After all the high finance maneuvers Accor will be left with about 330M EUR to invest in emerging Asia-Pacific and Latin America markets where most new hotel development globally is happening.

Motel 6 and Studio 6, an extended stay brand, is the largest budget hotel chain in the U.S. and Canada with 1,102 hotels and 107,000 rooms.

These ownership changes might have a limited impact on the operations of the Motel 6 chain when the deal is completed around October 2012.

Blackstone is like the WalMart of the hotel industry.

Will Blackstone attempt a loyalty program marketing strategy to re-image Motel 6 for the American traveler?

In the back of my Loyalty Traveler mind I am wondering if the new owners will try and implement a hotel loyalty program for the Motel 6 brand now that this ubiquitous Cinderella of the American budget traveler is out of the step-sister role it played with Accor.

The budget chains of Accor Hotels are not participants in Le Club Accor loyalty program. Motel 6 comprises almost 25% of Accor’s global properties and there is no points earning system in place for Motel 6 stays. Only a couple of promotional opportunities allowing summer month redemption of Accor cash certificates (2,000 Accor points = US$60) for Motel 6 stays were offered in the past few years.

Blackstone may just bring Motel 6 to the hotel ball. And even if Motel 6 does not dress up too pretty, obviously Blackstone sees something of value behind those doors.

A Motel 6 loyalty program is just my speculation, but that would be interesting news for the budget traveler. I’ll be watching Motel 6 in 2013 for changes.

News Sources: Bloomberg Financial – Accor to Sell Motel 6 to Blackstone for $1.9 Billion (May 22, 2012)

Financial Times – Accor sells US budget chain to Blackstone(May 22, 2012)

Hotel News Now – Blackstone buys Motel 6, Studio 6 for $1.9b (May 22, 2012)

And even though he has never slept at a La Quinta Inn, he implies the housekeeping staff does not clean the rooms to the same standard a guest will find at a full-service hotel chain like IHG, Hilton or Hyatt.

Yet, he has no problem being a member of La Quinta Returns loyalty program to collect free points.

Here is my rebuttal for you Gary and a reason to build your account balance beyond 300 points.

Waldorf-Astoria Resorts – here we come with ice coolers.

Here is a Loyalty Traveler lesson in cheap value for travelers who can get by without room service morning coffee for hotel stays at La Quinta Inns & Suites.

The parent company of La Quinta Inns is the private equity firm Blackstone Group. Hilton Worldwide is owned by the same parent company Blackstone. La Quinta Returns points can be used for many Waldorf-Astoria Resorts.

Using La Quinta Returns for stays at Waldorf-Astoria Hotels

La Quinta Returns has a special deal right now for discount hotel rewards at resorts. Many of the luxury hotel partners of La Quinta are actually Waldorf-Astoria Resorts available for as few as 20,000 points per night. Other hotel partners of La Quinta Returns are part of Destination Hotels & Resorts.

Edgewater Beach Hotel – a Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, Naples, Florida.

La Quinta Returns members can book the Edgewater Beach Hotel for 20,000 points per night for stays through May 31, 2012. La Quinta Returns members earn 10 points/$1 for La Quinta stays. $2,000 in hotel spend earns 20,000 points.

Edgewater Beach Hotel Naples, Florida

20,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

45,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Now to earn points

La Quinta Returns has a 20% discount sale on points purchases through March 31, 2012. La Quinta Returns members can buy 40,000 points in a calendar year. Points are normally $11 per 1,000 points.

20,000 points = $176 with this sale. A couple can buy 80,000 points between two members for $704.

80,000 La Quinta points is sufficient for four nights April 19-23, 2012 at the Edgewater Beach Hotel, a Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

This same stay will cost 120,000 points + $400 with HHonors Points & Money or 240,000 points for a standard reward (or 204,000 points VIP elite reward) or more than $1,200 to pay the published rates for this Waldorf-Astoria hotel stay.

Buying La Quinta hotel points can save over $500 for a couple on a 4-night stay at this Waldorf-Astoria property.

