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Apr
Accor Hotels officially changed its loyalty program name from A|Club to Le Club Accorhotels on March 28, 2012. Just as I figured out where the “|” symbol key is located on my keyboard, the loyalty program goes French.
To celebrate being French, Le Club Accorhotels announced its first global promotion for triple points for weekend stays (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) from April 13 through June 10. Stays must be booked by May 10 for this offer. Read More…
A|Club members and Accorhotels.com newsletter subscribers have the opportunity to book discount rates at hotels globally through several regional offers from March 20 to March 26, 2012. The promotional offers are regionalized and discounts from 30% to 50% off and 2-for-1 rates are offered. The discounts are based on BAR which is typically the best flexible cancellation rate. AAA and senior rates are typically 10% to 20% off BAR.
Accor Hotels Regional Discount Rate Offers link. Read More…
Accor A|Club has a global sale at more than 1,200 hotels for 3 night stays on bookings through April 9 for stays completed by April 15, 2012. These are prepaid, nonrefundable rates based on the Best Available Rate (BAR) which is the unrestricted flexible cancellation rate.
The 3rd night free rate is based on discounting each night’s BAR rate by 33.33%.
This sale is happening in four global regions and each region has its own specific booking terms and site. A|Club members had one week advance booking window beginning March 6 in some regions. In Europe, Middle East, Africa and Americas the general public can begin booking these rates on March 13. In Asia Pacific region the sale began February 22 and includes an additional discount for Accor Advantage Plus members:
Accor Advantage Plus members receive their 10% discount on the ‘“3 = 2” Special offer rate’.
These rates earn A|Club points.
South America – North America 3=2.
Here is a spreadsheet with the ten largest hotel loyalty programs worldwide and all their airline partners for earning miles and points-to-miles transfers.
Hilton HHonors is far and away the biggest program for airline partnerships. That can be a major factor for a frequent guest earning miles from hotel stays in a frequent flyer program where there might be few opportunities to earn miles other than flying.
There are 8 airlines that only partner with one of these ten programs.
[click on image to see full-size in new window]
I will follow up this post with comments and details on airline miles differences in earning rates between different programs.
This seemed like a useful table to create as I work on my series of hotel points-to-miles exchange rates across loyalty programs for a selection of major airlines.
Loyalty Traveler – Airline Tables for Hotel Points-to-Miles Exchange Rates
BoardingArea.com is awash in travel deals this morning.
Accor Hotels A|Club instant Platinum elite
Gary Leff reveals a link for instant Accor Hotels A|Club Platinum status. That elite status has limited usefulness for the USA since there are only a handful of Sofitels in a few major cities, but A|Club elite can be quite nice for international travel. I tried the offer and my account now reads platinum. Although, I guess I should have verified what status I already had with A|Club since I might have received an instant Platinum upgrade from a different offer earlier this year.
Here is an article I wrote in September 2011 giving some basics of A|Club hotel loyalty program.
Cyber Monday Travel Deals
I was thinking of writing a post for Omni Hotels Cyber-Monday deal, since that looked to be the best hotel rate discount offer I have seen this past weekend, but Deals We Like already has a popular post (according to USA Today statistics) listing several hotel discount offers available today. Readers interested in shopping for hotels today should check out “Cyber Monday Travel Deals” on Deals We Like.
Gaylord Resorts $109 rates in December
Gaylord Resorts has a $109 hotel rate deal not mentioned on Deals We Like. Gaylord Resorts have four large convention properties in Gaylord Palms Orlando, Gaylord Texan near Dallas, Gaylord Opryland Nashville and Gaylord National at National Harbor, Maryland (near DC).
I have stayed at two of these hotels and what I like about the properties is they are self-sufficient hotels with a Disneyland-like environment of attractive atrium interiors and waterfalls and play areas and pools. There are several restaurant choices and multiple bars. I have always thought these hotels make a great family destination since there is so much to do without leaving the hotel property. The food is a bit expensive though.
The availability of $109 rates are easy to find over multiple dates at the different properties.
There is also a DreamWorks Experience Family Package if you want to splurge.
Gaylord Resorts Cyber Monday Sale
Accor Hotels has a global sale for 50% off hotel stays booked by November 25 for stays from December 11, 2011 through February 12, 2012. The discount is 50% for A|Club members and 40% if you are not a member. You can join A|Club and get the 50% discount when you book.
