to-Miles Conversion Tables for 9 hotel programs and 7 U.S. airlines (March 30, 2010)

 

*Hotel Market Segments and Hotel Brand Profiles based on JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study

Overview JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study (Aug 10)

Loyalty traveler comments on JD Power Luxury Segment and luxury hotel brands   (Aug 11, 2010)

Loyalty traveler comments on JD Power Upscale Segment Hotel Brands (Aug 11)

Loyalty Traveler Comments on JD Power 2010 Midscale Full Service Brand Ratings (Aug 13, 2010)

Loyalty Traveler comments on JD Power 2010 Midscale Limited Service Brands (August 15, 2010)

Loyalty Traveler comments on JD Power 2010 Economy/Budget Hotel Brand Ratings (August 16, 2010)

Comments on JD Power 2010 Extended Stay Hotel Satisfaction Index (Aug 17)

 

Starwood Preferred Guest and Southwest Airlines are now official partners for points-to-miles transfers. The exchange rate is 1,500 Starpoints = 1 Southwest Rapid Rewards credit.

The 5,000 points bonus for a 20,000 points transfer earns 16.5 Rapid Rewards credits although the exchange rate is slightly better if you transfer 21,000 points to earn 17.5 credits with the bonus.

SPG points-to-credits table for transfers up to 79,500 points.

 

Earn 0.5 Rapid Rewards credits per stay with Airline Direct Deposit

You can also earn 0.5 credits per hotel stay at Starwood Hotels. This option requires airline direct deposit with SPG.

Link: Southwest Airlines announcement of Starwood SPG partnership

Earning points may be the better option in general since 21,000 points earns 17.5 credits or a rate of 1 Rapid rewards credit for 1,200 Starpoints. You will get better value taking points unless you anticipate earning fewer than 600 Starpoints for your stay.

Switching back and forth between earning points or SPG Airline Direct Deposit is possible, but inconvenient.

 

Four Points Hotels promotion earns 1 Rapid Rewards Credit per stay between August 18 and September 30.

For the next six weeks you may want Airline Direct Deposit to earn double Rapid Rewards credit for every Four Points hotel stay.

Four Points-Southwest Airlines Promotion link and registration. 

August 20 update: The official link went online a few hours after I wrote this post:

SPG promotion Every Night Counts Double/Triple Points.

The only additional point to this post’s analysis is to check this list of participating properties. Around 150  Starwood Hotels worldwide are not participating. (See the end of this post for the list of non-participating Starwood Hotels for double/triple points promotion.)

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The rumor on FlyerTalk is the fall 2010 promotion from SPG is double base points from September 8 – December 15 for one to nine hotel nights and then triple points, applied retroactively, if 10 nights or more are stayed during the promotion period.

The promotion details are just a rumor since no official word has been released by Starwood.

This is a weak SPG promotion in my opinion.

Loyalty traveler analysis of SPG Double and Triple Points

Double points and triple points are always calculated using base points earning. Starwood Preferred Guest members earn base points at the rate of 2 points per $1 in hotel spend, room rate tax excluded, but incidental spend included in base spending.

Spend $100 on one night and you get 200 bonus points from this promotion. That can be considered a $7 bonus based on the purchase rate of points $35/1,000 points. A 7% rebate is nothing to get too excited about. Stay ten nights and you earn a 15% points rebate value. There is little potential value leverage with this offer.

Double Points at $150 per night base spend at Starwood Hotels.

• 5 nights x $150 x 2 points/$1 earns 1,500 base points.
• $750 = 1,500 base Starpoints.
• Double points = 1,500 bonus points.
• Total points earned after $750 and 5 nights = 3,000 Starpoints

3,000 points is a decent rebate for a single 5-night stay. But if your travel pattern is more likely to be five 1-night stays then the average 300 points per stay in promotion bonus points is not so great compared to many SPG past promotions.

SPG Gold and 10 nights for triple Starpoints

Assume SPG Gold member with one 1-night stay, three 2-night stays and one 3-night stay has 10 nights during promotion period. Assume average rate is $150 per night in base spend.

Triple Starpoints: $1,500 for 10 nights = 10,500 total points

• Base points = $1,500 x 2 points/$1 = 3,000 points.
• Elite Bonus = $1,500 x 1 point/$1 = 1,500 points.
• Triple points bonus = $1,500 x 4 points/$1 = 6,000 points.

6,000 bonus points is not that big a bonus after ten hotel nights. I recall getting 7,000 bonus points for three stays in 1999. And back then the highest hotel category was 12,000 points per night compared to 30,000 points per night now. The triple points bonus after $1,500 and ten nights works out to 600 bonus points per night. Only stay nine nights and the bonus is just double base points or 300 points per night on a $150 per night room spend.

Over the years I have a rough estimate of 1,000 bonus points per hotel stay from SPG promotion offers and this offer falls short of what I consider to be an average SPG promotion.

