Bal Harbour as a location did not have any real meaning to me prior to visiting the St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort.

My 2-night stay at the St. Regis Bal Harbour was sponsored by Starwood Preferred Guest American Express and my room rate and economy class airfare from Monterey to Miami were complimentary. I did not pay the $2,439.78 charge after tax for the two nights in a Grande Luxe standard room #1110 St. Regis Bal Harbour. All other expenses on top of the room rate at the St. Regis were out of my pocket. Read More…

From January 7 through March 31, 2013 HHonors members can register to earn double base points or double base miles. Promotion bonus applies to existing reservations for stays and nights within the promotion period, however, bonus only applies for stays completed after promotion registration.

‘Double Your HHonors’ promotion registration page.

Bonus points or miles apply to up to two rooms per reservation when both rooms are booked and paid for by the HHonors member.

HHonors Points Earning Analysis

Double points means a Points & Points member earns at least 25 points/$1 for all Hilton brands except 12.5 points/$1 for Home2 Suites stays.

HHonors Points Calculator

• 10 base points per dollar
• 5 bonus points points per dollar (Points & Points earner)
• 10 bonus points per dollar (Double Your HHonors promotion)
• Elite bonus points if applicable (1.5 to 5 points/$1)
• HHonors credit card bonus points if applicable (up to 12 points per dollar with HHonors American Express Surpass)

If you have all the right stuff and stay at a participating hotel, Double Your HHonors promotion can pull in 42 points per dollar.

That is a decent rebate on hotel spend.

Non-Participating HHonors Hotels (link to hotel list)

The major drawback of Double Your HHonors is there are about 600 nonparticipating hotels in the USA. That is almost 1 in 5 hotels in the USA opting out of this offer.

There are only 14 hotels outside the USA not participating, so not too much of a concern for international travelers.

Over 600 hotels opted out of Double Your HHonors 2013 Q-1 promotion with 97% of those in USA.

Here are some comparative statistics to other HHonors quarterly promotions.

• HHonors 2011 Q-4 fewer than 300 opted out.
• HHonors 2012 Q-2 about 350 hotels opted out.
• HHonors 2012 Q-3 about 550 hotels opted out.
• HHonors 2012 Q-4 only about 250 hotels opted out.

The vast majority of hotels opting out of HHonors promotions are in the USA.

Earning Double Miles

In general, I do not think earning double miles is nearly as valuable as earning double points.

Remember you can keep your profile preference at Points and Fixed Miles or Points & Variable Miles and still earn double points with this offer and standard base miles. Your earning is only reduced by 5 points/$1 (Points & Points bonus) by choosing Double Points for this promotion with fixed or variable miles.

If your travel includes many stays at Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites or Home2 Suites, then poor fixed miles earning rates, typically 100 miles per stay, make Double Miles a poor promotion choice for Double Your HHonors. Many international airlines do not even earn miles for stays at these three brands.

Another advantage of choosing Double Points is award stays will earn double points for incidental charges, however, award stays will not earn double miles.

Double Your HHonors FAQ.

Conrad Miami bar balcony view.

Ric Garrido, writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler, shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests. You can follow Loyalty Traveler on Twitter and Facebook and RSS feed.

At $1,099 per night, without a doubt, this St. Regis Bal Harbour hotel room is the most expensive hotel room I have ever stayed the night. And I am in the standard room. I tried using SPG suite upgrades, but apparently they are not allowed at this hotel.

I did not pay the $1,099 rate myself. The room here is a complimentary benefit of being a 2012 SPG Amex Star blogger for a free taste of Miami luxury.

You can stay here too for two free nights if you are the winner of 60,000 Starpoints from Loyalty Traveler courtesy of SPG American Express.

Although, I see next year the St. Regis Bal Harbour will have SPG peak season category 7 rates at 35,000 points per night from Dec 26, 2013 through Jan 4, 2014.