These rates are prepaid at time of booking, no changes allowed and no refunds for cancellation.
The good news is Accor Hotels provides a pdf link with participating hotels ordered geographically.
Accor Hotels is the largest global hotel chain outside the USA and the most comprehensive hotel chain for France and Europe. Brazil and North Africa are two other areas where Accor offers more hotels than any other major hotel chain for earning loyalty points with your travel. China, Indonesia and Thailand are other countries where you will find Accor properties outpace most other hotel chains.
Here is a Loyalty Traveler post from September 2011 where I give an overview of A|Club loyalty program and Accor Hotel brand descriptions. Since then Accor A|Club has added Orbis Hotels, a small brand in Poland.
Accor Super Sale 50% off rates - Book by Nov 25, 2011.
A|Club loyalty program for French chain Accor Hotels has a couple of ongoing offers for free elite status and free points for Facebook Jackpot contest.
A|Club complimentary Gold elite could be yours with promotion code AMEXSING10 when you register as a new member of the A|Club program. Funny thing is this offer is the first time I recall a non-IHG promotion listed on PriorityClubInsider.com.
A|Club Jackpot Facebook game for free 500 points and chance to win 25,000 or 1,000,000 points
Promotion: October 6 – November 15, 2011
You can pick up some instant points after enrolling for Accor A|Club Gold elite through the Accor A|Club Jackpot Days sweepstakes on Facebook.
The first 25,000 players automatically win 500 points. At time of this post there are 18,195 Facebook page “likes” so I assume at least another 7,000 people can win an instant 500 points.
You can play the game once each week, based on the time and day you first play, through November 15, 2011. There are ten 25,000 point prizes at pre-set time slots during the game period and the first person to play after the 25K time slot wins the prize.
One million A|Club points worth 20,000 Euros in hotel stay credit will be awarded to one entrant from the game within three weeks after the game ends.
Accor A-Club Jackpot Days October 6 - November 15, 2011
Double points for any weekend stay with a Friday, Saturday or Sunday night from October 10 to December 18, 2011 booked on Jackpot Days page or any official Accor or Accor hotel brand online channel between October 6 and November 15.
Accor A-Club 2x points for weekend stays October 10-December 18, 2011
Related Loyalty Traveler posts: Le Club Accor Hotels Loyalty Program - Basics Sep 18, 2011
Accor Hotels had a global press conference September 13, 2011 to announce a new strategic plan for rebranding a large portion of its economy and midscale segment hotels among the 4,200+ hotels in the French based chain. A new hotel loyalty program name with Le Club Accorhotels replaces A|Club.
The major change in the Accor brands structure is the creation of an Ibis Mega Brand with over 1,500 hotels by rebranding midscale all seasons to Ibis Styles and the Etap brand becomes Ibis Budget.
Accor Hotels has global reach with over 15 brands from economy (etap, Formule 1, Motel 6) to its flagship luxury brand Sofitel Hotels.
The Accor Hotels chain is proportionally far heavier in the economy hotel market segment with about 2,200 hotels in brands like etap, Formule 1, Hotel F1 and Motel 6. The two upscale hotel brands of Novotel and Mercure at 1,100 hotels are far larger than the global Hyatt chain at under 500 properties and match the total hotel presence of Starwood Hotels.
Sofitel was divided up into separate brands when Accor added Pullman Hotels and MGallery Hotels and these upper upscale and luxury brands hold about 220 hotels.
Le Club Accorhotels, formerly A|Club is the loyalty program for Accor Hotels that excludes several hotel brands from the economy segment of the Accor family. Only about 2,300 hotels participate in the loyalty program and more than 1,700 hotels in Motel 6, Etap and Formule 1 are excluded from A|Club for earning points.
It remains to be seen what the loyalty program changes might be, if any.
Etap hotels are not currently included in A|Club points earning. The Ibis Budget hotel brand could be added to Le Club Accorhotels and increase the earning potential for members by 400 hotels globally. No word on that aspect of the loyalty program came out of the press conference.
Moderator StarFlyerGold of the FlyerTalk Accor forum states Le Club will launch beginning 2012.
A|Club Loyalty Program Basics
A|Club operates differently from other points-based major hotel loyalty programs. The earning side is similar in that members earn points based on hotel spend at the rate of 2 points/1€ at Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel, Suite Novotel, Mercure and Adagio Hotels. Ibis and all seasons earn 1 point/1€. Global and property specific promotions offer bonus points for member stays just like other loyalty programs.
