After updating the Loyalty Traveler Current Hotel Promotions page yesterday, I realized I hadn’t even discussed some of the major promotions ending this month since writing a summary of Q1 2010 hotel promotions back in December. I have put together a summary list by hotel chain of about 25 hotel loyalty promotions currently available to members. I plan to make the hotel loyalty promotions and special rates summary a weekly feature post for Loyalty Traveler blog.

April 14, Loyalty Traveler Current Hotel Loyalty Promotions Guide

The frequent guest has the choice of many hotel loyalty promotions with little guidance to their relative value. Loyalty Traveler’s summary of current hotel loyalty promotions and limited time offers for the frequent guest are shown below.

Rate discounts and loyalty program bonuses are two types of hotel chain incentives to consider when booking travel. 

Rankings are subjective and subject to change. Your specific travel pattern may result in some promotions ranking more favorably for you. When assigning a key rank I take into consideration the following factors and probably more: 

• The opportunity for a significantly high-value return on hotel spend in terms of a hotel rebate in free nights and discounted  hotel nights. 
• Current loyalty program promotions and offers from other hotel chains.
• Past loyalty program offers and rates for the specific hotel chain and loyalty program.
• Current economic conditions in the travel industry and hotel location.

Loyalty Traveler ranks the consumer value of hotel loyalty promotions on a Five Key Scale.

Five Keys = one of the best hotel loyalty promotions of the year.

Four Keys = high value rebate on the cost of hotel stays.

Three Keys = good value hotel loyalty promotion or rate offer

Two Keys = a bonus value if you play, but not necessarily worth going out of your way.

One Key = There is limited or no value. You are likely paying more than the bonus value.

 

April 14 HELP Summary for Current Hotel Loyalty Promotions by Program 

Best Western Rewards 

3-key Promotion $50 gift card after two stays by May 30 (March 30, 2010)

Elite Status Match Offer (February 19, 2010) FlyerTalk members are stating there is an accompanying offer for 5,000 bonus points after first stay.

 

Carlson Hotels – Goldpoints Plus

5-Key promotion: Award Nights On Sale through May 31: Radisson 50% off, Country Inn and Park Inn 25% off

4-Key promotion Country Inn & Suites Third Night Free is Truly a Free Night (March 18, 2010)

3-key promotion Up to Quadruple Points for stays through May 28, 2010 (March 31, 2010) This can be a 4-key or 5-key promotion if you have 4-night stays at a Radisson which combined with 50% free nights can be one or two free nights earned. 4x points is 80 points/$1. Top category hotel award at 50% discount is just 30,000 points. $800 on a 4-night stay will earn 65,000 points with online booking bonus.

 

Choice Hotels – Choice Privileges

3-key promotion Spring Promotion Stay Twice and Earn 8,000 points Feb 22-April 30

(good for free night at 1,500 hotels)

Hilton HHonors

4-key promotion Nine bonus airline miles promotions that may be combined with free night promotion (April 13, 2010)

4-key promotion Fast Ways to Free Stays (Earn a free night after every 4 stays or 10 nights through June 30) (April 7, 2010)

Hilton HHonors earn unlimited free nights through June 30 – Fast Ways to Free Stays promotion (April 4, 2010)

Hyatt Gold Passport

Limited Time Special Rate Sale US, Canada, and Caribbean (ends Wed. April 14, 11:59pm CST) Prepaid, nonrefundable rates for stays through July 5, 2010.

5-key promotion – Big Welcome Back promotion for one free night after every two stays March 26-June 30 (March 26, 2010)

5-key promotion – Hyatt Gold Passport Instant Platinum Elite and Diamond Elite Fast-track (Feb 21, 2010)

3-Key Limited Time Offer American Express Membership Rewards Hyatt $100 certificate for 2-night stay for 1,500 Membership Rewards points through May 31, 2010. Certificate valid in US, Canada, and Caribbean through December 30, 2010.

InterContinental Hotels Group – Priority Club

2-Key promotion Earn 200 miles or 1,000 points per night up to 20,000 points or 4,000 miles through April 30, 2010 (Dec 22, 2010)

Priority Club PointBreaks 5,000 points per night awards to June 30 (March 29, 2010)

IHG Friend & Family Hotel Rates (Dec 26, 2010)

Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) – Leaders Club Rewards 

3-key promotion – Earn 1 free night after every 5 hotel stays in 2010. Must stay in at least two different hotels. Bellagio in Las Vegas is LHW member. (April 13, 2010)

Marriott Rewards

5-Key promotion – May 1-July 31 New members of Marriott Rewards earn a free night after two stays  (April 5, 2010)

3-key promotion – $50 Gift card for weekend stays at Marriott to April 18 (Feb 24, 2010)

1-Key offer – Marriott Rewards Instant Redemption Awards (March 24, 2010)

Marriott Rewards Triple Airline Miles through April 30 (Feb 18, 2010)

Marriott Rewards 2010 MegaBonus Feb 1- April 30, 2010 (Dec 22, 2010)

Starwood Preferred Guest

4-key promotion $100 Amazon Gift Card for 2 Westin Stays in US/Canada by May 13 (Feb 20, 2010)

3-key promotion SPG link: Pay Your Birthyear Rate (This promotion can be an incredible savings or no savings depending on the hotel and your birthyear.) LT post 4/28/2009

3-key limited time offer Buy up to 20,000 Starpoints at 20% discount = $28/1,000 points. SPG link

2-key promotion SPG up to 4x points through April 15, 2010 (Dec 18, 2009)

1-key promotion Four Points Breakfast for a Buck (April 12, 2010)

Starpoints Airline Direct Deposit is Better for United, Continental, and Singapore miles (March 25, 2010)

Wyndham Rewards

2-key promotion Lufthansa Miles & More 1,000 miles per stay, up to 4,000 miles March 15-May 15.

Hotel Points-to-Miles Conversion Tables for 9 hotel programs and 7 U.S. airlines (March 30, 2010)

Other Offers:

5-key offer – Condé Nast/Competitours - Condé Nast/Competitours 250,000 miles giveaway for 200 words by April 30   (LT post April 9, 2010)

Frequentflyerbonuses.com – Five Years, Five Ways to Win (2005-2010)

Frequentflyerbonuses.com 5^th Anniversary Contest – Prize is $250 Marriott Gift card or 10,000 Spirit Airlines miles

Congratulations to Patrick Sojka of FFB for five years. Loyalty Traveler had its four year anniversary this month.