St. Regis Bal Harbour where every guest room has an Atlantic Ocean view.

How does every room have an ocean view?

There are no rooms on the west-facing sides of the hotel.

St. Regis Bal Harbour hotel is center building with two windowless walls viewed from Collins Avenue. The St. Regis residences are the left and right towers flanking the hotel building.

I will describe the hotel and room in separate blog posts.

How to enter the 60,000 Starpoints giveaway:

You can enter this giveaway through both Twitter and Loyalty Traveler blog. You are allowed one entry per method per day.

To enter on Twitter:

1. Follow @LoyaltyTraveleron Twitter.

2. Tweet your answer to the question “Which Starwood property is an aspirational property for you?”

3. Include @LoyaltyTraveler and hashtag #SPGAMEX in the tweet.

4. You can enter with a tweet once per calendar day 12:00AM California Time (PST) – 11:59PM PST. The contest will run through 12 noon PST Monday, December 31.

For example, an eligible tweet would be:

@LoyaltyTraveler St. Regis New York #SPGAMEX

To enter on the blog:

1. Leave a comment on this post to the question “Which Starwood property is an aspirational property for you?”

2. You can enter with a tweet once per calendar day 12:00AM California Time (PST) – 11:59PM PST. The contest will run through 12 noon PST Monday, December 31.

For example, an eligible post would be:

W Retreat & Spa Maldives

Sweepstakes terms:

You have to be at least 18 years old and have an SPG account to be eligible to win. The winner will also have to complete an IRS W-9 form (ARV of prize is $1,500).

Winner will be selected at random.

Good luck.

Comfortable lounge chairs on the balcony deck of the St. Regis Bal Harbour.

My wife’s Tumi luggage enjoying the Bal Harbour Miami Beach view. Her bag has traveled to two more states than she has in 2012.

Miles of walking over many hours across Downtown Miami on quiet streets and days December 24-25 let my mind drift and wander through images of color, shape and texture. A solitary bird by nature, my photos and words help me cement images and memories of places I  have been and sights I have seen.

Here are some of my visions of Downtown Miami over the holidays. Apparently the arrival of black vultures from around the southeast signals the winter season for Miami. I saw hundreds of the large winged birds soaring around the skyscrapers in Downtown Miami. Watch out for your rental car if you leave it alone with the vultures in the Everglades.

Metromover is just like Disneyland, except no admission fee, more stops and free wifi.

The Flying Trapeze School in Bayfront Park.

The Spindle (1981) – artist Henry Moore (1898-1986) Made of travertine marble and 18 ft. tall. The piece was installed by helicopter and the InterContinental Miami lobby was constructed around the art work. This is the largest Henry Moore sculpture in private ownership.

Architectural patterns.

Beam me up, Scotty.

Lobby in Epic Hotel, a Kimpton Hotel

Crossing the Brickell Bridge over Miami River.

Conrad Miami Hotel and Residences

Hyatt Regency Miami

The Pelican briefly resting over the Miami River outside the Hyatt.

Architectural survivors.

Freedom Tower was originally a 1925 newspaper office for Miami News that folded in the 1950s. The building was used by the U.S. Government to process Cuban immigrants in the 1960s.  The building abandoned in the 1970s was derelict, vandalized and occupied by vagrants. In 1997 the building was purchased by a Cuban-American, restored, and now houses a Cuban-American Museum and archives. 

Freedom Tower, Miami

“The man with the foolish grin is keeping perfectly still.” – Beatles

This tree stump truly brightened my day.

Art to live by.

Metromover passes by this house covered in art. The peace symbol seen on the roof from Metromover was a pleasant sight to see yesterday on Christmas Day.

I also heard Happy Xmas (War is Over) [YouTube link to official 2003 video and graphic imagery warning] playing in the elevator of the Conrad Hotel and then saw the 2-hour documentary film LENNONYC on Miami PBS last night.

