Marriott Rewards members choosing miles instead of points have the option to earn up to 30,000 bonus miles for hotel stays from September 1-December 31, 2011. Unlike MegaBonus, this promotion does not require VISA payment. There are six participating airlines and members must select one of these partners when registering for this bonus miles promotion:

• Delta Airlines SkyMiles
• United Airlines Mileage Plus
• British Airways Executive Club
• Lufthansa Miles & More
• GOL/Varig Smiles
• LanPass

Bonus miles earning begins with the second stay after September 1 based on the following earning chart.

• Stay 1 = regular base miles of 2 miles/$1 (JW Marriott, Marriott, Renaissance, Ritz-Carlton, Edition, Autograph Collection) or 1 mile/$1 at Courtyard, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites, TownePlace Suites).
• Stay 2 = Base Miles + 1,000 bonus miles.
• Stay 3 = Base Miles + 1,500 bonus miles.
• Stay 4 = Base Miles + 1,500 bonus miles.
• Stays 5 to 17 = Base Miles + 2,000 bonus miles.
• Maximum 30,000 bonus miles is reached after 17 stays.
• All Marriott brands worldwide, including Ritz-Carlton participate in this promotion. LT Note: the new Marriott AC brand in Europe is not listed on the Marriott miles earning page or in this promotion’s terms.

Loyalty Traveler Analysis:

This “More Stays, More Miles” offer is an alternative promotion to the Marriott Megabonus for Fall 2011 running Sep 15, 2011 to Jan 15, 2012 for members who choose to earn miles. This miles promotion does not require VISA card payment. Your Marriott Rewards account earning preference must be set to miles rather than points to view this offer.

New members must enroll in Marriott Rewards and existing members must register for this promotion either online at www.MarriottRewards.com/MoreStays-MoreMiles or via the Marriott Rewards service center in the U.S. and Canada at 800-859-0686.

The primary points offer for Marriott’s MegaBonus is a possibility of one free night at a category 1 to 4 hotel after two stays, with a maximum bonus of two free nights after four stays when payment is VISA. You must register for MegaBonus by October 31.

MegaBonus is a targeted offer and Marriott Rewards frequent guests are likely to have a points based offer for 15 to 25 nights. There is also a version awarding 5,000 points every two stays. Here is my August 16 Loyalty Traveler post on Marriott MegaBonus.

Since Marriott Rewards members must choose between earning either points or miles and members have the ability to switch earning preference between stays, there may be potential to earn both MegaBonus and More Stays, More Miles bonuses by switching earning preference from miles to points during the overlapping promotion period of Sep 15-Dec 31 for these two offers.

I’d love to hear Marriott Rewards member input about the feasibility of earning miles for some stays, switching to points and earning MegaBonus credit for some stays, and switching back to miles again for other stays. Does it work to switch earning preference and alternate between a miles promotion and points promotion with Marriott Rewards for different stays?

Marriott Rewards More Stays, More Miles for up to 30,000 miles Sep 1-Dec 31, 2011

The weekly batch of Starpicks reveals better rates for some hotels than I have seen in the past few offers. $95 at Westin Mission Hills Resort Villas Palm Springs, California or CAD$149 for Westin Bayshore Vancouver look like good values. Other hotels like SLS Beverly Hills at $335 or The Chatwal New York at $600 per night hardly seem like a discount.

Starwood Starpicks link.

Basic Starpicks Terms

• Must book by Friday of the week Starpicks are posted. Hotels have been changing every week lately.
• Starpicks reservations are prepaid and nonrefundable. No changes allowed.
• Non-Resort Hotels require arrival on Thursday, Friday or Saturday. Maximum stay is four nights. Must stay Saturday night for a Sunday night Starpicks rate.
• Resort hotels allow arrival any day of week with maximum stay of 14 nights. No minimum stay requirement.

Not all dates are available for Starpicks. Hotels offer select dates over the next three weeks and Resorts over select dates over the next six weeks.

Here is a hotel sample showing limited Starpicks rate availability at Westin Bayshore Vancouver over next three weeks:

Starpicks Date Availability Westin Bayshore, Vancouver August-September 2011

Once dates are selected the Starpicks rate appears:

Starpicks rate CAD$149 for Westin Bayshore, Vancouver Sep 14, 2011

Resorts may show a longer availability window up to six weeks as seen with Le Meridien Barbarons, Seychelles:

Starpicks date availability for Le Meridien Barbarons, Seychelles

The 150EUR per night rate seems like a low rate for this Indian Ocean resort.

