Yesterday a rate mistake of $60 per night for the Westin New York at Times Square was published on FlyerTalk and then re-posted on View from the Wing. That was a significant discount for a hotel with rates typically in the $400 per night range. The rate mistake was fixed yesterday and this deal is no longer available.

How many Westin Times Square rooms were booked at $60 per night?

Dozens, hundreds, thousands of rooms?

The Westin New York at Times Square with 863 rooms could probably accommodate several thousand $60 per night bookings.

I saw Gary’s post early enough to probably book rooms at that $60 rate. For my own reasons I didn’t even check for available dates.

Publishing Mistake Rates and Best Rate Guarantee Claims Read More…

The Hyatt Courtesy Card is just one of the new aspects of hotel loyalty programs I learned about today in my Hotel Loyalty Programs presentation at the FlyerTalk Chicago Seminar Do.

Last night I ate dinner with a 400,000 mile per year frequent flyer and leisure traveler InterContinental Royal Ambassador. He showed me his certificate for complimentary Royal Ambassador status to another person. One of the perks of being Royal Ambassador is complimentary in-room mini-bar items.

So how does one reach these invitational über-elite status levels?

Being someone with influence, high spend, frequent stays, and true loyalty revenue potential.

There is a FlyerTalk thread on Hyatt Courtesy Card über-elite status. Here is my favorite line from the Hyatt thread in an experiential post from Hyatt Courtesy Card member InJapan:

“Sometimes, you get the very best suite the hotel has to offer, the very best means you are walking a long way from kitchen to bedroom. These are the rooms usually featured on the hotels homepage, with super sized entry, separate living area, office, kitchen, and a workout area in the bathroom.”

Well, perhaps this sentence from the post is even more entertaining –  

“Is there anything above CC? Probably the only thing better is being one of the owner’s children.”

Here is a link to a 13-photo display of the Courtesy Card package, materials and card. The package comes with a robe.

There is also an article in October 2010 Executive Travel magazine by Alessandra Bianchi about these über-elite status levels – The New VIP Hotel Experience.

Frugal Travel Guy, Rick Ingersoll (ingy) and friends have put together an incredible weekend of loyalty program seminars covering airlines, rental cars, and hotels. The event is open for registration today and hotel room bookings at the Holiday Inn Elk Grove seminar location.

All the details are listed on the first page of this FlyerTalk thread.

You may want to register for the seminars and book a room quickly as this event looks like it has already generated a groundswell of interest.

Satori is presenting a Loyalty Traveler hotel programs seminar at the Chicago FlyerTalk MegaDO this October 16-17. I realized this morning that I am the only presenter in the FlyerTalk line-up who is listed by my real name, Ric Garrido, rather than my FlyerTalk handle – satori.

You may not know that Ric Garrido, the Loyalty Traveler also posts as “satori” on FlyerTalk since I probably have the lowest post count (1,838 posts in 10.6 years) and lowest per day posting average (0.48 posts per day for the past decade) of all the presenters after 11 years hanging out on FlyerTalk since May 1999.

Here is my seminar description that I quickly wrote in a few minutes so the agenda will likely change as I actually create a presentation.

Seminar #6 Hotel Loyalty Progams

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Actual Scheduled Time is Sunday, Oct 17, 11AM to 12:45 PM

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

* Cheap Elite (How little can I spend and maintain top-elite status?)
* Surveying top-elite status across hotel programs (Who gets what at hotels when you are elite?)
* Comparative value of points across programs. (What does 1,000 points buy in award value?)
* Advice for finding the lowest hotel rates that still earn points (tips for finding low rates on hotel’s corporate websites, including Special Offers, Twitter and Facebook.)
* Advice for finding lower hotel rates when a cheap room is more important than points (Forget the points! Employee rates; cheap night deals).
* How online travel agencies fit into the hotel loyalty program world and when to use an online travel agency
* Hotel mattress runs (Tips on planning and how to not ruin a vacation trip with someone you love)
* Survey of Points-to-Miles exchange rates across hotel programs (If SPG is your only miles exchange program, then you are missing out on some better deals.)
* Buying points (Tips and advice)
* Best value awards (Cash & Points, Hotel + Miles packages, PointBreaks/Savers/Stretchers)
* Aspirational hotel loyalty awards (Paradise with an ocean view!)
* Hotel Loyalty Planning for 2011 (What will happen after two years of unprecedented loyalty promotions?)

I welcome additional topic suggestions from potential seminar participants.”

Here is the Seminar line-up and registration information as shown on FlyerTalk:

Chicago Seminar DO October 16th and 17th 2010

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The stars aligned somehow and a host of speakers are available to put on multiple seminars all in one weekend this fall in the Windy City.

The event will be October 16th and 17th And here is the seminar lineup:

1. Rookie Bootcamp led by Bikeguy
2. Mileage Run #1 with Viajero Joven as leader. Hooray VJ is back.
3. Mileage Run #2 with Wanaflyforless
4. Booking Award Travel by Gleff
5. Good Credit = Free Travel and How to Bump by Ingy and Lucky9876coins
6. Hotel Loyalty Programs by Ric Garrido of the Loyalty Traveler blog
7. The Rental Car Kings with Mrp Alert and Evan!
8. The Legends of Flyertalk with confirmations so far by Pudding Guy, Beaubo, MrPickles, Wanaflyforless and more to come. Yes, we have asked Randy.
9. Coupon Connection Event moderated by Beaubo
10. Alliance Roundtable with Wanaflyforless on OneWorld, Beaubo on Skyteam and Gleff on the Star Alliance. The LCC’s will also be included
11. Sponsors Roundtable will offer eight 10 to12 minutes presentations by those websites, resorts, etc supporting this event.