Art and music smoothed out the rough edginess of spending Christmas day alone in Miami.

Thank You Rate for Hilton Miami Downtown started at $84 for travel over the December-January holiday period. I booked a King Junior Suite Bay View for $119.50 per night. Biscayne Bay View rooms for hotels where I stayed in Downtown Miami made a difference and were definitely worth the extra $10 per night at these rates. Miami without a view of the water is not that pretty a city in my opinion.

Doubletree Grand Hotel Biscayne Bay and Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay occupy the bayfront real estate blocking much of the view of Miami Beach from the Hilton. Skyscrapers in front of skyscrapers seems to be the main obstacle to an expansive ocean view in Downtown Miami.

The best part of the corner room view was the relatively unobstructed view of the heart of downtown Miami to the south of the Hilton.

Looking to Bayfront Park and downtown Miami from Hilton.

The Port of Miami is in close proximity to the Hilton Miami Downtown.

Port of Miami.

Hilton Miami Downtown junior suite corner room. The absence of a minibar refrigerator was the main thing lacking in the room. I used the ice machine regularly to keep cold beer and milk in the room.

The couch in the room was positioned with a mirror on the wall reflecting additional water views when looking out the window.

My room was on Floor 3, a low floor in the 21 floor hotel, with too much view of the top of the parking garage. The floor numbering system is irrelative in many Miami hotels. Floor 3 was about ten stories up in the air at the Hilton Downtown Miami where the Hotel Lobby is several stories up and requires an elevator ride from the ground floor Motor Lobby.

Hilton Miami Downtown lobby. Internet is free in the lobby or $9.95 per day in the room which usually meant the lobby seating was packed with guests on their computers.

The pool is deep at 8 feet.

The pool is accessed from the lobby which is one of my pet peeves in hotel design. At least this pool location is better than Conrad Miami where accessing the pool from guest rooms requires a walk through the lobby, three elevator rides and crossing the interior driveway of the hotel auto entrance.

Hotel view from pool.

View south from 21st floor. Club Lounge on 16th floor has this same view.

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts is a theater with Knight Concert Hall seen in the foreground. Mary Poppins Broadway Musical is playing Jan 1-6, 2013.

The white building in the center is the American Airlines Arena where the Miami Heat plays basketball.

City view looking north from Hilton Downtown Miami. Bluish skyscraper at left is Paramount Bay, a Lenny Kravitz project.

Nearly 350 square feet of window glass from the junior suite corner room with floor to ceiling windows made the hotel a great location for viewing Downtown Miami. The sun during the day was intense and I realized on Day 2 of my stay why the room thermostat had been set at a chilling 60 degrees upon my arrival. The room baked without the AC running.

Transportation from the airport to Downtown Miami is as cheap as $2.00 if you take the Metrorail Orange Line (opened July 2012) to Government Center in Downtown Miami and transfer to the free Metromover to ride the Outer Loop Omni train north to the Adrienne Arsht Center stop one block from the Hilton Downtown Miami.

Miami Metromover is a free shuttle service with 20 stations for Downtown Miami locations. Hilton Downtown Miami is second to last stop at the north end called Omni Loop on the Metromover and Conrad Miami is across the street from the southernmost station at Financial District called the Kendall Loop. There are Inner and Outer Loop tracks and you need to transfer at specific stations to change between loops.

SuperShuttle shared ride is another transportation option to and from the airport for about $26 each way including tip for two people.

Publix full-size supermarket is one block north of Hilton.

Ric Garrido, writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler, shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests. You can follow Loyalty Traveler on Twitter and Facebook and RSS feed.

“The computer shows your name is Kelly Malloy. I can’t issue you a boarding pass with both your first and last name on the reservation spelled incorrectly.”

Those were the words I heard, or at least I think that is what we were told at 5:30am Sunday morning after I had already checked both our bags under my name for our flights from Monterey to Miami.

