Sixty Second overview of current offers:

Hotel program relaunch is the main hotel industry buzz of March 2011. Goldpoints plus morphed into Club Carlson with a new reward chart and reassignment of hundreds of hotels in reward categories.  All hotel brands globally now earn 20 points per US dollar and the program has a valid claim for being the fastest program for earning free nights. Elite roll-over has been added. Club Carlson did not change the points-to-miles exchange rates and maintains its status for best exchange rate along with top tier Marriott Rewards and Wyndham Rewards with better rates than Starwood and Hyatt.

Expedia Rewards introducing a viable online travel agency loyalty program not tied to a credit card partner program. Expedia bookings earn points for airfare, hotels and travel packages and Expedia Rewards offers elite level membership with additional benefits.

IHG Priority Club announced a relaunch in the press, but much ado about nothing. The relaunch is primarily cosmetic with only one significant program structural change with the introduction of Last Minute Reward Nights starting in May 2011 offering select hotels for 50% points discount. However, the question with this new reward option is whether this means the end of PointBreaks reward nights at 5,000 points? Priority Club missed a great opportunity to smooth out many of the program oddities.

Best promotions to check out:

• Accor 10th Anniversary World Tour monthly prizes March – December 2011 (5-key).
• Club Carlson Stay Twice and earn one free night April 15- June 15 (4-key).
• Hilton HHonors – Triple Virgin Atlantic miles April 1 – June 30 (4-key). This offer can be combined with HHonors 1,000 points per night promotion.
• Hyatt 10,000 points after 5 nights and 2,500 points for every additional 2 nights April 1 – June 30 (4-key).
• Ritz-Carlton – $100 gift card for 5 nights March 15 – June 30 (3-key).
• Red Lion Inn – 5,000 points per stay + breakfast to May 31. (5-key)
• Starwood Resorts – Pack Your Bags Sweepstakes for 5-nights and 150,000 points Daily entry through April 15  (5-key).
• Voila Rewards – 50% off reward nights through April 30 (5-key).

***********************************************************************

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 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.

 

HELP SHEET #5 - March 31, 2011

Offers marked with an asterisk (*) were added since the last March 11 update.

Accor Hotels -  A-Club

Hotel Brands: Sofitel, Pullman, M Gallery, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis, Adagio, All Seasons, Thalassa Spa.

Motel 6 is the primary Accor Hotels brand in USA, however, extremely limited A-Club hotel loyalty program participation. 

Accor Hotels is the largest chain of hotel brands globally outside of the USA. A|Club hotel members are available in many locations where you will likely only find a Best Western or no other major hotel brand. 

* Accor 10^th Anniversary World Tour Giveaway – One monthly trip consisting of Round the World flights and hotel stays in 10 cities over 30 to 40 days. Ten prizes each month for a hotel stay. (11 prizes each month from March through December 2011). LT post March 30. 

Accor A|Club Global Promotion Offers List – link (This link allows searches by continent region)

Accor Hotels A-Club bonus offers

Best Western Hotels – Best Western Rewards 

Hotel Brand Tiers: Best Western, Best Western Plus, Best Western Premier  

Best Western Free night after 3 stays from Feb 6 – April 11, 2011. This promotion also offers 6,500 bonus points for stays at two of three BW brands including BW, BW Plus and BW Premier. 10 guests who stay at all three brands will receive 650,000 bonus points. 4-Key offer from Best Western.

Best Western International Offers webpage link. The link provides a variety of promotions internationally for Best Western hotels.

Best Western Rewards Elite Status Match Offer (February 19, 2010) This offer is ongoing and still available. Best Western is a particularly useful loyalty program when traveling outside the USA. Best Western and Accor A-Club have more hotels outside the USA than all the other major hotel programs combined including Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott and Starwood.

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

Best Western Brand Tiers Change – Best Western is designating about 25% of the chain’s higher quality hotels in the 4,000+ hotel chain as Best Western Plus (about 800 hotels) and Best Western Premier (about 100 hotels).

 

Carlson Hotels – Club Carlson (formerly Goldpoints Plus)

Hotel Brands: Radisson Blu, Radisson, Country Inn & Suites, Park Inn, Park Plaza 

* Stay Twice, Earn a Free Night – April 15 – June 15, 2011. Limit of one free night during promotion period. All hotels participate and free night may be redeemed at any hotel through December 31, 2011. Loyalty Traveler post March 30. 4-key promotion.

Country Inn & Suites $30 Amazon card and 3,000 points for two-night stays March 2-April 30. Promotion code = GETSPRING. 2-key offer. Loyalty Traveler March 2.

Club Carlson new loyalty program replaces goldpoints plus on March 31.

These Loyalty Traveler posts describe changes with Club Carlson: 

Club Carlson Loyalty program Launches March 31 – Replaces goldpoints plus (Feb 14)

Club Carlson Reward Category Changes March 31, 2011 (Feb 18)

Club Carlson Hotel Reward Category Analysis (Feb 28) This post shows the number of hotels in each category and changes from 2010 level for different global regions.

Club Med resort credit for goldpoints. $100, $250 and $500 credit. Loyalty Traveler analysis March 10.

Goldpoints Plus program change – elite members earn 2,000 points for online booking. All general goldpoints members earn 1,000 points for online booking.  This will change to add 3,000 points for Club Carlson Concierge elite April 2011. (LT post July 18)

Choice Hotels – Choice Privileges

Hotel Brands: Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban, EconoLodge, Rodeway Inn, Ascend Collection.

Hotel Reward Partners: Preferred Hotels Group, Barcelo Resorts 

$50 Gas Card or 8,000 points for two stays March 3 – May 4. Earn bonus two times if registered or five times if Platinum or Diamond elite.   Loyalty Traveler post (March 1). 3-key offer.

Refer-a-Friend promotion – Choice Privileges members who refer a new member receive 500 points after new member’s first stay and the new member receives 500 bonus points after first stay. Loyalty traveler post Jan 31.

Choice Privileges Program Changes for Elite Members effective January 1, 2011:

These are truly program enhancements for elites. 

• Platinum elite qualification = 20 nights in a calendar year (formerly 25 nights).
• Diamond elite bonus increased to 50% base points (formerly 40%).

Reward night booking window extended for Choice Privileges elite members:

• Gold = 50 days (formerly 40 days)
• Platinum = 75 days (formerly 60 days)
• Diamond = 100 days (formerly 90 days) 

Nordic Choice Club hotel loyalty program covers 140 Choice hotels in Scandinavia and Baltic regions of Europe. Choice Privileges members currently do not earn points for hotel stays in Scandinavia, although hotel stays are available for points. Nordic Choice Club offers points and benefits for hotels in this region. Choice Privileges members planning frequent travel in Scandinavia may want to compare the benefits of Nordic Choice Club to Choice Privileges.    (LT post Sep 9)

 

* Expedia Rewards – Expedia’s new loyalty program earns points for air, hotel and travel package bookings. This is a gamechanger for online travel agencies. Booking airfare through Expedia is a no brainer method for earning additional travel rebates since frequent flyer benefits are unaffected. Hotels are a different matter though since no hotel loyalty points with programs like SPG, Marriott, Hilton and others are earned for Expedia bookings.

Main Expedia Rewards benefits are the ability to earn points when booking travel for other people like family members and friends. And Expedia vacation packages often allow a hotel night to be added for the same price as airfare alone; particularly when traveling to Las Vegas. Loyalty Traveler Analysis March 28.

 

Fairmont Hotels and Fairmont President’s Club

Tip: Sign up for Fairmont President’s Club to receive monthly special discount rates for Fairmont Hotels. 

Four Seasons Hotels

Four Seasons Special Offers website link

 

Global Hotel Alliance – GHA Discovery – Hotel loyalty program alliance for 12 independent hotel brands including Kempinski, Omni Hotels, Pan Pacific, First Hotels, Mirvac, Anantara Resorts, Tivoli Hotels, The Doyle Collection, Marco Polo Hotels, Park Royal, The Leela Palaces, Shaza Hotels.

Overview of GHA Discovery, elite membership benefits and local experiences, Loyalty Traveler post January 30.

 

Hilton Hotels – Hilton HHonors

Hotel Brands: Hilton, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, Conrad, Waldorf-Astoria Collection, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Home2Suites. 

* Hilton HHonors 2011-Q2 promotion for 1,000 bonus points per night April 1-June 30.  Registration is required. All  Hilton brand hotels worldwide participate. 2-key promotion.  Loyalty Traveler post March 25.

* Hilton HHonors Triple Miles with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club for stays April 1-June 30. This is a 4-key promotion allowing 3,000 miles per Hilton brand hotel stay. LT post March 29.

* Conrad Hotels 25^th Anniversary Free Night March 1- June 30. Book by June 12. Free night is based on a paid stay of two to six nights, depending on Conrad hotel. My analysis indicates this offer is a savings at most Conrad hotels. Loyalty Traveler post March 23. 3-key rate offer.

* Home2Suites opens first hotel of Hilton’s new extended stay brand in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Unfortunately this new hotel brand becomes the first HHonors brand with a lower earn rate for points and miles. Loyalty Traveler post March 21.

Hilton Spring Sale for hotels in Europe, Middle East and Africa with Breakfast package rates. Book by April 7 for hotel stays from March 18 – June 30. Prepaid, nonrefundable. Must book 7 days in advance. These are good prices, but check Marriott sale for 3^rd night free in Europe with breakfast, comparable rates, and flexible cancellation policy without penalty.  Loyalty traveler post March 9.