Registration

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Registration is Now Open for the Chicago Seminar DO

1. No one under 18 will be allowed in the presentation rooms for any reason for any amount of time. No exceptions. If you must bring someone who can’t be left alone, you will need to arrange for a babysitter. PM the Chicago local contact “toomanybooks,” who will look into that possibility.

2. We are requesting no media and no recording or video of any of the presentations.

3. You may register for 5 seminars plus the Rookie Bootcamp and the Sponsors Roundtable.

(Remember that Mileage Run #1 is a 4-hour event and will count as 2 of your 5 seminars.)

4. Note that 2 seminars will be running at all times, except during Rookie Bootcamp and the Sponsors Workshop. Please make sure you aren’t selecting two simultaneous seminars. Seminar Hopping is disrespectful to the presenters and disruptive to the audience. Please refrain from “hopping”

5. Edwin “Win” Schaeffer (“toomanybooks” on Flyertalk) is handling the registration fees and tabulating your seminar selections.

REMEMBER TO PAY $20 FOR EACH PERSON ATTENDING.

The two methods for paying the $20 registration fee are:

A. Paypal to Win’s account.
The Paypal address is efsebay@aol.com
This method is greatly preferred, because you will be registered instantly. If you can pay from your Paypal balance or from your checking account (choose “personal”), you will save us the 2.9% + 30 cents fee.

See details here:
https://cms.paypal.com/cgi-bin/marketingweb?cmd=_render-content&content_ID=marketing_us/send_money_how_it_works

B. Check or money order payable to “Edwin Schaeffer” and mailed to PO Box 335, Flossmoor, IL 60422.
In this case, you will be registered when your check clears. Should we have a flood of registrations, which is likely considering the many responses we have had (both public and private), it is possible that we will fill up before your check can even arrive, so please try to use Paypal if at all possible.

Using either method we need the following information (put it in the Paypal memo box):
1. Your name, address, and phone number.
2. Email address
3. Flyertalk handle (preferred) or a six to eight character “handle of your choosing.” This will be used to notify you that your registration has been completed. We don’t want to post your real name online. You will be able to access the registrant information either at a Google Doc we are establishing, or in the thread itself for the seminars. Please check it for accuracy.
Notes accompanying your registration should look like this:

Jane Doe, 123 Main St, Chicago,IL 98765, 202-123-4567, jdoe@gmail.com, Seminars # 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, and 10

Note: this example includes the Rookie Bootcamp, hence 6 seminars.

Remember that Mileage Run #1 (seminar #2) is 4 hours long and counts as 2 of your 5 (or 7 with Bootcamp and Sponsors) seminars.

None of the meeting organizers is being compensated from these fees although leftover funds may help with their lodging expenses. The presenters are generously paying their own way to the event.

6. Please note that we reserve the right to change the schedule depending on number of responses or other contingencies. If very few people are interested in a specific seminar, it might be canceled or held after hours in the lounge or something.

7. We will certainly need volunteers to handle various tasks such as coordinating carpools to/from ORD. PM “toomanybooks” if you can help.

8. Host hotel reservation procedures are described below in the Meeting Planners Post. This hotel will probably sell out quickly as the per night charge is quite reasonable. Those staying onsite will be provided free breakfast and lunch both days (1st occupant per room) and a two-hour cocktail party Saturday evening. People staying offsite or at home or the second person in a room will pay for those things separately. Please follow the information in the post below:

We will be using two separate seminar rooms and anticipate the following schedule: Subject to change (based on who knows what at this point?)

Saturday

8AM to 9 Breakfast

9AM to 9:45 AM Rookie Bootcamp

9:45 AM to 10 Coffee Break

10AM to 11:45 Mileage Run Seminar 1(part 1) or Award Booking

11:45 to 1:00 PM Lunch

1:00PM to 2:45 PM Mileage Run Seminar 1(part2) or The Rental Car Kings

2:45PM to 3:00 PM Coffee Break

3PM to 5PM Mileage Run Seminar 2 or Good Credit and Bumps

5:00 PM to 6:30 PM Relax It’s been a long day

6:30PM to 8:30PM Meet for Dinner (onsite or offsite) or on your own

8:30PM to 10:30PM Open Bar Reception for Hotel Guests

Sunday

8AM-9AM Breakfast

9AM to 10:45 AM Sponsors Workshop

10:45 AM to 11 AM Coffee Break

11AM to 12:45PM Alliance Roundtable or Hotel Loyalty Programs

12:45 AM to 2:00 PM Lunch

2:00 PM to 4:00 PM Coupon Connection or Legends of Flyertalk

4PM Close and Have a Safe Trip Home

__________________
Check out the Chicago Seminar DO

Satori’s Background

My first miles coup was the Healthy Choice chocolate pudding deal (120,000 miles for $500) in May and June 1999. This same deal made FlyerTalk’s Pudding Guy a legend when he earned 1.25 million miles for around $3,200. You may see there is a discrepancy in the math – Pudding Guy got 10x more miles for 6x more dollars. Pudding Guy got his UPC pudding stickers posted by the May 31 deadline for double miles and I only had a portion of my pudding receipts purchased and mailed by May 31, 1999. Pudding Guy is scheduled to be at the Chicago Do. In retrospect everyone thinks what a great deal and why didn’t I get in on it? They don’t know what it was like to wonder if Healthy Choice would even honor the discount priced pudding cups from Canned Food Warehouse purchases. Like most gambles the deal looks great after you win.