I checked our two bags at 5:15am under my name for free as an elite American Airlines AAdvantage member for the 6:00am flight from Monterey to Los Angeles. I then left Kelley to check in for the flight while I drove the car up the hill several hundred yards from the airport to a street with free parking. One of my travel goals is to pay as little to park my car as possible while traveling around California and from California airports. There are plenty of free parking spaces around Monterey Airport within ten minutes walk, so I checked in and checked our bags and left the terminal to park the car.

I was quite surprised to return 15 minutes later and find Kelley still trying to check in for our flight to Miami. It was now 5:30am. The American Airlines agent was on the phone trying to access a supervisor to find out how to override the name discrepancy.

I had no reason to even suspect there might be a problem. The flight record locator and Miami itinerary displayed on her American Airlines frequent flyer account. The travel itinerary from American Express Business Travel in my documents showed her name spelled correctly.

But the computer told the AA agent Kelley was ‘Kelly Malloy’ in the American Airlines reservation system and the agent said she could not issue a boarding pass with both her first and last names spelled incorrectly.

The final boarding call announcement for the 6:00am flight to Los Angeles was announced at 5:45 am and the ticket counter agent said to me, “Are you going to Miami or not? If you are going to Miami, then you have to get on the plane now.”

I hated making a “Sophie’s Choice” decision. At 5:45am on a Sunday morning, after only a few hours sleep, I had to make an instant choice of cancelling the Miami trip and risking a heavy cancellation penalty or spending Christmas alone in Miami with Kelley alone at home in Monterey.

This trip to Miami is actually a business trip since the primary purpose of the trip is to stay at the St. Regis Bal Harbour as part of my SPG Amex Stars contract. The St. Regis hotel stay is free as long as I arrive and stay as scheduled. Visions of a $2,400 hotel bill for a last minute cancellation at the St. Regis Bal Harbour after the 100% cancellation penalty deadline made the decision for me.

I handed Kelley the car keys, gave her directions to where I had parked the car and I walked to airport security. I abandoned my wife for the Christmas holidays.

Sometimes travel sucks.

Looking up through lobby skylight at InterContinental Miami

Christmas Day at 4am in the morning and I am looking at the 20-story lighted message on two exterior faces of the InterContinental Miami Hotel about two miles away where I can clearly see the words “WELCOME TO MIAMI” scrolling by, in between the displays of silhouette images of a dancing lady against a backdrop of red or blue lights.

I am here in Miami alone on Christmas Day. Kelley is home alone in Monterey.

This trip was not planned to be this way.

Dancing lady projections on skyscraper is actually the InterContinental Miami Hotel seen from Hilton Miami.

How I wish, how I wish you were here

We’re just two lost souls

Swimming in a fish bowl

Year after year

Running over the same old ground

What have we found?

The same old fears

Wish you were here.”

Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd

Hyatt Gold Passport has been the most member friendly program the past few years regarding notification of changes to award categories for hotels. Hyatt has given members six weeks notice that 17 hotels, about 3% of Hyatt brand hotels globally, will change category on February 7, 2013.

Seven hotels increase category level on February 7, 2013.

Overall to only see seven Hyatt hotels rise in award category is a good outlook for 2013.

Hyatt House San Ramon is a San Francisco Far East Bay Area hotel and these I-680 corporate corridor hotels are generally high-priced during weekdays.

Hyatt House San Ramon Jan 15-18 is $553.30 after tax for a nonrefundable rate or 15,000 points for a 3-night award stay. That is an astounding $37 per 1,000 points value for Hyatt Golf Passport points. After Feb 7 the value on the Category 2 award drops to $23 per 1,000 points which is an average redemption value. This hotel is an example of the great savings found in some areas where business hotel rates drive the price up too high for leisure travelers. Points are handy in a place like this.

Hyatt Santa Barbara is a vacation location and California tourism is growing now along with hotel rates. Changing from category 3 at 12,000 points to category 4 at 15,000 points is not unexpected.