HHonors Point Stretcher Rewards posted for hotels through May 2011. Point Stretchers require 40% fewer points than standard HHonors rewards. Use the drop-down menu to see participating hotels in different Hilton brands. This is the largest set of hotels I recall in several years offering Point Stretcher discount reward dates. (Loyalty Traveler post Dec 3)

HHonors Comprehensive Reward Charts – Members have difficulty locating the various reward charts on the Hilton HHonors sites, particularly VIP Rewards and Waldorf-Astoria rates. This Loyalty Traveler post places all the HHonors reward charts in one post. (LT post Sep 13, 2010)

Cheaper Hilton Reward nights using Priority Club points – this Loyalty Traveler analysis developed from the Priority Club Anywhere Challenge. Hotels Anywhere allows Priority Club members to spend points for hotels in other chains. My study shows there are numerous Hilton Hotels requiring fewer Priority Club points than Hilton HHonors charges its members in HHonors points for the same reward. (LT post Sep 17)

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

 

Hyatt Hotels – Hyatt Gold Passport

Hotel Brands:  Park Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Vacation Club, Hyatt Resorts, Andaz, Hyatt Summerfield Suites

Hyatt Spring Promotion – April 1 – June 30. This 4-Key offer is 10,000 points after 5 nights and 5,000 points for every two nights thereafter, up to a maximum 60,000 bonus points after 25 nights. LT post March 7.  4-key offer.

Hyatt regional G Bonus Offers – There are several regional bonus offers for 2,000 points at hotels across the U.S. and around the world. These seem to be the main points bonuses during this period between major Gold Passport promotions. Loyalty Traveler post Jan 28. 

Update on Hyatt Property Specific Bonuses: Jeff Zidell Hyatt VP, told me on March 8 the ‘property level bonus’ program is being evaluated and reinvented. We will probably only see regional hotel bonus offers until July. Specific property level bonuses that typically offered 1,000 to 2,000 points in G1, G2, and G3 offers may be gone for good. We’ll see.

 

InterContinental Hotels Group – Priority Club

Hotel Brands: InterContinental Hotels, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites, Hotel Indigo 

* InterContinental Hotels in Europe 5^th Night Free rate July 14 – Sep 11, 2011. These rates are about 20% off Best Flexible Rate and equivalent to Advance Purchase rate. Loyalty Traveler post March 16.

* IHG Priority Club relaunch previews new reward option for Last Minute Hotel Nights at 50% points of standard reward night. Other changes are primarily cosmetic with new mobile apps, card redesign and website changes. Loyalty traveler post March 29.

* IHG Priority Club partnership with Las Vegas Resorts – The Venetian and The Palazzo become InterContinental Alliance hotel partners as of April 1, 2011. Priority Club points can be earned and burned (40,000 points per night) for hotel stays and InterContinental Ambassador benefits apply.

Through May 15 – Spring Break Promotion for 7,500 points on two-night stays at more than 100 hotels in Florida, California, Texas, Hawaii, Mexico and Costa Rica. IHG Spring Break Promotion Code = ISGSB.  Loyalty Traveler post (Feb 13) 2-key offer.

Priority Club PointBreaks through April 30, 2011 are probably the best hotel loyalty program reward night value available at 5,000 points for a free night. Many of the hotels are discounted 80% from their normal 25,000 points for a reward night. The current list had 107 hotels when posted Feb 28. There were three InterContinental Hotels. Loyalty Traveler post Feb 28. 5-key offer.

Priority Club Any Hotel Anywhere American Express gift cards increased in price.

      New Price for Any Hotel, Anywhere Cards  Loyalty Traveler post Jan 25.

• $100 = 33,000 points (formerly 29,000)
• $125 = 39,000 points (formerly 34,000)
• $150 = 45,000 points (formerly 39,000)
• $200 = 60,000 points (formerly 49,000)
• $250 = 72,000 points (formerly 59,000)

3-key offer IHG $100 checked bags rebate for 2-night weekend IHG stay January 1 – April 30 within 3 days of flight. (LT Jan 11)

3-key offer IHG Sweetheart Deal – $100 Visa card rebate for a three-day or longer stay at any IHG hotel worldwide within 90 days of 2011 wedding in U.S. or Canada. (LT Jan 11)

2-key offer Feb 1 – April 30, Priority Club 3,000 bonus points or 1,000 bonus miles every three nights. Maximum 30,000 bonus points or 10,000 bonus miles. (LT post Jan 21)

Points & Cash Program Change:  Priority Club Points & Cash Reward nights increased the cost of 5,000 Priority Club points to $40 from $30. The cost to buy 10,000 points remains unchanged at $60. Loyalty Traveler post (Nov 19)

Cheaper Hilton Reward nights using Priority Club points – Hotels Anywhere allows Priority Club members to spend points for hotels in other chains. My study shows there are numerous Hilton Hotels requiring fewer Priority Club points than Hilton HHonors charges its members in HHonors points. (LT post Sep 17)

IHG Friend & Family Hotel Rates (Steve Sickel). Steve Sickel is senior Vice President Relationship Marketing for InterContinental Hotels Group. During the hotel recession of 2009 he offered this link to FlyerTalk members for booking discount friends and family rates. This link is still active. And we are all friends of Steve’s. Here is a FlyerTalk thread discussing this rate deal. The link in Steve Sickel’s name leads to the offer page for a voucher to complete. Some guests mention the hotel wants the completed voucher at check-in. These rates do not qualify for points or stay credit. One of the best features of this offer is the ability to book high category rooms at steep discount.

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). Renewal fee is still $100.

Priority Club Points Exchange Value and Points.com – Loyalty traveler research (Jan 20) into the exchange value of Priority Club points into airline miles through Points.com

 

Kimpton Hotels – InTouch

Loyalty Traveler posted an outline of Kimpton’s InTouch program showing how 21 stays in 2011 can potentially earn 7 free nights at any Kimpton Hotel. (LT post Jan 11)

* Kimpton 30^th Birthday April 1 – Kimpton has a Facebook contest for a free night and a spa offer for an additional 30 minutes free with a 50-minute in-room spa purchase during April 2011. (No LT post yet on these offers. These offers mentioned in this March 28 TravelPulse article.)

 

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

Leaders Club Rewards program changes: Membership fees for Leaders Club Rewards dropped to $100 annual for Access level. Access membership includes complimentary breakfast for two each day of stay and free internet. Unlimited membership is $1,200 annually. Loyalty traveler post Feb 3.

LHW Hotel Special Offers link

 

Marriott Hotels – Marriott Rewards

Hotel Brands: Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Ritz-Carlton, Residence Inn, Courtyard, Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites, SpringHill Suites, Edition, Autograph Collection, Marriott Vacation Club, AC Hotels. 

* AC Hotels is Marriott’s newest hotel brand. AC Hotels are a Madrid-based hotel chain now partnered with Marriott and brings 90 new upscale hotels in Spain, Italy and Portugal into the Marriott Rewards system. This brand is projected to expand in Europe and Latin America. Loyalty Traveler post March 27.

Marriott Hotels Europe 3^rd Night Free Special offer rate with breakfast March 6 – May 30. Promotion code = C9E and look for rate description “European Spring 3 for 2, American Breakfast Daily”. 170 hotels participating in Europe. Stay three nights Thursday to Sunday or Friday to Monday. Loyalty Traveler March 10. 3 to 4 key offer depending on location and rate.

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category Assignment Changes for 2011 (Loyalty Traveler March 2)

Marriott Rewards PointSavers – there were about 55 hotels posted on this list on March 11. Many of the hotels in U.S. expire March 31. There should be a new set of hotels added in next few weeks. PointSavers reduce the points cost of a free night by one hotel category. For example, category 5 hotel requires only 20,000 points per night. 5^th night free applies to PointSavers rate. Loyalty traveler post Jan 26.

Marriott Points Redemption Strategy using $1,000 in Marriott Cheques. This post explains how Marriott elite members may buy $1,000 Marriott Cheques for 135,000 points. You can then pay for hotel stays and earn points and elite credit on paid stays you actually purchased indirectly with points. Loyalty Traveler post Jan 27.

4-key promotion – Marriott MegaBonus (Feb 1 – April 30, 2011) various targeted offers with the basic offer being one free night after two stays. Limit of two free nights during promotion. Free night valid only for Category 1 to category 4 hotels. This offer does not require Visa payment like fall MegaBonus)

Active Marriott Rewards members may receive bonus points offers based on total nights stayed. There are several variations mentioned by members on FlyerTalk for 25,000 to 50,000 bonus points. Loyalty Traveler post Dec 27.

Marriott MegaMiles (Feb 1 – April 30, 2011) triple miles beginning with second stay with a choice of 26 airline frequent flyer programs. Note: You must set your Marriott Rewards earning preference to miles to see this offer on Marriott website. (LT post Jan 10)

Marriott Rewards Elite Rollover Nights extended for 2011. This is the third year Marriott Rewards offers elite rollover nights for elite qualifying nights over your earned elite membership. For example: Silver elite requires 10 nights in calendar year and Gold elite takes 50 nights. Stay 25 nights in 2011 and the 15 nights above Silver elite rollover to 2012 membership year. You will have earned Silver elite for 2013 from your 15 extra nights in 2011 rolled over to 2012. Confused? Don’t worry. This is a great benefit for elite members. (Loyalty Traveler 5-key offer. LT post Dec 23.)

