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

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

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

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

January 2013 hotel loyalty promotions

Le Club Accorhotels - Read More…

July 2012 promotions from Top Ten hotel loyalty programs:

Links to my Loyalty Traveler posts provide more detail and promotion analysis for each offer.

Most hotel loyalty promotions are two to four months in duration.

The easiest way to quickly see a list of all hotel loyalty promotions discussed on Loyalty Traveler is to check my Loyalty Traveler Facebook page. All Loyalty Traveler post links feed into Twitter and all my tweets feed into Loyalty Traveler Facebook.

Summer 2012 hotel loyalty promotions

Le Club Accorhotels - this Europe-based program officially changed its name from A|Club to Le Club Accorhotels on March 28, 2012. Accor Hotels offers a variety of global regional bonuses and rate discounts. The program tends to have regionalized rate and bonus points promotions. Read More…

HELP SHEET #8 – updated July 7, 2011

This Loyalty Traveler post is the 8th update for 2011 hotel loyalty promotions  and includes about 25 new promotion offers since the June 7 list. Offers marked with an asterisk (*) were added since the last update June 7.

Accor Hotels -  A-Club

Hotel Brands: Sofitel, Pullman, M Gallery, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis, Adagio, All Seasons, Thalassa Spa.

* Motel 6 is the primary Accor Hotels brand in USA, however, extremely limited A-Club hotel loyalty program participation. A|Club repeats last year’s promotion allowing redemption of A|Club vouchers for stays at North America Motel 6 hotels from June 1-October 31. LT post June 29.

Accor Hotels is the largest chain of hotel brands globally outside of the USA.

Accor 10^th Anniversary World Tour Giveaway – One monthly trip consisting of Round the World flights and hotel stays in 10 cities over 30 to 40 days. Ten prizes each month for a hotel stay. (11 prizes each month from March through December 2011). LT post March 30. 

Accor A|Club Global Promotion Offers List – link (This link allows searches by continent region)

Accor Hotels A|Club bonus offers

Best Western Hotels – Best Western Rewards 

Hotel Brand Tiers: Best Western, Best Western Plus, Best Western Premier  

5-Key promotion – Best Western free night after three stays from June 19 to August 14, 2011. Limit one free night during promotion. Loyalty Traveler post June 4.

Best Western International Offers webpage link. The link provides a variety of promotions internationally for Best Western hotels.

Best Western Rewards Elite Status Match Offer (February 19, 2010) This offer is ongoing and still available. Best Western is a particularly useful loyalty program when traveling outside the USA. Best Western and Accor A-Club have more hotels outside the USA than all the other major hotel programs combined including Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott and Starwood.

Program Change for Elites: Elite members earn 250 bonus points for stays in US/Canada or a welcome snack. (Aug 3, 2010)

Best Western Brand Tiers Change – Best Western has designated about 25% of the chain’s higher quality hotels in the 4,000+ hotel chain as Best Western Plus (about 800 hotels) and Best Western Premier (about 100 hotels, mostly outside U.S.).

 

Carlson Hotels – Club Carlson (formerly Goldpoints Plus loyalty program)

Hotel Brands: Radisson Blu, Radisson, Country Inn & Suites, Park Inn, Park Plaza 

* Club Carlson does not currently have a major bonus points promotion since the free night after two stays promotion ended June 15. There appear to be some good discount rates (35% off two day Radisson stays – book by July 12) and Park Inn 20% off two or three night weekend stays in North America through August 31.

There are also some good values with Club Carlson double points rates where members earn 40 points/$1 for room rate. This is an extra 2,500 points on a $125 room rate that may only be $10 more than otherwise lowest rates.

These Loyalty Traveler posts describe changes with Club Carlson launch March 31, 2011: 

 Club Carlson Hotel Category Reassignment Analysis – Overview and Category 1 Hotels (April 7) – This post has links to posts for each Club Carlson Hotel Reward category with tables showing the new Club Carlson reward category and the former Goldpoints Plus reward category.

Club Carlson Loyalty program Launches March 31 – Replaces goldpoints plus (Feb 14)

Club Carlson Reward Category Changes March 31, 2011 (Feb 18)

Club Carlson Hotel Reward Category Analysis (Feb 28) This post shows the number of hotels in each category and changes from 2010 level for different global regions.

Club Med resort credit for goldpoints. $100, $250 and $500 credit.  (March 10).

Club Carlson online booking bonus – Club Carlson general members earn 1,000 bonus points for online booking. Silver and Gold elite members earn 2,000 bonus points for online booking. Concierge elite members earn 3,000 points. Club Carlson Benefits table link.

Choice Hotels – Choice Privileges

Hotel Brands: Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban, EconoLodge, Rodeway Inn, Ascend Collection.

Hotel Reward Partners: Preferred Hotels Group, Barcelo Resorts 

Stay two times for 8,000 points May 19-August 11. This promotion awards members with 8,000 total points after two stays. Four brands require a two-night stay for this promotion ay Rodaeway Inn, EconoLodge, MainStay Suites and Suburban Suites. This offer is a variable bonus offer since two $60 stays that normally earn 1,200 points ($120 x 10 points/$1) receives 6,800 bonus points for 8,000 total points, yet two $300 hotel stays that earn 6,000 base points will result in 2,000 bonus points for 8,000 total points. This offer is best bonus on low cost hotel stays. Loyalty Traveler post May 16, 2011.

Choice Privileges reward night cost analysis. Using a spreadsheet of 2010 reward cost, I calculated the percentage of hotels in various reward levels worldwide from 6,000 points to 40,000 points. This is the only breakdown of hotel reward tiers I have ever seen for Choice Hotels. Loyalty Traveler post May 1, 2011.

Choice Privileges Program Changes for Elite Members effective January 1, 2011:

Program enhancements for elites. 

• Platinum elite qualification = 20 nights in a calendar year (formerly 25 nights).
• Diamond elite bonus increased to 50% base points (formerly 40%).

Reward night booking window extended for Choice Privileges elite members:

• Gold = 50 days (formerly 40 days)
• Platinum = 75 days (formerly 60 days)
• Diamond = 100 days (formerly 90 days) 

Nordic Choice Club hotel loyalty program covers 140 Choice hotels in Scandinavia and Baltic regions of Europe. Choice Privileges members currently do not earn points for hotel stays in Scandinavia, although hotel stays are available for points. Nordic Choice Club offers points and benefits for hotels in this region. Choice Privileges members planning frequent travel in Scandinavia may want to compare the benefits of Nordic Choice Club to Choice Privileges.    (LT post Sep 9, 2010)

 

Drury Hotels – Gold Key Club

* 1,000 bonus points for enrollment in Drury Gold Key Club.