Hyatt 48LEX New York rising from category 4 to 5 makes this hotel unavailable the Hyatt Visa anniversary free night certificate only valid for category 1 to 4 hotels.

10 Hotels Drop in Award Category on February 7, 2013

The two Park Hyatt hotels stand out here. Park Hyatt Toronto drops to category 4 making this hotel available for Hyatt Visa free night certificate.

Park Hyatt Aviara Resort is the southern California Carlsbad beach resort that rebranded from Four Seasons a couple years ago. Dropping to category 5 reduces this hotel award by 4,000 points per night. Rates in San Diego area appear to me to have dropped in 2012. What’s up with that change? San Francisco has seen one of the strongest rate increases in the country this year.

Hyatt FAQ

Hyatt has a comprehensive FAQ regarding the impact of hotel category changes on award reservations. Hyatt handles the changes in a member-friendly way. The charts above come from the FAQ page.

Here are key components:

What are the current point redemption values for each free night award category?

Category 1 = 5,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points
Category 2 = 8,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points
Category 3 = 12,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points
Category 4 = 15,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points
Category 5 = 18,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points
Category 6 = 22,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points

For free night award redemption reservations made before February 7, 2013, which award chart will be effective?
All free night award redemptions booked before February 7, 2013 will follow the current Award Chart. For example, if you book an award night prior to February 7, 2013 for a stay that occurs on February 7, 2013 or after, the current Award Chart will apply. Any free night award redemptions booked on February 7, 2013 or after will follow the new Award Chart.

How will award nights booked prior to February 7, 2013 be impacted if the hotel I am staying at now requires more or fewer points?

Redemptions for Hotels Moving to a Higher Category
Any award night booked at a property prior to February 7, 2013 that is shifting to a higher category on February 7, 2013 and requires more points will not be affected.

Reservations will remain in place at the original point level. For example, an award night booked at a Category 1 hotel for 5,000 points before February 7, 2013 that is moving to a Category 2 hotel for 8,000 points on February 7, 2013, will remain at 5,000 points.

Redemptions for Hotels Moving to a Lower Category
A member who books an award night at a property prior to February 7, 2013 that is shifting to a lower category on February 7, 2013 and requires fewer points will receive an adjustment. Hyatt Gold Passport Customer Service will proactively deposit the point difference into a member’s account.

For example, a member with an award night booked before February 7, 2013 for a Category 2 hotel for 8,000 points that is moving to a Category 1 hotel for 5,000 points on February 7, 2013, will receive 3,000 points returned to his/her account. Points will be deposited into a member’s account after February 7, 2013.

After February 7, 2013, how will Hyatt handle modifications to existing reservations?

Any award night reservations booked before February 7, 2013, for dates after February 7, 2013, can be modified through March 15, 2013 – following the terms of the current Award Chart. Any modifications made to these reservations after March 15, 2013 will follow the terms of the new Award Chart, effective February 7, 2013.

A reminder that you can win 25,000 Starpoints or 5,000 Priority Club points from Loyalty Traveler, but you only have today and tomorrow by noon California time remaining to enter these two Loyalty Traveler giveaways.

SPG American Express is sponsoring the 25,000 points giveaway as part of my 2-night staycation earlier this month at the St. Regis San Francisco.

Holiday Inn is sponsoring Loyalty Traveler for the 5,000 Priority Club points giveaway as part of their celebration of 60 years as a hotel brand.

Be sure to read Loyalty Traveler next week when I will finish off the SPG Amex Stars 2012 giveaways with a 60,000 points sweepstakes in celebration of my stay at Starwood’s St. Regis Bal Harbour, Miami Beach.

Cozy sea lions at Monterey Fisherman’s Wharf on the first day of winter 2012.

Registration for Marriott MegaBonus 2013 opened December 20 for stays from February 1 through April 30. The current Marriott MegaBonus ends January 15.