$500 in savings will be more than enough to buy room service coffee.

Hey Gary Leff!

There is no need to qualify your La Quinta post title “La Quinta: cheap, or value?”.

La Quinta Returns is cheap value that can place a budget traveler in a Waldorf-Astoria beach resort on points for less hotel spend than Hilton HHonors.

Other Waldorf Astoria Hotels available through La Quinta Returns include:

• Boca Beach Club, a Waldorf Astoria Resort – Boca Raton, Florida
• Boca Raton Resort and Club, a Waldorf Astoria Resort – Boca Raton, Florida
• Casa Marina, a Waldorf Astoria Resort – Key West, Florida
• The Reach Resort, a Waldorf Astoria Resort – Key West, Florida
• Naples Waldorf Astoria – Naples, Florida
• The Boulders Resort, a Waldorf Astoria Resort – Carefree, Arizona
• El Conquistador Resort, a Waldorf-Astoria Resort – Fajardo, Puerto Rico

Hotels and resorts available with La Quinta Returns points at discount rates for 2012 dates.

Arizona

The Boulders Resort Carefree, Arizona

30,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

40,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Royal Palms Resort and Spa Phoenix, Arizona

20,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

45,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

California

Resort at Squaw Creek™ Lake Tahoe, California

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

45,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Miramonte® Resort & Spa Palm Springs, California

20,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

35,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Terranea Resort™ Ranchos Palos Verdes, California

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

45,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

L’Auberge Del Mar San Diego, California

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

45,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Paradise Resort & Spa San Diego, California

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

50,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Colorado

The Inverness Hotel Denver, Colorado

25,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

35,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

The Stonebridge Inn Snowmass Village, Colorado

25,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

35,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Vail Cascade Vail, Colorado

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

45,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

The Madison Washington, D. C.

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

45,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Florida

Boca Beach Club Boca Raton, Florida

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

40,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Boca Raton Resort Boca Raton, Florida

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

40,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

South Seas Island Resort Captiva Island, Florida

25,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

30,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Casa Marina Resort Key West, Florida

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

40,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

The Reach Resort Key West, Florida

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

40,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Miami Beach Resort & Spa Miami Beach, Florida

20,000 Points (per night)

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Edgewater Beach Hotel Naples, Florida

20,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

45,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Naples Grande Beach Resort Naples, Florida

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

40,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Buena Vista Palace Orlando, Florida

20,000 Points (per night)

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Sanibel Inn Sanibel, Florida

20,000 Points (per night)

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Sundial Resort Sanibel, Florida

25,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

30,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

New Mexico

Inn and Spa at Loretto Santa Fe, New Mexico

25,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

35,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

New York

LaGuardia Airport Hotel East Elmhurst, New York

20,000 Points (per night)

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Oregon

Sunriver Resort® Sunriver, Oregon

25,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

35,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Puerto Rico

El Conquistador Resort Fajardo, Puerto Rico

30,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

40,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

San Juan Condado Plaza San Juan, Puerto Rico

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

40,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

El San Juan Hotel & Casino San Juan, Puerto Rico

30,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

40,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

South Carolina

Wild Dunes® Resort Charleston, South Carolina

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

45,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Texas

The Driskill Hotel Austin, Texas

20,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

45,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Washington

Skamania Lodge® Stevenson, Washington

20,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

35,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Suncadia Resort® Cle Elm, Washington

25,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

35,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Related posts:

La Quinta Inn 2x and 3x points Dec 12-Jan 8, 2012 (LT post – this promotion could have reduced the hotel spend to earn a free Waldorf-Astoria hotel night down to $667 to earn 20,000 points.

La Quinta Returns Loyalty Program Profile (LT post April 12, 2011)

La Quinta Inns & Suites website.

La Quinta Returns loyalty program.

Choice Hotels are located all over the United States and in 30 countries globally with over 6,100 franchised hotels. Choice Privileges announced last month it has 5,000 hotels in the USA. That number of hotels in the USA alone available for Choice Privileges points earn and burn exceeds the number of hotels globally for any other loyalty program except Wyndham Rewards (over 7,000 hotels).