Program change – Free internet worldwide for Gold and Platinum Marriott Rewards members beginning January 2011. This expands the complimentary internet benefit offered to elites for hotel stays in the Americas since May 2010.

 

Preferred Hotels Group – I Prefer

I Prefer and Preferred Hotels Group special offers page.

 

Red Lion Hotels – 44 hotels in western U.S.

*  5,000 bonus points + Breakfast for stays by May 31. Free nights are only 10,000 points with R&R Club. 5-key promotion.

 

Ritz-Carlton Rewards

* Ritz-Carlton $100 Ritz-Carlton gift card after 5 nights or $250 gift card after 10 nights during March 15 – June 30, 2011. No registration required. Loyalty Traveler post March 17. 3-key promotion.

Ritz-Carlton Rewards loyalty program launching Sep 15 (LT post Sep 14)

Reward Changes in new Ritz-Carlton Reward Tiers (LT post Sep 15)

Ritz-Carlton rewards Hotel + Air Packages Analysis (LT post Sep 16)

 

Starwood Hotels – Starwood Preferred Guest

Starwood Hotels brands: Sheraton, Westin, W Hotels, Le Meridien, Luxury Collection, St. Regis, Four Points, element, aloft. 

* Starwood Resorts Pack Your Bags Sweepstakes – March 15 to April 15. SPG members can enter daily for 10 separate drawings with new rounds every Tuesday and Friday. Winners receive  5-night stay and 150,000 points. Some prize values in $20,000 range. Loyalty Traveler post March 16.

Starwood Preferred Guest Hotel Category reward assignment changes for 2011 took effect on March 1. My LT post (Feb 22) has a list ordered by city, state and country for changes.

Starwood Hotels data on number of hotels in each brand and average rates by brand and global region. Loyalty traveler post Feb 4.

Jan 3 – April 15, 2011 SPG ‘Great Weeks, Grand Weekends’ offers double points + 500 points per night for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Registration is required by March 31 and retroactively applies to all eligible stays for promotion period. (Loyalty Traveler ranking = 2-key offer for Mon-Wed; 3 key for Thur-Sun). Promotion registration link. Loyalty Traveler post Dec 15.

Starwood hotels Website Enhancement – Website now allows comparison of four different rate types side-by-side for hotels in one location including promotion rates, AAA, breakfast rates, senior, government and reward nights. Loyalty Traveler post Nov 23. 

SPG Peak Season Rates Return for 2011. Category 5, 6 and 7 hotels relaunch peak season dates and a calendar of dates and participating hotels is posted here. Book by January 9 to lock in lower rates for your hotel stays. Loyalty traveler post Dec 6. 

Starwood Hotels Policy Change: Sheraton Hotel Club Lounges will be open 7 days a week in 2011.

Starwood Preferred Guest – American Express credit card changes effective October 14, 2010. The annual fee is increasing to $65 from $45 for renewals beginning Oct 14. Benefit changes include 5 elite nights and 2 elite stays credit each year. This will have no effect for members who qualify on stays. The SPG50 certificate will be discontinued in favor of a 3^rd night free offer at Sheraton Hotels. Loyalty traveler post (August 24); Sheraton 3^rd Night Free Analysis (Nov 12)

3-key promotion SPG link: Pay Your Birthyear Rate -This promotion has been extended through 2011. Rates can be an incredible 5-key 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)

 

Stash Hotel Rewards

* Stash Hotel Rewards New Member Enrollment 1,000 bonus points link.

Stash Rewards is a one year old loyalty program for over 100 independent upscale hotels in the U.S. Loyalty Traveler post Jan 19. Loyalty Traveler has found the hotel partners with Stash Rewards in Monterey, Napa and Washington D.C. are great choices for hotel travelers. Stash Rewards offers points for many high quality independent hotels that previously had no loyalty program affiliation.

* Stash Hotel Specials for Bonus Points and Low Redemption Rate Hotels

 

Voila Hotel Rewards

Loyalty Traveler profiled Voila Hotels program in light of the recent signing of two New York former Starwood W Hotels as the initial hotel members in the USA for this international loyalty program for 250 independent hotels.

* 50% off reward nights through April 30 at participating Voila hotels. Peter Gorla of Voila Hotel Rewards posted a comment on Loyalty Traveler stating my March 3 post helped extend this offer through April. WOW!  Loyalty Traveler post March 3.

2,500 points for every two-nights, up to maximum 10,000 bonus points after 8 nights at Voila hotel properties February 25 – May 31, 2011. Loyalty Traveler post March 3.

Wyndham Worldwide -  Wyndham Rewards

Brands: Wyndham, Wingate, Hawthorn Suites, Ramada, Days Inn, Super 8, Howard Johnson, Travelodge, Baymont Suites, Microtel, Knights Inn.

Wyndham Rewards – Spring 2011 Promotion for up to 4 x points or miles Feb 3 – April 30.

• 2x points or miles on 2^nd stay.
• 3x points or miles on 3^rd stay.
• 4x points or miles on 4^th stay.

Loyalty Traveler post Feb 3.

 

Loyalty Traveler Research Articles

Hotel Loyalty Credit Cards and the Value of Hotel Points

* Loyalty Traveler Analysis of Hotel Rewards Credit Cards (March 19, 2011)

* Elite Status Benefits with Hotel Loyalty Credit Cards (March 21, 2011)

Hotel Credit Cards Comparison by Value of Points (September 2, 2010) 

Hotel Credit Card Comparison using NerdWallet.com Value of Points (Sep 5, 2010) 

Loyalty Traveler’s Three Rules for the Value of Hotel Points (Sep 7, 2010)

 

Hotel Points to Airline Miles Conversion Tables

* Hotel Points to Miles Conversion Rates for Aeroplan Bonus – This post shows the conversion rates for airlines using Aeroplan’s bonus offer through April 30, 2011 for 5,000 bonus miles on hotel points transfers equaling 25,000 Aeroplan miles. Loyalty Traveler post March 22.

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)

 

Hotel Rates Survey for USA States, Cities, and Average Hotel Rates Worldwide

* Hotels.com 2010 – Full Year 2010 – Global Hotel Price Index – This is a great resource for finding where hotel rates are high and low around the world. There are tables of USA average hotel rates by state and major cities.

Accor is celebrating its 10^th anniversary in 2011 with 10 months of prizes for 10 hotel stays and one round the world trip each month. March is the first month of this 10th anniversary year promotion running through December 31.

Accor Hotels 10^th Anniversary World Tour Giveaway link.

Accor Hotel brands include Sofitel, Pullman, M Gallery, Novotel, Mercure, Suitehotel, Suite Novotel, Ibis, All Seasons, Hotel F1, Formule1, Adagio, Etap, Hotels Barriere, Orbis Hotels. Accor Hotels has more global hotel properties outside the USA than any other major global chain.

Motel 6 is nearly 25% of Accor’s global hotel portfolio, but generally is the neglected stepchild of Accor Hotels and rarely participates in Accor Hotels global promotions and specials.

To Participate in 10^th Anniversary World Tour Giveaway:

• Make a reservation online at an Accor Hotel
• Stay at the hotel in the month prior to the monthly drawing.
• Alternatively there is a free postal entry method (see promotion rules).

Ten phases of the Accor 10^th Anniversary Game

The Game comprises of ten separate phases:

• First phase: from 1 March 2011 to 31 March 2011 midnight
• Second phase: from 1 April 2011 to 30 April 2011 midnight
• Third phase: from 1 May 2011 to 31 May 2011 midnight
• Fourth phase: from 1 June 2011 to 30 June 2011 midnight
• Fifth phase: from 1 July 2011 to 31 July 2011 midnight
• Sixth phase: from 1 August 2011 to 31 August 2011 midnight
• Seventh phase: from 1 September 2011 to 30 September 2011 midnight
• Eighth phase: from 1 October 2011 to 31 October 2011 midnight
• Ninth phase: from 1 November 2011 to 30 November 2011 midnight
• Tenth phase: from 1 December 2011 to 31 December 2011 midnight

Dates and times are based on Paris (UTC+01:00) time zone.

World Tour Prize:

ten (10) identical world tours for two persons with a market value from 3000 Euros onwards, with each comprising plane tickets in economy class with first departure from one of the following ten stop-over cities nearest to the winner’s place of residence:

• Paris (France)
• London (Great Britain)
• New-York (United States of America)
• Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
• Madrid (Spain)
• Bangkok (Thailand)
• Beijing (People’s Republic of China)
• Sydney (Australia)
• Berlin (Germany)
• Rome (Italy).

The duration of each world tour varies between 30 and 40 days depending on the place of departure. The ten stop-over cities visited during this world tour are Paris (France), London (Great Britain), New-York (United States of America), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Madrid (Spain), Bangkok (Thailand), Beijing (People’s Republic of China), Sydney (Australia), Berlin (Germany), Rome (Italy).

The stop-over order in these cities will be determined by the Organiser Company. This world tour comprises plane tickets in economy class, transfer to the departure airport that is nearest to the winner’s place of residence and lodging. Transfers between the airports and the lodging places are not included in the prize. Lodgings include only the room nights. The number of room nights of stay at each stop-over as fixed by the Organiser Company varies between two and four. Hotels for the lodging will be selected by the Organiser Company depending on the availability. Any extras consumed by the winner will be to his/her charge. The list of participating hotels for each of the ten cities is identical to the list given hereinbelow for the prizes pertaining to the won hotel stays.