Are you kidding?

Yes, I am.

Although I am making fun of a portion of the article, “Loyalty schemes — What Really Matters,” I agree with many of Rob Rush’s statements and I recommend you read the piece arguing why it is good business sense for a hotel loyalty program to extend elite status for members who may not have re-qualified for elite membership in 2010.

But I don’t agree with this statement as it applies to hotel loyalty programs:

“Strong emotional connections (what true loyalty is really all about) will always trump any kind of points program, period.”

I’m not married to a hotel brand. My strong emotional connection lasts as long as I feel I am getting good hotel value with the hotel chain. I think of the relationship as a business partnership. I’ll work for the team effort and help us both be rewarded, but the bottom line is my economics and I’ll work/stay some other place if that is in my best interest in the long run.

Hotel loyalty is a business partnership that can be win-win for us both. Hotel loyalty is not a marriage that needs to be developed mutually for each other’s benefit through better or worse.

In a hotel-guest relationship, I am the customer. Hotels and hotel loyalty programs compete for the pool of guests and the basic economic principle of business is to keep the customer satisfied and returning.

When hotel loyalty programs announce there will be changes in our relationship as Hilton and Marriott recently did, but keep the details from me until the changes take effect, then I don’t feel there is mutual respect for me as a partner in the loyalty program.

“Hey honey, remember last month I told you there would be some changes to our relationship. Here is the new contract stating you will need to work a little more to pay the mortgages from now on because I just remodeled the vacation home (without your input) and employed a full time staff (without consulting you) and since we are so in debt now, I think you have to contribute more than you have in the past to make this relationship continue to work for both of us.”

I feel Hilton’s argument to its loyalty members for why it needed to raise the cost of award nights in the middle of a hotel economic recession is analogous to a marriage where one spouse has little input in the decisions affecting the relationship.

Finding true love is hard. Infatuation is a strong emotion, but doesn’t necessarily last. Building a life together with someone you love takes perseverance, mutual respect, and dedication.

Finding a good hotel is not nearly so hard. Hotel beauty is easy to admire. There are plenty of pretties all around to catch your eye and enchant you this year. But next year something younger and prettier will be around enticing you to visit. Are you going to forsake all other hotels for your true love?

Developing strong emotional connections to a hotel?

Yes, I have had some.

Falling in love with a hotel loyalty program?

Frequent travelers may find it hard to be monogamous.

A hotel loyalty program is a relationship that requires mutual reinforcement and commitment, but I don’t foresee the need to make reconciliation efforts before granting a divorce from your hotel program when the mutual benefit wears thin.  In a relationship where one party has control over all the assets and benefits, sometimes the best solution is to just walk away.

If the hotel program truly desires you, then it should make the effort to get you to come back.

And diamond and platinum accoutrements tend to show intent from your partner of a serious engagement.

Related posts: Hilton HHonors Dumped Me This Week

Christopher Elliot http://www.elliott.org/blog/i-was-rudely-told-9000-points-is-really-not-much/

December is the month for securing elite status. People in the know, those frequent guests and fliers making mattress runs and mileage runs this month, know that a few unnecessary hotel room nights or a few thousand miles of unnecessary airline flights are truly necessary. Some loyalty travelers are frantically booking travel solely for the purpose of attaining the magic threshold of higher elite status in 2010.

And it is magic when after 10 minutes waiting in the elite security line at the crowded airport, you barely get on your plane just before it taxies out of the gate. You reflect on the frazzled family who walked up to the elite check-in airport counter just in front of you, each parent cradling a crying toddler, with a hands-free wandering preschooler lagging behind dragging a backpack, a babystroller under Dad’s arm, two suitcases, two backpacks, and a purse.  You watched as you moved closer to the elite member check-in counter while the parents were steered away from the Star Alliance Gold members check-in line to the hopelessly long economy class general members’ line extending halfway down the terminal. They were supposed to depart on the same flight as you, but they hadn’t even arrived at the security zone as you passed through the detectors and rushed off to the gate. They are still waiting in some non-elite fliers’ line while you are comfortably seated in First Class as the plane heads toward the runway.

Elite level status has practical implications in the frequent flier world beyond upgrades and airport lounges.

I haven’t been on a plane in the past few months. I watched scenarios like I described here over a number of years when I traveled as a United Airlines Mileage Plus elite member. I flew over 100,000 miles a year for several years primarily as a means of flying comfortably and having the privilege to hang out at airport lounges during international flights.

Joe Sharkey has a piece posted this week on his blog, Joe Sharkey At Large, “Continental Airlines is the Latest Airline to Diss Lower-Level Elite-Status Customers”. His piece is about how Continental Airlines offers enhancements to the most frequent fliers in the 100,000 flight miles per year category and new super-tier called Presidential Platinum elite for the cream of the Platinum fliers.

Flying 100,000 miles is expensive for a leisure traveler. I held United 1K for a couple of years with less than $2,500 in spending on flights annually, but then there was another $1,500 or so for my wife’s flights. And then add another $4,000 to $5,000 for lodging, and then add daily expenses when traveling. 

$4,000 to $5,000 in airfare was one expense I had to cut back, about 30% of my annual travel budget, to have some money available to put into Loyalty Traveler business expenses. Loyalty Traveler was founded as a business for explaining the value of elite status with travel loyalty programs and ironically I had to give up elite status air travel to conserve resources for the business. I hope to get back to a much higher level of air travel in the next year or two.

Right now my focus is maintaining high elite status in a couple of hotel programs – Hyatt Gold Passport and Starwood Preferred Guest – for my hotel travel. I just suffer like the masses when I have to get on a plane.

Ed Perkins wrote a piece on SmarterTravel.com, “Dollars Trump Miles as a Measure of Airline Loyalty”. Ed had an issue with upgrading a United flight using miles. He could not get an advance confirmation of the upgrade.

My experience of traveling around the world as a United 1K was a blast when I could buy a $600 ticket from California to Singapore, upgrade my ticket to a business class seat with a systemwide certificate (SWU), hang out at the international lounge in SFO before the flight, and then pop into the United Red Carpet Club at Narita Airport Tokyo for a free shower and a couple of glasses from the automatic beer dispenser. My cheap economy ticket also allowed me to earn 40,000 to 50,000 redeemable miles and 18,000 to 36,000 elite qualifying miles depending on promotions.