 

Expedia Rewards –

Double Rewards points for Expedia Vacation Package paid with MasterCard through August 31. Registration required. 

Expedia’s new loyalty program earns points for air, hotel and travel package bookings. This is a gamechanger for online travel agencies. Booking airfare through Expedia is a no brainer method for earning additional travel rebates since frequent flyer benefits are unaffected. Hotels are a different matter though since no hotel loyalty points with programs like SPG, Marriott, Hilton and others are earned for Expedia bookings.

Main Expedia Rewards benefits are the ability to earn points when booking travel for other people like family members and friends. And Expedia vacation packages often allow a hotel night to be added for the same price as airfare alone; particularly when traveling to Las Vegas. Loyalty Traveler Analysis March 28.

 

Fairmont Hotels and Fairmont President’s Club

Tip: Sign up for Fairmont President’s Club to receive monthly special discount rates for Fairmont Hotels. 

Four Seasons Hotels

Four Seasons Special Offers website link

 

Global Hotel Alliance – GHA Discovery – Hotel loyalty program alliance for 12 independent hotel brands including Omni Hotels, Pan Pacific, Kempinski, First Hotels, Mirvac, Anantara Resorts, Tivoli Hotels, The Doyle Collection, Marco Polo Hotels, Park Royal, The Leela Palaces, Shaza Hotels.

Overview of GHA Discovery, elite membership benefits and local experiences, Loyalty Traveler post January 30.

 

Hilton Hotels – Hilton HHonors

10 Hotel Brands: Hilton, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, Conrad, Waldorf-Astoria Collection, Hampton Inn, and Home2Suites. 

* Double HHonors Points or Double Miles for stays worldwide from July 1-September 30, 2011. List of about 250 excluded hotels, mostly in U.S.. Promotion registration required. Loyalty traveler post June 24.

* HHonors Gold VIP elite after 4 stays or 9 nights in 90 days at U.S. hotels with Hilton HHonors MVP. Promotion registration required.

* Free HHonors Gold VIP elite  to August 31, 2011 for U.S. resident Visa Signature cardmembers. Complete three stays by August 31 to extend Gold VIP status through March 2013. Existing Gold and Diamond members receive 5,000 bonus points. Loyalty Traveler post June 10.

Great Getaway Hilton Summer Sale with discounts from 15% to 40%. Book May 13 to August 31 for hotel stays May 27 to Sep 5. Prepaid rates and must book 14 days in advance. Loyalty Traveler post May 19.

HHonors Point Stretcher Rewards posted for hotels through November 2011. Point Stretchers require 40% fewer points than standard HHonors rewards. Use the drop-down menu to see participating hotels in different Hilton brands. The Point Stretcher hotel awards were updated in early June.

HHonors Points & Money – Loyalty Traveler reward analysis indicates these are good value. Loyalty Traveler post May 9.

Home2Suites opens first hotel of Hilton’s new extended stay brand in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Unfortunately this new hotel brand becomes the first HHonors brand with a lower earn rate for points and miles. Loyalty Traveler post March 21.

HHonors Comprehensive Reward Charts – Members have difficulty locating the various reward charts on the Hilton HHonors sites, particularly VIP Rewards and Waldorf-Astoria rates. This Loyalty Traveler post places all the HHonors reward charts in one post. (LT post Sep 13, 2010)

Cheaper Hilton Reward nights using Priority Club points – this Loyalty Traveler analysis developed from the Priority Club Anywhere Challenge. Hotels Anywhere allows Priority Club members to spend points for hotels in other chains. My study shows there are numerous Hilton Hotels requiring fewer Priority Club points than Hilton HHonors charges its members in HHonors points for the same reward. (LT post Sep 17)

HHonors Program change: Gold and Diamond members receive complimentary internet at all Hilton Worldwide hotels beginning September 1, 2010. (Hilton – Aug 2 press release)

 

Hotels.com Welcome Rewards

Earn a free night for every 10 nights.

* Double points (up to 4 bonus points) through July 31 for new Welcome Rewards members.

Hyatt Hotels – Hyatt Gold Passport

Hotel Brands:  Park Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Vacation Club, Hyatt Resorts, Andaz, Hyatt Summerfield Suites

* 2,500 Aeroplan miles per Hyatt stay July 1-September 30. Maximum bonus is 25,000 miles after 10 stays.

* Welcome credit and 2,500 bonus points for stays paid with American Express at 75 international hotels. Loyalty Traveler post July 2. 3-key promotion.

Earn 19,000 Southwest points after 5 Hyatt stays June 1-August 31. Loyalty traveler post June 5.

Program Change – Hyatt Property Specific Bonuses: Jeff Zidell Hyatt VP, told me on March 8 the ‘property level bonus’ program is being evaluated and reinvented. We will probably only see regional hotel bonus offers until July. Specific property level bonuses that typically offered 1,000 to 2,000 points in G1, G2, and G3 offers may be gone for good. We’ll see.

 

InterContinental Hotels Group – Priority Club

Hotel Brands: InterContinental Hotels, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites, Hotel Indigo 

* Limited Time Rate Discount Europe – Up to 35% off for weekend stays in Europe through August 31. These rates are prepaid and nonrefundable with no changes allowed. T&C also state no points.

* Limited Time Rate Discount Europe – 2 nights for the Price of 1 – LT Note: Promotion page states this offer expired June 30, 2011, but I still found available 2-for-1 rates for August dates on July 7. This is a recurring rate promotion for several years and offers one of the greatest discounts on hotel rooms in Europe; particularly London. LT 5-key rate offer.

* Pack Your Points Tweetstakes July 1-July 31. Retweet @IHG_Deals daily message for entry. One entry per day. Prizes are 15,000 or 30,000 points for daily winners chosen in August. LT post July 4.

* IHG Priority Club Last Minute Reward Nights are posted the week before the first weekend of the month. Hotels are only posted for a few days and must be booked by Thursday prior to the Friday through Sunday dates. LT post June 30.