One Hundred (100) stays for two persons for four nights in one of the following ten stop-over cities:

• Paris (France)
• London (Great Britain)
• New-York (United States of America)
• Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
• Madrid (Spain)
• Bangkok (Thailand)
• Beijing (People’s Republic of China)
• Sydney (Australia)
• Berlin (Germany)
• Rome (Italy).

The winners will choose their destinations and their dates (taking into account the availability as indicated in these rules) and ACCOR will be responsible for selecting a hotel depending on the developments in these availabilities).

Drawings for Winners

• Draw of lots of the participants in the first phase on 13 April 2011
• Draw of lots of the participants in the second phase on 11 May 2011
• Draw of lots of the participants in the third phase on 15 June 2011
• Draw of lots of the participants in the fourth phase on 13 July 2011
• Draw of lots of the participants in the fifth phase on 10 August 2011
• Draw of lots of the participants in the sixth phase on 14 September 2011
• Draw of lots of the participants in the seventh phase on 12 October 2011
• Draw of lots of the participants in the eighth phase on 16 November 2011
• Draw of lots of the participants in the ninth phase on 14 December 2011
• Draw of lots of the participants in the tenth phase on 11 January 2012

Eleven winners will be named at each draw of lots and the winning order will determine the awarding of the prizes at stake.

Good Luck.

Club Carlson launches March 31, 2011 and celebrates with a new promotion: ‘Stay Twice, Earn a Free Night’ for hotel stays from April 15 - June 15. There is a limit of one free night earned during promotion period. Free night may be redeemed worldwide through December 31, 2011.

Book qualifying stays beginning March 31 through June 15.

Promotion registration is required at www.clubcarlson.com/freenight.

Club Carlson has 1,070 hotels in 77 countries. Club Carlson hotel brands include Radisson Blu, Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn and Country Inns & Suites.

To support the launch of Club Carlson, Carlson is offering a “Stay Twice, Earn a Free Night” offer at any of its more than 1,000 branded hotels worldwide – including Radisson®, Country Inns & Suites by CarlsonSM, Park Inn by Radisson and Park Plaza® hotels. Existing and newly enrolled members who register and then stay twice at a Carlson property during the promotional period between April 15 and June 15 can earn a free night’s stay to use by December 31, 2011..

For more information about the new Club Carlson program or the Stay Twice, Earn a Free Night offer, visit www.clubcarlson.com, and its new social sites, clubcarlson/facebook and clubcarlson/twitter, beginning March 31, 2011. To qualify for the offer, members must register at www.clubcarlson.com/freenight and book qualifying stays between March 31 and June 15, 2011, for stays between April 15 and June 15, 2011. 

Club Carlson Press Release

I am disappointed Club Carlson did not release the hotel reward category assignment changes prior to these changes taking effect tomorrow. The changes do not impact the high category rewards all that much, but many low category hotels today will require more points in the new system with the reassignments.

Club Carlson would have been the trump card in this 2011-Q2 round of hotel loyalty promotions if this promotion were not limited to just one free night.

The main question on my mind is whether there is an earning limit on free nights? Tomorrow we’ll know the promotion details.

Related Posts:

Club Carlson new loyalty program replaces goldpoints plus on March 31.

These Loyalty Traveler posts describe changes with Club Carlson: 

 Club Carlson Loyalty program Launches March 31 – Replaces goldpoints plus (Feb 14)

 Club Carlson Reward Category Changes March 31, 2011 (Feb 18)

 Club Carlson Hotel Reward Category Analysis (Feb 28) This post shows the number of hotels in each category and changes from 2010 level for different global regions.

Club Med resort credit for goldpoints. $100, $250 and $500 credit. Loyalty Traveler analysis March 10.

Hilton HHonors offers triple miles with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club for hotel stays from April 1 through June 30, 2011. Promotion registration is required before hotel stays and your HHonors earning preference must be set to Points and Miles with Virgin Atlantic selected as your frequent flyer preference. HHonors members are eligible for bonus miles in addition to the 1,000 points per night 2011-Q2 bonus offer. FlyerTalk link to HHonors Representative post regarding combining miles and points promotions.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Triple Miles Earn Rate

• HHonors Points & Fixed Miles = 3,000 miles/stay
• HHonors Points & Variable Miles = 6 miles/$1

Hilton HHonors standard mileage earn rate for Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is double miles compared to most HHonors airline partners at 1,000 miles per stay (fixed miles) or 2 miles per dollar (variable miles). Most airlines earn just 500 miles per stay with HHonors Points & Fixed Miles or 1 mile per dollar with HHonors Points & Variable Miles.

Stays at Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites will earn more Flying Club miles with the Points & Variable Miles option for any stay over $100USD at the 2 miles/$1 earn rate. Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites normally earn only 200 VS Flying Club miles per stay with HHonors Points & Fixed Miles compared to other Hilton brands and the new Home2 Suites brand does not allow earning Points & Fixed Miles.

High value using Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles for Premium Economy to Upper Class upgrade           

One of the best values in frequent flyer programs is the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club upgrade from paid Premium Economy class to Upper Class. This upgrade option requires just 40,000 points for a roundtrip fare in paid Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy in ‘W’ or ‘S’  booking classes.

14 Hilton brand hotel stays can earn 40,000 miles and seat you in luxury with an upgrade to Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class.

  Virgin Atlantic Upgrade Miles link

Hilton HHonors Triple Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Miles April 1-June 30, 2011 registration link

Priority Club Rewards announced an official relaunch today. I received an email at 6:56am California time stating the press release was under embargo until 10am ET.

I started downloading the 179MB file with excitement at the possibilities of new changes and my head whirling with anticipation of what might be major changes to the hotel loyalty program for InterContinental Hotels Group.

• Did Priority Club Rewards change the points cost for hotel nights?
• Did the earn rate for InterContinental Hotels change from 2,000 points per stay?
• Will Priority Club start providing the same recognition and benefits for hotel reward stays as paid stays?
• Will Priority Club set up a discount reward table for extended stays similar to the extended stay discounts given to members in Hilton HHonors, Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest?
• Are PointBreaks reward nights still going to exist?
• Has a complimentary breakfast benefit been added to full-service hotels for Platinum elites?

After several minutes the large file had completed its download and I eagerly opened the folder to see four documents.

1. PCR Relaunch Historic Timeline
2. PCR Relaunch Press Release Final
3. PCR Relaunch Top 10 Consumer Benefits 
4. PCR Relaunch What’s New

“What’s New” caught my eye and I opened the file to reveal  large red bold font:

UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 10 a.m. ET TUES., MARCH 29, 2011 

I scrolled down the page and my excitement balloon deflated. There is nothing bad in the changes, but there is also nothing really substantial in the program changes with the exception of a new reward option for “Last Minute Reward Nights”.

Last Minute Reward Nights: A hotel industry first, “Last Minute Reward Nights” will allow Priority Club members globally to redeem Reward Nights at a 50% discount off the regular point price, for selected properties.  Members will receive an e-mail on Monday providing a list of hotels where this offer will be available the following weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.  Initially, this program will be offered on the first full weekend of every month, starting with May 6, 7 and 8, 2011.

Last Minute Reward Nights looks like a nice program enhancement, but a minimal change to Priority Club Rewards. Although, the timing for the introduction of “Last Minute Reward Nights” in the first week of May has me wondering if the current list of Point Breaks hotels for 5,000 points per night through April 30 will be the last set of hotels we see for the PointBreaks reward option?

Here are the other three changes listed in the “What’s New” press release:

Points & Cash for Merchandise Rewards: Also a hotel industry first, Priority Club members in the U.S. will be able to redeem a combination of Priority Club points and cash for brand name retail merchandise rewards.  Priority Club Rewards currently offers points and cash capability on Reward Nights, but this will expand that functionality to merchandise rewards, a feature not offered anywhere in the industry. The program will roll out globally beginning late 2011. 

“Lucky Points” Sweepstakes: This feature will give members based in the US, Canada, and UK the chance to turn their extra points into great rewards.  Members will be able to redeem a very small quantity of Priority Club points (e.g., 100 or 200 points per entry) in exchange for a chance to win the prize or prizes that are most appealing to them. Typically, members will have 6-8 different prize draws to select from, ranging from terrific hotel packages (e.g. 4 nights at the InterContinental Times Square- New York) to popular merchandise (e.g., iPads), and even 1 million Priority Club points!  Priority Club Rewards will be the only travel loyalty program to offer members this chance to turn a single stay into a huge prize! The program will roll out in China and Japan beginning fall 2011. 

Downloadable Media Rewards:  Priority Club Rewards will be the first travel loyalty program to give members the flexibility to redeem their points directly for downloadable media, including the latest music hits and millions of other songs, plus eBooks, mobile games and applications, and computer software.  This will open up a terrific opportunity for members to turn relatively small quantities of points into tangible rewards. The program will initially rollout online in English globally and in several European languages beginning late 2011.

Reading through the documents, I see that nearly all the hype is cosmetic changes with a new Priority Club logo, redesigned Priority Club membership cards, website and photos.

Loyalty Traveler Commentary on Priority Club Relaunch:

Priority Club Relaunch press release states the program undertook extensive research “to better understand the attitudes and habits of hotel guests.”

Priority Club Findings:

Among the top trends identified by Priority Club Rewards (bullet point paragraphs):

• Hotel loyalty program points displace airline frequent flyer miles as preferred currency: Frequent travelers place a higher perceived value on hotel loyalty program currency over frequent flier miles, as airlines’ imposition of fees, decreased reward seat inventory and greater restrictions have weakened consumer trust, and as hotel programs add additional redemption options, including access to airline inventory.