The problem with all that lovely treatment as a United 1K is that travel with my wife Kelley wasn’t always as fun. I’m not talking about a need for Tiger Woods entertainment without the wifey. I am talking about the fact that my United Airlines Mileage Plus elite status regularly provided upgrades for me, domestic and international. However, Kelley’s low level elite status, and sometimes even as a Premier Executive, frequently did not allow her to clear the upgrade list. We often traveled separately on the same plane to Europe with me in her assigned economy class seat and her in my upgraded Business Class seat.

Mom & Dad’s Florida Vacation

My parents have learned the value of Starwood Preferred Guest elite status – especially since they do not have it. This morning I received a call from my mom vacationing in Florida. Their hotel travel tally so far is three Starwoods and a Hilton in Florida. I asked them to take pictures of the view from each bedroom window at their hotels.

Hotel websites are generally good about photos of the hotel entrance, the lobby, restaurants, and pool.

Hotel websites rarely show a prospective guest the view from the less desirable side of the hotel. I am struck by the number of times I stay at a hotel and receive the preferred view and think this was a good deal. And I consider all those people I see coming out of their room located on the other side of the hallway and I wonder, “Do you feel like you’ve been cheated with this hotel stay?”

So my mom tells me they had a nice size room at a Sheraton in Fort Lauderdale, but faced the parking lot for the multi-night stay. Then, it was the Sheraton in Key West at a resort property on the beach, but their room was not facing the beach side of the hotel. Then, her description of the room in Coral Gables was “nicely furnished, but the room was miniscule.” She said the rooms are nothing like I get when I stay at Starwood Hotels.

“Elite Status” is my Two Word Response

Earning elite status with a hotel chain is really a much easier affair than airline frequent flier programs. Playing the 100,000 mile game with airlines is a matter of either several long-haul international trips or a whole lot of domestic flying. Hotel loyalty high-level elite-status is something many travelers can earn without even leaving town. You will appreciate your effort when you take that $3,000 beach resort vacation and spend the week looking at the beach from your hotel room window and balcony.

Here is the view from my room when I stayed at the Westin Mission Hills near Palm Springs, California.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I received an upgrade on my Cash & Points stay to a golf course view preferred room. A general member of SPG on the same rate would be more likely to have received a room with this type of view across the parking lot.

Westin Mission Hills Resort – the other side of the hotel

 

Stays Count Double through January 31, 2010 with Hyatt Gold Passport

 

 

 

(The Next Big Thing registration required)

Hyatt Gold Passport is offering double stay credit for elite status through January 31, 2010. Elite status is based on paid stays completed in a calendar year. This means you can earn Hyatt Gold Passport Platinum level elite membership with just 3 stays in January or Diamond elite with 13 stays. The elite status you earn with Hyatt Gold Passport in January 2010 during stays count double will remain valid for over two years through February 2012.

Between fast-track elite status and Costco Hyatt Check Certificates at a 20% discount, the cost to earn high elite Diamond status with Hyatt can readily be accomplished for under $1,000 in many places while earning free nights for a fantastic February or March 2010 resort vacation. Check out your local Hyatt Place hotel rates. You can even go upscale Hyatt at a bargain with low January rates in many locations. The Hyatt Regency San Francisco was over $250 per night for most of summer 2009 and is less than half that rate for most weekends in January 2010. San Diego hotels are an incredible bargain right now.

Starwood Preferred Guest instant SPG Gold elite for New Members

Starwood Preferred Guest has offered a “stays count double” promotion every year for the past several years. Take advantage of the offer if it comes around next year and you can set yourself up with high-level elite-status.

Seriously, when you are spending a couple of thousand dollars for a vacation, a little bit of annual hotel planning can put you in that beach resort hotel on the beach side of the hotel rather than the resort view of the parking lot.

If you are new to Starwood Preferred Guest and you would like to receive instant SPG Gold elite membership, valid through February 2011, then just send me an email ricgarridolt@gmail.com. With my SPG Platinum member referral, you can be registered for 1,000 bonus points per night ($35 value) at Starwood Hotels through March 31, 2010 and you will receive an instant upgrade to SPG Gold Elite membership. And I get 1,000 points if you actually stay in a Starwood Hotel by March 31. A win-win-win deal for you, me, and Starwood.

Hotel Loyalty Program Links:

Hyatt Gold Passport “The Next Big Thing” Promotion

Hyatt Gold Passport Platinum elite benefits (lower-tier elite)

Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond elite benefits (higher-tier)

Starwood Preferred Guest Gold elite benefits

Starwood Preferred Guest Platinum elite benefits

Loyalty Traveler posts:

Passports with Purpose Win 50,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points

Earn 2,500 airline miles with every two nights at Hyatt brand hotels (Oct. 5, 2009)

Hyatt Faster Free Nights + Stays Count Double promotion analysis Oct.1 – Jan 31, 2010 (Sep 19, 2009)

Hyatt Gold Passport Enhancements – And they really are enhancements (April 2, 2009)

 

Costco is selling Hyatt Check Certificates. The price is $79.99 (no tax) for two US$50 Hyatt Check Certificates. I purchased some yesterday.

Hyatt Check Certificate fine print

The primary restriction with Hyatt Check Certificates is you can only redeem check certificates for payment in excess of the face value of the certificate.

Hyatt Check Certificates are combinable.

Example: You book the Hyatt Regency San Francisco for $120. After tax, the bill at check-out is $139.

You can only redeem two $50 certificates for a $100 payment credit using Hyatt Check Certificates. You need to pay cash or credit for the remaining $39.

So, you do not actually get 20% off this room since you paid $79.99 ($100 Check certificates) + $39 at checkout for the amount above the certificate value. You actually pay $119 for a $139 bill and save 14% on the total bill.

Maximizing the value of the Hyatt Check Certificates is a matter of getting your final room bill to a “Price is Right” level with a twist.

Your goal with Hyatt Check Certificates is to come as close to an increment of $50 without going under. Get your checkout bill to $100.20 or $151.05 and your total savings will approach 20% using Hyatt Check Certificates for your stays.