I planned and purchased my first 300,000 bonus miles mileage run from the information I learned on FlyerTalk before I even joined the FlyerTalk bulletin board in November 1999. I should have earned 400,000 bonus miles from my five airline oneworld alliance industrial tour of Manchester, Rotterdam, and Barcelona, however, I was still a novice at the fine art of deciphering airline partner eligible booking codes in 1999.

I never made that mistake again.

In 2000 I completed the LatinPass 1,000,000 mile promotion. I used the Healthy Choice miles to fly to Miami and Ecuador for the start of the LatinPass trips. I had a scary moment when the Quito airport police pulled me out of line and wanted to know why I had left Quito, Ecuador flown to Lima, Peru and back to Quito again on the same day. I barely made my flight.

In 2001 I traveled to Asia several times when United had Singapore-San Francisco tickets for under $300 all-in. Notice the starting city was Singapore. I used miles to get to Singapore to start back-to-back mileage runs. I reached Mileage Plus 1K with a terribly sore butt. My wife and I had the month of October 2001 off in our year-round school teaching schedule and we traveled to Europe several times on the incredible bargains after 9-11 while visiting our parents on stopovers in the states.

In 2002 we earned 500,000 miles for under $2,000 with the Star Alliance 5^th anniversary promotion.

In 2003 I started focusing on hotel travel and we earned 120,000 Starpoints for $1,800 while touring Australia during Starwood’s Asia-Pacific promotion to Stay in 5 Starwood Hotel brands for 50,000 bonus points.

It was a tough decision to go to Australia in 2003 since I had already planned a trip across Scandinavia using Scandic Hotels at 10,000 HHonors points per night. Then HHonors changed their award chart and I cashed 800,000 points for GLON 6-night awards before the rate went up from 100,000 points to 150,000 points. The British Airways award changes in June 2003 were the deciding factor. The cost of BA First Class from USA-London-Asia-Australia increased from 150,000 miles to 420,000 miles. My wife and I planned a 5 week trip to Europe and Australia in First Class, while earning 120,000 Starpoints in Australia and staying a couple of weeks in European Hilton Hotels for free. The $56,000 First Class tickets cost about $500 all-in after taxes. BA had to pay Australia a $5,000AUD fine when I arrived in Melbourne and the immigration officials learned that BA had never issued an electronic visa for my arrival. My face dropped when immigration took me to the special room at 4am until the officer finally explained that BA was responsible for paying the fine and not me.

In 2003 I earned 140,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles for $700 with 35 flight segments across the Pacific Northwest. My wife flew British Airways First Class to Europe using 100,000 Alaska miles.

I accumulated about 4,000,000 miles from mileage runs between 1999 and 2004. I earned another 1,000,000 or so miles from internet shopping portals like ClickRewards, MyPoints, GreenPoints, and a whole slew of other programs that offered miles and hotel points until the markets crashed and most of these programs went out of business by 2001.

I haven’t done a mileage run since 2007 when I flew back-to-back trips from Buenos Aires to New York in Delta Business Class on $500 tickets. I finally found satori flying over the Andes of Chile and Argentina and like Tom Hanks character in Forrest Gump, I just stopped running.

Hyper-mobility across the globe was replaced by a desire to spend more time with family and hang out in nice hotel rooms at a leisurely pace.  

Hope to see you in Chicago.

The George Clooney movie “Up in the Air” about a frequent business traveler feeling the love from American Airlines and Hilton HHonors will be released December 2009.  Hilton HHonors has launched a dedicated sweepstakes website to accompany the movie release with a chance for HHonors members to win a grand prize of one million HHonors points, HHonors Diamond status for a year, and a trip to Paris for two with a stay at the Hilton Arc de Triomphe. 

The sweepstakes is divided into 10 weekly prizes and the Grand Prize. Contestants need to make a booking for a Hilton Hotel during the contest week to be eligible for the weekly prize. Hilton Hotels is the only Hilton brand eligible for the sweepstakes, so forget about those Hampton Inn, Doubletree, and Homewood Suites bookings. Only one entry per week will be counted.

The sweepstakes began November 3 and this is Prize Week #2 from November 10-November 16. The prize for week 2 is a private screening for the movie with up to 200 of your friends.

What counts for the weekly sweepstakes entry is the date you book the hotel stay – not the date of the hotel stay. Make a reservation today at a participating Hilton Hotel for a stay in February 2010 and you will be entered into this week’s contestant pool.

Here is the hiltonupintheair.com link to the weekly prizes.

Week 1, Nov 3-9: Movie Premiere and two-night stay at Beverly Hilton, roundtrip airfare for two and ground transportation.

Week 2, Nov 10-16: Private screening of movie with 200 friends

Week 3, Nov 17-23: 150,000 Hilton HHonors points and Gold VIP membership for one year.

Week 4, Nov 24-30: 3 nights in Presidential Suite, Hilton St. Louis Ballpark, air travel by American Airlines, $150 dining certificate

Week 5, Dec 1-7: Hilton Serenity Collection bed and bedding

Week 6, Dec 8-14: 200,000 Hilton HHonors points and Gold VIP membership for one year.

Week 7, Dec 15-21: 3 nights at Hilton Hawaiian Village and 3 nights at Hilton Waikoloa and air travel for two

Week 8, Dec 22-28: TravelPro luggage set and Hilton in-room amenities – robe, ice bucket, coffee maker, alarm clock.

Week 9, Dec 29-Jan 4: 250,000 points Hilton HHonors and Gold VIP membership for one year.