Promotion registration is required by March 15, 2013 for marriott MegaBonus 2013.

As expected, I continue with the free night certificate for a category 1-4 hotel after every two stays, up to three free nights for the promotion period. This is the same offer I have received every MegaBonus for the past few years. One free night after two stays is a great offer for the leisure traveler considering most other hotel loyalty promotions lately generally require many nights or lots of cash to earn one free hotel night.

Here are the four different Marriott MegaBonus offers that have been posted on FlyerTalk.

1. Stay 2 times, Get 1 CAT 1-4 Certificate (Maximum 3 free night certificates)

2. Stay 2 times, Get 1 CAT 1-5 Certificate (Maximum 2 free night certificates)

3. Stay 15 Nights Get 25,000 Points or Stay 20 Nights Get 40,000 Points

4. Stay 20 Nights Get 35,000 Points or Stay 25 Nights Get 50,000 Points

You must log into your account and check Promotion Central to see your targeted offer. The links below show the terms and conditions for each offer.

Stay 2 times, Get 1 CAT 1-4 Certificate (Maximum 3 free night certificates)

Congratulations! You are now enrolled in the Spring MegaBonus® Promotion. Stay at any of more than 3,600 Marriott hotels worldwide between February 1, 2013 and April 30, 2013 and earn 1 free night toward a future stay, after every second paid stay, up to a maximum of three free night awards. That’s in addition to the base points you’ll earn on those stays.

Registration is required.

Marriott Rewards® members who register for this promotion by March 15, 2013 will earn one (1) free night award at a category 1-4 hotel after each second paid stay made between February 1 and April 30, 2013, at a participating Marriott property.

A stay is defined as consecutive nights spent at the same hotel, regardless of check-in/check-out activity.

The member receiving this offer has been specifically targeted and the offer is not transferable.

Maximum three (3) free night awards earned with this promotion per member.

An earned free night award can be redeemed for a future stay at participating Marriott Rewards category 1-4 properties for one (1) free night.

Free night award will expire one (1) year after the date of issuance.

An earned free night award is good for one (1) single or double occupancy standard room only and includes the cost of the hotel room and applicable room taxes only.

An earned free night award will be added to the member’s account within 3-5 business days after the second qualifying stay.

Awards are not transferable and may not be given as a gift.

This offer is not transferable.

Nights spent while redeeming an award are not eligible for credit and Marriott Vacation Club® owner-occupied weeks are not eligible for credit.

Only one room per hotel is counted toward a member’s nights or stay.

Members electing to earn miles are not eligible for this promotion.

Participating brands include JW Marriott®, EDITION®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, AC Hotels by Marriott^SM, Marriott® Hotels & Resorts, Gaylord Hotels, Courtyard by Marriott®, SpringHill Suites by Marriott®, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott®, Residence Inn by Marriott®, TownePlace Suites by Marriott® and Marriott Vacation Club. Stays at our exclusive luxury hotel partner, The Ritz-Carlton®, will count toward achievement.

All Marriott Rewards program terms and conditions apply.

Visit MarriottRewards.com/MegaBonus2013, call 888-MARRIOTT (627-7468), or call your local Marriott Rewards Customer Support office for complete details.

Stay 2 times, Get 1 CAT 1-5 Certificate (Maximum 2 free night certificates)

This offer seems to be primarily targeted for non-US members.

Congratulations! You are now enroled in the Spring MegaBonus® Promotion. Stay at any of more than 3,600 Marriott hotels worldwide between 1 February 2013 and 30 April 2013 and earn 1 free night toward a future stay, after every second paid stay, up to a maximum of two free night awards. That’s in addition to the base points you’ll earn on those stays.

Registration is required.

Marriott Rewards® members who register for this promotion by 15 March 2013 will earn one (1) free night award at a category 1-5 hotel after each second paid stay made between 1 February and 30 April 2013, at a participating Marriott property.

