Loyalty Traveler surveys world’s Top 20 Hotel Brands for loyalty program affiliation and hotel benefits.

The hotel industry generally ranks the world’s biggest hotel brands by different criteria than Loyalty Traveler. The hotel industry ranks hotel brands by the total number of rooms worldwide. That is the hotelier’s viewpoint since more rooms creates the potential for more money.

My viewpoint as a traveler is whether I will be able to find a hotel in a particular hotel brand in the location I am visiting.  I generally only need one or two rooms for my hotel stay. As a traveler I care less about whether a hotel has 100 rooms or 1,000 rooms and more about the number of hotels in my preferred brand for geographic coverage.

Therefore, Loyalty Traveler ranks hotel brand size by the number of hotels rather than the number of rooms. This results in a different hotel brand ranking order than will be found for most hotel chain size surveys.

When it comes to the number of hotels in a hotel brand you can forget about your upscale Hyatt’s and Hilton’s and Marriott’s being the leaders. There are no upscale market segment brands in the top 20 global hotel brands when ranked by number of hotels.

Marriott Hotels (550 hotels) and Hilton Hotels (540 hotels) just miss the Top 20 cut coming in at #21 and #22 respectively with the distinction of being the highest ranking upscale brands worldwide.

The Benefits of Economy and Mid-scale Hotels

Free internet and complimentary breakfast are the two most desired benefits for upscale hotel travelers. In recent years there has been a move among loyalty programs to add these benefits for elite members of Marriott Rewards, Hilton HHonors, Starwood Preferred Guest and Hyatt Gold Passport.

Travel in the economy hotel market segment pretty much guarantees you will have access to free internet and most of the top brands also offer a free breakfast as a benefit for all hotel guests. Downsizing your hotel brand may upsize your savings in more ways than room rate.

Family-Friendly Hotel Brands  

One of the biggest value benefits of the major economy/mid-scale hotel brands is a policy at six of the Top 20 Hotel Brands to let kids stay free in the room with an adult family member. This policy is extended to a high age limit of 19 years old for Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express which offers some interesting possibilities for taking Mom, Dad or Uncle Bob on spring break.

Children Stay Free Policies can be big savings for big families. Bring the sleeping bags.

Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express = Children 19 and under stay free in same room with adult guest.

La Quinta Inn = Children 18 and under stay free in same room with adult guest.

Super 8 = Children 17 and under stay free in same room with adult guest.

Motel 6 = Children 17 and under stay free in same room with adult guest.

Premier Inn (U.K.) = Children 15 and under stay free.

“Honey, I Just Fed the Kids!”

Some hotel brands even offer free restaurant meals to kids when an adult orders off the regular menu. The age limit is a bit lower than 19 for this benefit.

Holiday Inn (U.S. and Canada only) – ‘Kids Eat Free’ policy allows up to four children age 12 and under to eat free from kids menu any time of day when adult guest pays for meal from regular menu.

Premier Inn (U.K.) – free breakfast for up to two children (15 or under).

Loyalty traveler note on hotel numbers and Choice International hotel brands count:

The source of hotel numbers is primarily hotel brand website checks February 8-10, 2011 and data from the most recent financial reports. Choice Privileges only reported domestic properties in its Sep 30, 2010 financial statement. There were 1,140 international Choice Hotels Sep 30, 2010. This is the only detail on international franchised Choice Hotels properties I located without making a hand count by country.

My website checks indicate these 1,140 international hotels are primarily Comfort Inn & Suites and Quality Inn & Suites properties with about 150 Clarion and a handful of EconoLodge and Sleep Inn properties. Australia and New Zealand have more than 200 Choice Hotels.

Choice Hotels total hotel numbers for Days Inn and Quality Inn are from TopHotelChains.com Sep 2010. Hotel numbers for U.S. properties are taken from Choice International financial statements for Sep 30, 2010.

Loyalty Traveler Survey of the Top 20 Hotel Brands in the World

Loyalty Traveler Top 20 Hotel Brands by Number of Hotels Feb 11, 2011

Tip: Click on the spreadsheet picture to open in a new window and see in full size. (You may need to click on picture again in new window to magnify size).

Please add a comment if there are other noteworthy features and benefits for these 20 brands; particularly some first-hand knowledge of Mercure and Ibis would be appreciated for these non-U.S. hotel brands.

The value of a point is generally used in reference to redeeming points for free hotel nights. I will show how to compare point value when redeeming  for hotel reward nights across programs (part 1) and then apply a similar methodology to show how to compare earning value from promotions across hotel loyalty programs (part 2). A case study of Hilton HHonors promotion offers in 2009 and 2010 is Part 3 to illustrate the promotion variable in practice through one major hotel loyalty program.

San Francisco Hotel Reward Comparison Across Hotel Loyalty Programs

Fisherman’s Wharf is a good place for cross program comparison due to an abundance of hotels from many different hotel chains that are all quite similar in hotel market segment and hotel size.

It is an easy calculation to take the room rate and divide by the number of points required for a free night at each hotel in each hotel loyalty program. The next step though requires a way to correlate the values to each other since these programs have different earn rates.

For example, Sheraton is part of Starwood Preferred Guest and SPG members earn 2 base points per dollar in hotel spend. It could take $5,000 in hotel spend to earn 10,000 SPG points.

But in real travel it takes far less than $5,000 in Starwood Hotels spend to earn 10,000 points due to promotion bonuses and the ability to earn far more than 2 points per dollar during your hotel stays.  

The earning side of the equation is the part of hotel loyalty programs that needs better quantification. 

I have made claims that Hilton HHonors is at a competitive disadvantage in terms of earning points for free nights. 2010 has been a great year for HHonors promotions, however, this program has been promotion weak for many years prior to 2010. 

But how can I prove my claim in numbers to illustrate that HHonors has been promotion weak relative to other programs?

Marriott Rewards members earn 10 points per dollar in hotel spend, except when staying at Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites the earning rate drops to 5 points per dollar.

Earning variations make it more difficult to compare  Hilton HHonors where hotel stays at any brand earn 10 points per dollar in hotel spend, but some members earn Points & Miles (10 points per dollar + airline miles) and other members have an earning preference of Points & Points (15 points per dollar) to a program like Marriott Rewards where members earn fewer points per dollar at some brands.

Equivalent Base Points Value – Methodology

I wrote a feature article for the April 2010 InsideFlyer magazine comparing hotel loyalty programs. One of my primary objectives was to come up with a way of comparing hotel reward value across programs that avoided the need to correlate hotel categories from one program to another.