Starpicks Rate for Le Meridien Barbarons, Mahe, Seychelles

One improvement would be to post the rates without having to input dates. Perhaps there are hotels that have variable rates, but every hotel I checked showed the same Starpicks rate regardless of dates selected for that hotel.

Canada

Alberta

Calgary Four Points by Sheraton Calgary Airport

Calgary Four Points by Sheraton Hotel & Suites Calgary West

British Columbia

Richmond Four Points by Sheraton Vancouver Airport

Vancouver The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver

Vancouver The Westin Grand, Vancouver

Victoria Four Points by Sheraton Victoria Gateway

Manitoba

Winnipeg Four Points by Sheraton Winnipeg South

Nova Scotia

Halifax Four Points by Sheraton Halifax

Ontario

Cambridge Four Points by Sheraton Cambridge Kitchener, Ontario

Ottawa The Westin Ottawa

Thorold Four Points by Sheraton St. Catharines Niagara Suites

Toronto Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel & Conference Centre

Quebec

Montreal Aloft Montreal Airport

Montreal Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel

Saskatchewan

Saskatoon Four Points by Sheraton Saskatoon

China

Guangdong, Guangzhou The Westin Pazhou

France

Roissy Sheraton Paris Airport Hotel & Conference Centre

Germany

Frankfurt The Westin Grand Frankfurt

Greece

Costa Navarino The Romanos, Costa Navarino

Costa Navarino The Westin Resort, Costa Navarino

Malaysia

Langkawi The Andaman, Langkawi

Netherlands

The Hague Hotel Des Indes, The Hague

Panama, Republic of Panama

Panama City Sheraton Panama Hotel & Convention Center

Peru

Lima The Westin Lima Hotel & Convention Center

Paracas Hotel Paracas, Paracas

Urubamba Tambo del Inka Resort & Spa, Valle Sagrado

Poland

Warsaw Le Méridien Bristol, Warsaw

Seychelles

Mahé Le Méridien Barbarons

Mahé Le Méridien Fisherman’s Cove

Slovakia

Bratislava Sheraton Bratislava Hotel

South Africa

Cape Town The Westin Cape Town

Taiwan

Taipei Sheraton Taipei Hotel

Vietnam

Nha Trang City Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa

United States

Alabama

Huntsville The Westin Huntsville

Alaska

Anchorage Sheraton Anchorage Hotel & Spa

California

Los Angeles SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills

Rancho Cucamonga Aloft Ontario-Rancho Cucamonga

Rancho Mirage The Westin Mission Hills Resort Villas, Palm Springs

Colorado

Lone Tree Element Denver Park Meadows

Steamboat Springs Sheraton Steamboat Resort

Connecticut

Meriden Four Points by Sheraton Meriden

Florida

Fort Lauderdale Sheraton Suites Cypress Creek Ft. Lauderdale

Jensen Beach Vistana’s Beach Club

Lake Mary The Westin Lake Mary, Orlando North

Port St. Lucie Sheraton PGA Vacation Resort, Port St. Lucie

Georgia

Atlanta Atlanta Perimeter Hotel & Suites

Illinois

Chicago Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers

Indiana

Indianapolis Sheraton Indianapolis City Centre Hotel

Indianapolis The Westin Indianapolis

Kansas

Leawood Aloft Leawood-Overland Park

Maryland

National Harbor

The Westin Washington National Harbor

Massachusetts

Norwood Four Points by Sheraton Norwood

Michigan

Romulus Four Points by Sheraton Detroit Metro Airport

Minnesota

Minneapolis Hotel Ivy, Minneapolis

Nevada

Las Vegas Element Las Vegas Summerlin

New Jersey

Ewing Element Ewing Hopewell

Parsippany Sheraton Parsippany Hotel

New York

New York The Chatwal, New York City

New York The Manhattan at Times Square Hotel

North Carolina

Cary Four Points by Sheraton Raleigh-Cary

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City Four Points by Sheraton Oklahoma City Airport