Expiration Date: None shown on my certificates.

Loyalty Traveler’s Winter in California Travel Plan with Hyatt Hotels

I am planning a hotel hop through Hyatts in California and perhaps some other states next month to maximize the current promotion offer for a free night at any Hyatt after two stays at any Hyatt brand hotel. The promotion runs through January 31, 2009.

Combined with the free night offer, Hyatt is giving “stays count double” fast-track to elite status.

There are so many combinable promotions that I should bullet them in a recap.

• Earn a free night after every two stays.

• Stays count double for elite status. Platinum elite requires 5 stays in a calendar year and Diamond elite requires 25 stays in a calendar year. This promotion reduces that to 3 stays and 13 stays.

• Save up to 20% on your Hyatt stays by purchasing Hyatt Check Certificates at Costco.

My plan is a simple one and similar to my Hyatt Diamond qualifying hotel hops in March 2008 when Gold Passport also ran a “Stays Count Double” promotion. I will use the month of January in a blitz of Hyatt Hotel stays to maximize my earning of free nights, requalify for Hyatt Diamond elite status through February 2012 with 13 hotel stays in January 2010, and save money through the purchase of Hyatt Check certificates I plan to redeem during my January Hyatt hotel stays.

January is typically the month with the lowest hotel rates and hotel occupancy of the year in many locations.

Assume my average rate is $100 per night. 14 hotel stays is $1,400. I plan to have a stay in December to qualify for 7 free nights with my 13 January stays. I will requalify for Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond through February 2012. I will probably earn around 25,000 Gold passport points with G bonus offers and elite bonuses.

Estimated Spend: $1,100 (after up to 20% savings from Costco Hyatt check certificates)

Estimated Added Value to paid hotel stays: $2,500 to $3,500

1.       7 free nights ($2,000 to $3,000 at a resort property or international urban hotel)

2.       25,000 Gold Passport points ($500)

3.       Regency Club lounge and suite upgrades during paid stays (?)

4.       Travel experience (priceless)

 

What is the value of hotel loyalty program elite status?

Hyatt Gold Passport made major loyalty program enhancements in 2009.

1.       No blackout dates for free nights using hotel points.

2.       Free internet for elite members.

3.       Diamond members receive complimentary Regency Club access, or in lieu of Regency Club, the member receives restaurant certificates + 2,500 Gold passport points.

4.       Diamond members receive four confirmed suite upgrades per membership year.

I currently have two free nights to use before the end of the month with two different hotel chains. These free nights were given to me solely as an elite member benefit.

Starwood Preferred Guest gave me a free night at any hotel, up to Category 5, as a gift for being SPG Platinum this year (25 stays or 50 nights in a calendar year). I earned my 2009 status in 2008 with a Stays Count Double promotion and a hotel hopping trip to Canada. You can get instant SPG Gold elite if you are new to Starwood Preferred Guest?

Hyatt Gold Passport gave me a free night at any Hyatt Place or Hyatt Summerfield Suites as a Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond member (25 stays or 50 nights in a calendar year). I earned my status for 2009 with two weeks of hotel stays in a March Madness 2008 stimulus tour during a ‘stays count double” promotion.

Loyalty traveler plans to jumpstart 2010 travel with multiple Hyatt experiences. I think it is going to be a good year of travel for this traveler. There is no better time to jump into the loyalty travel game if you can afford the admission fee.

Passports with Purpose – Win 50,000 Hyatt Gold passport points

Passports with Purpose raffle prizes include a chance to win 50,000 Hyatt Gold passport points. $10 will purchase a raffle ticket and help build a new school in Preah Vihear, Cambodia. We raised $13,000 already to build the school and now the goal is another $13,000 to provide health care, food, and clean water for the school. Small actions working together allow us to make a difference.

 

In Part 2 of the hotel mega-chain comparisons I look at elite membership in Hilton HHonors, IHG Priority Club and IC Ambassador, and Marriott Rewards.

Hilton HHonors, IHG Priority Club and Marriott Rewards were all rated by WebFlyer.com in 2007 and side-by-side ratings can be viewed here. The interesting statistic for me are the high ratings Marriott Rewards members give to their program. Marriott’s ratings far surpass member ratings for the other two programs with about 500 voting participants in each loyalty group. But two years is a long time in loyalty programs and changes have been made in each program since then.

Marriott Rewards restructured their strongest competitive advantage in 2009 with the change in reward tables from a per night discount for any multiple night stay  to a basic 5th night free redemption program.   

Hilton HHonors has the highly popular Points & Miles earning preference for members to accrue both hotel loyalty points and airline miles with a hotel stay.

Priority Club is the program for promotion junkies into amassing points. The ability to earn 30 points per $1 spent on hotel stays is likely and even 50 points per $1 is reported by some promotion savvy members.

Here is a Loyalty Traveler blog post from February 2009 with a comparison of elite levels in Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott, and Starwood, along with a list of reasons FlyerTalk members state they like Hilton HHonors or Marriott Rewards.

This post focuses more on published elite member benefits. Marriott Rewards has a table comparing the benefits of their different Rewards elite levels.

Marriott Rewards Silver Elite = 10 nights in a calendar year to qualify

• 20% elite bonus points

• 10% discount on Friday or Saturday nights at Courtyard and SpringHill Suites (AAA should be just as good or better rate)

• 10% discount at Marriott-operated gift shops

• Elite-only rewards and special offers

• Late check out 

 

 

Hilton HHonors Silver VIP = 10 nights or 4 stays in a calendar year to qualify

• 15% elite bonus points

• Benefits

• complimentary fitness center/health club access (Marriott makes no reference to this type of benefit)

• access to VIP reward multi-night stay discounts using points

 

IHG Priority Club Gold = $50 or 15 nights or earn 20,000 points in a calendar year or join Ambassador Club ($150)

• 10% Bonus Points

 

Hilton Garden Inn San Francisco Airport

 

 

 

 

 

Marriott Rewards Gold Elite = 50 nights in a calendar year to qualify

• 25% elite bonus points (10 base points per US$1 + 2.5 points elite bonus for 12.5 points per $1) 

• Room upgrade 

• Lounge access at Marriott, JW Marriott, and Renaissance hotels with lounges and complimentary breakfast.  

• Complimentary breakfast Mon-Fri at Marriott and Renaissance hotels without a lounge. 