After $1,500 and 10 hotel nights you will earn 10,000 points – sufficient for a free category 4 hotel night. The potential value for 6,000 points earned with the promotion bonus is around $210 ($35/1,000 points) for $1,500 in spend.  A 14% loyalty rebate value in promotion bonus points is the kind of return on loyalty investment that will likely drive the elite member to consider another hotel loyalty program for a better offer this fall. Non-elite SPG members may be looking to Hotwire and Priceline for bigger discounts.

Compare to Hilton Hotels and the Hilton double points promotion for the fall period.

Hilton base points = 10 points/$1 and with Points & Points earning preference you earn an additional 5 points per $1 for 15 points per dollar. The double points offer promotion results in 25 points/$1.

HHonors points earned: $1,500 = 41,250 points (sufficient for a category 6 award night)

• Base points = $1,500 x 10 points/$1 = 15,000 points.
• Points & Points = $1,500 x 5 points/$1 = 7,500 points
• Elite Bonus = $1,500 x 2.5 points/$1 = 3,750 points.
• Double points bonus = $1,500 x 10 points/$1 = 15,000 points.

HHonors double points promotion is only based on money spent. Spend $1,500 and earn 15,000 bonus points from the double base points offer.

Starwood Preferred Guest’s bonus is dependent only on the number of nights stayed. Spend $1,500 on 8 nights and your promotion bonus is 3,000 points. Spend $1,500 on 10 nights and your promotion bonus is 6,000 points.

Neither the SPG or HHonors offers draw me in.

HHonors Diamond Members Free Night Offer

Interestingly from the HHonors perspective is TMTravelworld reporting yesterday HHonors Diamond members have a targeted offer for a free night after ten paid nights by December 31. No doubt that offer trumps this SPG offer.

Marriott Rewards MegaBonus is offering up to 2 free nights after four paid stays using Visa between Sep 15, 2010 and January 15, 2011.

Hyatt Gold Passport has not yet come up with a follow-up to the great spring/summer free nights promotion.

The hotel chains appear to be cutting back on promotion incentives since room occupancy is going up. But room rates are still flat in most places across the U.S. I’ll be interested to see the impact of weak promotions during the same time period an attempt is made to raise room rates across the hotel market segments.

Business travel is up and predicted to increase in fall 2010, but leisure travel is the unknown factor and I think growth is likely to remain flat as we move along in a stagnant economy for most working people.

SPG’s fall promotion for double/triple points has not been officially released yet. I hope they tweak the details to be a more lucrative offer before the rumored September 8 promotion roll-out.

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Non-Participating Hotels for SPG Double/Triple Points promotion