For example in the slide showing San Francisco hotel categories you see Hilton Fisherman’s Wharf is a top-level category-7 hotel at 50,000 points for an HHonors reward night.

Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf is a mid-tier category 3 hotel reward night at 12,000 points (note: Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf  became a Gold Passport Category-4 hotel in June 2010 realignment of hotel rewards across six categories.)

Can I say a Hyatt Category-3 or Category-4 hotel is equivalent to a Hilton HHonors Category-3 or Category-4 hotel or a Category-7 hotel?

I wanted to avoid the “matching hotel reward categories” trap which is taken by most analyses comparing the value of hotel points in different programs.

Equivalent Base Points value seemed a step in the right direction for an authentic comparison of hotel loyalty program reward night value.

Hotel Loyalty Program Base Points Earn Rates per US$1 hotel spend

• Carlson Hotels Goldpoints Plus = 20 base points per $1 (Country Inn and Park Inn = 15 points per $1)
• Hilton HHonors = 10 base points per $1 (15 points for Points & Points earners)
• Hyatt Gold Passport = 5 base points per $1
• InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club = 10 base points per $1                                                                                    (IHG brands Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites = 5 points per $1)
• Marriott Rewards = 10 points per $1 (Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites = 5 points per $1)
• Starwood Preferred Guest = 2 points per $1

Since all base points earning programs use a fixed number of points per $1, I placed all these programs on an equivalent base points scale as shown in the slide below with a factor adjustment. This scale allowed me to compare the reward value of hotels in different programs by comparing the hotels using an equivalent base points value.

This is a basic methodology that can be refined for goldpoints plus, IHG Priority Club and Marriott Rewards to create a personal travel factor that is better aligned with your proportion of hotel spend occurring at the lower earning hotel brands. Hilton HHonors Points & Miles earners do not need an adjustment factor when earning 10 points per $1, but Hilton HHonors Points & Points earners adjust the earning rate by 1.5 to account for 15 points per dollar earned.

For example, the Marriott Rewards members with 50% annual hotel spend in Residence Inn will need to adjust the factor to account for average 7.5 base points per $1 rather than 10 points per $1 by Marriott Rewards member staying only in Marriott, Renaissance and Courtyard brands.

NerdWallet.com Methodology

To my surprise this summer I learned that the credit card rewards comparison and analysis online site NerdWallet.com had developed a similar methodology to Loyalty Traveler for evaluating the value of hotel points for co-branded hotel credit cards around the same time in early 2010.

Loyalty Traveler set point value in terms of a cash equivalent value.

NerdWallet.com took a more elegant approach in setting reward value in terms of the number of paid hotel nights needed to earn a free night at that hotel. This methodology basically calculates the number of points a member earns from a paid stay (base points earn rate and elite bonuses if applicable) and divides that into the reward night cost in points. The result is the number of nights you need to pay at a hotel to earn a free night in its loyalty program for that same hotel.

Here is how the NerdWallet.com methodology looks when applied to the San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf hotels shown previously.

Methodology used by NerdWallet.com compares programs by paid nights needed to earn free night

NerdWallet.com did this for many hotels in different brands and locations for each hotel loyalty program. They gathered a large sample of hotels which is what I actually advocated doing in my InsideFlyer article.

This methodology is quite similar to what I did in my InsideFlyer article but labeled in a different way. So I was confused when I saw the NerdWallet.com chart “The Value of Loyalty / Nights Required to Earn a Free Night” showing Marriott Rewards to be a very easy program for earning a free night (10 paid nights) and Priority Club being one of the hardest programs to earn a free night (25 paid nights).

Marriott Rewards did not surprise me since the program has a high proportion of hotels in its lowest reward categories. Much higher proportion than say Hilton or SPG.

The part I couldn’t believe was Priority Club ranking so low. I know from hundreds of anecdotes and my personal experience that in real travel Priority Club members are racking up free nights insanely fast. 

Well, I was thrilled when Tim Chen, founder of NerdWallet.com responded to me personally to explain how their methodology created the Hotel Program Comparison chart.

And a couple of weeks later I really thought about the NerdWallet.com methodology as I studied Tim’s email and then I felt rather foolish when I realized NerdWallet.com had developed what appears to me to be a nearly identical mathematical construct for analyzing hotel reward value across programs. Their methodology also relies on equivalent base points value.

The next hurdle

There is still a problem with equivalent base points methodology because it relies too much on the free night redemption side of the process without accurately measuring the earning side of the equation.

Priority Club numbers are based on members earning 10 base points per dollar and whatever elite bonus points.  Just like in my charts above for San Francisco the Priority Club hotel reward nights are not that great a value.

Loyalty traveler is fond of stating “Promotions make all the difference!”

And Priority Club has been the most clever hotel loyalty program in 2010 with its promotion activity.

I have seen numerous examples of members earning 30 to 50 points per dollar in hotel spend with Priority Club and my personal experiences match that. Comparing programs using just base points earning shortchanges the hotel programs where the majority of points earned are not base points earned from hotel spend.

Hyatt Gold Passport, Starwood Preferred Guest and  Priority Club are three programs where promotion bonus points will likely far exceed base points.

Promotions make all the difference when comparing the earn and burn value of points across hotel loyalty programs.

So how can promotions be factored into the equation?

I developed a basic Loyalty Traveler method for comparing hotel promotions across hotel loyalty programs using equivalent base points methodology.  

The Promotion Variable in Hotel Loyalty Programs – Part Two

The Promotion Variable Part 3 – Hilton HHonors 2009-2010 Case Study

After three weeks creating Powerpoint presentations on hotel loyalty programs for the Chicago seminar, I found myself with a book’s worth of  storyboard information. Loyalty Traveler’s director’s cut is some 350 slides illustrating the rise and fall and rebound romance between loyalty travelers and the hotel industry over the past three years.

The actual Chicago presentation is planned as a quick-paced, jump-cut version to keep momentum with only about 30% of the story and a lot of cutting floor travel left in the Loyalty Traveler vault for future presentations.

Last May I quickly came up with a 10 minute description of what I thought I could present in Chicago on hotel loyalty programs.

Actual Scheduled Time is Sunday 11AM to 12:45 PM

Ric Garrido Quote “Are you getting at least 100% return on investment for your annual hotel spend? If you are not getting $6,000+ in hotel stay value for $3,000 in hotel spend, then you are probably not aware of the best promotions or program benefits for your travel style.

* Cheap Elite (How little can I spend and maintain top-elite status?)

* Surveying top-elite status across hotel programs (Who gets what at hotels when you are elite?)

* Comparative value of points across programs. (What does 1,000 points buy in award value?)