• Free local phone and 15 pages FAX at Courtyard, SPringHill Suites, and Fairfield Inn 

• Room type guarantee in USA (Gold members are eligible to receive the Room Type Guarantee at any Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Renaissance Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn or Suite, SpringHill Suite or TownePlace Suite property located in North America.)

 

 

 

 

Hilton Gold VIP = 16 stays, 36 nights, or 60,000 base points earned in calendar year.

 

5 published routes to Gold elite qualification. (Hilton has easier qualification than Marriott Rewards gold elite.)

1.       New first-year Surpass credit card member receives one year complimentary Gold elite)

2.       60,000 base points = $6,000 Hilton hotel stay spend which may be easier qualification bar than $20,000 in credit card spend for some members or stays and nights.

3.       16 Hilton brand hotel stays. HHonors counts award stays towards elite qualification.

4.       36 nights

5.       Hilton also runs periodic promotions for Gold elite typically with 4 stays in 90 days.

 

HHonors Gold VIP members earn 25% elite bonus points. A person selecting Points & Points earning preference receives 10 points per US$1 + 5 points (Points & Points bonus) + 2.5 points Gold elite bonus for 17.5 points per $1.

 

 

HHonors elite benefits vary with brands: Conrad, Hilton, Doubletree

 

• Room upgrade

• Complimentary continental breakfast for member and one guest, even if not provided lounge access for stay.

• Complimentary internet

• If upgraded to Executive Floor room, lounge access guaranteed [lounge access is not guaranteed for Gold member who does not get upgraded to Executive Floor; hotel’s discretion.]

• 1,000 bonus points

 

Embassy Suites Benefits:

500 bonus points or complimentary internet or choice of sodas, fruit, water

 

Hampton Inn Benefits: 250 points and two bottles of water

 

Hilton Garden Inn Benefits: 750 points and full American breakfast for member and one registered guest.

 

Hilton Grand Vacations benefits: two bottles of water per stay and 1,000 bonus points

 

Waldorf Astoria Collection benefits: one category room upgrade and either 1,000 bonus points or free movie. Two bottles of water per stay. Welcome beverage for member and guest. Late checkout.

 

 

IHG Platinum Elite = 50 nights per calendar year or earn 60,000 points

• 50% elite bonus points (10 base points per US$1 + 5 elite points for 15 points per $1.

• Complimentary room upgrades (subject to availability)

• Guaranteed room availability (72 hours in advance)

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Marriott Platinum = 75 nights

• 50% elite bonus points (10 base points + 5 elite points per US$1 = 15 points per $1)

• Platinum Arrival Gift bonus points = 500 points at Marriott, Renaissance, Marriott Vacation Clubs

• 250 points at Courtyard outside US

• 200 points in USA at Courtyard, Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites

• (Members earning miles will not earn platinum amenity points) 

• Room type guarantee worldwide

• “Platinum members are eligible to receive the Room Type Guarantee at any Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Renaissance Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn & Suite, SpringHill Suites or TownePlace Suites property worldwide.”

• 48 hour reservation guarantee

 

 

 

HHonors Diamond VIP = 60 nights or 28 stays or 100,000 base points or HHonors American Express Surpass $40,000 per year credit card spend.

 

• 50% bonus points (Points & Points 10 base points + 5 Points & Points bonus + 5 elite points = 20 points per $1. Points & Miles earns 15 points per $1 + variable or fixed miles.)

• Guaranteed reservation when made by midnight hotel local time 48 hours before day of arrival. (check Marriott)

• Complimentary continental breakfast for elite member and one guest each morning of stay.

• Lounge access is guaranteed for Diamond member even if not upgraded to Executive Floor.

 

 

Hilton HHonors Executive Lounge Access Policy

If you select a space-available room upgrade as your on-property VIP benefit, the following policy will apply effective August 15, 2008, at all Hilton®, Conrad® Hotels & Resorts and Doubletree® hotels:

If you are a Gold VIP, you’ll be given access to the Executive Floor lounge when you receive a room upgrade to the Executive Floor. If an Executive Floor room upgrade is unavailable, you’ll still receive daily complimentary Continental breakfast in lieu of lounge access.

If you are a Diamond VIP, you’ll enjoy access to the Executive Floor lounge, even if you don’t receive a room upgrade to the Executive Floor, including daily complimentary Continental breakfast.

At hotels without Executive Floor lounges, Gold and Diamond VIPs will receive complimentary Continental breakfast for themselves and up to one additional registered hotel guest each day. If breakfast is included in the room rate, you’ll receive an alternate welcome amenity that varies by hotel.

Hilton Executive Lounge policy: http://hhonors1.hilton.com/en_US/hh/about/gold.do

 

 

InterContinental Ambassador $150 annual fee (also confers Priority Club Gold elite membership).

Benefits at InterContinental Hotel brand:

 

• Guaranteed room upgrade

• Fresh fruit and mineral water

• Certificate for complimentary weekend night on two-night stay

• 4pm late checkout

• Complimentary pay TV film per stay

• Earn 20,000 bonus points every 15 nights at InterContinental Hotels in calendar year.

 

InterContinental Royal Ambassador – by invitation only for top 1% of Ambassador members offers expanded benefits considered by many frequent guests to be the best hotel loyalty program elite status. FlyerTalk members state minimum criteria appears to be at least 50 IHG brand hotel nights and 3 different InterContinental Hotel stays per year.

 

 

Loyalty Traveler’s take on InterContinental Ambassador: Buy your way to elite recognition for a small fee that is rebated with a single certificate for a free weekend night. Most InterContinental Hotels are over $150 per night and the free night can be worth over $300 in many locations. This is a great deal for anyone planning any stays at an InterContinental Hotel.

 

 

This is simply an overview of elite membership and by no means a comprehensive or thorough analysis.  Please comment if there are other aspects, benefits, or limitations of elite membership with these programs. I will edit the post to include or clarify items I neglected to mention. The goal here is to have a quick one-post comparison for Loyalty travelers.

 

Bottom line for loyalty travelers is the program that best meets your needs will depend on your hotel preferences, travel spending pattern, and benefits most desired for your stays.

Starwood Preferred Guest

New Members Offer for Instant SPG Gold Elite through February 2011 (normally requires 10 hotel stays or 25 nights in a calendar year), plus 1,000 bonus points per night through March 31, 2010.