Week 10, Jan 5-11: Two nights at Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort, air travel for two, $150 dining credit

Grand Prize: 1,000,000 HHonors points, Diamond VIP membership for one year and trip to Paris.

The hiltonupintheair.com website has a trailer and photos from the movie. I am looking forward to seeing the movie next year.

Another section on the hiltonupintheair.com website is called “Our Stories” where hotel managers discuss some of the frequent guests who stayed at their hotels.

 

Ric Garrido’s “Hilton Up in the Air” story or “How I became a poverty jet set HHonors millionaire.”

In the summer of 1999 I found FlyerTalk and I learned about the opportunities to play the frequent flyer loyalty game for some incredible travel bargains. There was a promotion from September through December 1999 for flights with the oneworld alliance airlines including American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Iberia, Cathay Pacific, Finnair.

100,000 bonus miles were earned for flying one segment on 5 different oneworld airlines. Fly 4 airlines earned 50,000 miles. Fly 3 airlines earned 25,000 miles. The strategy I learned from FlyerTalk was not to submit any frequent flyer number in the passenger record, keep the tickets and boarding passes from each flight, and then submit the different boarding passes to different frequent flyer programs for retroactive credit and multiple promotion bonuses.

For example, I flew Cathay Pacific from Manchester, UK to Amsterdam and back. One boarding pass for the outbound flight went to British Airways and the other boarding pass for the inbound flight went to American Airlines. I was able to use different flight segments from one roundtrip ticket to qualify for multiple bonuses. This was playing by the rules of the promotion since each frequent flyer program registered miles for a unique flight segment. There was no double dipping on flight segment credit.

Ultimately my wife and I ended up with a 300,000 miles in bonuses with British Airways and American Airlines. I actually missed out on 100,000 bonus miles due to my ignorance of booking fare codes and the purchase of a fare code with Cathay Pacific that was not eligible for earning miles with American AAdvantage. (In 2002 after a few years of FlyerTalk training I completed a mileage run for the Star Alliance 5^th anniversary promotion for 55,555 miles. The promo also required 5 airline members. I purchased five 4-segment airline tickets with United, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Austrian, and bmi to earn 55,555 miles with four programs: ANA, Mexican, United, and Lufthansa.)

Our first mileage run in 1999 was done over two teacher holidays during the November Thanksgiving break and the December/New Year’s  break. We traveled San Francisco-Reno-Las Vegas- Los Angeles-Vancouver-San Francisco on American Airlines and Canadian Airlines (acquired by Air Canada in 2000). We flew London-Manchester (British Airways), Manchester-Amsterdam (Cathay Pacific), and Amsterdam-Barcelona (Iberia) in December.

The airfare was a drain on our bank accounts and the cost of hotels in Europe looked formidable until I realized an opportunity available through Hilton HHonors.

Hilton HHonors allows frequent flyer miles from some programs to be exchanged into HHonors points. I exchanged 50,000 TWA miles in 1999 into 100,000 Hilton HHonors points which allowed us to stay at the Barcelona Hilton and Rotterdam Hilton for 7 free nights. (Amsterdam Hilton was unavailable.)

The LatinPass promotion was announced a week after we returned home from Amsterdam. LatinPass was another Hilton HHonors airline miles to HHonors points exchange program participant. In the spring of 2000 I flew around Central America, the Caribbean, and South America on 10 LatinPass airline qualifying flights, partner flights with KLM and National Airlines (defunct Las Vegas start-up), completed some hotel stays with Radisson, Holiday Inn, and Marriott, and a 5-day car rental.

In summer 2000 I received 1,014,000 miles in my LatinPass frequent flier account. Over the next two  years I exchanged 660,000 LatinPass miles into 1,320,000 HHonors points before LatinPass and Hilton HHonors ended their partnership.

Hilton HHonors 6-night VIP awards were 100,000 points until June 2003. My favorite redemption was a 6-night stay at the Amsterdam Hilton for 100,000 points. When I returned home I saw I had earned over 40,000 points for the award stay. I don’t think I paid more than $50 upon checkout at the end of the award stay. Basically, I stayed 6 nights at the Amsterdam Hilton for 10,000 points per night.

Loyalty Traveler is ranked #73 in the Top 100 Travel Blogs on Technorati today. Yesterday my blog was #72, so my star is already fading. Like Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, Jack in the movie “Titanic”, I’ll gloriously ride the waves at the front of the ship as King of the World today before I go under tomorrow. For the time being I’m elated to be listed in Technorati’s top 100 Travel Blogs.

 

 

The best aspect of the Technorati recognition is I am staying at my parent’s house in Las Vegas (going home to Monterey today) and I was able to show my mom the Technorati page with the Top 100 Travel icon. My dad asked me again, the fifth time this week, “What is a blog?”

I happened to be reading the State of the Blogosphere 2009 report being posted each day this week on Technorati.

Reading over the SOTB2009 report, I thought to myself, “Yeah, I fit the professional blogger profile. I have a graduate degree (labor studies), work like a dog over 40 hours a week for virtually no pay, I’ve been at this for over two years, and I have launched four or five websites.”

I also fit Stephen Colbert’s moniker of “internet hobo”. I’m a bootstrapper blogger and lifestyle entrepreneur struggling to carve out a living as a travel writer and social media player in a narrow niche of the travel industry before I go bankrupt.

Only 17% of professional bloggers in the SOTB 2009 report their primary income source comes from blogging. I currently fall in the 83% who do not get their primary source of income from my blog, however, I do earn my primary meager income from writing.