Pennsylvania

Allentown Four Points by Sheraton Hotel & Suites Allentown Airport

Erie Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel

Langhorne Sheraton Bucks County Hotel

York Four Points by Sheraton York

South Carolina

Myrtle Beach Sheraton Broadway Plantation Resort Villas

North Charleston Aloft Charleston Airport & Convention Center

Tennessee

Franklin Aloft Nashville-Cool Springs

Texas

Dallas Sheraton Dallas Hotel

Frisco Sheraton Stonebriar Hotel

Houston Element Houston Vintage Park

Irving Element Dallas Fort Worth Airport North

Virginia

Ashburn Aloft Dulles Airport North

Falls Church The Westin Tysons Corner

Herndon Sheraton Herndon Dulles Airport Hotel

Wisconsin

Brookfield Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield Hotel

InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and 71 total IHG hotels at 50% points reward cost for stays Friday September 2, Saturday September 3 and Sunday September 4, 2011 when booked by Thursday September 1 as a Priority Club Last Minute Reward Night. Best not to wait if one of these hotels works out for your stay since they quickly drop off the list.

Last Minute Reward Nights (71)

Brazil (1)

Canada (3)

Chile (1)

China (People’s Republic) (2)

Colombia (1)

Finland (1)

Germany (1)

Indonesia (1)

Italy (1)

Malaysia (1)

Saudi Arabia (1)

United Kingdom (1)

United States (56)

Alabama (1)

California (1)

Colorado (5)

Florida (4)

Idaho (2)

Illinois (2)

Indiana (1)

Iowa (1)

Kansas (1)

Louisiana (1)

Maine (1)

Michigan (4)

Minnesota (1)

New Mexico (2)

New York (3)

North Carolina (4)

Ohio (3)

Oregon (1)

Pennsylvania (2)

South Carolina (5)

Tennessee (1)

Texas (5)

Virginia (3)

Wisconsin (1)

Wyoming (1)

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts TORONTO CENTRE 20,000 pts.

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts CALI 15,000 pts.

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts DAR AL TAWHID MAKKAH 15,000 pts.

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts FRANKFURT 15,000 pts.

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts SANTIAGO 15,000 pts.

Crowne Plaza HOUSTON-DOWNTOWN 12,500 pts.

Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts BEIJING SUN PALACE 12,500 pts.

Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts MILAN-LINATE 12,500 pts.

Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts TORONTO AIRPORT 12,500 pts.

Crowne Plaza Hotels NEW ORLEANS-AIRPORT 12,500 pts.

Holiday Inn ALLENTOWN CENTER CITY 12,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express ATHENS 12,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express CHARLESTON-ASHLEY PHOSPHATE 12,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express EXTON-LIONVILLE 12,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express HARRISONBURG 12,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites CHARLOTTE-CONCORD-I-85 12,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites CINCINNATI-N/SHARONVILLE 12,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites FORT WORTH-WEST (I-30) 12,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites I-26 & US 29 AT WESTGATE MALL 12,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites KNOXVILLE-NORTH-I-75 EXIT 112 12,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites OMAHA AIRPORT 12,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites PORTLAND-NW DOWNTOWN 12,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites SOUTH PORTLAND 12,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites WATERTOWN-THOUSAND ISLANDS 12,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express Hotels LEEDS CITY CENTRE-ARMOURIES 12,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express MILWAUKEE-WEST MEDICAL CENTER 12,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts HELSINKI-WEST RUOHOLAHTI 12,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Resort ORLANDO 12,500 pts.

Holiday Inn ST. JOHN’S-GOVT CENTER 12,500 pts.

Staybridge Suites FT. LAUDERDALE-PLANTATION 10,000 pts.

Candlewood Suites CHICAGO/HOFFMAN ESTATES 7,500 pts.

Candlewood Suites CLEARWATER 7,500 pts.

Candlewood Suites INDIANAPOLIS – SOUTH 7,500 pts.

Candlewood Suites PORT ARTHUR/NEDERLAND 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn CASPER EAST – MCMURRY PARK 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites AKRON REGIONAL AIRPORT AREA 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express ADRIAN 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express ALAMOGORDO HWY 54/70 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express BEMIDJI 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express CHARLESTON-SUMMERVILLE 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express COLUMBIA-I-20 @ CLEMSON RD 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express DAYTON NORTH – TIPP CITY 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express DENVER NORTHEAST – BRIGHTON 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express GRAND BLANC 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites DETROIT – UTICA 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites GOODLAND 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites HARDEEVILLE-HILTON HEAD 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites SANFORD  7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites TAMPA-ANDERSON RD/VETERANS EXP 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express Hotels & Suites THORNBURG-S. FREDERICKSBURG 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express Hotels SHANGHAI ZHABEI 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express Hotels WINSTON-SALEM 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express IRONDEQUOIT 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express LAMAR 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express LONGMONT 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express MERIDIAN 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express MIDLAND LOOP 250 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express NAMPA 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express THE WOODLANDS 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites BLOOMINGTON-AIRPORT 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites TRINIDAD 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts BANDUNG 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts BINGHAMTON-DWTN (HAWLEY ST) 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts PARQUE ANHEMBI 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Hotels & Suites ALBUQUERQUE-NORTH I-25 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn MIDLAND 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn TORRANCE 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn WINCHESTER SE-HISTORIC GATEWAY 7,500 pts.