$75 MasterCard Gift Card for 2-night weekend stay worldwide at any IHG hotel May 19-August 31, 2011. Limit of four cards per member. Only for U.S. residents. Loyalty Traveler post May 18. 4-key offer.

IHG Double Points or Double Miles (May 16 – August 15, 2011) – 2-key offer. LT post April 21.

InterContinental Hotels in Europe 5^th Night Free rate July 14 – Sep 11, 2011. These rates are about 20% off Best Flexible Rate and equivalent to Advance Purchase rate. Loyalty Traveler post March 16.

Priority Club PointBreaks through July 30, 2011 are probably the best hotel loyalty program reward night value available at 5,000 points for a free night. Many of the hotels are discounted 80% from their normal 25,000 points for a reward night. The current list had 133 hotels on May 9 and only 27 hotels on July 6. Look for a new list of hotels posting in July.  Loyalty Traveler post May 9. (5-key offer.)

Complimentary InterContinental Ambassador membership ($200 value) after three stays at InterContinental Hotels by July 31, 2011. My Loyalty Traveler post argues for spending 32,000 points or $200 for Ambassador membership and earning benefits on three stays.

IHG Priority Club relaunch previews new reward option for Last Minute Hotel Nights at 50% points of standard reward night. Other changes are primarily cosmetic with new mobile apps, card redesign and website changes. Loyalty traveler post March 29.

IHG Priority Club partnership with Las Vegas Resorts – The Venetian and The Palazzo become InterContinental Alliance hotel partners as of April 1, 2011. Priority Club points can be earned and burned (40,000 points per night) for hotel stays and InterContinental Ambassador benefits apply. Earn 6,000 bonus points for a three night stay booked by June 30 (Loyalty Traveler April 11 post).

InterContinental Ambassador Accelerator - 20,000 points after 15 nights at InterContinental Hotels. Registration required.

Priority Club Any Hotel Anywhere American Express gift cards.

      New Price for Any Hotel, Anywhere Cards  Loyalty Traveler post Jan 25.

• $100 = 33,000 points (formerly 29,000)
• $125 = 39,000 points (formerly 34,000)
• $150 = 45,000 points (formerly 39,000)
• $200 = 60,000 points (formerly 49,000)
• $250 = 72,000 points (formerly 59,000)

3-key offer IHG Sweetheart Deal – $100 Visa card rebate for a three-day or longer stay at any IHG hotel worldwide within 90 days of 2011 wedding in U.S. or Canada. (LT Jan 11)

Points & Cash Program Change:  Priority Club Points & Cash Reward nights increased the cost of 5,000 Priority Club points to $40 from $30. The cost to buy 10,000 points remains unchanged at $60. Loyalty Traveler post (Nov 19)

Cheaper Hilton Reward nights using Priority Club points – Hotels Anywhere allows Priority Club members to spend points for hotels in other chains. My study shows there are numerous Hilton Hotels requiring fewer Priority Club points than Hilton HHonors charges its members in HHonors points. (LT post Sep 17)

IHG Friend & Family Hotel Rates (Steve Sickel). Steve Sickel is senior Vice President Relationship Marketing for InterContinental Hotels Group. During the hotel recession of 2009 he offered this link to FlyerTalk members for booking discount friends and family rates. This link is still active. And we are all friends of Steve’s. Here is a FlyerTalk thread discussing this rate deal. The link in Steve Sickel’s name leads to the offer page for a voucher to complete. Some guests mention the hotel wants the completed voucher at check-in. These rates do not qualify for points or stay credit. One of the best features of this offer is the ability to book high category rooms at steep discount.

Program Change: Ambassador Annual Membership Fee Increased from $150 to $200 as of July 1, 2010. You can also buy Ambassador membership for 32,000 Priority Club Rewards points (formerly 24,000). Renewal fee is still $100.

Priority Club Points Exchange Value and Points.com – Loyalty traveler research (Jan 20) into the exchange value of Priority Club points into airline miles through Points.com

 

Kimpton Hotels – InTouch

* Kimpton “Summer Like a Local Rate” offer gives a $25 nightly dining credit for a rate $10 over BAR May 26-September 5.

Loyalty Traveler posted an outline of Kimpton’s InTouch program showing how 21 stays in 2011 can potentially earn 7 free nights at any Kimpton Hotel. (LT post Jan 11)

 

La Quinta Hotels – La Quinta Returns

Hotel chain and hotel loyalty program overview by Loyalty Traveler,  April 12.

* New La Quinta Returns members earn Gold elite after two nights within 60 days of enrollment. Two nights may be one stay. Gold elite promotion offer for new enrollments through August 31, but keep in mind these offers are sometimes withdrawn early.

 

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

Leaders Club Rewards program changes: Membership fees for Leaders Club Rewards dropped to $100 annual for Access level. Access membership includes complimentary breakfast for two each day of stay and free internet. Unlimited membership is $1,200 annually. Loyalty traveler post Feb 3.

Earn a free night after every 5 stays with stays in at least two LHW properties by December 31, 2011.

LHW Hotel Special Offers link

 

Marriott Hotels – Marriott Rewards

Hotel Brands: Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Ritz-Carlton, Residence Inn, Courtyard, Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites, SpringHill Suites, Edition, Autograph Collection, Marriott Vacation Club, AC Hotels. 

Marriott Rewards Earn one free night at a category 1 to 4 hotel reward after two hotel stays June 1-August 31. Registration deadline for this promotion was June 30, 2011. This offer may be earned two times during promotion. Active Marriott Rewards members may have a points offer based on 15 to 25 nights. Loyalty Traveler post May 16.

Marriott Rewards 4x miles for hotels stays June 1-August 31. Earn 8 miles per $1 or 4 miles per $1 with 13 participating airlines depending on Marriott hotel brand. Loyalty Traveler post May 27.

Program Change: All Marriott Rewards members receive complimentary internet at Asia-Pacific region hotels. Loyalty Traveler post May 2, 2011.

AC Hotels is Marriott’s newest hotel brand. AC Hotels are a Madrid-based hotel chain now partnered with Marriott and brings 90 new upscale hotels in Spain, Italy and Portugal into the Marriott Rewards system. This brand is projected to expand in Europe and Latin America. Loyalty Traveler post March 27.