Choice Hotels consists of 11 hotel brands in the economy to upscale market segments.

Choice Hotels 11 brands and STR Chain Scale segment:

• Ascend Collection – Upscale
• Cambria Suites – Upscale
• Clarion Hotels – Upper Midscale
• Comfort Inn – Upper Midscale
• Comfort Suites – Upper Midscale
• MainStay Suites – Midscale
• Quality Inn – Midscale
• Sleep Inn – Midscale
• EconoLodge – Economy
• Rodeway Inn – Economy
• Suburban Extended Stay – Economy

How to apply for a Choice Hotels global Best Rate Guarantee claim

The following is my attempt to make the Choice BRG rules easier to read and understand. Choice Hotels BRG Terms are the official terms (see T&C embedded link). Please comment if you see a discrepancy between my description and the official terms as applied by Choice Hotels in approved and ineligible claims.

Choice Hotels Best Rate Guarantee Claim Form online is required to submit claim.

Conditions for an eligible BRG claim

1. You must have a confirmed reservation made on Choice Hotels branded website. Choice Hotels consists of 11 hotel brands. There are numerous official hotel brand websites for booking since you can book at ChoiceHotels.com, SleepInn.com, or any site for the other ten brands in Choice Hotels.

2. The difference in rates must be equal or greater than 1 US Dollar. Choice Hotels bookings in foreign currency require the competing rate to be shown in same currency.

3. Timeframe for submitting a claim is within 24 hours of booking a confirmed stay on a Choice Hotels website and at least 72 hours before 6pm arrival on the first day of the stay.

4. Competing Rate Terms must meet these comparisons:

• Available for same hotel.
• Same dates.
• Same room type.
• Same number of guests.
• Same type of currency.
• Same length of stay.
• Same rate terms and restrictions including advance purchase requirements; prepayment and deposit requirements; and cancellation and change policies.
• Publicly viewable and available on the internet at time rate is verified by Choice Hotels.

Ineligible rates include group rates, package rates, coupon rates, membership rates like AAA and AARP and government rates and rates found on opaque sites like Priceline.com and hotwire.com.

If a Choice branded website has the same or lower rate than the competing rate submitted, then the reservation will use the Choice website’s lower rate for entire stay and a free night credit will not apply.

First Night Free in Approved BRG Claims:

The rate is adjusted to the lower competing rate and the first night has a $0 rate. A one-night stay will have a $0 rate.

You may only submit one claim for each stay. A stay is consecutive nights at the same hotel.

Free Night BRG Limit: One free night claim every 30 days.

The official rule is a “limit of one free night per name on the booking for any 30-day period between booking check-in dates”.

For example, I find a Cambria Suites with a $100 rate on Choice Hotels and it is $90 on Expedia.com.

Booking April 6 for two nights. I get the two night stay for $90. The first night is free and the second night is the lower rate found on Expedia.

I can’t have another approved BRG until a check-in date of May 6.

Earning points on a Best Rate Guarantee Stay

Points are earned based on the actual amount paid for the hotel stay after the BRG free night.

FlyerTalk Thread on Choice Hotels BRG Free Night

For a while last week Choice was approving flexible BAR rate claims when there was a lower nonrefundable rate on the Choice website. This practice seems to have closed and the competing rate would have to be lower than Choice Hotels lowest publicly available rate like an Advance Purchase rate.

When I initially copied the Choice Hotels BRG Terms & Conditions on March 3, 2012 there were only two BRG restrictions and today I see five restrictions including the addition of:

3. You may only submit one claim for each stay. A “stay” is defined as any number of consecutive nights at one hotel by the same guest(s).

4. Free Night Limit: one (1) free night per the name on the Booking for any thirty day period between Booking check-in dates.

5. After a Booking claim has been approved, the Booking is not transferrable.

Obviously this Choice Hotels Best Rate Guarantee policy is still in development.