Loyalty Traveler comment: The high fees associated with award travel made the frequent flier game much more expensive in the past ten years. Hotel program points are much easier to redeem.

• Business travelers value loyalty more than price: Loyalty program membership is a stronger predictor of hotel selection than price or location – for frequent guests who stay a minimum of 20 nights per year – regardless of preference for midscale or upscale brands.

Loyalty Traveler comment: I frequently state that anyone staying 20 or more nights per year in hotels will likely get much higher value from hotel stays by focusing on one hotel loyalty program and earning elite status. The value-added benefits of elite membership with complimentary internet, breakfast and room upgrades makes elite an economical solution to mitigate the high cost of hotels.

Unfortunately, IHG Priority Club has the weakest elite benefits along with the easiest elite qualification requirements of the major hotel loyalty programs. Earning 60,000 points in Priority Club for Platinum elite can be accomplished for under $1,000 in hotel stays by someone who works the Priority Club promotions with that goal in mind.

InterContinental Ambassador is a fee-based status with benefits for InterContinental Hotels, but Ambassador membership is of little benefit for Priority Club  frequent guests who spend 99% of their hotel stays in IHG’s other hotel brands.

• Travelers across North America, Asia Pacific and Europe are equally point currency conscious: The value loyalty points hold as currency – for earning and redeeming – ranked as the highest priority for hotel selection by frequent travelers globally, higher than special perks, privileges or benefits in the hotel.

Loyalty Traveler comment: I find this statement about the value of loyalty points intriguing. At the same time Hilton is pushing a campaign to move “Beyond Points”, IHG research indicates points are the most desirable aspect of hotel loyalty programs.

The value of points as a frequent guest priority has me asking:  Why does Priority Club not offer discounts on extended stays using points like HHonors, Marriott Rewards and SPG discount extended stays?

The cost of reward nights when correlated to the base earn rate for points from hotel stays is fairly comparable across the different programs until extended stays are considered. Marriott and SPG offer a 20% discount on points required for a 5-night stay. Hilton offers 15% off 4-night stays, 20% off 5-night stays and 25% off stays of 6 nights or more.

For example, Marriott Category 8 is 40,000 points and InterContinental high-tier reward night is 40,000 points. Both programs have the same earn rate at 10 points per dollar for most hotel brands. Marriott has a 5^th night free for 160,000 points needed on a 5-night reward stay. Priority Club has no extended stay discount and charges 200,000 points for a 5-night reward stay.

InterContinental Hotels is still the odd brand out

InterContinental Hotels earn rate of 2,000 points per stay tends to undercut the acquisition of points with this hotel brand. For example, a four night stay at a $200 per night InterContinental Hotel earns just 2,000 points whereas the same $800 total spend at a Crowne Plaza earns 8,000 points.

Priority Club research indicates points are the top priority of frequent guests, yet Priority Club shortchanges the points earned from most guest stays at InterContinental Hotels.

• Global economy a solid indicator of consumer activity in loyalty programs: Health of the global economy has an inverse correlation with driving hotel loyalty members to use point redemption options versus stockpiling, given points’ perceived utility as cash. For example, during a single month in 2008, Priority Club^® members redeemed points for US$1 million in gasoline card vouchers as rising oil prices inflated gas prices. 

Loyalty Traveler comment: Any reader of my blog soon realizes that this loyalty traveler places  a cash value equivalent on points for future hotel stays. I would not trade my points for the low value of gas cards. 

38,000 points for a $100 gift card = $2.63 per 1,000 points redemption value.

My hotel stay redemptions average $10+ per 1,000 points. 

Leading with this valuable consumer insight, the re-launched Priority Club Rewards loyalty program is now better equipped to meet the needs of the changing frequent traveler and continues to be a key business driver for IHG. Priority Club Rewards will further empower frequent guests through an easy and efficient point-focused program that provides access to non-hotel travel related services, discount and high-end retail merchandise and gift vouchers, exclusive life experiences, and of course IHG’s more than 4,400 hotels worldwide.   

Loyalty Traveler comment: Priority Club has added one new hotel-focused redemption option with the relaunch. The addition of low value non-hotel redemption options for music downloads and Points & Cash retail options is not the outcome I expected for an efficient point-focused program. 

Consumer options for spending points are a good thing to add, but the points-focus of a hotel loyalty program in my opinion should be the addition of more hotel redemption options for the frequent guest. 

If Hilton HHonors is moving its hotel loyalty program “beyond points”, then I think this press release for the Priority Club relaunch indicates Priority Club is primarily moving points “beyond hotels”.

Five St. Regis Spa Resorts are included in the 12 hotels for Round 5 of Starwood Resorts “Pack Your Bags” sweepstakes. 

St. Regis Bali, St. Regis Bora Bora, St. Regis Punta Mita, St. Regis Princeville, Kauai and St. Regis Monarch Beach in California’s own Orange County Dana Point are five of the 12 spa-resorts offering a 5-night stay along with 150,000 points. The Phoenician Scottsdale Arizona is another mainland domestic hotel for those who want relaxation in the American desert sun.

SPG members can have three entries total for this round with one entry each day Tuesday March 29, Wednesday March 30, Thursday March 31 before 11:59pm Eastern time (New York City).

International resorts available in this round include several European Luxury Collection Hotels with Vedema Resort, a vision of white on the island of Santorini Greece and Blue Palace Resort and Spa on the island of Crete. The Frank O. Gehry architectural marvel Marques de Riscal Luxury Collection hotel and spa in Elciego, Spain offers a wine region vacation.

W Retreat Maldives and Westin Siray Bay Phuket, Thailand are beach resort spa locations.

Sheraton Hacienda del Mar in Los Cabos and St. Regis Punta Mita take you to Mexico.

Basic Rules (Pack Your Bags sweepstakes FAQ link)

There are 9 resort categories for the sweepstakes and one final prize on April 15 for a total of ten grand prize giveaways over the next month.  Every Tuesday and Friday during the promotion period there will be a different set of hotels offering a grand prize package. 

• You can enter once every 24 hours. Each entry is unique and you may choose a different resort within the choices of the Starwood Resort category with each entry.
• You can only win one prize during the promotion period.
• Prize is not transferrable.
• Winners are chosen from member entries within the posted time frame for each category.

Starwood Resort Categories for Pack Your Bags Sweepstakes:

Sweepstakes Period Rounds:                 

ROUND 1 – Best Exotic Escapes

* Photos posted: 3/15/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 3/17/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET 

ROUND 2 – Best Winter Adventure Resorts

* Photos posted: 3/18/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 3/21/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET

ROUND 3 – Best Family Adventure Resorts

* Photos posted: 3/22/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 3/24/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET

ROUND 4 – Best Beach Resorts

* Photos posted: 3/25/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 3/28/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET

ROUND 5 – Best Spa Indulgences

* Photos posted: 3/29/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 3/31/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET

ROUND 6 – Best Golf Getaways

* Photos posted: 4/1/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 4/4/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET

ROUND 7 – Best Romantic Paradise

* Photos posted: 4/5/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 4/7/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET

ROUND 8 – Best Small Wonder

* Photos posted: 4/8/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 4/11/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET

ROUND 9 – Best Island Retreat

* Photos posted: 4/12/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 4/14/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET

The 10^th grand prize winner will be picked April 15 from the entrants for each of the previous rounds. The Grand Prize winner has the choice of any Starwood Resort in the SPG members’ favorites list.

Resort stays must be completed by December 31, 2011.

Who can enter: Anyone age 18 or over from

• fifty (50) United States (including D.C.),
• Canada (excluding Quebec residents),
• Argentina,
• Australia,
• Austria,
• Brazil,
• China,
• Indonesia,
• Ireland,
• Finland,
• France,
• Germany,
• New Zealand,
• Portugal,
• Singapore,
• South Korea,
• Switzerland,
• Taiwan
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom.

Important Promotion Term to Note:  Winner member may substitute a different resort from the one originally chosen. For this reason you should pick the most expensive resort stays since you can always trade down, but you can’t trade up.

What if I win, but then decide I don’t want to go to the resort I had originally chosen?

Members may substitute a resort of equal or less value from the resort options originally provided to the member during the Giveaway. 

Check the Pack Your Bags Terms and Conditions link to see the tables of hotels and prize value for each of the nine Starwood Resort categories during the Pack Your Bags sweepstakes. 

150,000 Starpoints Component of Grand Prize

The points are yours for whatever purpose you choose. Air travel to the Starwood Resort prize is totally left up to the prize winner.

150,000 Starpoints are available for conversion into airline miles if you choose to use points for air travel.

150,000 points = 185,000 miles for most airlines with 1:1 point-to-mile exchange.

Loyalty Traveler Analysis:

Remember to enter every day through April 14.

Choose the most expensive resort for each entry. If you win, then you can always change to any other resort in the list for each resort category prize. You can always trade laterally to an equally expensive resort or trade down later, but you can’t trade up to a more expensive resort.

Air travel to the resort is left up to the member. In general, 150,000 Starpoints will have more value used for hotel nights rather than air miles.

Expedia Rewards launched today, March 28, 2011. Loyalty Traveler analyzed the points earn and burn value for hotels and published program benefits.

Earn Expedia Rewards points

Expedia Rewards program base earn rate offers 1 point per USD $1 in Expedia travel purchases. Travel packages including a hotel stay with a total of two, three or four components earn 2 points/$1, 3 points/$1 and 4 points/$1, respectively.