Marriott Rewards Hotel Category Assignment Changes for 2011 (Loyalty Traveler March 2)

Marriott Rewards PointSavers –PointSavers reduce the points cost of a free night by one hotel category. For example, category 5 hotel requires only 20,000 points per night. 5^th night free applies to PointSavers rate. http://www.marriott.com/rewards/marriottRewardsPointSavers.mi

Marriott Points Redemption Strategy using $1,000 in Marriott Cheques. This post explains how Marriott elite members may buy $1,000 Marriott Cheques for 135,000 points. You can then pay for hotel stays and earn points and elite credit on paid stays you actually purchased indirectly with points. Loyalty Traveler post Jan 27.

Marriott Rewards Elite Rollover Nights extended for 2011. This is the third year Marriott Rewards offers elite rollover nights for elite qualifying nights over your earned elite membership. For example: Silver elite requires 10 nights in calendar year and Gold elite takes 50 nights. Stay 25 nights in 2011 and the 15 nights above Silver elite rollover to 2012 membership year. You will have earned Silver elite for 2013 from your 15 extra nights in 2011 rolled over to 2012. Confused? Don’t worry. This is a great benefit for elite members. (Loyalty Traveler 5-key offer. LT post Dec 23.)

Program change – Free internet worldwide for Gold and Platinum Marriott Rewards members beginning January 2011. This expands the complimentary internet benefit offered to elites for hotel stays in the Americas since May 2010.

 

Omni Hotels – Omni Select Guest

Member benefits include complimentary in-room Wi-Fi, shoe shine and morning beverage delivery.

Earn a free night after every 10 nights or earn 500 miles per hotel stay.

 

Preferred Hotels Group – I Prefer

I Prefer and Preferred Hotels Group special offers page.

 

Red Lion Hotels – 44 hotels in western U.S.

* Red Lion Double Points and Free Breakfast promotion code = RLDOUBLE (through Dec 31, 2011)

 

Ritz-Carlton Rewards

* Ritz-Carlton Rewards Visa – 50,000 points enrollment offer and Gold elite first year. Maintain Gold elite with $10,000 annual spending. Three confirmed Club level upgrades per year and other benefits. Loyalty Traveler post June 13.

Ritz-Carlton Rewards loyalty program launching Sep 15 (LT post Sep 14)

Reward Changes in new Ritz-Carlton Reward Tiers (LT post Sep 15)

Ritz-Carlton rewards Hotel + Air Packages Analysis (LT post Sep 16)

 

Starwood Hotels – Starwood Preferred Guest

Starwood Hotels brands: Sheraton, Westin, W Hotels, Le Meridien, Luxury Collection, St. Regis, Four Points, element, aloft. 

* $40 gas card for two-night or longer stays at Four Points, Aloft or Element hotels in North America through September 15. Must book hotel stay by July 31 using rate code SSBGAS. LT post July 6.

* Four Points $25,000 contest for best story submitted on Four Points Facebook page between June 15 and August 10. Contest open to US  and Canada (except Quebec). Also weekly prizes for two-night stay and $50 in beer credit. Contest Rules.

* 3x points for Starwood Hotels in Japan for stays and dining June 1-August 31. LT post June 26.

Starwood Preferred Guest – Stay 3 and get a free Starwood Resort hotel night from May 1-July 31, 2011. Note: Promotion registration ended June 30, 2011, so too late if you are not already registered. Free nights are good for over 200 Starwood Resorts including several category 6 and one category 7 resort. Free nights are valid until December 21.  LT post April 15. (5-key promotion)

FourSquare 250 bonus points for mobile check-in at Starwood Hotels May 1-July 31, 2011. Loyalty Traveler post May 12. Note: Most of these bonuses have quickly posted for me. I need to follow up on a couple of missing bonuses.

Starwood Preferred Guest Hotel Category reward assignment changes for 2011 took effect on March 1. My LT post (Feb 22) has a list ordered by city, state and country for changes.

Starwood Hotels data on number of hotels in each brand and average rates by brand and global region. Loyalty traveler post Feb 4.

Starwood hotels Website Enhancement – Website now allows comparison of four different rate types side-by-side for hotels in one location including promotion rates, AAA, breakfast rates, senior, government and reward nights. There are monthly calendars to locate days when Cash & Points nights are available at a specific hotel Loyalty Traveler post Nov 23, 2010. 

SPG Peak Season Rates Return for 2011. Category 5, 6 and 7 hotels relaunch peak season dates and a calendar of dates and participating hotels is posted here. Book by January 9 to lock in lower rates for your hotel stays. Loyalty traveler post Dec 6. 

Starwood Hotels Policy Change: Sheraton Hotel Club Lounges will be open 7 days a week in 2011.

Starwood Preferred Guest – American Express credit card changes effective October 14, 2010. The annual fee is increasing to $65 from $45 for renewals beginning Oct 14. Benefit changes include 5 elite nights and 2 elite stays credit each year. This will have no effect for members who qualify on stays. The SPG50 certificate will be discontinued in favor of a 3^rd night free offer at Sheraton Hotels. Loyalty traveler post (August 24); Sheraton 3^rd Night Free Analysis (Nov 12)

3-key or sometimes a 5-key promotion SPG link: Pay Your Birthyear Rate -This promotion has been extended through 2011. Rates can be an incredible 5-key savings or no savings depending on the hotel and your birthyear.   LT post 4/28/2009

3-key or sometimes a 5-key discount rates Starwood Hotel Rate Discount Codes for Multiple Night Stays.

These offers are for rate discounts on stays of 2 to 6 nights. Third night free tends to be one of the best discount rates. Important to check other rates (AAA, Senior, Special Offers) as these discounts are generally based on the Best Available Rate (BAR) and may not be the lowest overall rate for some hotels. 

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

 

Stash Hotel Rewards

Stash Hotel Rewards New Member Enrollment 1,000 bonus points link.

Stash Rewards is a one year old loyalty program for over 100 independent upscale hotels in the U.S. Loyalty Traveler post Jan 19. Loyalty Traveler has found the hotel partners with Stash Rewards in Monterey, Napa and Washington D.C. are great choices for hotel travelers. Stash Rewards offers points for many high quality independent hotels that previously had no loyalty program affiliation.

Stash Hotel Specials for Bonus Points and Low Redemption Rate Hotels

 

Voila Hotel Rewards

Loyalty Traveler profiled Voila Hotels program in light of the recent signing of two New York former Starwood W Hotels as the initial hotel members in the USA for this international loyalty program for 250 independent hotels.