One area cited as being an impediment for BRG claims is foreign currency issues. Several FlyerTalk members stated claims were declared ineligible due to different currencies when a simple currency adjustment on the Choice Hotels page allows comparison to the third party rate.

Choice Privileges Promotion registration is required. This offer is only available for US and Canada residents.

Choice Privileges hotel rewards start at 6,000 points and the website actually provides a list of hotels at 8,000 points or less.

The two lowest category hotel rewards in Choice Privileges are 6,000 points and 8,000 points. Many of these hotels have average daily rates under $60 per night. The other 4,500 hotels in the Choice Privileges system will cost more points for a reward night with many hotels pushing 25,000 to 35,000 points per night.

Choice Hotels is currently at 11 hotel brands:

1. Comfort Inn
2. Comfort Suites
3. Quality Inn and Suites
4. Sleep Inn
5. Clarion
6. Cambria Suites
7. Ascend Collection
8. MainStay Suites
9. Suburban
10. EconoLodge
11. Rodeway Inn

There are several fine print details to this offer.

All Choice Hotels brands participate, but stays at EconoLodge and Rodeway Inn economy brands or MainStay Suites and Suburban extended stay brands only qualify for the two-stay 8,000 points with individual stays of two or more consecutive nights. This sort of makes sense since these brands earn points at 50% the rate ( 5 points/$1) of other Choice Hotels brands (10 points/$1).

Loyalty Traveler analysis:

A feature of Choice Privileges members need to be aware of is the reward redemption booking window that is far more restrictive than most other hotel loyalty programs. General members are only allowed to book reward nights in the US or Canada within 30 days of stay and within 60 days for international reward reservations. This window is expanded for elite members.

Choice Privileges Elite Booking Window for Reward Nights

• Gold elite (10 nights/year) = 50 days.
• Platinum elite (20 nights/year) = 75 days.
• Diamond elite (40 nights/year) = 100 days.

Promotion Offer is 8,000 Total Points and not 8,000 Bonus Points

Choice Privileges promotions are different from most hotel loyalty promotions in that the total points earned will be 8,000 points after two stays, regardless if your two hotel stays cost $140 or $770.

Earning Example 1 is based on $140 in hotel spend.

Assume one $80 stay at Clarion Hotel and one $60 stay at Comfort Inn = $140.

$140 earns 1,400 Choice Privileges base points. Member will receive 6,600 bonus points for 8,000 total points after two stays.

Earning example 2 is based on $770 in hotel spend.

Assume one $420 6-night stay ($70/night) at MainStay Suites = 2,100 points ($420 x 5 points/$1)

Assume one 5-night stay for $350 at Quality Inn ($70/night) = 3,500 points ($350 x 10 points/$1).

Member earns 5,600 base points from these two stays and receives 2,400 bonus points to reach 8,000 total points for two qualifying stays.

Despite the member staying 11 nights in two stays and spending five times the hotel spend in the second earning example, the total points earned is the same 8,000 points as the member earns who stays two nights at two hotels for $140. This makes Choice Privileges promotions a good hit-and-run deal for the not-so-loyal Choice Privileges member.

Update March 26 – I received an email today from a Choice Privileges representative stating the minimum bonus points to be given for this promotion is 5,000 points after two stays. This term is not currently listed in the promotion FAQ.

This changes the example points calculation originally posted to:

Member earns 5,600 base points from these two stays. However, because the points required to meet the 8,000 point threshold is 2,400 points and that is below the minimum bonus for the promotion, the member will receive a 5,000 point bonus on top of the 5,600 base points, for a total 10,600 points.

Also, a stay of 3 or more nights at Choice Hotels earns a $50 Restaurant gift card

This offer looks stackable with the concurrent promotion of a $50 restaurant gift card for a 3 night or longer stay in one of six cities. Book by March 15 for a stay completed by April 15. This Loyalty Traveler post describes the restaurant deal. The six cities will likely change in the next couple of weeks after the March 15 booking deadline. Check back to see if there is a new selection of cities later in March for the restaurant deal.