• Sheraton Nicolaus Hotel & Conference Center
  The St. Regis New York
  Hotel Pulitzer, Amsterdam
  Sheraton Mallorca Arabella Golf Hotel
  Four Points By Sheraton Brauneck
  Sheraton Zurich Neues Schloss Hotel
  Sheraton Paris Airport Hotel & Conference Centre
  Sheraton On The Park
  The Westin Grand Frankfurt
  Sheraton Frankfurt Congress Hotel
  Sheraton Offenbach Hotel
  Sheraton Dusseldorf Airport Hotel
  Sheraton Munich Westpark Hotel
  Arabellasheraton Alpenhotel
  Sheraton Oman Hotel
  Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers
  Dhaka Sheraton Hotel
  Sheraton Cleveland Airport Hotel
  Sheraton Palo Alto Hotel
  Sheraton Jeddah Hotel
  Sheraton Riyadh Hotel & Towers
  Sheraton Perth Hotel
  The St. Regis Aspen Resort
  The Westin Grand Munich
  Sheraton Lima Hotel & Convention Center
  Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel And Conference Center
  Sheraton Tel Aviv Hotel And Towers
  Sheraton Frankfurt Hotel & Towers, Conference Center
  Sheraton Mirage Resort And Spa Gold Coast
  Sheraton Park Hotel & Towers, Chennai
  Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers
  Itc Mughal, Agra
  Sheraton Chola Hotel, Chennai
  Itc Windsor, Bengaluru
  Sheraton Lagos Hotel
  Sheraton Seattle Hotel
  Walt Disney World Dolphin
  Sheraton Towers Singapore
  Sheraton Xian Hotel
  Sheraton Essen Hotel
  Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers
  Sheraton Rajputana Palace Hotel, Jaipur
  Sheraton Fallsview Hotel & Conference Center
  Sheraton Reston Hotel
  Sheraton San Jose Hotel
  Four Points By Sheraton Medellin
  Four Points By Sheraton Ventura Harbor
  Sheraton Sunnyvale Hotel
  Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center
  Four Points By Sheraton Destin-Fort Walton Beach
  Sheraton Buganvilias Resort And Convention Center
  Four Points By Sheraton Bwi Airport
  Sheraton Great Valley Hotel
  Sheraton Mahwah Hotel
  Sheraton Dover Hotel
  Four Points By Sheraton San Francisco Bay Bridge
  Sheraton Taipei Hotel
  Sheraton Laguardia East Hotel
  Sheraton Anaheim Hotel
  The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, Los Angeles
  Walt Disney World Swan
  The Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago
  The Westin Chicago River North
  The Westin Copley Place, Boston
  The Westin Cincinnati
  The Westin Galleria Dallas
  The Westin Seattle
  The Westin Nagoya Castle
  The Westin Chosun, Seoul
  The Westin Prince, Toronto
  The Westin Grand, Berlin
  The Westin Bellevue, Dresden
  Sheraton Hanover Pelikan Hotel
  Itc Kakatiya, Hyderabad
  Yokohama Bay Sheraton Hotel & Towers
  Sheraton Pretoria Hotel
  Four Points By Sheraton York
  W Seattle
  Sheraton Club Des Pins Resort And Towers
  Sheraton Safari Hotel & Suites Lake Buena Vista
  Four Points By Sheraton Winnipeg International Airport
  The Westin Sydney
  The Westin Taipei
  The Westin Palo Alto
  W New York – Times Square
  Sheraton Pilar Hotel & Convention Center
  W New York – Union Square
  Four Points By Sheraton Geelong
  Four Points By Sheraton Sydney, Darling Harbour
  Sheraton Salt Lake City Hotel
  Sheraton On The Falls Hotel
  Itc Maratha, Mumbai
  Sheraton Cesme Hotel, Resort And Spa
  The St. Regis Shanghai
  The Westin New York At Times Square
  The Westin Charlotte
  The Westin Dhaka
  Sheraton Carlton Hotel Nuernberg
  Four Points By Sheraton Central Köln
  Sheraton Tarrytown Hotel
  Four Points By Sheraton Galerias Monterrey
  The Westin Kuala Lumpur
  Sheraton Sanya Resort
  Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers
  The Westin Leipzig
  Itc Sonar, Kolkata
  The Sheraton Read House Hotel Chattanooga
  Sheraton Tunis Hotel & Towers
  The Westin Tampa Bay
  Itc Grand Central, Mumbai
  Four Points By Sheraton Edmonton South
  Four Points By Sheraton Cali
  The Westin Bellevue
  The Westin Huntsville
  Sheraton Oran Hotel & Towers
  Four Points By Sheraton Panoramahaus Dornbirn
  The St. Regis Deer Crest Resort
  Sheraton Presidente San Salvador Hotel
  The Westin Guangzhou
  Four Points By Sheraton Shanghai, Pudong
  The Westin Reston Heights
  Four Points By Sheraton Sihlcity – Zurich
  Sheraton Metairie – New Orleans Hotel
  The Westin Edina Galleria
  Le Méridien Douala
  Le Méridien Mandji
  Le Méridien Cyberport
  Le Méridien New Delhi
  Le Méridien Pune
  Le Méridien Bangalore
  Le Méridien Jakarta
  Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur
  Le Méridien Vienna
  Dom Hotel
  Le Méridien Parkhotel Frankfurt
  Le Méridien Munich
  Le Méridien Stuttgart
  Le Méridien Al Khobar
  Le Méridien Jeddah
  Le Méridien Makkah
  Grosvenor House, Dubai
  Le Méridien Bora Bora
  Le Parker Méridien New York
  Le Parker Méridien Palm Springs
  Sheraton Shanghai Hotel & Residences, Pudong
  W Hong Kong
  Four Points By Sheraton Philadelphia City Center
  Four Points By Sheraton Shanghai, Daning
  The Westin Richmond
  Sheraton New Delhi Hotel
  Sheraton Huizhou Beach Resort
  Aloft Rogers-Bentonville
  Sheraton Miyako Hotel, Tokyo
  Four Points By Sheraton Guangzhou, Dongpu
  Aloft Dallas Downtown
  W New York Downtown
  Aloft Plano
  Sheraton Zhoushan Hotel
  Four Points By Sheraton Monterrey Linda Vista
  Le Méridien Xiamen
  Four Points By Sheraton Taicang
  Sheraton Sao Paulo Wtc Hotel
  W London – Leicester Square – Opening Autumn, 2010
  ITC Royal Gardenia, Bengaluru
  The Andaman, Langkawi
  Lakeside Terrace Villas, Avon / Vail Valley
  W New York

Marriott MegaBonus registration is open today through October 31. Last week I reported the four month Marriott Rewards MegaBonus offer is stay 2 times from Sep 15, 2010  through Jan 15, 2011, pay with Visa and earn a free category 1 to 4 reward night. A maximum of two free nights may be earned during this promotion. Free nights must be redeemed by May 31, 2011.

The reports on FlyerTalk indicate most people are getting the free night offer, although at least one member indicates a points-based offer for 25,000 points after 15 nights or a total of 40,000 points after 20 nights paid with Visa.

Marriott MegaBonus link