A|Club Earn Rate
2 points per EUR
1 point per EUR
The different aspect of A|Club is the redemption side of points. Points can be exchanged for hotel cash vouchers to redeem for hotel stays. Hotels are not divided into hotel redemption categories, the system used in most major hotel loyalty programs.
2,000 A|Club points can be exchanged for one US$60 voucher or in a variety of other currencies.
There is room for currency leverage when traveling with Accor Hotels. Even with a hotel currency exchange rate somewhat lower than a credit charge rate, I’d think the 60AUD voucher would be worth more than the 30GBP voucher.
The past two years A|Club has run a summer special allowing redemption of A|Club cash certificates for payment at Motel 6.
Redeeming a voucher at a Motel 6 is not going to earn loyalty points, however, when redeeming a loyalty hotel voucher at a Motel 6 you are getting the same US$60 cash discount that you would get when redeeming the voucher for a paid room at the Sofitel Chicago.
Sofitel Chicago
Accor Hotels Brands
Loyalty Traveler Analysis
What changes will be made to A|Club as it becomes Le Club Accorhotels remains to be seen. Potentially the number of properties available to members for earning loyalty points could increase. The multifaceted loyalty programs among Accorhotels could be consolidated. No details have emerged in the strategic plan for the evolution of Le Club Accorhotels.
Motel 6 still remains mostly neglected as an Accor family brand in the loyalty program. Remember that pets stay free in Motel 6 and a US$60 A|Club voucher is worth as much at a Motel 6 as a Sofitel Hotel.
Story Update: Sep 19 – This morning I just saw the Bloomberg News story from September 13 stating Accor is interested in selling Motel 6/Studio 6 brand.
Stays at Sofitel and Novotel in USA and Canada from September 1 to October 1, 2011 earn triple Accor A|Club points. A 2-night minimum stay between Sep 15-21 earns an additional 3,000 points bonus. Accor A|Club 3x Points Birthday Promotion Link.
The regular earn rate for A|Club members is 2 points/1 EUR so this bonus offer should work out to be a little over 4.25 points/US$1 and slightly more for the higher value Canadian dollar.
You can redeem 2,000 A|Club points for US$60 hotel voucher or 40EUR voucher.
Assume you spend $250 for a two night stay during the week of Sep 15 to 21 and you will earn over 4,000 points that can be used for US$120 Accor hotel vouchers. That is nearly a 50% rebate on a $250 hotel stay.
Of course most of the Sofitel properties are in the upper upscale to luxury range and the nightly cost will likely be much higher than US$125 per night. Sofitel San Francisco Bay has cheap weekend rates and many of the Novotel properties in Canada are less expensive hotels than the Sofitel Hotels.
Participating Accor Novotel and Sofitel Hotels:
HELP SHEET #8 – updated July 7, 2011
This Loyalty Traveler post is the 8th update for 2011 hotel loyalty promotions and includes about 25 new promotion offers since the June 7 list. Offers marked with an asterisk (*) were added since the last update June 7.
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. A|Club repeats last year’s promotion allowing redemption of A|Club vouchers for stays at North America Motel 6 hotels from June 1-October 31. LT post June 29.
Accor Hotels is the largest chain of hotel brands globally outside of the USA.
Accor 10th 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
5-Key promotion – Best Western free night after three stays from June 19 to August 14, 2011. Limit one free night during promotion. Loyalty Traveler post June 4.
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 has designated 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, mostly outside U.S.).
Carlson Hotels – Club Carlson (formerly Goldpoints Plus loyalty program)
Hotel Brands: Radisson Blu, Radisson, Country Inn & Suites, Park Inn, Park Plaza
* Club Carlson does not currently have a major bonus points promotion since the free night after two stays promotion ended June 15. There appear to be some good discount rates (35% off two day Radisson stays – book by July 12) and Park Inn 20% off two or three night weekend stays in North America through August 31.
There are also some good values with Club Carlson double points rates where members earn 40 points/$1 for room rate. This is an extra 2,500 points on a $125 room rate that may only be $10 more than otherwise lowest rates.
These Loyalty Traveler posts describe changes with Club Carlson launch March 31, 2011:
Club Carlson Hotel Category Reassignment Analysis – Overview and Category 1 Hotels (April 7) – This post has links to posts for each Club Carlson Hotel Reward category with tables showing the new Club Carlson reward category and the former Goldpoints Plus reward category.