Holiday Inn Express LA JUNTA 5,000 pts.

Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts KUALA LUMPUR GLENMARIE 5,000 pts.

IHG Priority Club - Last Minute Reward Nights for Sep 2-4, 2011

Best Western has a convoluted fall 2011 promotion offering double points/miles or triple points/miles for some stays from September 12 and November 20, 2011. The bonus is confusing since it only applies to every second stay and has different earning limits depending on elite status and whether the member chooses to earn points or miles.

Fall Promotion Details

• Promotion registration is required prior to stays. Read the different promotion rules before choosing which version of this offer for registration.
• Earn double points for every second stay (20 points per US$1). (see earning limit rule below)
• Earn triple points for every second stay (30 points per US$1). (see earning limit rule below)
• Earning limit: Non-elite members may earn the bonus only two times on 2nd and 4th stays. Elite members may earn bonus only four times on 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th stays. (Miles version has no earning limit).
• Triple bonus points: Stays in two different types of the three Best Western types (Best Western, Best Western Plus, Best Western Premier) results in triple bonus points. The additional bonus points will be added after the promotion ends for members who meet the two different hotel types criteria.
• AAA/CAA members earn an additional 1,000 points bonus when qualifying for this promotion if registered using these promo code links: www.bestwestern.com/fallaaa or www.bestwestern.com/fallcaa.

Got all that fine print?

Best Western Rewards has made this promotion unnecessarily complicated for what is ultimately a relatively low value bonus.

Sample Bonus Points Earning showing why the order of your hotel stays matters.

Best Western Stay 1: September 19 – Best Western Park Crest Inn, Monterey California

• $120.89
• 1,200 base points
• No promotion bonus points

Best Western Stay 2: September 27 – 30 (3 nights) Best Western Plus Victorian Inn, Monterey California

• $143.20 x 3 = $429.60
• 4,290 base points
• 4,290 double points bonus (2nd stay)
• 4,290 triple points bonus (two types of Best Western hotels)
• 12,870 total points for second stay.
• 14,070 total points for these two hotel stays.

The main thing to remember for this promotion is the bonus is based on the money spent for only the 2nd, 4th, 6th or 8th hotel stays. You may want to plan out stays to be sure the high spend stays fall on these alternate stays.

Using the same two stays shown above, but in reverse with the three nights high spend stay first and the lower spend stay second will result in far fewer points.

• Stay 1 = $429 = 4,290 base points
• Stay 2 = $120 = 1,200 base points + 2,400 bonus points.
• Total Best Western Rewards points = 7,890 total points.
• Original stay pattern shown = 14,070 points for the same amount of hotel spend.
• Depending on which stay is second the total points earned changes by 6,180 points for the same hotel spend.

Bonus Miles promotion has an advantage and disadvantage

Members can register for double or triple miles with American Airlines or Aeroplan or Airmiles.

• American Airlines (250 base miles)
• Aeroplan (250 base miles)
• Air Miles (20 base miles)

The rules are basically the same when choosing to earn double miles on every second stay. Members earn triple miles if stays in two different types of Best Western hotels during the promotion period. The advantage of the miles bonus promotion is there is no limit to the number of times this bonus can be earned and the hotel spend per stay is not a factor. The number of miles earned is independent of hotel spend.

Double miles = 500 miles on the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th and so on … stays for AAdvantage or Aeroplan.

Triple miles = 750 miles.

Miles can be a better deal for someone with low spend stays.