A stay is defined as consecutive nights spent at the same hotel, regardless of check-in/check-out activity.

The member receiving this offer has been specifically targeted and the offer is not transferable.

Maximum two (2) free night awards earned with this promotion per member.

An earned free night award can be redeemed for a future stay at participating Marriott Rewards category 1-5 properties for one (1) free night.

Free night award will expire one (1) year after the date of issuance.

An earned free night award is good for one (1) single or double occupancy standard room only and includes the cost of the hotel room and applicable room taxes only.

An earned free night award will be added to the member’s account within 3-5 business days after the second qualifying stay.

Awards are not transferable and may not be given as a gift.

This offer is not transferable.

Nights spent while redeeming an award are not eligible for credit and Marriott Vacation Club® owner-occupied weeks are not eligible for credit.

Only one room per hotel is counted toward a member’s nights or stay.

Members electing to earn miles are not eligible for this promotion.

Participating brands include JW Marriott®, EDITION®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, AC Hotels by Marriott^SM, Marriott® Hotels & Resorts, Gaylord Hotels, Courtyard by Marriott®, SpringHill Suites by Marriott®, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott®, Residence Inn by Marriott®, TownePlace Suites by Marriott® and Marriott Vacation Club.

Stays at our exclusive luxury hotel partner, The Ritz-Carlton®, will count toward achievement.

All Marriott Rewards programme terms and conditions apply.

Visit MarriottRewards.co.uk/MegaBonus2013, call 44 20 7012 7312, or call your local Marriott Rewards Customer Support office for complete details.

Stay 15 Nights Get 25,000 Points or Stay 20 Nights Get 40,000 Points

Congratulations! You are now enrolled in the Spring MegaBonus® Promotion. Stay at any of more than 3,600 Marriott hotels worldwide between February 1, 2013 and April 30, 2013 and earn 25,000 bonus points after 15 paid nights plus an additional 15,000 bonus points after 20 paid nights – up to a maximum of 40,000 bonus points. That’s in addition to the base points you’ll earn on those stays.

Registration is required.

Marriott Rewards® members who register for this promotion by March 15, 2013 will earn 25,000 bonus points after 15 paid nights plus an additional 15,000 bonus points after 20 paid nights – up to a maximum of 40,000 bonus points for stays made between February 1 and April 30, 2013, at participating Marriott properties.

A ‘stay’ is defined as consecutive nights spent at the same hotel, regardless of check-in/check-out activity.

The member receiving this offer has been specifically targeted and the offer is not transferable.

Nights spent while redeeming an award are not eligible for credit.

Only one room per hotel is counted toward a member’s nights or stay.

Bonus points will be awarded to the member’s account within 3-5 business days after the qualifying stay.

Awards are not transferable and may not be given as a gift.

This offer is not transferable.

Nights spent while redeeming an award are not eligible for credit and Marriott Vacation Club® owner-occupied weeks are not eligible for credit.

A stay is defined as consecutive nights spent at the same hotel, regardless of check-in/check-out activity.

Only one room per hotel is counted toward a member’s nights or stay.

Members electing to earn miles are not eligible for this promotion.

Participating brands include JW Marriott®, EDITION®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, AC Hotels by Marriott^SM, Marriott® Hotels & Resorts, Gaylord Hotels, Courtyard by Marriott®, SpringHill Suites by Marriott®, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott®, Residence Inn by Marriott®, TownePlace Suites by Marriott® and Marriott Vacation Club.

Stays at our exclusive luxury hotel partner, The Ritz-Carlton®, will count toward achievement.

All Marriott Rewards program terms and conditions apply.

Visit MarriottRewards.com/MegaBonus2013, call 888-MARRIOTT (627-7468), or call your local Marriott Rewards Customer Support office for complete details.