Details:  http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2009/11/20/my-midas-touch-gives-new-spg-members-starwood-preferred-guest-gold-elite/

Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort is about 20 miles east of the major action on the Las Vegas Strip. The hotel décor is bright, airy, and the loudest noises you are likely to hear will come from kids screaming and laughing out of fun, joy, and excitement at the pools, ping pong tables, and the lake beach rather than the typical clink, clang, and ring of slot machines in Las Vegas.

 

Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort struck me as a family fun destination in a desert oasis perched on the edge of a private lake on the outskirts of Henderson, Nevada. This hotel used to be the Hyatt Lake Las Vegas and possibly familiar to many movie watchers as the Las Vegas location for the 2001 movie America’s Sweethearts with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Julia Roberts, John Cusack, and Billy Crystal.

Link to Resort Overview page for Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort.

 

The hotel was designed with a Moroccan theme. This lobby invites one to sit and lounge in the cool open space with plenty of comfortable cushion chairs and couches when the outside temperature can peel your skin in the sun before you can finish a round of golf. 

 

 

 

There are nearly 500 rooms and close to 50 suites at the resort.  This hotel is one of my favorite locations in the Las Vegas Valley. You will be hard pressed to find a better value for a resort getaway if you desire sun and relaxation and don’t mind the absence of gambling facilities.

The website has a page for room category comparisons. http://www.loewshotels.com/en/Hotels/Lake-Las-Vegas-Resort/Rooms/Compare.aspx

 

The primary difference for most of the standard rooms at 392 square feet (a comfortable size) is the view from three locations within the hotel.

Superior rooms will be located on the side of the resort facing away from the Lake. Loyalty Traveler Aug 20 rate check: AAA rate $93 per night Aug 25-27. Taking Care of Business Instant Gold Elite rate $139 per night.

Deluxe rooms face the pool side or may have a partial lake view. Loyalty Traveler Aug 20 rate check: AAA rate $106 per night Aug 25-27. Taking Care of Business Instant Gold Elite rate $159 per night.

 

Luxury rooms have the nicest view in the standard room size category and look upon Lake Las Vegas.  Loyalty Traveler Aug 20 rate check: AAA rate $106 per night Aug 25-27. Taking Care of Business Instant Gold Elite rate $159 per night.

 

Grand Luxury King at 524 square feet provides ample space for feeling a bit more resort like. I feel like I’ve scored a decent upgrade when I have a room over 500 square feet. That makes the hotel room feel spacious enough for an extended hotel stay. Loyalty Traveler Aug 20 rate check: AAA rate $126 per night Aug 25-27. Taking Care of Business Instant Gold Elite rate $189 per night.

 

An Executive Suite at 792 square feet is when the going is good and the relaxing in your room is truly a comfort. Taking Care of Business Instant Gold Elite rate Luxury King Suite $289 per night Aug 25-27.

Moving above this size of room will rapidly increase the cost of your stay.

Grand King Suite at 1,188 square feet is $489 per night with “Taking Care of Business” Instant Gold Elite rate Aug 25-27.

 

 

Loews You First Hotel Loyalty Program Instant Gold Elite Offer

One of the real values of booking a room at this hotel for a quick stay over the next week is the ability to receive instant Gold elite status in Loews “You First” hotel loyalty program for stays by August 30, 2009. Even a one night stay qualifies for this offer.

One of the benefits of Gold elite membership, normally requiring 5 stays in a calendar year, is a complimentary room upgrade. Book the Luxury room and you may find yourself in the Grand Luxury King. Book the Grand Luxury and you may receive an Executive Suite. Upgrades may be confirmed at time of booking and Gold members can buy a suite upgrade for $50 per night, if available.

Loews You First Gold members also receive complimentary late checkout, complimentary internet and free fitness center access.

Loews You First Elite Level benefits: https://www.loewshotels.com/en/YouFirst/Benefits.aspx

 

 

Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort website link for hotel virtual tour: http://www.loewshotels.com/Content/en/Hotels/Lake-Las-Vegas-Resort/PhotoGallery/virtualtour.html

Dozens of children were playing in the activity pools outside.

 

One lone woman sat reading a book in the quiet spacious lobby on a Saturday morning. The pool is off to the side and the beach loaded with toddlers sits below the lobby level. The view from the lobby was an uninterrupted-by-people vista and unobtrusively tranquil with glittering sunlight reflecting off the lake surface.

 

Boats are available for rent and the roads are fairly wide and quiet of heavy traffic in the Lake Las Vegas community if you want to try a bike ride.

 

Self-parking is free at the resort and just 50 yards from the entrance. (I clocked myself at 25 minutes to go from my room at Planet Hollywood on the Las Vegas Strip directly to my car in the self-park lot and directly back to the room).

 

The hotel shuttle will take guests to MonteLago Village about a mile away where the MonteLago Casino and Ritz Carlton Hotel are located.

 

 

 

 

A recently published hotel guest survey by J.D. Power and Associates states hotel guest satisfaction is up over the past year. 

Embassy Suites came out on top of the guest satisfaction survey for the upscale hotel market segment for the third year in a row.

Here are my reasons why I think the Embassy Suites brand is so popular.

1.       Larger rooms – these rooms will hold a family. The abundance of kids is what I consider the major detraction of Embassy Suites, but if I had kids I would be much more inclined to stay.

 

2.       Cooked breakfast is complimentary. Most of the midrange priced hotels offer complimentary breakfast, but few have cooked-to-order service. Few upscale hotels offer complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast unless you are high-level elite.

 

3.       Happy hour reception. I sat in an Embassy Suites recently and watched the bar go through a keg of beer and a couple of cases of wine during the two hour manager’s reception. Considering the bar tab would have been $50 for many of the guests and they could get a big buzz for about $5 in tips is a high value proposition for many guests. The pool was a zoo at this time with all the kids.

Embassy Suites provides value for many types of guests and thus the brand ranks high in guest satisfaction.

The J.D. Power survey also finds increasing guest desire for comfort and value-related amenities like pillow choices (feather pillow for me thanks); free parking ($60 to park? I only paid $89 for the room); and complimentary internet.