Travel package components include airfare, hotel, car and activities.

• 1 point/$1 spent on hotels
• 1 point/$1 spent on flights
• 1 point/$1 spent on activities
• 2 points/$1 spent on hotel + flight travel package (or hotel + one other package component)
• 3 points/$1 spent on hotel + flight + car travel package (or hotel + any two other package components)
• 4 points/$1 spent on hotel + flight + car + activities travel package

 

Expedia Rewards Elite Plus

Expedia Rewards has an elite member program. Annual Expedia Elite Plus qualification requires 15 hotel nights or $10,000 in annual Expedia travel bookings.  Expedia Rewards members need to book and stay 15 nights or spend $10,000 in Expedia travel during 2011 to earn Elite Plus status that will expire Feb 28, 2013.

A single registered Expedia membership account will be given credit for all bookings made to that account, regardless of who completes the travel. – Expedia Elite Plus terms and conditions.

One of the strongest competitive advantages for Expedia Rewards compared to traditional frequent flyer and frequent guest loyalty programs is the ability for the Expedia account holder to earn points and credit with purchases for other travelers. All you home-based travel agents can book your family trip and earn Expedia Rewards for everybody else’s flights and nights. In this sense, Expedia Rewards is akin to a travel credit card program for travel purchase points and a spend based elite member option, even if you don’t travel all that much.

If I book 15 hotel room nights in 2011 through my Expedia Rewards account, then I will earn Expedia Elite Plus status through February 28, 2013 regardless of the traveler names for the booked hotel rooms. I can’t earn points with traditional hotel loyalty programs in my personal hotel member account without being one of the guests staying at the hotel. 

Elite Plus on Airline purchases: $10,000 in airline tickets and total travel purchases is a high threshold for earning Elite Plus. The threshold is much lower for hotel bookings at 15 nights. Basically the profit margin on airline tickets is very low for Expedia. Most of Expedia’s profits come from hotel bookings according to industry data I have read.

Expedia Elite Plus Benefits and VIP Access Hotels $30 Promotion

Elite Plus members can receive free upgrades, late checkout and other perks with Expedia “VIP Access” designated hotels.

Expedia VIP Access Hotels earn 2 points/$1.

Expedia Rewards offers a $30 coupon on stays of 3-nights or longer at Expedia VIP Access hotels through December 31, 2011 when booked by March 31, 2011. (Loyalty Traveler is disappointed to see such a short booking window.)

Elite Plus members also have a Hotel Price Guarantee. The terms indicate you can get a lower room rate for stand-alone hotel bookings if found on a U.S. based website anytime from time of booking on Expedia until day before arrival.

There might be some real potential for hedging your hotel rates with this aspect of the program. I’ll tackle my ideas on the Expedia Rewards Elite Plus Hotel Price Guarantee in a different Loyalty Traveler post.

Other notable Elite Plus member benefits are exclusive offers and early access to sales.

 

Redeem Expedia Rewards points

Expedia currently only has a hotel coupon redemption chart. The airfare redemption table is not online yet.

The hotel coupon table shows a rather low 1% to 2% rebate value on Expedia travel purchases for standalone hotel, airfare, and car rental bookings with an earn rate of 1 point per dollar.

MasterCard Double Points through August 31, 2011

A special promotion with MasterCard earns double Expedia Rewards base points on hotel or hotel packages paid with MasterCard through August 31, 2011 increasing the potential rebate up to 2% – 4%.

MasterCard Double Points with Expedia Rewards requires promotion registration using Expedia Rewards number.

Hotel coupons are one-time use meaning the best value $1000 coupon can only be redeemed on a single hotel stay. $300 hotel coupon stays will offer far less rebate value through Expedia Rewards than $1,000 hotel coupon stays.

Earning 50,000 points requires as much as $50,000 in travel purchases and a minimum of $12,500 in Expedia travel purchases if earning 4 points/$1 on a four component vacation package purchase. That is only an 8% rebate on $12,500 in travel spend when 50,000 Expedia Rewards points are redeemed for a $1,000 hotel voucher that must be used in one hotel stay.

For comparison, Loyalty Traveler values the hotel loyalty program points earned from many hotel stays at 20% to 30% paid room rate during good promotions and 50%+ rebate during high value promotions.

In real numbers this means I expect to save $20 to $30 on a future hotel stay for every $100 I spend at the hotel during a good loyalty promotion and upwards of $50 in future hotel stay value for every $100 I spend when a high value promotion comes around. And Expedia Rewards guarantees me only 2% future hotel stay rebate value after spending $50,000. That is $2 future hotel stay savings for every $100 in hotel spend.

Expedia Rewards is a fine online travel agency choice for airfare tickets and may provide a good savings on hotel rates with some travel package deals, but the rebate on stand-alone hotel stays bookings is likely to be less compared to the points and benefits offered through the hotel brand’s traditional loyalty program which for me average 20% to 30% on most of my hotel stays in programs like Hyatt and Starwood and Priority Club.  

Expedia Rewards Sample Earn and Burn Chart from Website

http://www.expedia.com/daily/highlights/rewards/expediarewards/sample.asp

MasterCard payment for double points through August 31, 2011 creates the potential for 8 points per dollar and 16% rebate (sample #3) on Expedia spend. Throw in a VIP Access hotel with a four component Expedia vacation package and pay with MasterCard (sample #4) and you peak at 9 points/$1 or a potential 18% rebate on your travel purchase with Expedia Rewards.

Expedia Rewards compared to Hyatt Gold Passport 10,000 bonus points after 5 nights

Assume $100 per night on two 5-night stays = $1,000 spend.

• Hyatt Diamond member = 2 x 1,000 points Diamond amenity = 2,000 points.
• Gold Passport Base points = 5 points/$1 x $1,000 = 5,000 points.
• Gold Passport Diamond elite bonus (30%) x $1,000 = 1,500 points.
• Hyatt Promotion (April 1-June 30) = 5 nights for 10,000 points + 2 nights x 5,000 points for 7^th and 9th nights = 20,000 points.

28,500 Gold Passport points worth $427 to $855 in hotel stay rewards based on estimated value of Hyatt Gold Passport points in the range of $15 to $30 per 1,000 points. This sample for Hyatt shows a 42% to 85% rebate value compared to an 8% rebate value with Expedia or a maximum 16% during the MasterCard promotion.

Paying $1,000 on Expedia earns only 1,000 points for standalone hotel bookings. That offers no rebate at all on my $1,000 in hotel spend since I need 3,500 points just to redeem for a $25 hotel coupon.

Expedia Rewards is still a great consumer bonus when booking independent hotels not affiliated with a hotel loyalty program where the guest would otherwise not earn any points with future travel value.  

The Hotel Analysis

Unfortunately, hotel rooms purchased on Expedia frequently involve a trade-off for the frequent guest. 

Expedia bookings earn no points in most hotel loyalty programs. Even elite benefits do not apply for stays with a major chain where you have elite tier status when booked through Expedia.  You may still receive benefits at the discretion of the hotel.

Why hotels do not give points for third party online bookings.

American Airlines or United Airlines are owned and operated as one major corporate company. The company employs the workers, owns and leases aircraft and facilities and in most cases manages the frequent flyer program. Airlines benefit regardless of the channel where you buy your ticket. The price of a ticket is generally the same on Expedia as it is on the airline site. Expedia does not make much money on airline tickets relative to its profit margin on hotels.

Hotels are different from airlines in that many independently owned hotels align or brand with a parent hotel chain like Hyatt or Best Western. The hotel loyalty program acts primarily as a marketing partner for the hotel.  The hotel owner pays for this marketing arrangement, generally a percentage of room revenue. The hotels employ their own workers, manage their own site financials, and participate in a hotel loyalty program in an association of hundreds or thousands of other independently owned hotels.

Bookings made through Expedia are something like a 15% to 25% booking fee in terms of room rate going to Expedia rather than to the hotel. Hotel loyalty programs like SPG and Priority Club are marketing organizations geared to move hotel bookings to lower-cost direct channels that reduce the overall cost of selling hotel rooms and improve profit margins. Hotel loyalty program points and benefits are high value rebates direct to the customer. The customer is happy with the value added benefits of the hotel stay and the hotel makes more money than selling the room through Expedia who takes a significant portion of the room rate.

Expedia gets you the same room price most of the time, but the hotel loyalty benefits are not the same since a much larger portion of the room rate is going to Expedia compared to a direct booking with the hotel. You as the frequent guest have already cut the hotel’s profit margin by booking through Expedia. The hotel may not want to incur more expenses by giving you hotel loyalty benefits like a room upgrade, points, free breakfast or internet access.

FlyerTalk discussions indicate Marriott and Hyatt often recognize a member’s elite status on third party bookings, but this is no guarantee.

Earning hotel program loyalty points is generally not a benefit with any hotel loyalty program for third party bookings through an online travel agency like Expedia.

Is Expedia Rewards a loyalty program gamechanger?

Expedia Rewards might be incentive for me to move bookings to Expedia rather than Orbitz or Travelocity, however, the low rebate value of points means I am unlikely to move bookings away from hotel brand websites unless there is also an exceptional cash savings to the Expedia rate. I find my hotel stay point bonuses generally exceed a 10% future stay rebate and often are 25% or more of the paid room rate when used for a future hotel stay.