After browsing through the SOTB report I read the Penelope Trunk interview and her response to the question, “What’s your advice for aspiring professional bloggers?”

“Professional blogger? Really? Think about your blog as an audience builder for selling something that has a higher margin than advertising.”

 

Some advertising revenue from my blog sounds rather nice to me at the moment.

 

 

Odds are against a self-employed travel writer surviving as a viable business entity. I launched a Hotels-and-Points newsletter two years ago and sold one copy after four monthly issues. Obviously I needed a new business model. Then, I moved into blogging with the basic axiom of “write it, share it with the world for free, and they will come”.

The Loyalty Traveler blog has always been planned as a way to build an audience by sharing travel tips and analysis with others who may not realize the potential of hotel loyalty programs or simply desire more information about hotel loyalty programs. The leisure traveler and/or business traveler has scarce information on the value of hotel loyalty programs validating, analyzing, and critiquing the information provided by the corporate hotel entities aside from the FlyerTalk forums and the blogs on BoardingArea, SmarterTravel, and FrequentFlier.

 

The developing aspect of my business is Loyalty Traveler’s role as a marketer of California, and more specifically the marketing of my local region in the Monterey Peninsula and San Francisco.

“Travel globally, promote locally” is a business objective of Loyalty Traveler.

My aspiration is simple, but difficult to realize.  Work independently for myself in collaboration with the travel industry, provide real value to other travelers and the hotel travel industry as a writer and educator, and create a sustainable travel-oriented business that can keep me self-employed for the next 20+ years.

I’m not trying to build an empire, just make a basic living so I can afford to continue my life in Monterey  –  the environmentally, aesthetically, and culturally cool area of California where I was born and would like to remain. And of course, I desire to continue traveling the world which has been much more difficult since I became entirely self-employed 30 months ago.

Travel loyalty programs have allowed me to travel well on a rather limited travel budget for the past two decades. Some call it gaming the system. I call it travel economics and getting the best value for the money you spend as a smart shopper.

The real point of Loyalty Traveler blog is to build an audience and develop a community of travelers who can help each other travel better wherever our travels take us. I am a facilitator who brings up issues in my blog. I need readers to contribute additional insight to develop and grow the information into the knowledge base we need to travel better. So please leave comments on my blog. I have met some wonderful travelers and travel industry professionals through Loyalty Traveler. It takes a community to be successful in social media.

Honestly, I am not clear how I should develop my relationship with the hotel industry. Affiliate marketing, sponsorships, accept freebies so I can stay in more hotels and have more places to write about?

I’m looking for a win-win relationship where I can market hotels, hotel travel, and the value of loyalty programs while remaining a consumer advocate.

Admittedly I have made some errors in content, made some mis-steps in public relations, and I’ve probably been too critical of some hotels and hotel loyalty programs in public with my blog. But always I have strived to be honest and accurate, and constructive in my criticism. When aspects of my hotel experience suck I think many other frequent guests probably had a similar experience. I try and separate what I believe are one-time circumstances compared to what are likely systemic issues with a hotel or program.

I admit when I’m wrong, apologize when I go over the top (or delete, although nothing can really be deleted once it is published to the web), and I reach out to help others when and where I can. I desire to build a lasting relationship with the hotel industry as a traveler, writer, and consumer advocate. Hey hotel PR people –email me. And don’t be afraid to comment on my blog.

Loyalty Traveler blog needs to improve both technically and stylistically. That is an immediate objective. My writing needs to improve aesthetically. That is a life-long process.

I work to create trust with my readers by providing high value and accurate content. Believe me. I beat myself up whenever I realize I published a content error.

My main goal is to remain true to myself and the community of travelers seeking value for their travel dollars. Sustainable travel should allow travelers to get good value for money spent (i.e. not get ripped off). I will continue to develop Loyalty Traveler with the simple aim of providing a community of travelers informed analysis of hotel value for frequent guests.               

And that is all for my self-reflection as Loyalty Traveler blogger and entrepreneur. Anyone with teacher training knows self-reflection is a vital part of professional development.

My next blog post will be back on track with a hotel topic.

Congratulations to:

Debbie Dubrow – Delicious Baby #1 Travel Blog 10-20-09

Heather Cowper – Heather on her Travels #9 Travel Blog 10-20-09

Gary Leff – View from the Wing  #23 Travel Blog 10-20-09

Gary Arndt – Everything, Everywhere #29 Travel Blog 10-20-09

KiwiFlyer – Musings of the Global Traveller #70 Travel Blog 10-20-09

And there are loads of other travel blogs I need to look into from the Top 100 list.

An exclusive bonus points offer was received by Priority Club Rewards Visa online community members last week. The email states the offer may be shared with friends and family. Anyone involved in social networking on FlyerTalk, Facebook, or Twitter knows some people have thousands of friends.

Priority Club Offer: Triple points for a three night stay at any IHG branded property, except the offer is not valid for stays at InterContinental Hotels brand.

Triple Points     

Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, or Hotel Indigo  = 30 points/US$1

Candlewood Suites and Staybridge Suites = 15 points /US$1

Loyalty Traveler Key Ranking = 4 Key High value promotion

 

Triple Points Promotion Codes

Your personal code: 1444
www.priorityclubrewards.com/triplepoints

Your personal code: 1447
www.priorityclubrewards.com/triplepoints

FlyerTalk has two different links using 1444 or 1447 as the code for this offer, depending on who is “your friend”. Either link works.

Priority Club Insider has 1444 personal code link.