Stay 20 Nights Get 35,000 Points or Stay 25 Nights Get 50,000 Points

Congratulations! You are now enrolled in the Spring MegaBonus® Promotion. Stay at any of more than 3,600 Marriott hotels worldwide between February 1, 2013 and April 30, 2013 and earn 35,000 bonus points after 20 paid nights plus an additional 15,000 bonus points after 25 paid nights – up to a maximum of 50,000 bonus points. That’s in addition to the base points you’ll earn on those stays.Registration is required.

Marriott Rewards® members who register for this promotion by March 15, 2013 will earn 35,000 bonus points after 20 paid nights plus an additional 15,000 bonus points after 25 paid nights – up to a maximum of 50,000 bonus points for stays made between February 1 and April 30, 2013, at participating Marriott properties.

A ‘stay’ is defined as consecutive nights spent at the same hotel, regardless of check-in/check-out activity.

The member receiving this offer has been specifically targeted and the offer is not transferable.

Nights spent while redeeming an award are not eligible for credit.

Only one room per hotel is counted toward a member’s nights or stay.

Bonus points will be awarded to the member’s account within 3-5 business days after the qualifying stay.

Awards are not transferable and may not be given as a gift.

This offer is not transferable.

Nights spent while redeeming an award are not eligible for credit and Marriott Vacation Club® owner-occupied weeks are not eligible for credit.

A stay is defined as consecutive nights spent at the same hotel, regardless of check-in/check-out activity.

Only one room per hotel is counted toward a member’s nights or stay.

Members electing to earn miles are not eligible for this promotion.

Participating brands include JW Marriott®, EDITION®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, AC Hotels by Marriott^SM, Marriott® Hotels & Resorts, Gaylord Hotels, Courtyard by Marriott®, SpringHill Suites by Marriott®, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott®, Residence Inn by Marriott®, TownePlace Suites by Marriott® and Marriott Vacation Club.

Stays at our exclusive luxury hotel partner, The Ritz-Carlton®, will count toward achievement.

All Marriott Rewards program terms and conditions apply.

Visit MarriottRewards.com/MegaBonus2013, call 888-MARRIOTT (627-7468), or call your local Marriott Rewards Customer Support office for complete details.

Source: Thanks to FlyerTalk member alc for posting links to T&C of different Marriott MegaBonus offers.

Ric Garrido, writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler, shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests. You can follow Loyalty Traveler on Twitter and Facebook and RSS feed.

Another piece of information from MichelleL on Marriott Rewards Insiders is Marriott Gift Cheques will no longer be sold after December 31, 2012. The group provider for these paper gift cheques is retiring the product. Marriott Rewards members may still buy gift cheques through December 31, 2012. Marriott gift cheques purchased in 2012 will remain valid through their expiration date.

https://www.marriott.com/rewards/usepoints/inhotelextras.mi

* As of January 1, 2013, $100 and $1,000 Elite-only gift cheque rewards will no longer be available. Gift cheques purchased by December 31, 2012 will be honored until the certificate’s expiration date.

These Marriott cheques appear to be another one of the good value benefits of hotel loyalty that is being discontinued due to low utilization by members, The end of 2012 has seen a number of these offers on the chopping block like Hyatt Platinum Extras certificates.

The $100 and $1000 paper gift checques (Elite members only) will be pulled on Dec 31, so prepare for the redemption action to be unplugged around the 5-6p Eastern time frame.

Because there are an extremely low number of members who have redeemed for these awards in the past, we decided against a broad communication in favor of interacting within the community, where we know many of those who use these awards are active. We posted the information on the Insiders – which promptly leaked to FlyerTalk – and made comments on the site pages.

MichelleL – Marriott Rewards Insiders

Here is a Loyalty Traveler piece from January 27, 2011 explaining why the $1,000 Marriott Gift Cheques were a high value award redemption.

Marriott Elites Tip: Real Value of $1,000 Marriott Cheques

Ric Garrido, writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler, shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests. You can follow Loyalty Traveler on Twitter and Facebook and RSS feed.