* 2,500 Voila bonus points per stay through August 31 and entry into 500,000 points sweepstakes.

* Double elite credit for Voila member hotel stays through July 31. Registration required.

Wyndham Worldwide -  Wyndham Rewards

Wyndham Brands: Wyndham, Wingate, Hawthorn Suites, Ramada, Days Inn, Super 8, Howard Johnson, Travelodge, Baymont Suites, Microtel, Knights Inn, Tryp.

1,000 bonus points per Wyndham stay from June 1 –September 5, 2011. Loyalty Traveler post June 2.

* European residents only – 15,000 bonus points for two hotel stays worldwide by September 30 at most Wyndham brands. Stays must be booked by August 31. Bonus may be earned four times for 60,000 points. Loyalty Traveler post July 6.

 

Loyalty Traveler Research Articles

* Room77.com hotel room views compared to my photos. Loyalty Traveler website analysis June 22.

Comparing the value of hotel program points - compares Hyatt, Priority Club and Hilton programs, then discusses how I am planning summer travel using free night promotions. (May 2, 2011)

Hotel Loyalty Credit Cards and the Value of Hotel Points

Loyalty Traveler Analysis of Hotel Rewards Credit Cards (March 19, 2011)

Elite Status Benefits with Hotel Loyalty Credit Cards (March 21, 2011)

Hotel Credit Cards Comparison by Value of Points (September 2, 2010) 

Hotel Credit Card Comparison using NerdWallet.com Value of Points (Sep 5, 2010) 

Loyalty Traveler’s Three Rules for the Value of Hotel Points (Sep 7, 2010)

 

Hotel Points to Airline Miles Conversion Tables

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

Hotel Market Segments and Hotel Brand Profiles based on JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study

Overview JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study (Aug 10)

Loyalty Traveler comments on JD Power Luxury Segment and luxury hotel brands  (Aug 11, 2010)

Loyalty Traveler comments on JD Power Upscale Segment Hotel Brands (Aug 11)

Loyalty Traveler Comments on JD Power 2010 Midscale Full Service Brand Ratings (Aug 13, 2010)

Loyalty Traveler comments on JD Power 2010 Midscale Limited Service Brands (August 15, 2010)

Loyalty Traveler comments on JD Power 2010 Economy/Budget Hotel Brand Ratings (August 16, 2010)

Comments on JD Power 2010 Extended Stay Hotel Satisfaction Index (Aug 17)

 

Hotel Rates Survey for USA States, Cities, and Average Hotel Rates Worldwide

Hotels.com 2010 – Full Year 2010 – Global Hotel Price Index – This is a great resource for finding where hotel rates are high and low around the world. There are tables of USA average hotel rates by state and major cities.

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

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

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

Three Keys = good value hotel loyalty promotion or rate offer

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

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

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

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

• The opportunity for significantly high-value return on hotel spend in terms of future 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 hotel location and travel industry.

LivingSocial.com, a coupon discount site based out of Washington, D.C. and London, offered two online deals yesterday. One deal priced at $10,000 provided a one-night stay for four people in the recently remodeled for $20 million Fairmont San Francisco hotel’s 3-bedroom penthouse. The Fairmont San Francisco, situated at the top of Nob Hill with beautiful San Francisco Bay views, has been the grande dame hotel of San Francisco for over a century since opening in 1907 one year after the great earthquake destroyed the city.

The penthouse suite is 6,000 square feet of luxury spanning the entire eighth floor of the historic main building of the Nob Hill hotel. The penthouse includes a dining room with seating for 60, a two-story circular library, a living room with grand piano, kitchen, a billiard room and terrace with panoramic views of San Francisco. In the summer of 2009 the newly remodeled room carried a rack rate of $15,000.

The deal on LivingSocial.com:

Escape Kit

• A One-Night Stay for Two in the Presidential Suite ($2,000)
• Or, a One-Night Stay for Four in the Penthouse ($10,000)
• Both Packages Include Health Club and Group Exercise Classes, Wi-Fi, and Permanent Platinum Status to The Fairmont’s President’s Club Program
• Penthouse Package Includes a Four-Course En Suite Dinner for Four, Exclusive Tiffany’s China Set for Four, Monogrammed Robes to Keep, Bvlgari Amenities, Red-Carpet Welcome Package Valued at $500, and a Full Day’s Access to the Penthouse Mase

 

The deal also included the cheaper option for a one-night stay in the Presidential Suite at the Fairmont San Francisco for $2,000. $2,000 for one night in the Presidential Suite or even the $10,000 package for the Penthouse suites were not exactly great bargain rates for these rooms.

The Real Deal is Fairmont President’s Club Platinum elite status for Life

The component of this offer that set off a buying frenzy over a few hours on the morning of Thursday, February 24 was the side component to the room purchase offering Fairmont President’s Club Platinum elite status for life.

Fairmont President’s Club Platinum elite membership normally requires 10 hotels stays or 30 hotel nights in a calendar year. FPC Platinum elite includes a variety of high value-added benefits, including:

• One complimentary free night certificate annually (one night at Fairmont Savoy London will generally be a US$500 value.)
• Two complimentary suite upgrade certificates annually (basic category room nights at the Fairmont Scottsdale are often under $150 per night for a beautiful hotel property. Suite upgrades may be worth $200 to 400+ per night.)
• Two complimentary room upgrade certificates annually
• $100 Fairmont dining certificate or Willow Stream Spa certificates annually
• 1,000 airline miles per stay (regular members receive 500 miles per stay).

Taking into account annual value-added benefits of Platinum elite for a free night and four room upgrades annually makes the potential value of Platinum elite worth at minimum $1,000 a year for someone who spends at least 5 nights annually in Fairmont Hotels.

Assume the FPC Platinum member plans on $2,000 in Fairmont Hotel spend annually. That $2,000 will include 2 suites, two upgraded rooms, one free night and $100 dining credit. Fairmont President’s Club members also receive notice of special rates each month offering good discounts at a variety of Fairmont Hotels.

Loyalty Traveler values the FPC Platinum membership at about $2,000 in added value for someone who spends $2,000 at Fairmont Hotels over ten nights in a calendar year.

Assume 20 years of Fairmont Hotels travel as a FPC Platinum elite and this deal for $2,000 works out to a $40,000+ value for the frequent guest.

All this is on top of the real value for a night in a Presidential Suite at the Fairmont San Francisco as the centerpiece of the original offer.