* Advice for finding the lowest hotel rates that still earn points (tips for finding low rates on hotel’s corporate websites, including Special Offers, Twitter and Facebook.)

* Advice for finding lower hotel rates when a cheap room is more important than points (Forget the points! Employee rates; cheap night deals).

* How online travel agencies fit into the hotel loyalty program world and when to use an online travel agency

* Hotel mattress runs (Tips on planning and how to not ruin a vacation trip with someone you love)

* Survey of Points-to-Miles exchange rates across hotel programs (If SPG is your only miles exchange program, then you are missing out on some better deals.)

* Buying points (Tips and advice)

* Best value awards (Cash & Points, Hotel + Miles packages, PointBreaks/Savers/Stretchers)

* Aspirational hotel loyalty awards (Paradise with an ocean view!)

* Hotel Loyalty Planning for 2011 (What will happen after two years of unprecedented loyalty promotions?)

Several of these items just didn’t work for me in creating this presentation. Online travel agencies, hotel mattress runs, and non-loyalty program information was cut.

Here are previews of the scenes to be shown at the Chicago Loyalty traveler seminar on Hotel Loyalty Programs:

1. Make Loyalty Count, or Is an Upgrade Really Behind Door #3? From SmarterTravel to Smarter Traveler
2. Why Loyalty Travelers Make Ourselves the Target
3. Quantitative easing – Show me the Discount!
4. Elite Meet
5. Doctors and Masters Agree: Nerd Methodology on the Value of a Point

•         The Doctor’s treatment is more elegant, but Loyalty Traveler was on the mark.   Hey, I only have a Masters in Science.

     6.  The Promotion Variable = All the Difference

• Eureka – I’ll show a never seen before on Loyalty traveler blog way to compare promotion value across hotel loyalty programs.

     7.  Hotel Mile Age  (if time allows)

I guess it’s time to book hotel rooms for my trip.

“Consumers should remember that hotel affordability across the world has not been this good since 2004.” – David Roche, President Hotels.com 

Hotels.com Hotel Price Index is a good report for the frequent guest to gauge global hotel prices and price changes over the past year. There are many tables and graphs for the reader accompanied with some insightful commentary that coincides with industry forecasts from other sources I’ve read this summer.

The survey provides travel destination indicators like Bali, Indonesia. Hotel prices have gone through the roof year-over-year – up 57% from $129 per night 2009-Q2 to $203 per night 2010-Q2 in the wake of ”Eat, Pray, Love” fascination with this location. A flood of tourism dollars is a good sort of tsunami for the region, but rapidly inflated prices steer me to better value locations for my travels.

Bargain destinations like Ireland and Portugal may be the better choice for a budget vacation.  Eastern Europe is giving out great value for travel dollars.

The Hotel Price Index preface notes by David Roche, President of Hotels.com, indicate hotel room rates have shown a global rise, about 2% year-over-year for the first time since 2007.  

Asia is recovering most rapidly. Singapore and Bali aid that growth.

Much of North America, Europe and the Middle East are sitting at hotel rates common to 2004. David Roche points to corporate travel picking up more in North America than in Europe in 2010.

And staycations seem here to stay. Recession travel. There are tables showing the average room rates for the 50 states and major cities.

Hotels.com Hotel Price Index survey

1. Global price changes in the first half of 2010
   Overall
   By region
2. Price changes in global destinations
   Prices across the world’s top cities
   Most expensive destinations
   Highest price rises and falls
3. U.S. hotel prices by state
4. U.S. hotel prices by city
5. Caribbean and Latin American destinations
6. European city destinations
7. Prices paid at home and away
8. Where to go for $150 or $100 per night
9. Average room prices by star rating
10. Luxury for less
11. Travel habits
    Top U.S. destinations for U.S. travelers
    Top overseas destinations for U.S. travelers
    Top U.S. destinations for travelers from overseas

I particularly like the sections “Where to Go for $150 and $100 per night” and “Average room prices by star rating”. Cities where I can expect to find a 4-star hotel for $150 per night is the kind of information I find valuable for travel planning.

“Average Room Prices by Star Rating” table shows a European vacation can be upscale and significantly cheaper if you stay in hotels in countries like Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Austria and Germany. 4-star hotels may be half the rate in cities around these countries compared to Paris, Rome and London.

I look most closely at the spread between the 3-star, 4-star and 5-star room rates. In Europe I particularly prefer the 4-star rating due to several experiences in unacceptable 3-star hotels. I am looking for a place where there is a low spread in room rates between 4-star and 3-star hotels and a high spread between 4-star and 5-star.  A place like Amsterdam shows a 4-star hotel is on average $36 more than a 3-star hotel. The rate difference is a high $72 to move up to 5-star room rates. This is a good example of a city where the step up to 4-star is half the cost compared to the step up from 4-star to 5-star rates.

15 cities with the best 5-star value is another great table for cities where a luxury hotel is still available for under $200 per night. Las Vegas is the only cheap hotel destination in the USA.

New York City just blows my mind with its room rates. $150 per night doesn’t even buy a 2-star hotel room. $300 is the average room rate for a 4-star hotel. When I wrote about the InterContinental Hotel New York Times Square yesterday all I could think is how I could save $500 to $600 per night on this luxury hotel by using 40,000 points. Loyalty points are a great investment travel plan if you have need for NYC hotel rooms and you are paying your own bill.

There are several Starwood resorts in Portugal on my bucket list and  I see Cash & Points awards at 4,000 points + $60 for a hotel like the Convento de Espinheiro, Evora. Provided the right SPG promotion I might even go for 149€ per night. My frequent flyer accounts call to me – redeem.

The average point value for hotel loyalty points is shown on credit card sites like NerdWallet.com and PlasticIQ.com. Lucky estimated the value of a point for several airline and hotel programs in his August 2010 InsideFlyer – The Value of a Mile or Point.

Lucky states in his article that it is useful to have a relative value of points and miles when trading or exchanging currencies between programs or choosing whether to earn miles or points for hotel stays.

The last time I seriously delved into the question of the value of a hotel point was last January. I want to develop ideas from that post more fully here.

Three Rules Governing the Value of a Point or Mile

Over the past decade I have developed three rules as Loyalty Traveler I believe govern the value of points for the hotel loyalty program member.

Loyalty Traveler Rule #1: Points have no value until redeemed.

This applies to airline – hotel – credit card – other loyalty programs.

Every hotel loyalty program has the ability to terminate its loyalty program. Your points can be gone tomorrow.