The offer will request where you heard about this promotion. The email states friends should reply “Referred by a friend” using the drop down menu when prompted.

I actually responded truthfully and selected “From a blog”. I do not have a Priority Club Rewards Visa card.

This promotion has high value, but only if you need a 3-night hotel stay during the August 15-September 15 period. Think Labor Day weekend. Otherwise, this is a 3-Key promotion with good value even for the occasional traveler.  Priority Club offers free nights at only 5,000 points at select properties during most months of the year. Virtually any 3 night hotel stay in Holiday Inn or Holiday Inn Express with a base rate of $56 per night will earn at least 5,000 points with the triple points promotion.

There are around 4,000 Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites, and Hotel Indigo properties globally for earning the triple points for three night or longer stays over the next month from August 15 to September 15. The exclusion of InterContinental Hotels blocks fewer than 200 hotels from the triple points offer.

Priority Club’s double points promotion was analyzed on Loyalty Traveler last week and starts September 15.

Loyalty Traveler analysis:

Holiday Inn San Francisco Golden Gateway Hotel

August 17-20, 2009

3-night stay

 

$139.30 Advance Purchase Rate (prepaid, nonrefundable)

1 King Bed with View

$476.70 after tax for 3 nights.

 

Triple points for this sample stay are only awarded on base points.

$417.90 x 10 points/US$1 = 4,179 points x 3 = 12,537 points.

 

Basic Priority Club member = 12,537 points

Gold Elite (10% bonus points) = 12,954 points

Platinum elite (50% bonus points) = 14,626 points

 

Earning points at this level is nearly sufficient for a free hotel night at lower points IHG Hotel brands like Candlewood Suites (15,000 points) or Staybridge Suites (20,000 points) and low level Holiday Inn and HI Express. 25,000 points earns a free night reward with Crowne Plaza or Hotel Indigo, and upper end Holiday Inns and Holiday Inn Express.

 

 

Give a Day, Get a Night Volunteers Discount

Volunteerism is good social action.  Public service is giving to society through your choice of occupation.

Sage Hospitality is a hotel development company with an offer to reward volunteers, active or retired military members, and school workers with the benefit of a half-price hotel night at any one of their 53 hotels in 23 states.  Volunteers may even qualify for one complimentary night upon request.

Luxury hotels like JW Marriott Cherry Creek, Denver or Starwood’s Luxury Collection hotel, The Nines, Portland, Oregon are examples of participating hotels in these Sage Hospitality discount offers.

This is an offer that transcends hotel chain loyalty. Sage Hospitality is a hotel management and development company with 53 US hotels in Hilton, InterContinental  Hotels Group, Marriott, and Starwood chains.

Give a Day, Get a Night Volunteerism Offer

http://www.sagehospitality.com/specials/giveadaygetanight.htm

1.      Give 8 hours of community service to a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization to receive 50% off the published room rate, or even a free night.

2.      A letter verifying with 8 hours of unpaid, volunteer service is needed for check-in.

3.      Reservation for complimentary room must be made 48 hours prior to arrival.

4.      No advance deposit is required and hotel’s standard cancellation rules apply.

5.      Volunteer hours must be completed between July 1, 2009 and December 18, 2009.

6.      Offer is valid for stays through December 20, 2009.

7.      Only one complimentary night per individual per hotel throughout duration of promotion.

To book 50% discount night: Contact participating hotel directly or use the promotion code for the hotel shown on this participating hotels webpage: http://www.sagehospitality.com/specials/giveadaygetanight_codes.htm

Complimentary night request: This page lists hotel contacts for volunteers wishing to request a complimentary night. Complimentary nights have limited availability.

http://www.sagehospitality.com/specials/giveadaygetanight_hotels.htm

 

Half Price for Heroes Military and First Responders 50% Hotel Night offer

http://www.sagehospitality.com/specials/halfpriceheroes.htm

Book your reservation by Labor Day to take advantage of this offer. Half Price for Heroes rate is 50% discount on published room rate. Valid ID is required at check-in.

Offer applies to active and retired members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and US Coast Guard, activated members of the National Guard and Reservists, divisions within the Department of Defense (FBI, CIA, Secret Service and NASA) as well as those in first responders jobs – firefighters, police and paramedics.

Contact any of the 53 Sage hotels ask for the Half Price for Heroes rate. Or book on-line at the individual hotel using the booking code “LPR” where the form asks for a promotional/ group code.

For all participating Sheraton Hotels, call 866-716-8147 and mention promo code “LPR” to make a reservation.

Best in Class Educators 50% Hotel Night offer

http://www.sagehospitality.com/specials/bestinclass.htm

Offer applies to active and retired teachers and school administrators at public and private schools across the country.

Offer ends December 30, 2009

For Reservations: Contact the hotel of your choice directly- ask about the Best In Class rate OR book online at the individual hotel website by utilizing the individual booking code given on the link below.