A Day of Wonder                   

Stage 1: Recognize ‘The Deal’

I first saw this deal posted Wednesday afternoon by Scott Carmichael on Gadling.com in the post “Group buying gone upscale: Half off $20,000 penthouse suite at the Fairmont San Francisco”. The Gadling.com article primarily discussed the $10,000 Penthouse offer with a short reference in the end of the post about the $2,000 Presidential Suite and included the line “permanent platinum status in the Fairmont President’s Club”.  I didn’t investigate the deal further.

Thursday morning’s Boarding Area post title “Lifetime Fairmont Presidents Club Status for $2000 (and a free Presidential Suite night too)”  appearing on Gary Leff’s View from the Wing blog put the real value offer right up front on this deal and certainly caught my attention. The offer had been posted a couple hours earlier by member “whitedoor” on MilePoint and on FlyerTalk. (As Dan of DansDeals.com points out in comments, the deal was mentioned first on FlyerTalk by Shenanigans at 1:32pm Wed, Feb 23, but the more active threads for discussion of this deal became the Thur, Feb 24 “whitedoor” thread on MilePoint (no time stamp) and the FlyerTalk thread Thur, Feb 24 started 5:55am by Ktremor.

My immediate reply on Gary’s blog questioned whether this offer was meant to be. Lifetime FPC Platinum elite being offered from a third party (LivingSocial.com) is a deal that seemed rather odd to me. Considering the cost of this offer at $2,000 and the benefits being offered were for a lifetime, I felt this deal seemed way too generous.

Unfortunately, I was in transit all day traveling from D.C. to Monterey and I knew I couldn’t check the deal out carefully.

$2,000 for a lifetime of top elite frequent guest benefits at Fairmont Hotels seemed like a no brainer for one-night’s work of staying in a luxury suite in San Francisco if you travel in locations where you can really use Fairmont’s regularly every year.

Stage 2: Buy The Deal

Another component of this $2,000 Fairmont Deal on LivingSocial.com was the option to refer three people and get the deal for free. Before long members of Dan’s Deals, FlyerTalk and Milepoint were creating referral groups whereby the cost of 4 people buying the deal was only $6,000 and the individual cost for Fairmont President’s Club Platinum elite lifetime status was reduced to $1,500.

And each person still gets the one night at the Presidential Suite too.

So yesterday, I am talking about the deal all the way to IAD on the Metro and the Washington Flyer as my smartphone internet comes and goes while I check updates. (Aside: Washington, D.C. had the worst coverage I have had in years on my Verizon Wireless phone.)

My wife kept asking me if I had bought the Fairmont deal yet.

“No honey. We actually do not have $1,500 right now to spend on lifetime FPC Platinum.”

By the time I had reached Los Angeles I learned the deal was dead.

 

Stage 3 of Travel Mistake Fares and Rates – Anxiety Over The deal

Today I have been watching the third stage of the DEAL. This is the anxiety stage when you wait and wonder if the deal will be honored at the original terms that motivated you to make the purchase in the first place. By Thursday afternoon  February 24 there was discussion on DansDeals.com that the offer was an error and should have only been listed as one year of Fairmont President’s Club Platinum status.

All day Friday there was organizing, anger, and concern as it looked more and more like this deal was indeed a mistake deal regarding the lifetime Fairmont President’s Club status. Dan of DansDeals mentioned (post #83) hearing from Ana in the Sales Dept about a corporate meeting being held to discuss how to handle the offer.

Stage 4: Relief when The Deal is honored

At 2:45pm Pacific time Friday afternoon, February 25 the word came -

Ctownflyer on MilePoint/aka Dan of dansdeals.com seems to deserve kudos for keeping buyers and gawkers informed through his web presence.

Stage 5: Find the next DEAL

Cardinal rule of travel  – another deal is waiting around the corner.

Be ready, be quick, don’t hesitate, and expect to get burned now and then when a deal doesn’t work out so well.

As for Fairmont Hotels Lifetime Platinum elite membership for $2,000.

This was the real deal!

And a Presidential suite one-night stay is just a bonus.

The interesting facet of the luxury segment is just seven luxury hotel brands are ranked in the North America survey. There is no rank for Park Hyatt, Starwood brands St. Regis, Luxury Collection and Le Meridien, Accor’s Sofitel, and Hilton’s Conrad or Waldorf-Astoria Collection brand. There truly are not many luxury properties in the US with the major hotel chains.

JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study link.

JD Power Luxury Segment Satisfaction link.

The JD Power luxury segment chart led me to estimate the number of properties for each luxury hotel brand. The result shows luxury hotel brands are a small population in the overall hotel market in North America.  

Here are 15 luxury hotel brands ranked by number of properties in North America. The number of hotels was estimated by a simple count and may include some hotels scheduled to open this year. Links to property locations are included for each brand.

Ritz Carlton (Marriott Rewards redemption) = about 45 hotels in US, Mexico and Caribbean. Hotel Locations.

Four Seasons (no published loyalty program) = about 35 hotels in North America. Four Seasons  Hotel Locations. 

InterContinental Hotels (IHG Priority Club and Ambassador Club) has about 37 hotels in North America. InterContinental Hotel locations. 

Fairmont (Fairmont President’s Club) about 30 hotels.  Fairmont Hotel locations.

W Hotels (Starwood Preferred Guest) has about 20 hotels in North America. W Hotel locations.

JW Marriott (Marriott Rewards) 19 hotels in North America. JW Marriott hotel locations.

Loews (You First) has hotels in 17 cities. Loews hotel locations.

Waldorf-Astoria Collection (Hilton HHonors) 17 Hotels in North America. Several of these properties opened in the past year. I suspect WAC brand will be included in the JD Power luxury list for 2011. Waldorf-Astoria Collection hotel locations.

The Luxury Collection (Starwood Preferred Guest) 18 Properties, although three properties are in one location at The Phoenician Scottsdale. The Luxury Collection Hotel locations.

Millennium Hotels (M&C Loyalty Club) = 13 hotels in North America. Millennium Hotel locations. This brand is prevalent in New Zealand/Australia. 

Le Meridien (Starwood Preferred Guest) = 10 hotels in North America Le Meridien Hotel locations. 

St. Regis (Starwood Preferred Guest) = 8 hotels in North America.  St. Regis Hotel locations. 