Look at Mexicana Airlines. I may have just lost 100,000 miles. I valued those miles at $10,000 seven years ago when I could have flown Cathay Pacific First Class across the Indian Ocean from Hong Kong to Johannesburg on miles. But I never booked that trip.

I’ll call your ½ cent and raise

So what does it really mean to say a Hilton HHonors point has a value of one-half (0.5) cent or seven-tenths (0.7) of a cent?

I taught junior high math for a couple of years. I know that working in decimals gets confusing for many people so I try to work in whole numbers when talking about the value of points.

Saying a Hilton HHonors point is worth ½ cent is the same as saying 1,000 points are worth $5.00. Since redeeming points usually involves multiples of 1,000 points I use whole dollar values per 1,000 points in Loyalty Traveler data to get away from decimal abstractions and confusion.

Now back to the question.

What does it really  mean to say Hilton HHonors points have the value of $5 or $7 per 1,000 points?

There is a discrepancy between HHonors point values of 0.7 cents/point by Lucky and 0.5 cents/point by NerdWallet. A cardmember who earns 100,000 points has $700 in points by Lucky’s standard or $500 in points by Nerdwallet’s valuation. PlasticIQ drops the value down to $4.30 per 1,000 points or $430 for that HHonors member sitting on 100K in hotel currency.

Calculating Hotel Point Value

          Value of 1,000 points = Room Rate / Points needed to buy room

Hotel point value is set by redeeming points. Every individual loyalty program member will have his or her own estimate of the average point value based on actual points use and personal history of point redemptions. Lucky states this idea in his article too.

Hilton Amsterdam

Let’s say I want to go to Hilton Amsterdam on November 5-7. I can pay the going rate of 199 EUR per night or use 50,000 points per night.  

Best Available Rate is 199 EUR per night. After tax the rate is €417.90 = US$532 for two nights.

Hilton Amsterdam is a category 7 hotel for 50,000 points per reward night.

My effective points value is $5.32 per 1,000 points when I save $532 by spending 100,000 HHonors points for the hotel stay. (Ignore the points that would have been earned for a paid stay to keep math simpler.)

But should I even use the BAR value of $532 to calculate the value of my points?

I could book the Hilton Amsterdam using an advance purchase rate for 169€ per night. This is a more restrictive rate than using points since there is no ability to cancel or change the reservation, whereas a reservation booked with points can be canceled and points returned to the account.

354.90 EUR = US$457.65 = 100,000 points.

My points value with this Hilton Amsterdam redemption is $4.58 per 1,000 points. This falls well below the $7/1,000 points value from Lucky and even below the $5.00 per 1,000 points used by NerdWallet.com.

The real points value in this example is somewhere between $4.58 and $5.32 per 1,000 points depending on which rate I use, prepaid or refundable rate,  for the cash saved on the hotel stay.

Loyalty Traveler Rule #2: The value of points is not a set value, but will objectively fall into a range of point value for the specific loyalty program.

Establishing the point value range for the different hotel loyalty programs is a challenge. This requires extensive data.

Lucky states Starpoints have a value of $25/1,000 points. NerdWallet states $23/1,000 points and Plastic IQ uses $21.50/1,000 points. These are considered average redemption values.

For example, some Starwood Hotels may only offer $10 per 1,000 points value when using points for a reward night. Other Starwood Hotels may offer $60 per 1,000 points value. The actual value of Starpoints may fall somewhere in this range from low to high reward values.

HHonors has a different range of point values for its program. You are highly unlikely to find a Hilton HHonors reward value in the $60/1,000 points range, whereas you can likely find a Starwood Hotel in that range. HHonors would require finding a reward for a hotel rate in the order of $2,175 per night with a category 7 hotel on an AXON7 four-night award at 145,000 points to have $60/1,000 points value. The upper limit of the value range for HHonors points will likely be somewhat below $60/1,000 points. But if you found any HHonors hotel reward with $60/1,000 points value, then the value of HHonors points objectively would have a range going up to $60/1,000 points.

Calculating the range is a matter of taking numerous hotel samples and analyzing the room rate divided by the cost in points for a reward night using points.

Value of 1,000 points = Room Rate / Points needed to buy room

Each hotel program will have a point value range specific to its hotels and loyalty program reward cost.

There are 1,000 Starwood Hotels. Rates fluctuate daily while the cost of a reward night is constant – as long as the hotel reward category does not change. Hotel categories shift over time moving the points cost up or down.

Special offers like Cash & Points, HHonors Pointstretchers, Marriott Rewards PointSavers and Priority Club PointBreaks also reduce the cost for reward nights during limited time discount offers.

Hilton HHonors – Show me the Money Value

What is the value of a HHonors point?

Lucky uses $7/1,000 points, NerdWallet.com $5/1,000 and Plastic IQ $4.30/1,000 points. While the average value of HHonors points may be in the $4 to $7 range for 1,000 HHonors points, loyalty travelers have the potential to get over $22/1,000 points.

Conrad Maldives

(HHonors category 7 hotel – 50,000 points per night)

Nov 5-9, 2010 = $3,276 after tax or 200,000 points

HHonors point value is $16.38/1,000 points (1.6 cents/point) for this redemption. 

HHonors elite members have access to VIP rewards. HHonors Silver elite membership requires just four stays in a calendar year. There is a 15% discount for HHonors VIP 4-night rewards reducing the 4-night rate for the Conrad Maldives to 170,000 points.

The HHonors VIP 4-night reward raises the point value to $19.27/1,000 points.

HHonors Silver elite is complimentary with any HHonors American Express card. As an HHonors American Express cardmember the hotel reward rate drops even more to only 145,000 points for an AXON7 award.

The AXON7 award raises the point value for this Conrad Maldives four-night stay to $22.59/1,000 points.

Conclusion: The average value of a HHonors point may be just $4 or $7 per 1,000 points. As a loyalty traveler you should not settle for average. There is potential to get over $20 per 1,000 points with HHonors. The range of HHonors point value has to go up to at least $22.59/1,000 points since I have found that potential value in a bookable HHonors reward.

And this leads us to rule #3.

Rule #3: You personally decide the value of your points when you redeem points.  

Do not settle for average value. You are the points redemption DECIDER.

The third rule of hotel loyalty program point value is you have the choice at what minimum value you are willing to redeem your earned points.

The objective of the loyalty traveler is to redeem in the upper end of point value range for your hotel (or airline) loyalty program.

Nerdwallet.com gives Marriott Rewards points the value of 1.0 cent/point or $10.00 per 1,000 points. Lucky states Marriott Rewards points are 0.8 cents/point or $8.00 per 1,000 points. PlasticIQ is in the middle with $8.80/1,000 points value.