Therefore, Expedia Rewards is not a significant game-changer in hotel loyalty programs when it comes to booking hotels where there is the option to earn traditional hotel loyalty points. The value of points in Hyatt Gold Passport, Hilton HHonors, IHG Priority Club, Starwood Preferrred Guest and Marriott Rewards are generally much more valuable than Expedia Rewards points when booking your own hotel stays. Expedia Rewards is great when booking hotel stays and flights for other people through your own account.

Expedia Rewards is a good value for extra travel points from airfare purchases and travel packages where the hotel and airline savings provide an instant rebate value on travel cost. Airfare purchases on Expedia without the risk of lost benefits provide a bonus credit in your Expedia Rewards account in addition to your frequent flyer account miles.

Just remember Expedia Rewards hotel bookings may leave your traditional hotel frequent guest account shortchanged!

AC Hotels by Marriott is the newest hotel brand in the Marriott Family and leaps ahead of JW Marriott, Marriott Vacation Club and Ritz-Carlton in number of hotel properties. The branding partnership with Madrid-based AC Hotels gives Marriott an expansive footprint in Spain where Marriott’s existing portfolio of 8 hotels, primarily beach and golf resorts, will grow to more than 80 hotels over the next two months. AC Hotels also has 10 properties in Italy and two in Portugal.

Update May 3, 2011: Marriott will begin taking reservations for AC Hotels on May 19, 2011.

AC Hotels were founded in 1998 by Antonio Catalán. These hotels are mostly upscale urban properties in Spain.

The co-branding partnership with AC Hotels by Marriott establishes a Spain-based foothold for Marriott’s European and Latin American expansion through a distinctively European hotel brand.

AC Hotels by Marriott is already listed on Marriott’s UK website as a Marriott hotel brand. There is also a placeholder webpage for the AC Hotels by Marriott brand. Press reports indicate these hotels should be available for booking through Marriott by May 2011. The question on some Marriott members minds is whether the current free mini-bar privilege at AC Hotels will be retained?

AC Hotels main website in Spain differentiates the AC hotel brand with an upper-tier subset of 10 Selection Hotels that also includes four Luxury Selection hotels. Marriott has branded the four AC Luxury Selection hotels as the first international members of the Autograph Collection brand.

• AC Santo Mauro, Madrid, Spain – 51-room 5-star hotel in central Madrid housed in 19^th century former residence of Duke de Santo Mauro.
• AC Palacio del Retiro, Madrid, Spain: 50-room 5-star hotel at the Paque del Retiro and located near the Art Triangle of Madrid.
• AC Palacio de Santa Paula, Granada, Spain – a 75 bedroom hotel housed in the former Santa Paula Convent (16^th century) and Casa Morisca (12^th century) historic and artistic monuments in central Grenada.
• AC Baqueira Hotel & Spa, Baqueira, Spain – Pyrenees 5-star ski resort and spa.

 

Link to AC Hotels location map.

 

Brand Acquisition as the new international trend

Marriott is the first major hotel company to make a significant brand acquisition of an independent hotel chain in the past couple of years. Hotel industry news indicates consumers will see this development as a growing trend in the next couple of years.

Starwood Hotels is currently seeking privately owned hotels in Europe. (Bloomberg News-March 18, 2011) 

InterContinental Hotels Group wants to acquire a new midscale brand and a new luxury brand. (HotelNewsNow – March 14, 2011). IHG’s InterContinental Alliance brings the Venetian and Palazzo Las Vegas resorts into the IHG chain with benefits for InterContinental Ambassadors effective April1, 2011. 

Carlson Hotels is seeking to expand with one or two hotel brand acquisitions.

Choice Hotels even has its Ascend Collection as a brand seeking distinctive independent hotel properties.

W Maldives, St. Regis Bali and St. Regis Bora Bora are three über-resorts  offering a 5-night stay along with 150,000 points in round 4 of the Starwood Resorts “Pack Your Bags” sweepstakes.  These three resorts have an ARV listed at $17,500USD for a 5-night stay. $3,500 per night is far higher than the lowest priced rooms ($700/night), although, perhaps this stay is booked in a W Maldives Seascape Escape room and then the $17,500 ARV is a bargain discount.

SPG members can have four entries total for this round with one entry each day Friday March 25, Saturday March 26, Sunday March 27 and Monday March 28 before 11:59pm Eastern time (New York City).

Maui and Waikiki are the only two U.S. resort destinations in this set of 12 Starwood Beach Resorts.

International resorts available in this round include Monte Carlo Monaco, Mykonos Greece, Rio de Janeiro, Sanya China, Phuket Thailand, Cancun Mexico and Gold Coast Australia.

Basic Rules (Pack Your Bags sweepstakes FAQ link)

There are 9 resort categories for the sweepstakes and one final prize on April 15 for a total of ten grand prize giveaways over the next month.  Every Tuesday and Friday during the promotion period there will be a different set of hotels offering a grand prize package.

• You can enter once every 24 hours. Each entry is unique and you may choose a different resort within the choices of the Starwood Resort category with each entry.
• You can only win one prize during the promotion period.
• Prize is not transferrable.
• Winners are chosen from member entries within the posted time frame for each category.

Starwood Resort Categories for Pack Your Bags Sweepstakes:

Sweepstakes Period Rounds:

ROUND 1 – Best Exotic Escapes

* Photos posted: 3/15/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 3/17/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET 

ROUND 2 – Best Winter Adventure Resorts

* Photos posted: 3/18/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 3/21/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET

ROUND 3 – Best Family Adventure Resorts

* Photos posted: 3/22/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 3/24/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET 

ROUND 4 – Best Beach Resorts

* Photos posted: 3/25/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 3/28/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET 

ROUND 5 – Best Spa Indulgences

* Photos posted: 3/29/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 3/31/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET

ROUND 6 – Best Golf Getaways

* Photos posted: 4/1/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 4/4/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET 

ROUND 7 – Best Romantic Paradise

* Photos posted: 4/5/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 4/7/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET 

ROUND 8 – Best Small Wonder

* Photos posted: 4/8/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 4/11/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET 

ROUND 9 – Best Island Retreat

* Photos posted: 4/12/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 4/14/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET 

The 10^th grand prize winner will be picked April 15 from the entrants for each of the previous rounds. The Grand Prize winner has the choice of any Starwood Resort in the SPG members’ favorites list.

Resort stays must be completed by December 31, 2011.

Who can enter: Anyone age 18 or over from

• fifty (50) United States (including D.C.),
• Canada (excluding Quebec residents),
• Argentina,
• Australia,
• Austria,
• Brazil,
• China,
• Indonesia,
• Ireland,
• Finland,
• France,
• Germany,
• New Zealand,
• Portugal,
• Singapore,
• South Korea,
• Switzerland,
• Taiwan
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom.

Important Promotion Term to Note:  Winner member may substitute a different resort from the one originally chosen. For this reason you should pick the most expensive resort stays since you can always trade down, but you can’t trade up.

What if I win, but then decide I don’t want to go to the resort I had originally chosen?

Members may substitute a resort of equal or less value from the resort options originally provided to the member during the Giveaway.

150,000 Starpoints Component of Grand Prize

The points are yours for whatever purpose you choose. Air travel to the Starwood Resort prize is totally left up to the prize winner.

150,000 Starpoints are available for conversion into airline miles if you choose to use points for air travel.

150,000 points = 185,000 miles for most airlines with 1:1 point-to-mile exchange.

Loyalty Traveler Analysis:

Remember to enter every day through April 14.

Choose the most expensive resort for each entry. If you win, then you can always change to any other resort in the list for each resort category prize. You can always trade laterally to an equally expensive resort or trade down later, but you can’t trade up to a more expensive resort.

Air travel to the resort is left up to the member. In general, 150,000 Starpoints will have more value used for hotel nights rather than air miles.

Hilton HHonors “Grand Nights” promotion runs April 1 through June 30, 2011 with a 1,000 bonus points per night offer. All Hilton brand hotels worldwide appear to participate. Registration is required.

HHonors members may combine this points bonus offer with 2011-Q2 miles bonus offers running simultaneously. HHonorsRepresentative on FlyerTalk has confirmed points and miles promotions may be combines.

Loyalty Traveler Analysis

This HHonors 1,000 points per night promotion is simple and does not require extensive analysis.

What follows here is a detailed explanation of different ways to evaluate hotel loyalty promotion value.    

This 2011-Q2 HHonors promotion obviously pales in comparison to last year’s six month HHonors offer of one free night after 4 hotel stays. That promotion had the potential for the equivalent of 50,000 bonus points after 4 nights if you used the free night at a category 7 hotel. HHonors “Grand Nights” promotion requires 50 nights at 1,000 bonus points per night to earn 50,000 bonus points.

And for the extended stay guest this offer pales in comparison to the HHonors 2011-Q1 promotion offering  4x base points on stays of 4 or more nights. HHonors members were earning 30 extra points per dollar or 3,000 bonus points per $100 in hotel spend each night. Anyone paying $100 or more per Hilton brand hotel night and staying more than one night is earning a smaller bonus with this “Grand Nights” promotion compared to the 2x, 3x, 4x bonus points promotion ending March 31, 2011.

This “Grand Nights” promotion is weaker for the person spending more than $100 per night and staying more than one night. And “Grand Nights” also offers a promotion value only slightly better than double points for the one night stay HHonors guest spending less than $100 per night.