Conclusion: 8,000 points is a good bonus for two inexpensive stays. I picked up 8,000 points last year and I’ll probably pick up another 8,000 points when I hit the road over the next two months and drive through places where Choice Privileges is one of the better hotel choices in a small, rural town of California.

MilePoint 0.0 – Rain has fallen through most of the night in Monterey, California. A full-scale rain storm is rare in June in this part of California. How rare is it? Since 1849 in San Francisco, there have been four times the entire month of June had rainfall over one inch in accumulation. An inch of rain fell on June 4 in six hours breaking the 77-year old record for rain in San Francisco.

Sand City, Monterey Bay on rainy June day

MilePoint 11.2 – Car overturned in the grassy median beside Highway 1 between artichoke fields of Castroville, California. Most drivers are doing 70 mph with no lights on and the roads are puddled with water. Physics trumps stupidity.

MilePoint 96  – Driving Interstate 680 with blind faith in white out conditions. Road spray creates a mist obscuring everything more than 100-feet ahead. Repeatedly I see arterial spray shoot up and over the barrier from the other side of the freeway as cars drive through puddled water.  Phoebe Hearst, WR’s mommy, would have thought this is Pleasanton in January rather than June with 57 degrees and heavy rain.

MilePoint 131 – The Benicia Bridge toll going north is $5. This bridge certainly hasn’t the view or beauty of the Golden Gate. Driving 580 from Dublin to Tracy and I-5 would bypass the $5 toll, but take $10 more in gas.

MilePoint 200 – Driving through the rice fields of the northern Sacramento Valley as the rain finally subsides to an intermittent sprinkle. I bet you didn’t realize California actually exports rice to Asia. Half a million acres of rice fields are within 100 miles of Sacramento. I pulled off I-5 to snap a photo and watched a Great Egret fly off into the mist. Obviously the blurry bird in my photo is not white or as big as a great egret.

Sacramento Valley rice fields

MilePoint 316 – Redding, California is nestled at the base of the Cascade foothills and is the northernmost city in the Sacramento Valley. This is where I-5 ends its 450 miles of flat terrain along the big Central Valley of California. The town is more geographically beautiful than I recall. The absence of a typical sweltering June afternoon when the temperature would normally be around 98 this time of year gives the appearance of a comfortable living location. This is typically among the sunniest locations in the U.S.

No sun today though. Rain in June just messes with our California sensibilities.

MilePoint 326 – Shasta Lake is at capacity this year. This lake is the largest reservoir in California and helps keep those rice paddies moist in summer and central valley lawns green.

Shasta Lake, California

This lake area is big on houseboat rentals in the summer. Shasta Lake is the third largest lake in California.

The winding road through these mountain stretches is a welcome relief from the flat central valley. A pot of tea I had for lunch at a Chinese Restaurant in Fairfield is keeping me awake.

MilePoint 389 – After dropping down into sage country I pull over at a rest stop. It is feeling rather cool when I get out of my car to snap a photo of Mount Shasta. Weed is a town in the Shasta Valley sagebrush steppe of Siskiyou County. This valley divides the volcanic Cascade Range to the east from the glacial carved valleys of the Klamath Mountains to the west.

The wind is blowing fiercely cold off the snowy mountains. Still miles to go before I reach Oregon. And miles to go before I sleep.

Near Weed, California

Here is a photo of Mount Shasta on my last time through the area in November 2008.

Mount Shasta, California 14,162 ft.

Mount Shasta is the second highest peak in the Cascade Range.  Mount Rainier, Washington at 14,411 ft. is a couple hundred feet higher. Prominence is a mountain term that describes how much higher a peak is compared to adjacent mountains and valleys. Mount Shasta is in the top 100 prominent mountains in the world at 9,822 ft., and Mount Rainier is #21 in the world at 13,211 ft. 

Here is Mount Shasta on June 4, 2011.