So are 200,000 Marriott Rewards points worth $1,600 or $2,000?

Marriott Monterey

November 3, 2010

$279/night or $308.06 after tax. The Marriott Monterey is a category 6 hotel for 30,000 points per night. The value of points is $10.27/1,000 points.

But change the stay to November 19 and the AAA rate drops to $170/night or $188.16 after tax.

Marriott Monterey points value = $188.16/30,000 = $6.27/1,000 points.

If points are used at the $188 rate, then 200,000 points are worth just $1,254, far less than Nerdwallet’s estimated point value ($2,000) or Lucky’s estimate of 200,000 Marriott reward points ($1,600).

So which value, $10/1,000 or $6/1,000 is the more accurate point value for Marriott Rewards points?

Is the actual value somewhere between $6.27 and $10.27 per 1,000 points?

How many hotels, rates and dates need to be surveyed to get the full range of point values and an accurate and precise estimate of the average point value for any specific hotel loyalty program?

Loyalty Traveler has not determined the upper value for hotel points. I just know that it is much higher than the point values used by Lucky, NerdWallet and Plastic IQ.

Conclusion to the Value of a Hotel Point – The main takeaway idea from this post is your points need to be redeemed selectively to maximize value.

Loyalty travelers do not want to settle for average. All your redemptions should be in the top 20% to 30% of high value redemptions. If there is a range of $2 to $10 for 1,000 points giving an average of $6 per 1,000 points, then be the member who redeems only for $8 to $10 value and get better than average value for your points.

Loyalty travelers can get better than average value from hotel points.

There are 35,000 or so hotels in the top 10 hotel loyalty programs. Establishing a point value range requires much more data analysis than I have the ability to access. I do not know what the upper range of hotel point value is for different programs.

I do have an idea of where hotel rates are high and low and the hotel reward categories for hotels in the major hotel loyalty programs.

I was able to quickly find a number of high value redemption opportunities with just a few searches in each program. Each of the examples below had reward availability for the nights searched.

A loyalty traveler can get a much higher value for hotel points than the set values used by Lucky, NerdWallet and Plastic IQ.

Moscow Marriott Grand Hotel (Marriott Rewards category 5 = 25,000 points/night)

• October 18-23, 2010 (5-night stay)
• $2,698 after tax
• 100,000 points reward (5^th night free)

Marriott Rewards Point Value = $26.98/1,000 points (Lucky $8; PlasticIQ $8.80; Nerdwallet $10)

InterContinental Geneva (Priority Club = 40,000 points/night)

• Monday, Feb 14, 2011 – Friday, Feb 18, 2011 (4-night stay)
• US$10,078 after tax (advance purchase prepaid rate)
• $10,078/160,000 points =

Priority Club Points Value = $62.98/1,000 points (Lucky $6; Nerdwallet $6)

Hyatt Regency Pittsburgh International Airport (Gold Passport category 2 = 8,000 points/night)

• Monday, October 18, 2010 – Tuesday, October 19, 2010
• $227.09 after tax (BAR)
• $227.09/8,000 points =

Hyatt Gold Passport points value = $28.38/1,000 points (Lucky $15; Nerdwallet $15) 

Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo (Gold Passport category 2 = 8,000 points/night)

• Monday, October 18, 2010 – Friday, October 22, 2010
• 2,964 BRL after tax (BAR)
• US$1,715.58/32,000 points =

Hyatt Gold Passport points value = $53.59/1,000 points (Lucky $15; Nerdwallet $15)

xe.com Brazil Reals to US Dollars Currency Conversion

Starwood Le Parker Meridien New York (SPG category 5 = 12,000 points/night)

• Sunday, October 17, 2010 – Friday, October 22, 2010 (5-night stay)
• $553.15/night or $2,765.75 after tax for five nights
• $2,765.75/48,000 points (5^th night free reward) =

Starwood Preferred Guest points value = $57.60/1,000 points (Lucky $25; PlasticIQ $21.50; Nerdwallet $23)

I found all these examples in random searches on random dates in about 45 minutes. There must be hundreds of hotels with similar reward night value. 

Having an idea of the value of a point is useful information. Lucky did a good job at pointing out relative value of points and miles in his article. These values are a benchmark you can use for trades, exchanges, and promotion analysis. Just keep in mind that points and miles have no set value.

Remember the three rules governing the value of points and miles:

1. Points and miles have no value until redeemed.
2. The actual value of points and miles is a range and not a set value.
3. You decide the value of your points with your redemptions.

Loyalty travelers can get better than average value from hotel points.

The value of points and credit card ranking shifts when NerdWallet point values are used in the credit card tables from my previous credit card post using Lucky’s value of hotel points. The main shake-up here results from HHonors points being valued at just $5/1,000 points by NerdWallet.com. 

In this analysis the value of SPG American Express rises as annual spend rises compared to other cards. At the $48,000 per year spend level the SPG American Express ranks as the most valuable hotel credit card. Priority Club and Marriott Visa rank highest at the $6,000 and $13,000 spend levels respectively.

A 25% higher value given to Marriott Rewards points at $10/1,000 points by NerdWallet.com also improves Marriott’s standing in these rankings compared to using $8/1,000 points.

The credit card tables below include $240 added value to Priority Club Visa. This added value is the value of the annual free night certificate with the assumption that it will be used for a 40,000 points reward night at an InterContinental Hotel: 40,000 points x $6/1,000 points.

Marriott Premier Visa also includes an annual free night certificate at a Category 1-5 hotel and I gave this certificate an additional $250 value (25,000 points x $10/1,000 points) on top of the annual points earned for card spend.

Neither Lucky or NerdWallet.com gave Carlson Hotels Goldpoints plus a hotel point value estimate so I have used $4/1,000 points.

Loyalty Traveler’s Ranking of Hotel Loyalty Credit Cards based on NerdWallet.com Hotel Point Values

1. IHG Priority Club Visa (tie)
2. Marriott Rewards Premier Visa (tie)
3. HHonors Surpass American Express
4. SPG American Express
5. HHonors American Express
6. Hyatt Visa
7. Carlson Goldpoints Plus Visa
8. HHonors Visa
9. Marriott Visa

Loyalty Traveler has a different take on point values for hotel loyalty points that sets my hotel point value at a much higher rate than given by either NerdWallet or Lucky.

See this Loyalty Traveler post on the value of hotel points (Sep 7, 2010).

