Best Western has a high-value offer of 2,000 Aeroplan miles per stay, available for up to 5 stays and 10,000 miles from May 13 to August 31, 2013.

Registration is required for this promotion offer.

Normally Best Western stays earn 250 miles for members choosing miles instead of points. This Aeroplan offer is 8x miles for 2,000 miles each stay.

Analysis

A sample Aeroplan one-way award booking on Air Canada for June 1, 2013 from San Francisco to Toronto shows up as 17,000 miles + $58.30.

I am going to Toronto next week and I have been following the airfare rates for a couple of months. In this example the 17,000 points save a minimum of $170 and as much as $300 with 17,000 miles, based on the rates I have seen over the past two months of $230 to $370 for a one-way ticket for this route.

Assume 2,000 miles will save about $20 to $30 in airfare cost for an economy class ticket and this is a good hotel stay rebate.

I stayed this past Tuesday night at Best Western Cedar City, Utah on a $54 rate. Unfortunately I did not know about this offer at the time.

I like this deal better than the current Best Western offer for a $50 gift card after three stays.

Best Western Aeroplan Terms & Conditions

Best Western Rewards® and Aeroplan® Summer Promotion 2013 

Terms and Conditions    Individuals who (a) have enrolled in the Best Western Rewards program; (b) have chosen  Aeroplan as their earning preference; and (c) have registered for the Aeroplan Summer  Promotion between May 13 , 2013, and August 31, 2013 (“Promotion Period”), will earn 1,750   Bonus Aeroplan Miles for each qualified stay at any Best Western® branded hotel in Canada,  the United States, or the Caribbean Islands during the Promotion Period* (the 1,750 bonus  miles is in addition to the 250 base miles, for a total of 2,000 Aeroplan Miles for each qualified  stay). Limit of 8,750 Bonus Aeroplan Miles during the Promotion Period.    BEST WESTERN  REWARDS ENROLLMENT , PROMOTION REGISTRATION, AND SELECTION OF AEROPLAN AS  EARNING PREFERENCE REQUIRED PRIOR TO THE FIRST QUALIFIED STAY.  Enrollment into the  program and registration for the Promotion can be completed at  www.bestwestern.com/appromo3.  

*A “qualified stay” for the purpose of this Promotion is defined as one or more consecutive  nights at the same Best Western branded hotel at a rate eligible for earning Aeroplan Miles   through Best Western Rewards. Only one check‐in/check out permitted per qualified stay.  Qualified stays which take place during the Promotion Period, but which have a check‐in or a  check‐out date that overlaps the beginning or the ending of the Promotion Period, will be  counted towards the Promotion.      Promotion may not be valid with other offers, promotions, or discounts. Promotion is subject to  cancellation or change without notice. Please allow 4 ‐ 6 weeks for Bonus Aeroplan Miles to  post after completed stay.     All Best Western Rewards Program rules apply.  Visit www.bestwesternrewards.com for  complete Program terms and conditions.    

This piece focuses on room rate and reward rate survey for over 60 hotels along the I-15 and I-70 route from Las Vegas to Colorado. Most hotel reward analyses and surveys I have done focus on one city. In Utah there are so few hotels that this survey covers all the major brand hotels along the Interstate in five locations.

I will be traveling east and south of the Utah interstate I-15/I-70 route to Colorado as I travel to Utah’s National Parks over the next week. Hotels in the parks region will be covered in different posts as I travel.

This piece is a comparative look at seven major hotel chains with particular emphasis on Best Western, Choice and Wyndham brands which are the majority of hotel properties in southern Utah.

• Best Western Rewards
• Choice Privileges
• Club Carlson
• Hilton HHonors
• IHG Rewards Club
• Marriott Rewards
• Wyndham Rewards

Utah is not like Disneyland.

Read More…

Best Western Rewards next promotion begins next week for a $50 Best Western travel card after 3 stays from April 22 to June 9, 2013.

Best Western Rewards promotion registration is required for this offer.

Only one $50 travel card per member may be earned during this promotion and the travel card expires November 1, 2013. The BW Travel Card is an electronic voucher. Plastic gift card is available upon request.

Members using a Best Western MasterCard to pay for all three stays earn 1,000 bonus points.

This is a promotion that offers a small rebate for Best Western loyalists. The limit of one $50 card makes this offer too limited in value to switch hotel stays from another brand solely for the bonus.

April 2013 is a time of reassessment for many hotel loyalty program members. The sudden and dramatic changes to the structure of hotel rewards across five of the top ten global hotel loyalty programs in the first quarter of 2013 was an incredible amount of information to digest.

The changes in the opening months of 2013 comprise the biggest overall change in the hotel loyalty program industry over the past decade.  Read More…

World Rainbow Hotels are a brand of certified gay and lesbian welcoming hotels. In the 15 months since World Rainbow Hotels launched there are more than 500 hotels participating in this travel market. In coming months the site will expand to include more gay-owned and gay-operated smaller independent hotels.

What does it mean to be a certified World Rainbow Hotel?