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. (March 10).
Club Carlson online booking bonus – Club Carlson general members earn 1,000 bonus points for online booking. Silver and Gold elite members earn 2,000 bonus points for online booking. Concierge elite members earn 3,000 points. Club Carlson Benefits table link.
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
Stay two times for 8,000 points May 19-August 11. This promotion awards members with 8,000 total points after two stays. Four brands require a two-night stay for this promotion ay Rodaeway Inn, EconoLodge, MainStay Suites and Suburban Suites. This offer is a variable bonus offer since two $60 stays that normally earn 1,200 points ($120 x 10 points/$1) receives 6,800 bonus points for 8,000 total points, yet two $300 hotel stays that earn 6,000 base points will result in 2,000 bonus points for 8,000 total points. This offer is best bonus on low cost hotel stays. Loyalty Traveler post May 16, 2011.
Choice Privileges reward night cost analysis. Using a spreadsheet of 2010 reward cost, I calculated the percentage of hotels in various reward levels worldwide from 6,000 points to 40,000 points. This is the only breakdown of hotel reward tiers I have ever seen for Choice Hotels. Loyalty Traveler post May 1, 2011.
Choice Privileges Program Changes for Elite Members effective January 1, 2011:
Program enhancements for elites.
Reward night booking window extended for Choice Privileges elite members:
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, 2010)
* 1,000 bonus points for enrollment in Drury Gold Key Club.
Expedia Rewards –
Double Rewards points for Expedia Vacation Package paid with MasterCard through August 31. Registration required.
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 Special Offers website link
Global Hotel Alliance – GHA Discovery – Hotel loyalty program alliance for 12 independent hotel brands including Omni Hotels, Pan Pacific, Kempinski, 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
10 Hotel Brands: Hilton, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, Conrad, Waldorf-Astoria Collection, Hampton Inn, and Home2Suites.
* Double HHonors Points or Double Miles for stays worldwide from July 1-September 30, 2011. List of about 250 excluded hotels, mostly in U.S.. Promotion registration required. Loyalty traveler post June 24.
* HHonors Gold VIP elite after 4 stays or 9 nights in 90 days at U.S. hotels with Hilton HHonors MVP. Promotion registration required.
* Free HHonors Gold VIP elite to August 31, 2011 for U.S. resident Visa Signature cardmembers. Complete three stays by August 31 to extend Gold VIP status through March 2013. Existing Gold and Diamond members receive 5,000 bonus points. Loyalty Traveler post June 10.
Great Getaway Hilton Summer Sale with discounts from 15% to 40%. Book May 13 to August 31 for hotel stays May 27 to Sep 5. Prepaid rates and must book 14 days in advance. Loyalty Traveler post May 19.
HHonors Point Stretcher Rewards posted for hotels through November 2011. Point Stretchers require 40% fewer points than standard HHonors rewards. Use the drop-down menu to see participating hotels in different Hilton brands. The Point Stretcher hotel awards were updated in early June.
HHonors Points & Money – Loyalty Traveler reward analysis indicates these are good value. Loyalty Traveler post May 9.
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.
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)
Hotels.com Welcome Rewards
Earn a free night for every 10 nights.
* Double points (up to 4 bonus points) through July 31 for new Welcome Rewards members.
Hyatt Hotels – Hyatt Gold Passport
Hotel Brands: Park Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Vacation Club, Hyatt Resorts, Andaz, Hyatt Summerfield Suites
* 2,500 Aeroplan miles per Hyatt stay July 1-September 30. Maximum bonus is 25,000 miles after 10 stays.
* Welcome credit and 2,500 bonus points for stays paid with American Express at 75 international hotels. Loyalty Traveler post July 2. 3-key promotion.
Earn 19,000 Southwest points after 5 Hyatt stays June 1-August 31. Loyalty traveler post June 5.
Program Change – 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
* Limited Time Rate Discount Europe – Up to 35% off for weekend stays in Europe through August 31. These rates are prepaid and nonrefundable with no changes allowed. T&C also state no points.
* Limited Time Rate Discount Europe – 2 nights for the Price of 1 – LT Note: Promotion page states this offer expired June 30, 2011, but I still found available 2-for-1 rates for August dates on July 7. This is a recurring rate promotion for several years and offers one of the greatest discounts on hotel rooms in Europe; particularly London. LT 5-key rate offer.