For 50% off Rate Reservations: click here

Sage Hospitality Hotels

HOTELS BY STATE

 

ARIZONA

• Sheraton Phoenix Airport Hotel Tempe – Tempe, AZ

• Sheraton Tucson Hotel & Suites – Tucson, AZ

 

CALIFORNIA

• Courtyard Los Angeles Pasadena/Monrovia – Monrovia, CA

• Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Downtown – San Diego, CA

• Homewood Suites by Hilton SFO Airport North – Brisbane, CA

 

COLORADO

• The Curtis - Denver, CO

• Courtyard by Marriott Denver Downtown – Denver, CO

• Hilton Garden Inn Denver South/Meridian – Englewood, CO

• JW Marriott Denver at Cherry Creek - Denver, CO

• The Oxford Hotel – Denver, CO

• Pueblo Marriott at the Convention Center - Pueblo, CO

• Residence Inn by Marriott Denver City Center – Denver, CO

• TownePlace Suites by Marriott Boulder Broomfield – Broomfield, CO

• TownePlace Suites by Marriott Colorado Springs – Colorado Springs, CO

• TownePlace Suites by Marriott Denver Downtown – Denver, CO

• TownePlace Suites by Marriott Denver Southeast – Denver, CO

• TownePlace Suites by Marriott Littleton Southwest – Littleton, CO

• TownePlace Suites by Marriott Denver Tech Center – Englewood, CO

• TownePlace Suites by Marriott Denver West Federal Center - Golden, CO

• The Westin Westminster- Westminster, CO

 

CONNECTICUT

• Holiday Inn Waterbury – Waterbury, CT

 

FLORIDA

• Hilton Garden Inn Orlando at SeaWorld International Center – Orlando, FL

 

GEORGIA

• Doubletree Hotel Northlake - Atlanta, GA

• Hilton Garden Inn Atlanta Perimeter Center - Atlanta, GA

 

ILLINOIS

• The Blackstone, A Renaissance Hotel - Chicago, IL

• Chicago’s Essex Inn – Chicago, IL

• Clock Tower Resort – Rockford, IL

• Hilton Garden Inn Hoffman Estates – Hoffman Estates, IL

• Sheraton Chicago Northwest – Arlington Heights, IL

 

MASSACHUSETTS

• Courtyard Fitchburg by Marriott – Fitchburg, MA

• Sheraton Ferncroft Hotel – Danvers, MA

 

MICHIGAN

• Courtyard by Marriott – Brighton, MI

• Courtyard by Marriott – Lansing, MI

• Hotel Baronette – Novi, MI

 

MINNESOTA

• Fairfield Inn by Marriott – Duluth, MN

 

MISSOURI

• Sheraton Kansas City Sports Complex Hotel – Kansas City, MO

 

NEBRASKA

• Holiday Inn Omaha Convention Center – Omaha, NE

 

NEVADA

• Fairfield Inn by Marriott Las Vegas Airport – Las Vegas, NV

 

NEW JERSEY

• Mt. Laurel Marriott – Mt. Laurel, NJ

 

NORTH CAROLINA

• Charlotte Marriott Executive Park – Charlotte, NC

 

OHIO

• Cherry Valley Lodge – Newark, OH

• Sheraton Cincinnati North Hotel – Cincinnati, OH

• Fairfield Inn & Suites North/Sharonville - Cincinnati, OH

 

OREGON

• The Nines, The Luxury Collection, Starwood Hotel & Resorts – Portland, OR

• Courtyard by Marriott – Portland City Center - Portland, OR

 

PENNSYLVANIA

• Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel – Pittsburgh, PA

 

RHODE ISLAND

• Renaissance Providence Hotel - Providence, RI

 

TEXAS

• Hilton College Station and Conference Center – College Station, TX

 

UTAH

• Marriott Ogden Hotel - Ogden, UT

 

WASHINGTON

• Courtyard Seattle - Seattle, WA

• Holiday Inn Renton - Renton, WA

• Hawthorne Suites - Kent, WA

 

WISCONSIN

• Residence Inn by Marriott Milwaukee Downtown- Milwaukee, WI

 

[Loyalty Traveler note: I had difficulty locating any 50% off rates online. I’d suggest calling the hotel you desire and asking about the rate discount providing the applicable offer to save time searching.]

Thanks to Hobo13 who posted the volunteer offer on FlyerTalk July 7, 2009. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hotel-deals/972464-free-hotel-stays-community-service-1-night-per-8-volunteer-hours-501c3.html

I am a hotel guest who nickel and dimes the benefits of hotel loyalty programs. Years of public service employment makes frugal travel a necessity in our household. My wife spends a monthly portion of her take home pay to provide school children with the tools to succeed in the classroom. Sometimes this is simply pencils, crayons, and paper. Sometimes meeting a child’s learning needs involves buying shoes for a child in her first grade class. It is not uncommon for children to come to school wearing hand-me-down shoes from an older brother or sister that are too big and a safety hazard. Kelley always has to keep a food bank in the room to feed children who come to school chronically late and miss the free breakfast program or do not have enough food energy to work the hours between breakfast and lunch.

Volunteers, educators, military personnel, and first responders are the individuals on the front lines of our society. I applaud Sage Hospitality for recognizing the contributions these individuals make to assist others. A little recognition goes quite a way for these public service workers.

Hyatt Gold Passport “Enjoy Elite Membership” Offer:

Offer Registration Period: May 1 – Aug 31, 2009

Loyalty Traveler rating = 5-Star Promotion

I am not the king of “One Night Stays” because that is my preferred mode of travel. I view it in terms of economics and getting high elite status takes a good deal of my spare, and sometimes not so spare change.

For travelers who want the privileges of hotel loyalty high-elite status, but who are not in a position to live in hotels for two months, this Hyatt Gold Passport offer is one of the best opportunities to come around in 2009 for cheap elite without the hassle of hotel hopping.

Complimentary Platinum Membership : Promotion link

Nonmembers can join Hyatt Gold Passport and automatically receive four months of elite status with complimentary Platinum membership. Normally Gold Passport Platinum elite membership requires 5 stays or 15 nights in a calendar year.

Current Hyatt Gold Passport members, with or without elite status need to call Hyatt Gold Passport Customer Service to enroll for this complimentary elite offer.