I thought Hilton HHonors was really getting back into the loyalty promotion game, but now it looks like the program has taken two steps back to its old ways. You have to go back to summer 2009 since Hilton HHonors had a less lucrative promotion with its 10,000 points capped bonus after 5 stays.

The Points Guy does a good job showing the earn rate for the HHonors promotion compared to Hyatt and Priority Club in terms of free night awards. Brian compares free nights earned in each program after 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 nights. I advocate the idea of having a redemption hotel in mind when planning out hotel stays for promotion bonuses.

What this type of hotel promotion analysis neglects are the differences in hotel category assignment distribution when correlating hotel categories from different loyalty programs.

For example, Hilton HHonors award categories are skewed heavily to the high end and proportionately few properties are assigned to the lowest categories.  In other words, Hilton HHonors charges 7,500 points for a category 1 hotel night and 12,500 points for a category 2 reward night compared to 5,000 points for Hyatt category 1 and 8,000 points for Hyatt category 2 hotels. But you will find few Hilton brand hotels assigned to category 1 and 2 with approximately 160 hotels, or fewer than 5%, out of 3,600 hotels in Hilton Worldwide. Compare that proportion to Hyatt Gold Passport where about 250 hotels are assigned to Gold Passport category 1 and 2 rewards or approximately 60% of all Hyatt brand hotels.

I like to think of hotel loyalty promotions  in terms of my potential rebate value of points earned. Hilton HHonors “Grand Nights” promotion will have a bonus points rebate value of about $4 to $8 per night for most HHonors guests who stay 9 to 11 nights (9,000 to 11,000 bonus HHonors points) during the three month promotion period.

In comparison, Hyatt Gold Passport members with 9 to 11 nights during Hyatt’s 2011-Q2 promotion from April 1 through June 30 will earn 20,000 to 25,000 bonus points. These are sufficient for the highest hotel category rewards at 18,000 points for category 5 or 22,000 points for category 6. Hyatt Gold Passport members can potentially earn around 2,250 bonus points per night for about $35 to $50 per night in bonus points rebate value.

Evaluating a Promotion by the Estimated Value of the Bonus Points

Estimating Hotel Point Value

Most analysts estimate the redemption value for 1,000 HHonors bonus points between 0.3 – 0.6 cents/point. This is the same as saying 1,000 HHonors bonus points per night has a promotion value equivalent to $3.00 to $6.00 per night.

UnRoadWarrior did estimated points value analysis for the HHonors promotion using a point value of $6 per 1,000 points. He rates Hyatt at 1.5 cents or $15/1,000 points and Priority Club at 0.6 cents/point or $6.00/1,000 points.

The problem I have with point value assignment is the randomness of assigning a fixed point value. Most fixed values I see for hotel points are generally undervalued compared to my personal redemption value averages.

I prefer to use a range when describing hotel point value. Each hotel redemption is different and you can easily maintain a much higher redemption value than typically stated in commonly used hotel point average.

Typical hotel points range of values (with Loyalty Traveler point value potential, if selectively redeeming points for hotel stays.)

• Hilton HHonors = $2.50 to $6.00/1,000 points (Loyalty Traveler looks for $8 to $12)
• Hyatt Gold Passport = $13 to $20/1,000 points (Loyalty Traveler looks for $25 to $30)
• IHG Priority Club = $4 to $13/1,000 points (Loyalty Traveler looks for >$10)
• Marriott Rewards = $5 to $13/1,000 points (Loyalty Traveler looks for $10 to $15)
• Starwood Preferred Guest = $18 to $25/1,000 points (Loyalty Traveler looks for >$35)

NerdWallet.com Hotel Point Value Estimates

I like NerdWallet.com hotel fixed-point values since these values are actually taken by averaging the point values from a large data set of hotels using the reward cost for a free night and actual room rates. This methodology uses many data points to create a range as shown by this Nerdwallet paragraph describing the value of a Priority Club Rewards point.  

How much is a Priority Club Rewards Point worth? NerdWallet estimates at about 0.6 cents, based on our analysis of hotel room rates versus the number of points required to redeem a free night. Based on our large sample of data points, point values ranged from 0.4 cents to 1.3 cents, but most hotels clustered around the 0.6 cents number.

http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/reward-program-reviews/priority-club-rewards-points/

Note on my Loyalty traveler notation for point value

I prefer to write point values as “per 1,000 points” to deal with just whole dollars and cents. and avoid commonly made decimal errors.  

 0.6 cents x 1,000 = $6/1,000 point

Another reason for thinking about point value in blocks of 1,000 points is hotel rewards are priced in blocks of 1,000 points and the math is simple to calculate in your head if you divide the cost of a $150 room by 25,000 points. 

$150/25 = $6.00 per 1,000 points redemption value.

The Nerdwallet value of 0.4 cents per Priority Club point means the same as $4.00 per 1,000 points.

A real travel example of $4/1000 points would be redeeming points for a free night at a Crowne Plaza or Holiday Inn hotel at 25,000 points when the room rate is $100 per night.

1.3 cents/point is the same as $13/1,000 points and is like a Crowne Plaza hotel with a $325 per night room rate, but still the reward cost remains the same at 25,000 points for a free night.

My objective as a loyalty traveler is to try and redeem at the higher end of point value for free nights. I pay for hotel rooms whenever the redemption point value is too low, if I can afford the rates while staying within my travel budget. Leveraging my earn and burn allows maximum room rate savings over the course of a year’s travel.

I assume holding points for another time will provide greater cash savings on a future trip within the next couple of months. 

Advice to points hoarders: Remain cognizant of the loyalty program rules and spend points regularly to avoid losing significant value in your account balance when program changes lower the value of points. For example, HHonors reward night category changes in January 2010 meant an overall increase of about 20% in the cost of hotel rewards system-wide. Marriott’s Ritz-Carlton Rewards and changes to Vacation Club rewards in 2010 increased the cost for some hotels by more than 50% in an overnight change. Both Marriott and Hilton had some hotel awards increase in cost by more than 50% in 2010 through hotel category reassignment and award structure changes. Unfortunately, these types of program changes still happen with no member warning or program transparency. 

Typical Hotel Point Value Estimates with commentary

Hilton HHonors = 0.25 cents/point to 0.60 cents/point; which is the same as $2.50 to $6.00 per 1,000 points. Nerdwallet.com values them at 0.5 cents/point = $5.00/1,000 points. The problem with Hilton HHonors is the high number of low priced hotels in high reward categories. I have seen category 7 hotels at 50,000 points when room rates are $99. This is more of a problem with HHonors than other hotel programs.

Hyatt Gold Passport = 1.5 cents/point to 2.0 cents/point = $15.00 to $20.00 per 1,000 points. Nerdwallet uses 1.5 cents/point = $15.00/1,000 points. The best values tend to be low category rewards. Finding a category 2 hotel with room rates over $200 is not that rare ($25/1000 points redemption value).

IHG Priority Club = 0.6 cents/point (this hotel program has the most agreed upon number.) Nerdwallet uses $6.00/1,000 points too, but I like the range data they included for 0.4 cents to 1.3 cents.

Ranges are more valuable to give the savvy loyalty traveler a high-end target rather than average value. Priority Club Points & Cash reward nights allow any member to buy 10,000 points for $60. I typically average redemption values greater than $10 per 1,000 points, so I try and buy all the Points & Cash reward nights I can.

Marriott Rewards points = 0.7 cents/point to 1.3 cents/point = $7.00 to $13.00 per 1,000 points. Nerdwallet uses 1.0 cents/point = $10.00 / 1,000 points. Marriott’s best feature is its comparable size to Hilton with over 3,000 hotels globally while having a much more favorable hotel category assignment distribution with plenty of hotels in the lowest categories.

Starwood Preferred Guest = 2.0 to 2.5 cents/point = $20 to $25 per 1,000 points. Nerdwallet uses 2.3 cents/points = $23/1000 points. I personally value Starwood points at $35/1,000 points since I almost always save at least that amount when redeeming.  

Many SPG Cash & Points nights provide value in the $60/1,000 points range. SPG Cash & Points offer a room night at 60% fewer points for a fixed cash rate. An example is the Westin Georgetown where I stayed in Washington D.C. last month for $60 and 4,000 points instead of paying the $300 room rate or redeeming 10,000 points for a free night award at this SPG category 4 hotel.

$60 to save 6,000 points is equivalent to buying points at $10 per 1,000 while spending 4,000 points to save $240 is getting a redemption value for the same stay of $60 per 1,000 points. I do not like fixed point value estimates that tell me my SPG points are $23 or $25 per 1000 points since this Cash & Points redemption is more typical of my average SPG points value. SPG Cash & Points awards are one of the best hotel loyalty program awards.

In conclusion: HHonors seems back on track to move guests “beyond points” as it appears headed back to a pattern of lackluster hotel loyalty promotions with this major 2011-Q2 “Grand Nights” offer.

Hilton HHonors Grand Nights promotion link.

Over 800 hotels are participating in a limited time offer Starwood Hotels sale for weekend stays Thursday – Sunday from March 31 through May 30. Stays must be booked by April 4. Rate plan CCCLTO.

Most hotels require guest arrival Thursday, Friday or Saturday.

Starwood Resorts may be booked for hotel stays any day day of the week. This offer includes upgraded room categories and suites.

Primary restriction is these rates are prepaid and non-refundable.

This thread on FlyerTalk indicates this sale is not a significant discount on other rates, particularly considering the prepaid, nonrefundable terms. Your search results may differ. Good luck.

http://www.starwoodpromos.com/hotel-deals2/