* Pack Your Points Tweetstakes July 1-July 31. Retweet @IHG_Deals daily message for entry. One entry per day. Prizes are 15,000 or 30,000 points for daily winners chosen in August. LT post July 4.
* IHG Priority Club Last Minute Reward Nights are posted the week before the first weekend of the month. Hotels are only posted for a few days and must be booked by Thursday prior to the Friday through Sunday dates. LT post June 30.
$75 MasterCard Gift Card for 2-night weekend stay worldwide at any IHG hotel May 19-August 31, 2011. Limit of four cards per member. Only for U.S. residents. Loyalty Traveler post May 18. 4-key offer.
IHG Double Points or Double Miles (May 16 – August 15, 2011) – 2-key offer. LT post April 21.
InterContinental Hotels in Europe 5th 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.
Priority Club PointBreaks through July 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 133 hotels on May 9 and only 27 hotels on July 6. Look for a new list of hotels posting in July. Loyalty Traveler post May 9. (5-key offer.)
Complimentary InterContinental Ambassador membership ($200 value) after three stays at InterContinental Hotels by July 31, 2011. My Loyalty Traveler post argues for spending 32,000 points or $200 for Ambassador membership and earning benefits on three stays.
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. Earn 6,000 bonus points for a three night stay booked by June 30 (Loyalty Traveler April 11 post).
InterContinental Ambassador Accelerator - 20,000 points after 15 nights at InterContinental Hotels. Registration required.
Priority Club Any Hotel Anywhere American Express gift cards.
New Price for Any Hotel, Anywhere Cards Loyalty Traveler post Jan 25.
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)
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
* Kimpton “Summer Like a Local Rate” offer gives a $25 nightly dining credit for a rate $10 over BAR May 26-September 5.
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)
La Quinta Hotels – La Quinta Returns
Hotel chain and hotel loyalty program overview by Loyalty Traveler, April 12.
* New La Quinta Returns members earn Gold elite after two nights within 60 days of enrollment. Two nights may be one stay. Gold elite promotion offer for new enrollments through August 31, but keep in mind these offers are sometimes withdrawn early.
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.
Earn a free night after every 5 stays with stays in at least two LHW properties by December 31, 2011.
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.
Marriott Rewards Earn one free night at a category 1 to 4 hotel reward after two hotel stays June 1-August 31. Registration deadline for this promotion was June 30, 2011. This offer may be earned two times during promotion. Active Marriott Rewards members may have a points offer based on 15 to 25 nights. Loyalty Traveler post May 16.
Marriott Rewards 4x miles for hotels stays June 1-August 31. Earn 8 miles per $1 or 4 miles per $1 with 13 participating airlines depending on Marriott hotel brand. Loyalty Traveler post May 27.
Program Change: All Marriott Rewards members receive complimentary internet at Asia-Pacific region hotels. Loyalty Traveler post May 2, 2011.
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 Rewards Hotel Category Assignment Changes for 2011 (Loyalty Traveler March 2)
Marriott Rewards PointSavers –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. 5th night free applies to PointSavers rate. http://www.marriott.com/rewards/marriottRewardsPointSavers.mi
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.
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.
Omni Hotels – Omni Select Guest
Member benefits include complimentary in-room Wi-Fi, shoe shine and morning beverage delivery.
Earn a free night after every 10 nights or earn 500 miles per hotel stay.
Preferred Hotels Group – I Prefer
I Prefer and Preferred Hotels Group special offers page.
Red Lion Hotels – 44 hotels in western U.S.
* Red Lion Double Points and Free Breakfast promotion code = RLDOUBLE (through Dec 31, 2011)
Ritz-Carlton Rewards
* Ritz-Carlton Rewards Visa – 50,000 points enrollment offer and Gold elite first year. Maintain Gold elite with $10,000 annual spending. Three confirmed Club level upgrades per year and other benefits. Loyalty Traveler post June 13.
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.
* $40 gas card for two-night or longer stays at Four Points, Aloft or Element hotels in North America through September 15. Must book hotel stay by July 31 using rate code SSBGAS. LT post July 6.
* Four Points $25,000 contest for best story submitted on Four Points Facebook page between June 15 and August 10. Contest open to US and Canada (except Quebec). Also weekly prizes for two-night stay and $50 in beer credit. Contest Rules.