Mount Shasta in rain clouds

MilePoint 433 – Crossed the California border. There is no large ‘Leaving California’ sign, although there is a small ‘Welcome to Oregon’ sign. Amazingly I only traversed the northern half of the state. Reaching Mexico from Monterey on Interstate 5 is 457 miles south. I tried to snap a photo of the I-5 Siskiyou Summit marker at 4,310 ft., a couple of miles inside Oregon and the highest point on Interstate 5. My camera only captured the ‘ou’ in the sign. The travails of snapping photos at 60 mph.

MilePoint 449 – Ashland, Oregon is home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. I’ve never been to the town to see a play, although I did stay at the Holiday Inn Express Ashland on my last drive through the area back in 2008 on a Priority Club 5,000 points PointBreaks night. The rate Saturday night June 4 was around $150.

MilePoint 462 – Medford, Oregon is home to all the chain motels and my resting place for the night. Tip for travelers is pick up the roadside motel coupon book at gas station stops. Holiday Inn, Homewood Suites, Hampton Inn and all the Marriotts were well over $100 per night.

The coupon brought the rate down from $80 to $50 for the Ramada and Quality Inn motels in Medford. Choice Privileges elite members even get free night promotion credit for rates booked using coupons. I didn’t pick up the coupon book, even though I told myself to do that for the last three hours of my drive.

Instead I sat in the lobby of the Ramada Medford and used their computer to book a Wyndham Rewards night at 14,000 points. Those points cost about $45 in last month’s Discover America sale.

Ultimately the redeemed points were not used wisely from a Loyalty Traveler advice viewpoint, but from a Loyalty Traveler business viewpoint I learned that a hotel night can be booked instantly through Wyndham Rewards. I redeemed my points using the Ramada lobby computer and stepped over to the reception desk and picked up my room key.

Pretty cool.

Ramada Medford, Oregon indoor pools

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.

1.      Air Canada Aeroplan

2.      American Airlines

3.      Continental

4.      Delta

5.      Midwest

6.      Northwest

7.      Spirit

8.      United

9.      US Airways

10.  Sun Country (100 UFly points)

11.  Amtrak Guest Rewards (10,000 points)

Rates are $50 or less per night for many of these brand hotels in many locations across the USA. You have a great opportunity to save money on hotels while earning a substantial boost to your frequent flyer account.

Register: for this miles promotion or enroll in Wyndham Rewards at this link: http://www.wyndhamrewards.com/triplestay

Important: Your Wyndham Rewards account earning preference must be set for miles instead of points. Change this yourself online or call Wyndham Rewards Member Services at 1-866-996-7937 to enroll in promotion and set your earning preference to miles. You must select a frequent flyer program for miles.

Wyndham Hotel Group consists of 11 brands:

1.      Days Inn,

2.      Super 8,

3.      Ramada,

4.      Travelodge,

5.      Howard Johnson,

6.      Knights Inn,

7.      Baymont Inn,

8.      Hawthorn Suites,

9.      Microtel Inn,

10.  Wingate

11.  Wyndham Hotels and Resorts

Wyndham Hotels is the largest hotel chain in the world with over 7,000 hotels. The 11 hotel brands are primarily in the economy market segment and about 80% of the Wyndham brand hotels are located in the USA. Days Inn, Super 8, and Ramada are three Wyndham brands in the top 20 brands in the world by number of hotel rooms.

Apparently, Travelodge in Canada does not participate in Wyndham Rewards, so keep that detail in mind when fulfilling this promotion.

Loyalty Traveler analysis: I missed this promotion when I wrote my InsideFlyer column for July 2009 on earning airline miles with hotel stays. I like this deal for its ability to earn 10,000 airline miles on budget-price hotel stays. The value of the miles can be worth as much as the three hotel stays.

I personally have a couple of accounts where 10,000 miles will put me at an award level for travel and I look forward to some cheap rooms and air travel. Considering airlines typically sell miles at $25 per 1,000 I view this promotion as a cheaper way to miles without flying.

10,000 Mile Action Plan for a Monterey Vacation (or in my case Staycation)

Come to Monterey for a midweek vacation and earn some Wyndham Rewards miles while basking in the sun or bundling up in the fog. Monterey has two streets with a high density of hotels. Munras Avenue and Fremont Street both have several Wyndham Rewards hotel brands within a few blocks of each other. Both of these locations are located in the Monterey sun belt.