Related posts:

Loyalty Traveler Hotel Credit Card Comparison by Value of Points (Sep 2, 2010)

Loyalty Traveler Compares Hotel Rewards Credit Card Benefits (Sep 1, 2010)

NerdWallet.com Hotel Credit Card Reviews

• Hyatt Gold Passport Visa
• Priority Club Visa
• Marriott Rewards Signature Visa
• Marriott Rewards Premier Visa
• Hilton HHonors Surpass American Express
• Hilton HHonors American Express
• Hilton HHonors Citi Visa
• Starwood Preferred Guest American Express

Loyalty Traveler ranking of hotel credit cards differs from NerdWallet.com rank due to differences in calculating the value of the cards. The main limitation of NerdWallet.com credit card calculator is there is no consideration of hotel spend in the card value calculations. The tables in this post consider hotel spend and the higher rate of points earned on hotel credit cards for hotel spend.

Five minutes of your time can save 50% on a Fairmont Hotel stay.

If you are thinking, “Yeah, I would like to save 50% on my hotel stay!” then follow my advice.

Sign up for Fairmont President’s Club today (membership is free) and make sure to check the box next to the statement:

“Subscribe me to exclusive Fairmont President’s Club emails providing news about Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, member events and special value offers including exclusive travel packages.”

The other day I made a comment that 95% of email advertisements I receive from hotel chains for special rate offers are a waste of time. Lower rates can quickly be found online using AAA or some other available rate offer.

Fairmont Hotels President’s Club loyalty program is truly an exception. (Marriott and Kimpton also regularly reveal some great hotel special rate deals. I do not find that many rate bargains with Starwood, Hilton, or Hyatt emails.)

Fairmont Hotels sends me a monthly email titled,

“Your Fairmont President’s Club Great Rates-Great Dates”.

The Fairmont President’s Club October email I received yesterday caught my attention with the low rates advertised such as:

                Banff, Canada $139CAD

                Montreux, Switzerland 159CHF

                Newport Beach, California $135

                Scottsdale, Arizona $98

                Washington, D.C. $139

                Waterfront, Vancouver $139CAD

These rates are exclusive rates for Fairmont President’s Club members. These limited time offers must be booked within 7 days which is  October 13.

Here is an example of why it is in your interest to join Fairmont President’s Club.

Farimont Scottsdale Princess

Fairmont Scottsdale, Arizona rates for a 4-night stay from October 20-24

President’s Club Exclusive Offer Rate $98 (+ 11.92% tax)

Two Doubles:

FPC member Great Rate (nonrefundable):

$98 per night; $438.72 all-in after taxes

AAA rate: $195 per night; $872.98 all-in  ($434.26 more)

BAR rate: $259 per night; $1,159.49 ($720.77 more)

Friends & Family Rate (FlyerTalk link): $119 per night; $532.74 ($94.02 more)

Deluxe King:

FPC member Great Rate (nonrefundable):

$138 per night; $617.80 all-in

AAA rate: $225 per night; $1,007.28 all-in  ($389.48 more)

BAR rate: $299 per night; $1,338.56 ($720.76 more)

Friends & Family rate: $149 per night; $667.04 ($49.24 more)

Gold Junior Suite:

FPC member Great Rate (nonrefundable):

$188 per night; $841.64 all-in

                AAA rate: $258 per night; $1,155.01 ($313.37 more)

                BAR rate: $344 per night; $1,540.02 ($698.38 more)

                Friends & Family Rate: $199 per night; $890.88  ($49.24 more)

Casita Suite 850 sq. ft.

FPC member Great Rate (nonrefundable):

$298 per night; $1,334.08 all-in

                AAA rate: $382 per night; $1,710.14 all-in ($376.06 more)

                BAR rate: $509 per night; $2,278.69 all-in ($944.61 more)

                Friends & Family Rate: $259 per night; $1,159.49  ($174.59 less)

                FlyerTalk thread link to Friends & family rate

Cholla Suite 925 sq. ft.

FPC member Great Rate (nonrefundable):

$328 per night; $1,468.40 all-in

                AAA rate: $397 per night; $1,777.92 all-in ($309.52 more)

                BAR rate: $529 per night; $2,368.23 all-in ($899.83 more)

                Friends & Family Rate not displayed for this room category.

FPC member Great Rates-Great Dates for Fairmont Scottsdale are available for

October 10-14, 17, 18, 20-28, 31; Nov: 1-4, 7-11, 14-30.

I find it interesting that the biggest discount of 50% is on the lowest category rooms. Obviously the people with money for suites don’t need the biggest break. Slumming it for 4 nights in a double double at the Fairmont Scottsdale is certainly nothing to complain about at these prices.

The Fairmont Friends & Family rate is discussed in the FlyerTalk thread link. One advantage of this rate, besides the lower room rate for the Casita Suite, is these rates may be cancelled within the specified time frame. The Fairmont Scottsdale allows Friends & Family rate to be canceled up to 7 days before arrival.

Sign up for Fairmont President’s Club today and the November Great Rates-Great Dates newsletter will come to an email inbox near you.

Interior Garden Courtyard at Fairmont Scottsdale

SPG Gold and Platinum member registration opened today for two SPG elite fast-track promotions. Apparently some non-elite members are also eligible for Double Stays/Nights. An eligible elite member may only choose one of the two offers.  SPG Promo link is found at www.SPG.com/promos for eligible members. If you are not currently SPG Gold or Platinum, then give it a shot anyway.

Important Note: These promotions are mutually exclusive. You can only choose one of these two promotion offers as a Platinum member and the choice can’t be changed.

SPG Double Nights/Stays for 2009 FAQ link (SPG Gold, Platinum, and selected Preferred members)

SPG Nights/Stays Advance to 2010 FAQ link (SPG Platinum members only)

Double Nights/Stays Elite Fast-Track Promotion September 15 to December 15.

All paid nights and stays from September 15 through December 15, 2009 will count double for elite status qualification in 2009. Gold elite requires 10 stays or 25 nights in 2009 to re-earn SPG elite member status through February 2011. Platinum elite requires 25 stays or 50 nights.

Assume a current SPG Gold member has 4 stays with 9 nights. With this promotion the member needs just 3 more stays (counts as 6 stays) during the double stays promotion period to reach 10 stays for the 2009 year. The member will requalify for SPG Gold elite through February 2011.

Alternatively, the Gold Member needs 8 nights (counts as 16 nights) to re-earn Gold Elite for 2010 with 25 nights.

This SPG Gold member can hotel hop three 1-night stays or take one 8-night vacation to maintain elite status.

Upgrade your elite status to Platinum

Platinum elite for 2010 requires either 25 stays or 50 nights in 2009. The member above sitting with just 4 stays and 9 nights in 2009 would need 21 more stays or 41 more nights for upgrading from Gold elite to Platinum.