• Stay 1 = $70 for 250 AAdvantage miles.
• Stay 2 = $60 for 500 or 750 AAdvantage miles.
• Double miles = 750 total miles. (Double points = 2,000 points)
• Triple miles = 1,000 total miles. (Triple points = 2,500 points)

Bottom line is this offer is rather complicated and not necessarily worth strategizing too much over unless you have a really high spend Best Western stay planned. There are bonus miles and points to be earned, and with hotel rewards typically in the 16,000 points range, this offer might get you a free night or two or a couple thousand bonus miles if you frequently stay at Best Western hotels.

Over the weekend the owners of the Marriott boutique brand hotel Waikiki Edition in Honolulu, Hawaii gave Marriott a divorce Hawaiian style by replacing the locks and rebranding in the middle of the night to become the Modern Honolulu.

M Waikiki LLC filed a New York lawsuit in May claiming Marriott failed to support the Edition brand development resulting in an underperforming hotel relative to the Waikiki competitive set, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Marriott COO Arne Sorensen claims the rebranding act, aka the divorce, is illegal and violates Marriott’s 30-year branding and management contract for the hotel. The attorney for Waikiki Edition owners alleges Marriott’s mismanagement of the property is causing the hotel to lose money and his clients have the right to terminate the Marriott management contract.

At the time of this post you can still see photos on the Marriott brand website of Waikiki Edition which just opened in October 2010, but no text description is shown on the page for the Waikiki property. Update 8/30: Webpage looks different today and I see the Waikiki property link is still available.  Istanbul Edition is currently the only other hotel in this Marriott boutique brand.

Edition Waikiki made Travel + Leisure magazine’s It List – Best New Hotels 2011. There is a 3-page article on the Edition brand in the January 2011 issue.

Marriott’s Edition brand came out with plenty of media fanfare in mid-2007 at the height of the hotel industry boom. Plans for building full steam ahead across the globe with hints of 100 branded hotels within a decade were reported. Basically the hotel concept aimed to place Marriott with a competitor brand to the Starwood W style boutique hotel that was commanding high rates among high spending travelers in the cash flow days before the real estate bust. Then came the financial crisis of 2008 and the hotel industry downturn of 2009 and 2010. After four years there were only two Edition brand hotels open.

And now there is only one.

Waikiki Edition signs were covered up yesterday August 28 when the hotel unilaterally rebranded early Sunday morning as the Modern Honolulu managed by Aqua Hotels & Resorts.

Marriott Waikiki Edition seems to have experienced divorce Hawaiian style.

No doubt this blue crush Waikiki fling will have to be settled and separated by the courts.

Marriott’s Edition webpage shows future hotels coming to Mexico City, Bangkok, Miami Beach, Barcelona and London.

Related post: M Waikiki’s Edition lawsuit against Marriott and Ian Schrager – an owner’s HMA dispute with Marriott from top hotel lawyer Jim Butler, author of HotelLawBlog.com is a good read if you are interested in the legal side of the lawsuit between Marriott and the hotel owners.

Hyatt Gold Passport offers a two month promotion period to earn 5,000 points every three nights, up to 30,000 points for hotel stays September 15 through November 15, 2011. These are cumulative nights stayed so this nights based incentive rewards both one night stay guests and extended stay guests. This is a simple promotion with all hotels participating globally.

Promotion registration is required. Registration page will go live on September 15, 2011 at www.goldpassport.com/possibilities.

At the time of this post members will only see the following page stating “This promotion has ended” when clicking on the web address above.

The maximum bonus points a member may earn for the Sep 15-Nov 15 offer is 30,000 points after 18 nights.

• 3 nights = 5,000 bonus points
• 6 nights = 10,000 cumulative bonus points
• 9 nights = 15,000 cumulative bonus points
• 12 nights = 20,000 cumulative bonus points
• 15 nights = 25,000 cumulative bonus points
• 18 nights = 30,000 cumulative bonus points
• Bonus points are earned even if account preference is set to earn miles.
• Bonus points will be awarded for only one room per stay even if more than one room is booked by member.

Hyatt allows a member to earn base points on up to three rooms per stay when one of the rooms is occupied by the Gold Passport member and all three rooms are paid by the member, however, only one room per night is eligible to earn the 5,000 bonus points from this promotion. In contrast, the concurrently running Starwood double and triple points promotion allows SPG members to earn bonus points for up to three rooms with its promotion.

Second verse, same as the first

One annoying aspect of this offer is the promotion and terms were announced Thursday, August 25 on FlyerTalk and MilePoint social forums and there is not even a live webpage yet to accompany the promotion announcement.