The World Rainbow Hotels acceptance criteria analyzes:

• the hotel’s location
• the hotel’s characteristics and category
• the hotel’s knowledge of the local gay scene
• the hotel’s current involvement with the LGBT community
• the hotel’s compliance with non-discrimination policies and same sex benefits for their hotel staff.

Glancing through the list of World Rainbow Hotels shows Hyatt Hotels are one of the major hotel brand participants. While Hyatt stands out for widespread participation in World Rainbow Hotels among the major chains, there are plenty of other name brands including Marriott, Hilton, Carlson Rezidor, Best Western, Wyndham, Fairmont, Kimpton, and Four Seasons with listed hotels on the World Rainbow Hotels site.

World Rainbow Hotels exhibit at ITB Berlin 2013.

One of the features of booking with World Rainbow Hotels is knowing the hotel will have information about the local gay and lesbian scene. Each World Rainbow hotel member has a welcome Out & About Gay Travel Guide packet of information for guests. Read More…

Without a map I headed onto the streets of Oslo for a winter walkabout in the four hours before I needed to head to Oslo Gardermoen Airport.

Oslo city is a mix of old and new. There seemed to be far more new than old looking buildings in the areas I walked.

I thought to myself that perhaps the city had been devastated during WWII, but apparently the city was occupied by Germans without too much  destruction.

In contrast to the grand buildings of Berlin and Helsinki, the architecture in Oslo trended to modernism with simple lines and little ornateness. Even many of the older buildings had a simple clean design.

Oslo Opera House

Walking onto the roof of the Oslo Opera House is a common trek in Oslo. I missed the sign stating the roof was closed due to ice until spotting the sign on my way down.

On top of Oslo Opera House roof.

I did see the sign stating walking on ice in the harbor was dangerous.

Really? Read More…

One free night at a Best Western after three stays is a promotion to keep in mind over the next two months. This promotion is available for hotels in the USA, Canada and Caribbean and the free night voucher is valid for any hotel in these same regions. There is a limit of one free night per Best Western Rewards member.

Best Western Rewards Spring Promotion 2013 registration is required. Members can earn 10 points/$1 for paid hotel stays points or choose to earn double miles with either Aeroplan or Air Miles.

The primary drawback to this offer is the short validity of the free night voucher. The free night voucher must be redeemed by June 30, 2013.

Best Western Spring Promotion FAQ.

Free night voucher T&C.

Loyalty Traveler Analysis

I see this promotion as an opportunity to pick up three cheap stays in places for about $250 or even less. There are many Best Western hotels where the free night voucher will have a $250+ value. Getting four hotel nights for $250 is a good promotional value.

Best Western Premier hotels are the obvious places to redeem a free night. These are the top tier hotels in the Best Western brand.

Two properties that came to my mind for redeeming an award are the Best Western Premier Ivy Hotel Napa and the San Francisco Best Western Premier Tuscan Inn at Fisherman’s Wharf (a hotel managed by Kimpton Hotels).

Sample date rate checks for Friday night, June 14, 2013:

• Ivy Hotel Napa = $269
• Tuscan Inn at Fisherman’s Wharf = $359

The main point I am trying to emphasize is earning the free night voucher can be an opportunity for booking three cheap hotel nights on three separate stays before April 14 and earning a high value certificate.

Here are some sample midweek rates for Best Western hotels around Monterey Bay, California for next week on Tuesday, February 26. These are winter weekend destinations with higher rates on Friday and Saturday nights.

• Best Western Beach Dunes Inn, Marina, California = $59.99
• Best Western Park Crest Inn, Monterey = $58.49 (AAA)
• Best Western Plus Carmel Bay View Inn, Carmel = $89.10 (AAA)
• Best Western Carmel’s Town House Lodge, Carmel = $89.10 (AAA)
• Best Western Plus Capitola-by-the-Sea Inn & Suites = $89.99 (AAA)
• Best Western Plus Seacliff Inn, Aptos = $89.99 (AAA)
• Best Western Plus All Suites Inn, Santa Cruz = $90 (AAA).

Most of these hotels will be more than double these rates by June.

These hotels are all located in beach towns and the rates are low season for winter weekday nights. These midweek off-season rates are lower than hotels in many less popular destinations around the USA.

I thought I might use the Best Western promotion in Denver this week to earn a free night voucher since there were Best Western hotels in the $65 to $75 range when properties like Hilton Garden Inn and Marriott Courtyard were around $150. Then I ended up finding Best Rate Guarantee claims with Marriott and InterContinental Hotels Group and went that direction instead.

This free night promotion is a good incentive to compare Best Western rates for places you might be visiting.

And earn a free night for a hotel in some other place you might be visiting.

Best Western Plus Hospitality House, Manhattan NYC

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

February 2013 has hotel loyalty program members wondering where the good promotions are this year. Hyatt Gold Passport has kept members low and dry so far. Award cost increases to SPG Cash & Points and Priority Club reassignment raising hundreds of hotels in popular destinations by 40% leaves a foreboding mood for the typical hotel award reassignments coming in 2013 for SPG and Marriott hotels globally.