Sofitel (Accor A-Club)= 9 hotels in North America.  Sofitel Hotel locations.

Park Hyatt (Hyatt Gold Passport) has only 5 North America locations. Park Hyatt Hotel locations.

Conrad Hotels (Hilton HHonors) has 5 hotels in North America. Conrad Hotel locations.

Globally the largest luxury brands in this selection are InterContinental Hotels (about 175 hotels), Le Meridien (about 100 hotels) and Sofitel (131 hotels). These brands have the vast majority of their hotels outside North America. These three brands, two of which do not rank in the JD Power luxury hotel brands for North America, surpass Ritz-Carlton (80 hotels) or Four Seasons (85 hotels) global portfolio in number of hotels.

Ritz-Carlton is a Marriott brand that partially participates in Marriott Rewards. You do not earn Marriott points for paid stays at Ritz-Carlton hotels, but you can use points for free nights at Ritz-Carlton Hotels. Marriott changed their award chart this past year to go to a 5^th night free redemption program for all their hotel brands, except Ritz-Carlton hotel awards are still progressively discounted for longer stays. The longer you stay the less Marriott points per night needed. A Tier 1 Ritz-Carlton Hotel costs 45,000 points for a one night stay, but only 25,000 points per night at 175,000 points for a seven night stay. This is a substantial savings on a seven night points stay at a Ritz-Carlton.  

One of the best values in the Marriott Rewards points catalog is PointSavers discounts for Ritz-Carlton stays.

Noticeably absent from the JD Power list of North America luxury brands is Hilton Worldwide’s Waldorf Astoria Collection. The rapid expansion of the Waldorf-Astoria Collection this past year now places the brand at 24 hotels globally with 17 in North America. These numbers will likely place Hilton’s luxury brand on the JD Power list in the next year or two. Conrad Hotels are still limited to just five locations in North America and 19 hotels worldwide.

InterContinental, W Hotels, and Loews are rated two JDPower circles. I am not too familiar with Loews having only been to two locations. I really like the Loews Lake Las Vegas (formerly a Park Hyatt), but I wonder if that property will survive with the closing of the Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas a few months ago?

W Hotels are trendy but not what I consider a luxury hotel brand in terms of service and facilities. I like the hotels for their ambience, but the typically small room size is a big detractor for the typically high price. When I am paying for a luxury hotel I want at least 500+ square feet of room space to lounge around in and the typical W Hotel room is well short of that size.

InterContinental Hotels are a better loyalty program value if you buy in to Ambassador membership for the extra benefits. The annual rate for new members increased in July to $200 or 32,000 Priority Club points.

Fairmont Hotels are great if you travel across Canada and the west coast. Fairmont President’s Club only requires ten stays for top elite membership with some nice benefits. You should sign up for FPC membership just to receive the monthly special rate offers even if you are not positioned for earning elite status.  There are some high value rate discounts for loyalty members sent each month in email.

 

Loyalty Traveler related post: August 10 Overview of JD Power North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study

Loyalty Traveler Comments on JD Power 2010 Upscale Hotel Brand Ratings (Aug 11, 2010)

Loyalty Traveler Comments on JD Power 2010 Midscale Full Service Brand Ratings (Aug 13, 2010)

Loyalty Traveler comments on JD Power 2010 Midscale Limited Service Brands (August 15, 2010)

Loyalty Traveler comments on JD Power 2010 Economy/Budget Hotel Brand Ratings (August 16, 2010)

Comments on JD Power 2010 Extended Stay Hotel Satisfaction Index (Aug 17)

Fairmont Newport Beach is gifting one free weekend night in a junior suite with breakfast for two and complimentary valet parking for the worthiest Mom & apple pie raconteur who fans both the Fairmont Newport Beach Facebook page and the Visit Newport Beach Facebook page and leaves a comment on the Newport Beach – Southern California Facebook wall.

There are currently only 25 comments. Winner will be announced May 3.

Fairmont Newport Beach

Think your Mother deserves a stay at the lovely Fairmont Newport Beach for Mother’s Day? Visit and become a fan of Newport Beach at http://bit.ly/bZXa9D and see contest details. You could be entered to win a 1-Night Weekend Stay at Fairmont Newport Beach in a Junior Suite with Complimentary Valet Parking and Breakfast for 2 in Bambu Restaurant. You must be a fan of us and the Southern California-Newport Beach.

Winner will be announced on May 3rd. Good Luck!

Fairmont President’s Club Premier and Platinum members who book an “Everyone’s an Original” or “Winter Sale” rate by 12 noon EST, Thursday, January 28 for a stay between January 25 and April 15, 2010 will receive a complimentary suite upgrade certificate valid for a subsequent stay before February 28, 2011. Promotion link with terms and conditions for complimentary suite certificate offer.

Fairmont President’s Club Premier membership requires 5 stays or 10 nights in a calendar year. Platinum membership takes 10 stays or 30 nights in a calendar year.

Fairmont San Jose has rates as low as $99.

Fairmont San Francisco has rates as low as $149.

Last month I toured several Fairmont San Francisco suites. Wow! What a city view from the Tower suites. And a telescope in the room makes the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and Coit Tower seem so much closer.

Participating Fairmont Hotels in North American Cities

Participating Fairmont Hotels in North American Resorts

Participating Fairmont Hotels in International locations

AAA has released their 2010 list of 5-Diamond hotels and resorts. (AAA 2010 list pdf link) As usual the list is dominated by Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons. One great thing about Ritz-Carlton hotels is the ability to use Marriott Reward points for stays. Marriott Rewards offers great deals for multiple night stays with discounts starting at 2 nights. Fortunately for the luxury guest these award nights did not change to a 5th night free system with the January 2009 changes to Marriott Rewards redmption tables. And while Marriott Rewards lets you spend points for Ritz-Carlton, you don’t earn Marriott Rewards points for paid stays. Four Seasons does not offer a points-based hotel loyalty program. Cash and credit cards are accepted for nights at Four Seasons hotels.

 

 

 

The first hotel from the AAA 5-Diamond 2010 list  to catch my attention is the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco being the only hotel in the city to make the grade. The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco has always struck me as the hotel staff most aware of their environment and their guests for the hotels I hang around in San Francisco. And I absolutely love the old bank building entrance with the marble columns.