Personally, I find it inconvenient to announce a loyalty promotion three weeks before the promotion registration page is available. This offer requires members to register in order to earn the bonus points, yet there is not even a promotion web page posted on the Gold Passport website where a member can at least request an email reminder to register once the page is available.

It is not like Hyatt needs to design a new promotion webpage since this offer is exactly the same promotion terms as a targeted offer provided to some members earlier this month for 5,000 bonus points per three nights during stays from August 5 to September 30. I wrote about this targeted offer earlier this month in my post “Damn you Hyatt I’m not targeted, but give me the points anyway!”

I wonder if the members who were targeted for this earlier offer will receive 10,000 points for three nights during the overlapping period of Sep 15-30?

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

The short promotion period of two months seems odd to me and also gives some encouragement that Hyatt Gold Passport may follow up this promotion with an end-of-year “stays count double” offer. The consensus on FlyerTalk is Hyatt Gold Passport has put its marketing efforts firmly behind its co-branded Visa credit card while pulling back on its hotel stay promotions. The backlash being expressed over several mediocre promotions in 2011 seems like it might motivate Hyatt to offer an end-of-year promotion to boost member stays and provide an incentive for members to maintain elite Diamond status.

Then again, Hyatt may have a different strategy in mind by focusing on its credit card and the lure of Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond elite benefits like free breakfast and confirmed suite upgrades as its primary avenue for attracting higher spending Diamond elites.

Honestly, I have been telling readers since mid-2009 that the high value hotel loyalty promotions were unprecedented and get what you can while you can. The past two quarters of hotel industry financial data reveals most major hotel chains bragging about their positive growth and enhanced revenue. Business travel has picked up significantly, even as indicators continue to show a lagging leisure travel market, except for foreigners coming to major U.S. cities where travel is a bargain for many visitors due to our low value U.S. dollar in the global marketplace.

Combining 5K Possibilities promotion with concurrent Miles Bonus Offers

There are bonus miles offers currently available to Gold Passport members. These offers may be combined with the 5,000 bonus points every 3 nights during the overlapping promotion periods as stated in the FAQ posted on FlyerTalk by Gold Passport Concierge, Hyatt’s company representative August 25.

Earn 1,000 British Airways miles per night, up to 30,000 miles for stays from August 1 – October 31, 2011. Registration required.

2,500 Aeroplan miles per Hyatt stay July 1-September 30. Maximum bonus is 25,000 miles after 10 stays.

Starwood Preferred Guest posted its latest promotion for double points at most Starwood hotels and triple points for stays including a Sunday or Thursday night from September 6 to December 18, 2011. There is a large exclusion list of 225 non-participating Starwood hotels; more than 20% of the global properties in the SPG program. This includes the majority of hotels in places like San Jose and San Diego California, Seattle, Germany, China and Sydney, Australia.

SPG Triple Up promotion registration is required by November 15, 2011. The registration link is scheduled to go live on September 6. Stays booked prior to promotion registration are eligible for bonus as long as member registers by November 15.

Any stay including a Sunday or Thursday night earns triple points.

Earning SPG points

• SPG base rate points = 2 points/US$1
• Double points = 4 points/US$1 (Total)
• Triple points = 6 points/US$1 (Total)
• Elite Gold or Platinum bonus = 1 point/US$1
• SPG American Express payment = 2 points/US$1

SPG Elite members earn 5 or 7 points per $1 at participating hotels for double or triple points. SPG American Express payment adds an additional 2 points per $1. SPG elites can earn as many as 9 points per $1 on up to three rooms per reservation. SPG rules allow  a member to earn points on up to three rooms booked at same hotel on a single reservation as long as member personally settles all hotel charges. But three rooms count as only one eligible stay for the member’s SPG account for elite qualification.

Why Sunday and Thursday Nights?

There is a rationale for trying to boost Sunday and Thursday night hotel stays. According to recent STR statistics, a leading hotel industry data company, Sunday nights are the lowest occupancy night of the week for U.S. hotels at 47% while Saturday nights are the highest occupancy night of the week at 68.2%.

Encouraging business and leisure travelers to stay Sunday night for triple points boosts occupancy.

Friday night is the lowest room rate of the week. Encouraging leisure travelers to include a typically higher priced Thursday night for triple points may drive incremental revenue from vacationers and weekend travelers.

That is my hypothesis for why the promotion is set up for triple points bonus when these nights are included in your Starwood stay.

Other Fine Print Promotion Terms

Arriving before September 6 or staying after December 18.