One of the big trends of the past year is free internet. InterContinental Hotels Group is giving free internet to Ambassador members  beginning August 1 thru October 31 at more than 80 properties worldwide. Hyatt Hotels began offering free internet this year to elite members. And Hyatt Hotels is giving complimentary elite status to anyone who asks.

The interesting aspect of the J.D. Power survey is the finding that overall guest satisfaction is up this year across most hotel market segments while guest satisfaction with the hotel room declined across all hotel market segments.

Hotel guests are satisfied with the great deals, but I think many are missing out on the room upgrades available to elite frequent guests.

Popularity of Chain-Affiliated Hotels Waning?

A national travel survey 2009 National Travel Monitor by Ypartnership/Yankelovich states travelers have increased preference for independent hotels by 6% over the past year. The chain-affiliated hotels do not need to fret too much as 4 out of 5 leisure travelers still prefer brand name hotels, but the survey indicates a growing preference for the individual character and pricing of independent hotels.

 

Leisure travelers also state a growing preference for limited-service hotels, i.e. hotels without restaurants, over full-service hotels since the 2008 survey conducted by this group. Room rates play a large role in the growing popularity of the limited-service hotel. Also, the perception of better value is a leisure traveler concern.

 

Still the leisure traveler preference for full-service hotels has only dropped from 66% in 2008 to 60% in 2009 while limited-service hotels have grown in popularity from 34% in 2008 to 40% in 2009.

 

As Loyalty Traveler I find the interesting data point in this survey to be a preference for chain-affiliated hotels at 80%, yet brand name is cited as a “very influential” factor in choosing a hotel for just 44% of respondents.

 

Does this mean travelers want a chain-affiliated hotel for consistency in lodging, but do not care which brand?

 

This indicates to me that leisure travelers are not taking advantage of the full array of benefits from hotel loyalty programs. Readers of my blog know there is real value in working a loyalty program for complimentary upgrades and free nights. I meet so many people who spend 20 to 30 nights in chain-affiliated hotels every year, but rather than being loyal to one major hotel chain and gaining elite status, the desire to get the lowest rate splits their loyalty among the chains.

 

The result of scattered hotel loyalty is small amounts of points in a variety of hotel programs and no elite status. The trade-off of several  hundred dollars saved over the course of the year is often at the expense of a couple of thousand dollars in potential benefits missed due to no hotel loyalty elite status.

 

A $200 savings for a 5-night vacation at a Marriott resort may be a savings for one trip, but it is not the best value if the traveler could have had a $200 per night complimentary upgrade at the Hilton resort across town based on Hilton Diamond elite status.

 

Many leisure travelers have enough hotel activity during the year to reach a high elite status, particularly with Starwood Preferred Guest or Hyatt Gold Passport (hey, Hyatt is giving away top elite status for free right now with complimentary upgrade certificates).

 

Year after year, I watch fellow travelers going after the best rates without consideration of the potential added value they would receive if they just focused on a single major hotel chain. And they spend thousands of dollars on hotels over the course of the year and could easily put out a few hundred dollars more to maintain high elite status.

 

I’ve had friends come and see my hotel room and they wonder why I didn’t tell them about the great hotel deal. “I would have stayed here for that price!”

 

Complimentary room upgrades don’t come with two or three hotel stays a year with a major hotel chain. Demonstrating loyalty means a commitment to spend thousands of dollars over the course of 15 to 30 hotel stays during the calendar year. In my case I feel the loyalty is returned by the benefits I receive from the hotel loyalty program.

 

Complimentary upgrades are based on showing hotel loyalty to the affiliated hotel chain. It is a win-win relationship. The hotel chain has my loyalty and I frequently receive value-added benefits for my hotel spending.

 

Room rate, location, and value are cited as the most important factors by leisure travelers when booking a hotel room.

 

Room rate is quite important for most travelers. The basic practice of setting room rates based on the hotel’s market segment competition means most major brand upper upscale hotels in the same area will have a similar price. The room rate variations are typically due to events and functions that will push rates higher for one hotel over another. With no special events creating higher hotel demand, then room rates are typically within a 10% range above or below an average of the hotels in a particular market segment in a specific location.

 

When location is most important and room rates among chains within a specific location tend to balance out, then value is left as the primary variable. Hotel frequent guest programs provide the added value in complimentary breakfasts, room upgrades, and future hotel room rebates in the form of points and free nights.

 

Frequent guest elite status in a major hotel chain’s loyalty program improves the value variable. Rather than downgrading your hotel market segment, try upgrading your hotel loyalty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SPG Promotion Progress: Paid $685 and received estimated $2,760-$3,960 in hotel and airline travel value.

Kelley observed the hallways at the century old Westin St. Francis and The Palace Hotel in San Francisco have wide hallways on the room floors. Modern hotels tend to squeeze more room space on floors with narrow halls.

 

 

Ten years ago when I first started reading FlyerTalk I wondered about all these traveler stories on great loyalty promotion offers and elite status benefits. The deals sounded too good to be true.

I came into travel loyalty programs as a relatively low wage person seeking a way to travel comfortably at an affordable price for someone with limited vacation money. I learned that spending time planning travel could reduce the cost of travel by 50% or more while going upscale. In other words, I learned to travel in upper upscale style for the price of Priceline rooms.

Even after learning many strategies over the years with FlyerTalk, I needed to ante up thousands of dollars to test the loyalty program waters when it came to the high value promotions.

In 2003 I planned a trip to Australia and Starwood Preferred Guest ran an Asia/Pacific hotels promotion for 50,000 Starpoints for any SPG member who stayed in 5 of the 6 Starwood brands: Westin, Sheraton, W Hotels, Luxury Collection, Four Points, and St. Regis.

Australia had all these brands except for St. Regis (China). At the time I was a Hilton HHonors Diamond elite. I applied for a Starwood Preferred Guest elite status match and I was given complimentary SPG Platinum elite membership normally requiring 25 stays or 50 nights in a calendar year. I have been SPG Platinum since 2003.

My first qualifying hotel night for the 50,000 points bonus was at the Luxury Collection Sheraton Southgate in Melbourne, Australia. Reviews on FlyerTalk were not kind to this hotel.

I received a three room corner suite. I wouldn’t normally call a bathroom a room in a suite, but when it has a walk-through shower for two leading to a Jacuzzi tub large enough for a small party, the bathroom qualifies its status as a room. Kelley was blown away by the size of the room.