Good news is Club Carlson has a triple points promotion and Best Western Rewards offers its US and Canada members one free night after three stays.

Wyndham Rewards offers 25% bonus points for purchases in the month of February 2013. $440 = 50,000 Wyndham Rewards points = 20,000 miles in several airline programs. Read More…

Best Western will launch a free night after three stays promotion offer February 11. Complete three stays at Best Western hotels globally from February 11 through April 14, 2013 and earn one free night voucher good for any Best Western hotel in the USA, Canada or Caribbean. The free night voucher is valid through June 30, 2013.

Best Western Rewards promotion registration is required for this offer at www.bestwestern.com/spring. Note: the registration page is not live until February 11.

Members may earn a maximum of one free night voucher for the promotion. Free night voucher will be sent electronically about two weeks after third qualifying stay.

Best Western Rewards credit card members can earn 1,000 bonus points paying for all three qualifying stays with the Best Western Rewards MasterCard.

I assume the Best Western stays can be at any Best Western globally since previous promotions worked this way, but the FAQ does not specifically address this term. The free night is restricted to hotels located in the US, Canada and Caribbean.

Best Western Rewards Spring 2013 promotion FAQ.

Promotion T&C:

Stay 3 sep. times between 2/11/13 and 4/14/13 and earn a free night voucher

Availability: 02/11/2013 – 04/15/2013
Promo Code: SPRING13

Best Western Rewards® members (Member(s)) residing in a participating country(visit bestwestern.com/spring for a complete list of countries) who (a) register for the Promotion and (b) complete three (3) separate qualified stays* between February 11, 2013 and April 14, 2013 (Promotion Period) at Best Western branded hotels worldwide, will earn a free night voucher redeemable at Best Western branded hotels in the United States, Canada, or the Caribbean Islands. Members residing outside of one of the participating countries†, who register for the Promotion and complete three (3) separate qualified stays at Best Western branded hotels in a participating country† during the Promotion Period, will earn a free night voucher redeemable at Best Western branded hotels in the United States, Canada or the Caribbean Islands. PROMOTION REGISTRATION AND BEST WESTERN REWARDS ENROLLMENT/MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED PRIOR TO THE FIRST QUALIFIED STAY. Limit one (1) free night voucher per Member during the Promotion Period. Free night voucher expires June 30, 2013. No free night voucher extensions, substitutions, or replacements available. *A qualified stay for the purpose of this Promotion is defined as one or more consecutive nights at the same Best Western branded hotel at a rate eligible for earning points or airline/partner rewards through Best Western Rewards. Only one (1) check-in/check-out permitted per qualified stay. Bonus Offer: A Member who satisfies the qualification requirements discussed above and uses their Best Western Rewards® MasterCard® to pay for each of their three (3) qualified stays, will receive 1,000 Best Western Rewards bonus points. Maximum of one (1) credit card bonus reward per Member. Credit card bonus points will be posted to the members account approximately 4 – 6 weeks after completed stays. Credit card bonus reward is in addition to the standard Best Western Rewards point earning structure. Other restrictions may apply. Promotion is not valid with any other offer, promotion, or discount. Promotion is subject to cancellation or change without notice. Free night voucher redemption subject to hotel availability. Free night voucher redemption reservation must be completed by calling 1-800-567-4009. If a valid email address has been provided in the Member’s account profile, the free night voucher may be sent electronically to the valid email address 2-3 weeks from completion of the third qualified stay. Otherwise, a paper voucher will be mailed to the address provided (on the Member’s account profile) 4-6 weeks from the completion of the third qualified stay. All Best Western Rewards program rules apply. Visit www.bestwesternrewards.com for complete program terms and conditions. Each Best Western® branded hotel is independently owned and operated. Best Western and the Best Western marks are service marks or registered service marks of Best Western International, Inc. ©2013 Best Western International, Inc. All rights reserved. MasterCard® is a registered trademark of MasterCard International, Incorporated, used pursuant to license.

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

The easiest way to see titles for all Loyalty Traveler posts from this month is scroll over the calendar dates for the current month at upper left portion of blog. Titles for each day’s posts appear. Archived Loyalty Traveler posts since January 2008 can be accessed in the ‘Archives’ drop down menu located below the calendar month.

January 2013 has seen hotel loyalty program changes growing faster than hotel construction. The managers must be working late nights.

Wyndham Rewards changed from 4 to 7 reward categories for their brands. Kind of a shock to see a hotel award night rise from 16,000 points to 45,000 points with no warning. So far it looks like New York City hotels are the first awards to hit new high tiers.

Priority Club drops chain brand award tiers on January 18, 2013 for a nine (9) category award system at 5,000 point increments from 10,000 to 50,000 points per award night. Is this going to be a bad points devaluation? January 18 we will see.

Loads of new promotions with Q-1 2013 offers out from all the major chains.

January 2013 hotel loyalty promotions

Le Club Accorhotels - Read More…