The terms of this promotion state you will receive the bonus points for all nights in any eligible stay that includes September 6 or December 18 as one of the dates for your stay. This means you can be earning triple points for nights right now if your stay checkout date is after September 6. You can earn triple points for New Year’s if your stay includes December 18.

Extended Stays up to 90 days

SPG program terms and conditions state a member can receive Starpoints for a single extended stay up to 90 days. Go over 90 days on a single stay and you are not eligible for any Starpoints.

Combining award nights or Cash & Points with paid nights on a single stay makes the entire stay ineligble for points.

This seems like an odd promotion restriction, but the Triple Up promotion FAQ appear to state any combination of award nights or Cash & Points nights with paid nights on a single stay makes the entire stay ineligible for points.

If part of my stay has an Award Night or a night using Cash & Points, will my stay qualify?

No. Free Night Awards and Cash & Points are not Starpoints-eligible rates. Even if part of the stay is Award and part is paid, the member will not receive bonus credits for any part of the stay.

Non-Participating Starwood Properties

I complain about this regularly, yet major hotel promotions still tend to list nonparticipating hotels by brand rather than by geographical location using state and city. The 88 nonparticipating Starwood hotels in the U.S. are listed by brand rather than state and city making the list of nonparticipating hotels more difficult to assess for your travel plans in the USA.

While it would be much easier to read the list of nonparticipating hotels if they were organized by City and State in the USA, I am not spending an hour of my time to order the 88 hotels in the USA list geographically by state and city. Starwood Preferred Guest should have done this themselves to make the list user-friendly for members trying to determine which hotels are not participating in the locations they are planning to travel.

Starwood NonParticipating Hotels (225) for Triple Up promotion:

Loyalty Traveler promotion rating: 2 out of 5 keys (double points). A bonus if you play, but not worth going out of your way to stay. 3 of 5 keys (triple points) is a decent bonus for Sunday or Thursday stays if you are not paying too much more for these qualifying nights. This promotion is primarily a benefit for extended stay guests.

SPG Triple Up Promotion Terms and Conditions.

SPG Triple Up FAQ.

SPG Triple Up Non-Participating Hotels list.

Marriott has free mobile apps for iPhone, Android or Blackberry to download on your smartphone. Reviews are mostly positive from the discussion on FlyerTalk. No point bonuses have been announced for using the new Marriott apps.

Marriott Mobile Apps for Blackberry, iPhone and Android smartphones

Now that we have the Hyatt Q3-Q4 promotion announced for 5,000 points after every three nights, up to 30,000 points between September 15 and November 15, I think I will download the Marriott Android app and try it out for booking stays with Marriott Rewards MegaBonus also starting September 15 for the opportunity to earn two free category-4 hotel reward certificates after four stays (which can be as few as four separate nights).

SPG Broadway Sweepstakes is a chance to win 100,000 Starpoints by simply registering your SPG number with Audience Rewards, the official rewards program of Broadway by Sunday August 28. You can earn additional entries and a small number of points by answering trivia questions (20 points or so per answer).

I had planned to write up this offer yesterday just as a last minute opportunity to win some points for a simple sweepstakes registration entry. The promotion has been ongoing for about six weeks now.

Then, I took a look at BoardingArea to see Mommy Points had already written a far more comprehensive piece than I had planned and posted yesterday morning on this same SPG Broadway Sweepstakes promotion. I recommend you read her post for more trivia on this offer.

Crowne Plaza has a Facebook Marry Me 11-11-11 promotion based on the auspicious numerology of the date November 11, 2011. Crowne Plaza is offering eleven U.S. couples the chance to win a trip to New York City for a wedding or wedding vows renewal at 11am on 11-11-11 in an event hosted by “Tough Love” host and matchmaker Steve Ward. The prize includes rooms for 10 friends (I assume this means 6 hotel rooms total for newlyweds and friends).

I am not familiar with Steve Ward or the show Tough Love, but this looks like a cute promotion with a nice payout for someone who wants to take the time to share your love story. Story length has a 250 word limit so no ‘Pride and Prejudice’ tale.

My glance at the rules indicates 25 finalists will be selected by voters and a phone interview will decide the eleven winning couples.