This past week on the Monterey Peninsula has seen constant fog in Carmel, Pebble Beach, and Pacific Grove while Monterey has enjoyed a cool sun with the fog sitting just hundreds of yards away along the ridgetop of the hills separating the city of Monterey from Carmel and Pebble Beach.

Here are the rates from last night, a Tuesday night, at six different Wyndham brand hotels in Monterey:

Knights Inn Carmel Hill $49 (Munras Ave)

Howard Johnson Express $50 (Munras Ave)

Monterey Bay Travelodge $50 (Fremont St.)

Super 8 Monterey/Carmel $54 (Munras Ave)

Ramada Limited $59 (Fremont St.)

Days Inn Monterey $65 (Munras Ave)

Days Inn Monterey Downtown $69 (Abrego St.)

Ramada Limited Carmel Hill Monterey $69 (Cass St)

I was blown away that rates are so low in the summer for Monterey. These are truly tough times for hotels. Weekend hotel rates are always higher in this tourist location.

And if economy lodging is not your style, then the three resorts at Pebble Beach just over the hill are still running $595 to $845 per night. Pebble Beach Resorts are offering free golf, but no miles.

Promotion Terms and Conditions fine print:

To qualify for the Triple Stay promotion and earn 10,000 airline miles, rail points,or 100 Ufly Rewards Points the member must (i) choose to earn airline miles or rail points in his/her Wyndham Rewards member profile, (ii) register at wyndhamrewards.com/triplestay or at 1-866-WYN-RWDS (1-866-996-7937), (iii) book a reservation for, and complete a total of three (3) stays at three (3) different hotel brands participating in the Wyndham Rewards program at a qualifying rate between May 14, 2009 and September 10, 2009, and (iv) complete his/her hotel stay by October 10, 2009. Members who check-out after October 10, 2009 will not receive the 10,000 bonus miles. Members will receive, the regular two (2) miles per dollar spent for all qualified stays at participating hotels in the following Wyndham Rewards hotels brands: Baymont Inn & Suites®, Days Inn®, Howard Johnson®, Knights Inn®, Microtel Inn & Suites®, Ramada®, Super 8®, Travelodge® (U.S. hotels only), and Wingate® by Wyndham. Miles are earned on the qualifying room rate only, not on taxes, food and beverage or other incidental expenses. For stays at participating Hawthorn Suites® (U.S hotels only) and participating Wyndham Hotels and Resorts properties members will receive the regular five hundred (500) miles per stay. For the full list of countries in which there are participating hotels please vist http://www.wyndhamrewards.com/earn/hotels/countries/ Members should allow six to eight weeks after completion of registration and stay for the standard airline miles, rail points or Ufly points to be credited to their account, and six to eight weeks after the completion of promotion for the bonus 10,000 airline miles, rail points or 100 Ufly Rewards Points to be credited to their account. Rates offered by most on-line travel agencies and certain other rates do not qualify. One stay includes all consecutive nights at the same hotel regardless of check-ins or check-outs. Currency for Amtrak Guest Rewards program is points.

Airline and rail programs participating in the Triple Stay Promotion include: Aeroplan, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Midwest Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways, Sun Country Airlines and Amtrak.

“Lunatic bloggers can have the blog sphere all to themselves as our people are far too busy driving down the cost of air travel”.

Ryanair spokesperson comment to blogger posts regarding Ryanair website glitch showing £0.00 fares. Story link.

My first flight on Ryanair was in 1997.  When our plane landed at Dublin, the flight attendants refused to open the door of the aircraft until they located a watch that had disappeared from the duty free cart.

The young lady told the passengers, “Nobody is getting off this plane until we find the criminal who stole the watch.”

A couple of minutes later a passenger located the watch under a seat. That was my introduction to Ryanair customer service.

Ryanair pay-to-pee fee 

I just had to add this story link making the rounds today, Feb 27, 2009.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/news/article5814577.ece