* 3x points for Starwood Hotels in Japan for stays and dining June 1-August 31. LT post June 26.
Starwood Preferred Guest – Stay 3 and get a free Starwood Resort hotel night from May 1-July 31, 2011. Note: Promotion registration ended June 30, 2011, so too late if you are not already registered. Free nights are good for over 200 Starwood Resorts including several category 6 and one category 7 resort. Free nights are valid until December 21. LT post April 15. (5-key promotion)
FourSquare 250 bonus points for mobile check-in at Starwood Hotels May 1-July 31, 2011. Loyalty Traveler post May 12. Note: Most of these bonuses have quickly posted for me. I need to follow up on a couple of missing bonuses.
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.
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. There are monthly calendars to locate days when Cash & Points nights are available at a specific hotel Loyalty Traveler post Nov 23, 2010.
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 3rd night free offer at Sheraton Hotels. Loyalty traveler post (August 24); Sheraton 3rd Night Free Analysis (Nov 12)
3-key or sometimes a 5-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 or sometimes a 5-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.
* 2,500 Voila bonus points per stay through August 31 and entry into 500,000 points sweepstakes.
* Double elite credit for Voila member hotel stays through July 31. Registration required.
Wyndham Worldwide - Wyndham Rewards
Wyndham Brands: Wyndham, Wingate, Hawthorn Suites, Ramada, Days Inn, Super 8, Howard Johnson, Travelodge, Baymont Suites, Microtel, Knights Inn, Tryp.
1,000 bonus points per Wyndham stay from June 1 –September 5, 2011. Loyalty Traveler post June 2.
* European residents only – 15,000 bonus points for two hotel stays worldwide by September 30 at most Wyndham brands. Stays must be booked by August 31. Bonus may be earned four times for 60,000 points. Loyalty Traveler post July 6.
Loyalty Traveler Research Articles
* Room77.com hotel room views compared to my photos. Loyalty Traveler website analysis June 22.
Comparing the value of hotel program points - compares Hyatt, Priority Club and Hilton programs, then discusses how I am planning summer travel using free night promotions. (May 2, 2011)
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 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.
Loyalty Traveler ranks the consumer value of some 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:
Accor Hotels A|Club hotel loyalty program repeats last year’s limited time offer allowing members to redeem vouchers for hotel stays at Motel 6 in the USA and Canada from June 1 to October 31, 2011. Studio 6 properties are not eligible for A|Club voucher redemption with this offer.
Motel 6 has over 1,100 hotels in the US and Canada and is the largest hotel brand in the 4,000+ hotels of France-based Accor Hotels chain. The guest loyalty program for Accor Hotels is A|Club, however, Motel 6 is generally not a participating hotel brand in A|Club for earning or redeeming points. For international travelers planning to drive in the US, the prevalence of Motel 6 along major routes like the California Highway 101 coast road makes the Motel 6 brand an easy to find property when traveling rural areas of the US.
The earning side of A|Club works similarly to most major hotel loyalty programs. As a points-based program, members in A|Club earn points correlated to hotel spend. Points are earned for spend and bonus points opportunities are available among various brands and properties and regional specific bonuses.
The redemption side of A|Club is different from most major hotel loyalty programs in that 2,000 A|Club points may be redeemed for a fixed-value hotel credit voucher (e-reward) in any of five currencies.
2000 A|Club points may be exchanged for a hotel credit voucher in these amounts:
As you can see, the value of A|Club points varies with currency differences. A|Club points have about the highest value when used for e-vouchers in US Dollars. The opportunity to redeem e-rewards in the US at Motel 6 properties is a good value redemption opportunity.
A|Club Leverage Opportunity with Currency Exchange?
When I look at the differential between the value of 2,000 A|Club points for a $60USD reward compared to a 30GBP reward worth only $48USD, I wonder if an A|Club member might get more value by redeeming points in a different currency for hotel stays in the UK?
There will certainly be a less than bank rate exchange at hotel check out when converting A|Club vouchers from USD or EUR or AUD into British Pounds, but when $60AUD is worth 39.81GBP, I think even a poor hotel exchange rate will likely work out to a better deal for 2,000 points vouchers worth only 30 GBP British Pounds.
Currency exchange rates are based on xe.com rates for June 29, 2011.
Question for A|Club members.
Has anyone tried using different currency A|Club reward vouchers in the UK?
Motel 6 Monterey