 

 

 

I have to get around to more luxury hotels on the west coast. I’ve been to just 14 of 34 hotels in the west with this year’s AAA 5-Diamond rating and most of those were in Nevada, Arizona, and Washington. I need a good, long road trip through California this winter to check out more of these luxury establishments when hotel rates are typically at their annual lows.

Kelley and I dined at the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay last January. That was a solemn day after her tests confirmed cancer. The drive down California Highway 1 was beautiful and warm that day. Standing on the bluffs overlooking the Pacific takes the mind to a better place.

 

 

 

I raved about the St. Regis Monarch Beach from my stay in September after the end of Kelley’s nine months of cancer treatment. She could finally swim again.

 

 

 

My parents stayed at the Starwood Hotels Luxury Collection hotel, The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Arizona using their free nights from the SPG summer promotion based on my recommendation.

 

 

 

 

The Fairmont Scottsdale had rates around $100 per night several times this year.  Just goes to show luxury does not have to empty the bank account.

 

 

 

JW Marriott at Camelback Inn is a beautiful desert setting, but I think the pool area is too small for the resort.

Las Vegas has beautiful hotels, but if swimming is your thing then Las Vegas is not the place to be. Gambling revenue enhancement means pools in this desert oasis are closed early in the evening (5 pm to 8 pm at most casino hotels).

 

 

 

 

Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel is idyllic for sunset views.

 

 

 

Some people need a major hotel chain some of the time. Other people desire a major hotel chain most of the time.

 

There are 7 “hotelmart” chains. [I just thought of that term and I like it. Could I coin the phrase?

Too late. I checked and found a discount hotel website HotelMartUSA.com. So, I will just borrow the term for now.]

 

There are 7 global hotel chains with 3,000+ hotels. Four of the hotel chains are predominately mid-scale or economy lodging with Wyndham, Choice, Best Western, and Accor’s Motel 6 properties in the US. The higher proportion and absolute number of upscale hotels is why I limit my hotelmart comparisons to Hilton, InterContinental Hotels Group, and Marriott chains.

 

Here are numbers based on end of year 2008 from the HotelsMag.com survey. Most of these 10-month old numbers are likely bigger now, but they are sufficiently precise for a hotel chain size overview.

 

Wyndham Hotel Group = 7,043 hotels

(Hotel brands: Wyndham, Ramada, Days Inn, Howard Johnson, Travelodge, Super 8, Knights Inn, Wingate, Baymont, Microtel, Hawthorn Suites)

 

Choice Hotels = 5,827 hotels

(Hotel brands: Comfort Inn, Cambria Suites, Quality Inn, Clarion, Sleep Inn, EconoLodge, Rodeway Inn, Suburban, MainStay Suites)  

 

InterContinental Hotels Group = 4,186 hotels

(Hotel brands: Holiday Inn and HI Express, Crowne Plaza, Staybridge Suites, InterContinental Hotels, Hotel Indigo, Candlewood Suites)

 

Best Western = 4,000 hotels

(Hotel brand – Best Western)

 

Accor Hotels = 3,982 hotels (France based chain with few hotels in USA aside from Motel 6)

(Hotel brands: Motel 6, Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel, Mercure, Suite Hotels, Ibis, allseasons, Etap, Hotel F1, Formule 1)

 

Hilton Hotels = 3,265 hotels

(Hotel brands: Hilton, Embassy Suites, Doubletree, Crowne Plaza, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites, Waldorf Astoria Collection, Conrad Hotels, Hilton Grand Vacations)

 

Marriott Hotels = 3,178 hotels

(Hotel brands: Marriott, Renaissance, Courtyard, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites, SpringHill Suites, J.W. Marriott, Marriott Vacation Club International, Ritz-Carlton Hotels)

 

Hotel chain size drops from the mega-chain size of 3,000 to 7,000 properties down to just around 1,000 hotels for the next largest hotel chains of Starwood Hotels and Carlson Hotels (Radisson Hotels parent company). Hyatt Hotels is small fry at 413 hotels, but their loyalty program has incredible benefits for travelers to major cities and resorts in the USA and around the world which is why I include them in my predominately big five loyalty program coverage of Hilton HHonors, Marriott Rewards, InterContinental Hotels Group, Starwood Preferred Guest, and Hyatt Gold Passport.

 

Other programs high on the scale of market segment I like to focus on are Fairmont President’s Club and Kimpton In Touch (hey, I’m 116 miles from San Francisco). Several of the small hotel associations like Preferred Group, Leading Hotels of the World, and Small Luxury Hotels pop up on my radar throughout the year with excellent hotel finds or promotional rates.

 

 

Last July I broke down the hotel numbers for each brand in these chains:

Marriott Hotels – http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2009/07/09/marriott-hotels-profile-by-numbers/

InterContinental Hotels Group – http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2009/07/09/intercontinental-hotels-group-profile-by-numbers/

Hilton Hotels Family – http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2009/07/07/hilton-hotels-chain-profile-by-numbers/

Starwood Hotels – http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2009/07/09/starwood-hotels-profile-by-numbers/

Hyatt Hotels – http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2009/07/09/hyatt-hotels-profile-by-numbers/

Enough of the pedantic overview of hotel brands and on to the main topic of earning points with IHG, Hilton, and Marriott.

(This is my schoolteacher nod to Louis Sacher and his “Wayside School” books. These posts were published in reverse order so they will read directly from one to the other only if you are on the Loyalty Traveler homepage.)

 

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fairmont Hotels sends me a monthly email titled,

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

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

                Banff, Canada $139CAD

                Montreux, Switzerland 159CHF

                Newport Beach, California $135

                Scottsdale, Arizona $98

                Washington, D.C. $139

                Waterfront, Vancouver $139CAD

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

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

 

 

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

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

Two Doubles:

FPC member Great Rate (nonrefundable):

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

 

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

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

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

 

Deluxe King:

FPC member Great Rate (nonrefundable):

$138 per night; $617.80 all-in

 

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

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

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

 

Gold Junior Suite:

FPC member Great Rate (nonrefundable):

$188 per night; $841.64 all-in

 

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

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

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

  

 

Casita Suite 850 sq. ft.

FPC member Great Rate (nonrefundable):

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

 

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

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

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

                FlyerTalk thread link to Friends & family rate

 

Cholla Suite 925 sq. ft.

FPC member Great Rate (nonrefundable):

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

 

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

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

                Friends & Family Rate not displayed for this room category.

 

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

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

 

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

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

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