Prize

• Roundtrip airfare to New York City for you and the love of your life
• Upscale accommodations for the winning couples and 10 of their closest friends and family
• Pre-wedding day tour of New York City’s most romantic spots
• Rehearsal cocktail party at the Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan
• A dream wedding on 11.11.11 at 11AM, officiated by Steve Ward, host of VH-1′s “Tough Love” and MasterMatchmakers.com, and surrounded by your 10 guests
• Post-wedding celebration reception at the Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan
• An assortment of digital photos from the wedding
• Each couple will receive a personalized, edited highlight video of their experience from Wedit

Crowne Plaza Facebook Marry Me 11-11-11 NYC contest for 11 U.S. couples

There are new upper-upscale and flagship hotels opening around the globe with several of the major hotel brands. Here are some new vacation and business properties you may want to check out as a Marriott Rewards, Hilton Honors, Hyatt Gold Passport or Club Carlson loyalty member.

Hilton Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast Queensland, Australia – opens September 14

This $700 million complex is a hotel/residential mixed use property on the famed Gold Coast. Think Miami Beach with gambling if you are not familiar with the area. This is the first new upper upscale international hotel to open in the Gold Coast region in a decade.

Hilton Surfers Paradise has 169 guest rooms and 250 one to three bedroom residences with full kitchens. The hotel description sounds like the residences are more vacation timeshare units rather than full-time residential units.

Rates start at $259 (residences) to $279 (hotel).

Australian Hotel Market Outlook Q3 2011, a tourism, hospitality and leisure market outlook from Deloitte indicates Australians are facing many of the same problems as Americans with maxed out household debt, extreme weather related events and a decline in discretionary spending. Business is strong while leisure travelers are cutting back.

Of course there are those with good jobs and money in Australia. And guess what?

Australians with money are going abroad. The Australian dollar gained over the past year from being worth US $0.88 to US $1.04. That is almost a 20% increase in currency value and makes the US a real bargain destination for Australians. At the same time, the currency value of the Australian dollar has made it a much more expensive country to visit for Americans.

I thought beer in Australia was outrageously priced in 2003 when the exchange rate was AUD$1.50 for US$1.00. At that time I recall beer was about $20 for a 12-pack in the market. I guess it must be about US$30 now.

Ten years ago Australia had a surplus of 1.5 million visitors to Australia. Now Australia has a net outflow of 1.5 million travelers. More Australians are leaving the country in 2011 (7.8 million travelers) than inbound visitors to the country (6.1 million).

Hotel occupancy in Australia is strong for weekday business travel. Leisure travel less so. Good news is hotel rates are much lower in vacation areas of Gold Coast and northern Queensland compared to Sydney and Melbourne.

Marriott Autograph Collection adds British Virgin Islands Scrub Island Resort in early 2012

Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina will be Marriott’s first resort in the British Virgin Islands and the first Autograph Collection property in the Caribbean. Autograph Collection is a soft branding concept for independent upper-upscale and luxury hotels with marketing and distribution through Marriott. Marriott recently added several hotels in Europe to Autograph Collection brand.

Scrub Island Resort is a new resort opened last year and located on a 230 acre private island about two miles from Tortola Airport. Check out the website for a full description.

Sample rates for November 14-19, 2011 show $375 (ocean view room) to $495 (ocean view one bedroom suite + breakfast for two) to $615 (ocean view two bedroom suite + breakfast for four).

Hyatt Regency New Orleans reopening six years after Hurricane Katrina

Six years since being battered by Hurricane Katrina the remodeled 1,193 room Hyatt Regency New Orleans is scheduled to reopen October 19, 2011 after $275 million in renovations. The 31-story hotel will have 95 suites (Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond members receive four annual suite upgrade certificates for paid room stays) including four Presidential suites. The hotel will be New Orleans premier convention space with two grand ballrooms and 200,000 sq ft of meeting space.

Sample dates I tried for November and December showed rates starting at $169 to $239 for a basic room.

Radisson Blu Chicago

Carlson Hotels flagship Radisson Blu brand will debut in Chicago with the October 31 opening of the Radisson Blu Chicago in the Aqua Tower. Barbara Delollis of USA Today toured the hotel and posted a piece today in her Hotel Check-In column which includes a photo gallery.

The hotel will be the first 18 floors of the 81-story Aqua Tower and will have the feature of balconies for about 50% of the hotel rooms. The hotel apparently has a large fitness center facility since the Aqua tower is mostly residences.

Chicago Radisson Blu Aqua Tower in middle (Hyatt Regency on right)

Question for Readers: Any interesting new hotels you think I should share on Loyalty Traveler?