Double Stays reduces this qualification requirement from 21 stays to 11 paid stays or 41 nights to 21 paid nights with the Nights Count Double promotion. That still might be a hard threshold to reach for many travelers struggling this year with jobs and finances.  Keep in mind that Thanksgiving and the first two weeks of December are among the lowest hotel rate weeks of the year in many locations around the USA.

Important Note: No retroactive credit for double stays or nights prior to registration. 

You want to sign up before your next Starwood Hotel stay if choosing the double nights/stays option. The registration period is open through November 30, but remember this important detail: NO RETROACTIVE CREDIT for Double Nights/Stays.  If you stay September 20, but haven’t yet registered for this promotion choice, then the night and stay will not be doubled.

Elite Fast-Track Promotion Choice #2 for current SPG Platinum Members:

Nights/Stays Advance for 2010 Elite Qualification

All nights/stays earned from October 1 through December 31 count for 2009 elite qualification and rollover into a Nights/Stays Advance for 2010 elite qualification. This promotion is retroactive. As long as you sign up for Nights/Stays Advance by November 30, then all eligible stays/nights from October 1 will be counted and advanced to 2010 elite status.

This offer is a great deal for travelers who expect to still be traveling in 2010 and 2011. This is what I chose because I am already poised to reach Platinum requalification in 2009.

Example of how advance nights/stays works:

Assume a current Platinum member has 15 stays, 32 nights in 2009.

The member needs either 10 stays or 18 nights to re-earn Platinum elite for 2010.

If the Platinum member registers for advance nights/stays, and completes 10 stays with 16 nights during the final three months of 2009, the numbers look like this:

15 stays (Jan 1-Sep 30) + 10 stays (Oct. 1 – Dec 31) = 25 stays in 2009

Requalify for 2010 Platinum elite membership.

The member advances the 10 stays from October 1 – December 31, 2009 to 2010 elite qualification credit. (SPG states advance credit will be posted by January 31, 2010.) The SPG Platinum Member will only need 15 stays during 2010 to requalify for 2011 Platinum elite with 25 stays.

Counting nights the Platinum member has 32 nights (Jan 1-Sep 30) + 16 nights (Oct. 1 – Dec 31). The member finishes 2009 with 48 nights which does not meet the Platinum requalification level. This does not matter if the member requalified with 25 stays. The nights still advance to 2010.

The SPG Platinum member will start 2010 with 16 nights and 10 stays.

This sample member will have already requalified by the end of 2009 for 2011 SPG Gold elite with the 10 stays advance. Platinum requalification for 2011 will take either 34 nights or 15 stays in 2010. And remember this fact: SPG has offered double stays/nights promotion during some period every year for many years.

This is a good marketing move for Starwood Hotels to get more cash from this Loyalty Traveler in 2009. I was ready to move more business to Hyatt, IHG, and Hilton for the remainder of 2009. Sorry Marriott, I still feel your elite membership requirements are too high (Platinum = 75 nights), but I am recommending your Courtyard in Hadley for a friend visiting Northampton, Mass next month.

Quick comments and advice:

The Nights/Stays Advance choice can position the current SPG Platinum elite member for elite membership in 2010 and 2011. This is an excellent time to bump up your travel during the relatively low room rate months of November and December for many locations. This is also a good choice for someone who thinks 2010 might be reduced travel. You can reduce the hotel stays required for elite requalification in 2010 and still maintain SPG Platinum elite membership.

My advice to anyone who believes they can manage at least 13 stays or 25 nights in Starwood Hotels in 2010 is go for Platinum elite membership and use the Nights/Stays count double promotion if that makes the difference between retaining Gold or advancing to Platinum elite.

One constant I try to maintain in my annual hotel travel is SPG Platinum elite. I feel the investment in Starwood has provided good value in my hotel stays with the 500 points platinum amenity for most stays (250 points Four Points, aloft, element) , the complimentary room upgrades, and the annual gift (for 2009 this was a free night  up to Category 5 hotel).

Go with Double Nights/Stays if that will allow you to reach or maintain Platinum elite during the September 15-December 15 promotion period. You will maintain Platinum elite through February 2011. You will hopefully reap some nice benefits and value from 2010 Starwood stays.

Based on the history of SPG promotions there will probably be another double stays/nights promotion in 2010.

And the game goes on.

FlyerTalk thread on SPG Nights Count Double/Advance Nights promotions.

St. Regis San Francisco Metropolitan Suite (Free Weekend Nights promo)

Napa Valley Marriott is an older hotel design with modern room furnishings. My physical survey of the hotel showed some nice touches on an old shell of a hotel. My overall impression is the Napa Valley Marriott is subpar for what one would expect for a Marriott Hotel charging rates over $200 per night much of the time. General consensus is Renaissance Hotel’s The Lodge at Sonoma, in the Sonoma Valley just 16 miles west of Napa is the premier choice for a Marriott brand resort experience. 

Napa Valley Marriott fountain and front entry

The Napa Valley Marriott hotel provided a nice opportunity to compare online hotel reviews with my on-site impressions. There are a lot of happy campers on TripAdvisor. The reviews are less glowing from frequent guests on FlyerTalk. 

I can’t be so kind with my impression of the Napa Valley Marriott simply based on the aesthetic qualities of the hotel design. The long wall fountain in front of the hotel is an eye-pleasing water feature.

Napa Valley Marriott Spa and Hotel

The guest rooms are my main issue with this hotel. Rooms are based around long corridors and rooms either face the interior garden or exterior parking lot on the ground floor or the second floor. This is a hotel where you definitely want a garden/courtyard facing room.

Napa Valley Marriott wedding courtyard

There was a $23 million remodel recently. The website appears to focus on photos of the Amadeus Spa located in a separate building away from the hotel.

Marriott Napa is categorized as a Marriott Rewards Category 6 hotel and by AAA as a 3-Diamond property. The 270 room hotel is a two-floor long corridor design with 4 suites and a concierge lounge. The parlor suites and Presidential suite are specialty rooms. First floor patios are open to the central courtyard on the north end and the wedding courtyard on the south end.

Napa Valley Marriott north courtyard off pool area

I had just spent the night at the much newer Westin Verasa with better facilities and I thought the Embassy Suites Napa had a bit more charm in its old body of a hotel. The restaurants at the Marriott are one competitive factor compared to these other two hotels.