The second night at the hotel was under Kelley’s name and we had to move to a standard room. Kelley was only SPG Gold elite.

Four out of five of our stays in Australia followed the pattern of a lovely preferred view room or suite for my reservation night as a Platinum elite, followed by a move to a smaller room, or the less desirable view for Kelley’s reservation as SPG Gold elite. Four Points Sydney was the exception to the rule by keeping us in the same hotel suite for two nights.

Starwood Preferred Guest Elite Status and BRG claims

The current free nights promotion is a great deal for any SPG member. The deal is awesome for this SPG Platinum elite.

And if you are not SPG elite, then there is no better year to go for 25 stays. The ability to earn a free night at nearly any Starwood Hotel worldwide is an incredible offer.  

Request a status match to SPG elite if you have status with another hotel loyalty program.

Potential Best Rate Guarantee (BRG) claims are all over the place with lower online travel agency competitor rates on sites like Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity, and Hotels.com.  I have submitted over a dozen claims in the past month and many more I passed over since I have scheduling issues due to Kelley’s cancer treatments keeping me from taking advantage of many Starwood Hotel deals I have found. The online travel agencies are blasting the web with hotel rate discounts and undercutting Starwood Hotel’s own sites.

There are 7 Starwood Hotels in the city of San Francisco and 3 Starwood Hotels at San Francisco airport. In the past three weeks I have submitted BRG claims for 8 of these 10 hotels.

I don’t even bother with the St. Regis San Francisco since its rates are over $300 per night. I plan to use some of my free nights there.

And I haven’t noticed a BRG rate for the W San Francisco yet, but with rates as low as $150 per night, the W is already showing rates as low as I have seen in the past six years.

I keep finding multiple properties for the same night. I have thought about applying BRG claims under Kelley’s account, but that takes me back to the issue of elite status.

I booked a BRG claim for the Westin Market a couple of weeks ago. My lowest category room reservation for a traditional room on Floors 4-7 was upgraded to a full suite on the 33^rd floor. I received a $400 value complimentary suite upgrade on a $110 BRG rate. ( I underestimated the upgrade value in the table below.)

Kelley currently has no elite status with SPG. Submitting a BRG claim under Kelley’s name will get the same rate as I would receive, but we are unlikely to get the same type of room. Kelley would likely be booked in a room on Floors 4-7 at the Westin Market Street. Kelley would likely receive the booked room for a double bed in a room with no view at the Westin St. Francis rather than the Junior Suite room I received with Union Square view room.

Elite status makes a big difference in the hotel experience. So if you currently do not have status this is the time to go for it.

My ‘go for elite’ advice: Hammer out 25 stays at the lowest rates you can find during this Starwood promotional period through July 31. In many locations this can be achieved for about $2,500 for 25 stays. Earn platinum elite status by July and then use your free weekends for resort stays in August and September after you have attained Platinum elite. Your $400 per night free room may well be upgraded to an $800 per night free room.

SPG Promotion Progress: Paid $685 and received estimated $2,760-$3,960 in hotel and airline travel value.

Paid $595 for 6 hotel stays + $90 taxes = $685

Received $1,055 in room value through complimentary upgrades based on SPG Platinum elite status.

Earned $430 value in Starpoints based on purchase price of $35/1,000 points.

Earned 3 free weekend nights from Stay Two, Earn One Free Night promotion. ($1,200-$2,400 value?)

Earned 6,000 Northwest Airline miles from combinable airline miles + free nights promotion. ($75 value)

Hotel	SPG Category	Rate/ Type/ room category	Category room received	Upgrade Value	Bonus Points
Four Points SFO	Cat 2	$79/BRG/traditional	$119 Penthouse Bi-level  Suite	$40 upgrade	2,000 BRG points + 250 Platinum amenity
Westin Market Street	Cat 4	$110/ BRG / traditional	$250 33rd floor full  suite	$140 upgrade	2,000 BRG points + 500 Platinum amenity
Westin St. Francis	Cat 4	$107 AAA traditional	$250 Historic wing Junior Suite partial Union Square view	$150 upgrade	500 Platinum amenity
Luxury Collection The Palace	Cat 5	$134 AAA  traditional	$172 Junior Suite	$40 upgrade	500 Platinum amenity
Four Points SFO	Cat 2	$76 BRG  traditional	$119  Penthouse Bi-level  Suite	$43 upgrade	2,000 BRG points + 250 Platinum amenity
Sheraton Gateway SFO	Cat 2	$89  BRG  traditional	$145 Club Floor	$56 upgrade	2,000 BRG points + 500 Platinum amenity ; Club lounge access; complimentary breakfast; free appetizer; $6 parking
My Starwood Hotel promotion summary for completed stays:		$595 paid rates (+$90 taxes)   San Francisco has >15% room tax.	$1,055 value of rooms I stayed in, if booked at lowest rates at the time I made my reservation.	$470 complimentary value-added upgrades	10,500 bonus points in BRG claims and Platinum elite amenity points; plus 1,785 regular points earned ($595x 3 points/$1)   $430 value

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last year Starwood Preferred Guest sent me a SPG Platinum member postcard telling me I had earned a 50% off award for up to 5 nights at a Category 1-5 property.  The catch was I had only 10 days to book a reservation to be used before the end of May.  I had no set plans for a trip and the award went unused.

SPG has a different offer this year. 

Platinum members were offered the choice of a $75 gift certificate for Starwood Hotels or a free weekend night, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday at a Category 1 to 5 hotel to be used by December 27, 2009.

SPG Platinum member gift choices

At the time I registered for the free night, the website showed 82% of Platinum members had chosen this gift over the $75 gift certificate.  I am thinking Westin Sydney, Australia this July.

Gold members were not neglected.  SPG gave Gold elites a choice of a $25 Starwood certificate or 1,000 Starpoints.

Design Your Own Platinum member card

This was an interesting feature for the SPG card, however, almost all the hotels I looked for were not included in the image list.  No hotel choices from San Francisco.

Hotel Images for SPG card face

My card also has a “10 Year Member” icon on the card face.  I joined SPG and redeemed my first awards in 1999.  I was a member of the Westin Hotels loyalty program since way back in 1990.

My SPG card face selection is Sheraton Mirage, Gold Coast, Australia