Napa Valley Marriott Characters Sports Bar

The Marriott looked to be a solid 3-star property simply based on facilities like the pool and courtyards, concierge lounge, and restaurants. The hotel location borders busy Highway 29 and an adjacent surface road. About one quarter of the hotel rooms face the frontage road. These guest rooms facing the parking lot on the frontside of the hotel are the least desirable location. The large two story complex surrounds a large courtyard and interior facing rooms are preferable for less noise and garden views.

Napa Valley Marriott Exterior rooms facing parking lot

The rooms on the north wings of the hotel looked like standard hotel rooms with adequate furnishings.  The rooms appeared fine with good condition linens, drapes, and furniture. Bathrooms appeared standard. The rooms on the south end are concierge level.

Napa Valley Marriott Concierge wing

The lobby has a small reading area and seating for around 12 persons in the entrance area across the room opposite the front desk.

Napa Valley Marriott lobby

Harvest Café and Characters Sports Bar are adjacent to the lobby. A store off the front desk sells wine and basic items.

Pool seating area is spacious, but the pool is a non-linear shape with a narrow bottleneck in the middle limiting lap swimming.

Napa Valley Marriott pool

The spa tub is adjacent to the pool.

Napa Valley Marriott pool and spa

The central courtyard on the north end is large with green landscaping and a small redwood grove.

Napa Valley Marriott pool area courtyard

The hotel is overpriced much of the time due to its location in southern Napa just off wine highway 129. Rates are $249 for a single night or $219 for a three night stay in a Garden View balcony over Labor Day weekend.  Concierge level for $259 or $229 for a three night stay is a better value.

Advice: Marriott Napa has adequate facilities in an old style hotel. Rooms are fine. Restaurants and concierge lounge provide space for guests spending time in the hotel. There is a pool, spa tub, fitness room, and open garden space for time outside the room and outside. The apartment motel design of the guest room wings is a major detractor for a romantic hotel stay compared to what you would expect for a Marriott Spa Hotel in Napa.

Marriott Napa ranked #9 of 26 Napa hotels on TripAdvisor September 3, 2009. Reviews on FlyerTalk are mixed, but generally positive on the concierge lounge and rooms, more negative on the hotel property.

Charlyn Keating Chisholm of About.com put it simply, “This basic resort offers guests few frills except for its distinctive Amadeus Spa & Salon.”

Napa Valley Marriott Hotel website.

Napa Valley Marriott Hotel website photos.

Last month I stayed two nights in a Holiday Inn for $66 per night. My two night stay earned a free night at any IHG property worldwide from the stay two nights, earn a free night promotion that ran for about 14 weeks from May 4 to August 15.

Loyalty Traveler April 27 post – http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2009/04/27/ic-hotels-group-promo-one-free-night-for-every-two-nights/

Loyalty Traveler July 16 post – http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2009/07/16/priority-club-free-nights-or-double-points-until-aug-15/

There was a term in the free nights promotion stating members had the choice of Double Points, Double Miles, or Free Nights. The preference for free nights was capped at four free nights earned after 8 nights of qualifying hotel stays. A condition of earning free nights was forfeiting base and elite points for the hotel stay.

• Paragraph 9 (a): Members who have re-registered will not earn base and elite points or miles from date of re-registration until 15 August 2009.

I forfeited $132 in base points from my hotel stay, but I earned a free night for my two night paid stay.

I did not earn 1,320 Priority Club base points from this hotel stay.

I did earn 5,640 Priority Club bonus points from this hotel stay. The bonus points posted to my account within days of my stay.

Net result is my paid two night stay spending $132 for a decent Holiday Inn in Henderson, Nevada earned a free night at any IHG property worldwide (an InterContinental Hotel is calling me) and 5,640 points (PointBreaks free night is whispering to me).

Holiday Inn Henderson has the distinction of being the first hotel I recall reading all positive TripAdvisor hotel reviews. While this property would not normally be my recommendation for a Las Vegas hotel stay, the location was convenient for where I needed to be during my Las Vegas trip. And I appreciate a 24-hour pool.

Priority Club Insider and FlyerTalk as Priority Club Promotion Sources

FlyerTalk has a long thread with Priority Club promotion links and discussion. Radioman has consolidated information in the first post of this 150+page thread.

Priority Club Insider is a well-organized site for staying up-to-date with new Priority Club promotion offers. I keep this site on my RSS feed.

The week before my Holiday Inn stay I registered for several promotions through links posted on these two sites. Taking 30 minutes to read over promotions and register for offers earned the equivalent of $564 base spending in Priority Club points. I would have earned 0 points for this stay without the extra effort.

The 5,640 Priority Club bonus points came from just two offers.

One bonus offer I received was 3,000 bonus points toward elite status for an IHG brand stay within 90 days.

Another bonus offer I received was Triple Points. The application of this bonus is interesting. While I did not receive the 1,320 base points for my $132 Holiday Inn hotel stay, I did receive 2,640 bonus points for this stay. Basically I received 0 base points, yet I still earned double bonus points based on the 1,320 base points with the triple points promotion.

Combinable promotions allow a Priority Club member to pull in 5,000 to 10,000 points per hotel stay a good deal of the time. Priority Club counts all earned points towards elite status. Earning 60,000 points for Priority Club Platinum elite may seem like a formidable feat requiring somewhere in the neighborhood of $6,000 in annual hotel spending.  The reality is the going is easy with combinable promotions, the ability to buy points with hotel stays, and the relatively new option of purchasing points for Cash& Points stays. Earning 60,000 Priority Club points and Platinum elite status can be accomplished by some members for under $1,500 a year.

Gotta love Priority Club as a loyalty traveler.

Holiday Inn

Hotels are too quick to boast about room size in public.

Are hotels like men?

He whimsically described himself as having 400 fabulous square feet of room. His boisterous and seductive claims resulted in us spending the night together.  Later, when it was just the two of us alone, I had to wonder.

You said your room was how large?  Whose measuring stick were you using?

Don’t misinterpret the message.  There are no regrets about spending the night with you in your corner room. Your room was more than spectacular.

As the saying goes, “It is not the size of the ship, but the motion of the ocean.”

Your room wowed me with wild waves of excitement.

Don’t be embarrassed to tell people your real size.

Your 300 square feet is truly a wonderful size in and of itself.

The Morning After

 W Hotel San Francisco Room Categories:

Wonderful Room, 300 square feet, Floors 5-12

Spectacular Room, 300 square feet, Floors 14-31

Cool Corner Room, 400 square feet, Floors 5-18

Fabulous Room, 400 square feet, Floors 14-28 

Loyalty Traveler spent a wacky and withering weekend (Fabulous Room 2609) in the uncommon 90 degree heat of downtown San Francisco.