Hyatt Gold Passport Customer Service 1-800-228-3360

Platinum Benefits include complimentary room upgrades, complimentary internet access (a recently introduced benefit), and 15 % bonus on base points earned. (Gold Passport members regularly earn 5 points per $1 in spending.) Hyatt Platinum members also earn Platinum Extra certificates for added benefits with every 3rd stay.

Stay just 5 nights in the 120 day trial membership period and your Platinum elite membership will be extended through February 2011.

Fast-Track to Diamond Membership

The amazing aspect of this hotel loyalty offer is the ability to earn Diamond elite status through February 2011 with just 15 hotel nights in the 120 days after promotion enrollment.

Hyatt Gold Passport has just two elite membership levels – Platinum and Diamond.

Diamond elite normally requires 25 hotel stays or 50 hotel nights in a calendar year. The ability to earn Diamond elite status in just 15 nights is truly a high-value proposition for the hotel guest.

Diamond Benefits link

And the ability to earn high-elite status with just a few multi-night hotel stays potentially makes achieving this membership level a luxurious, or at least highly pleasurable task.

Gold Passport typically runs a Stays Count Double promotion during the year. Last year I earned Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond in a two-week period in March 2008 during the last weeks of the Stays Count Double promotion. Hotel hopping for 13 one-night stays in two weeks is a bit grueling.

And was it worth it to hotel hop for two weeks last year? The free nights in the $600 bi-level apartment at the Hyatt Highlands Inn in Carmel Highlands said “YES” – again and again.

Can current Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond members enroll in this fast-track offer? YES

I spent some time on the phone today with Gold Passport and I was informed current elite members are eligible for this “Enjoy Elite Membership” offer.

 

 

 

Strategy with potential end-of-year Faster Free Nights promotion

Currently, the Hyatt Gold Passport 2,500 points per stay worldwide promotion runs through September 15. The rumor on FlyerTalk is the Gold Passport promotion for Faster Free Nights will resume after September 15 for the primary end of the year promotion. Faster Free Nights ran at the end of 2008 and the promotion offers a free night at any Hyatt Hotel, with very few exceptions, for every two stays.

There is a rationale for waiting to sign up for the “Enjoy Elite” promotion since there is a 120-day qualification period for elite nights. Signing up in August provides a promotion period going into December for elite qualifying nights. Combine that with Faster Free Nights and there could be really high value in stays later in the year.

My Loyalty Traveler advice is to definitely go for elite membership during this spectacular offer and do it at the time best suited for your travel plans and your hotel stay pattern.

The advantage of this elite fast-track promotion is the ability to do it with elite qualifying nights so you can stay in one hotel resort for a week and be halfway to Diamond elite.

The disadvantage of elite nights is the combinability with the current 2,500 bonus points MasterCard promotion and potentially Faster Free Nights in the fall, which are both based on hotel stays and not nights. While nights is a more convenient way to earn elite status with just a few multi-night stays, the points and free nights promotions favor a single-night stay strategy.

This promotion is one of the best high-value offers available to the hotel guest in 2009, particularly if you plan  multi-night stays in the next few months and still plan to travel in 2010. This promotion can place you in a good elite status situation through February 2011.

Hyatt Hotels consists of the hotel brands: Hyatt Regency, Grand Hyatt, Park Hyatt, Hyatt Place, Andaz, and Summerfield Suites. Hyatt Place is a fast-growing hotel brand typically in the moderate budget range. Hyatt Hotels consists of about 370 hotels worldwide.   

 

Part three of Europe Vacation Planning is a look at InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) properties around London for April 10-18, 2009 room rate deals. Hotel search strategies I am using to find low cost, upscale hotel lodging for London is applicable to much of Europe.

European Vacation Travel Planning Part 1 is an example of the low airfare deals to Europe currently available in this tough economic climate.  Europe is cheap right now.

London Calling, but can I afford the charges? Europe Travel Planning Part 2 is about finding a hotel with Starwood Preferred Guest hotel options. Starwood options are upper upscale hotels at a total cost of about $1,500 for 8 paid nights. SPG Cash & Points awards could bring the total cost for 8 nights to $600 and 30,000 Starpoints. 30,000 starpoints in lieu of $900 is a fair exchange, however, paid nights would also earn thousands of Starpoints and receive elite credit to my account. I like to receive at least 3.5 cents per Starpoint redeemed and the Starwood hotels plan using 30,000 points does not achieve that objective.

Part 3 Planning a London Vacation: The IHG Factor in London

There are loads of InterContinental Hotel Group hotels, 60 or so in the greater London area. With a dozen or so properties in the central London tourist area, there are plenty of options to consider.

First, I checked for IHG PointBreaks hotel award for 5,000 points per night.  These are basically $60US room rates if you are around a participating hotel.  You can buy 40,000 points for $460 from Priority Club. There is one participating Holiday Inn at Stevenage, about 13 miles east of Luton Airport, north of London. Stevenage sounds like a nice place to visit for a boring sod like me.  No Pointbreaks properties in London.

Next, I checked www.frequentflyerbonuses.com for Priority Club links and that site showed me a 2 nights for Price of 1 link for Europe hotels.  The promotion states for two night stays through March 31, 2009 and for mostly Friday to Sunday stays, however, over the past two years this “2 nights for the price of 1” offer typically allows mid-week bookings at many hotels and allows bookings for dates past the stated deadline.

I have followed Europe hotel rates through this IHG promotion for the past couple years and this most recent survey of London hotels just has me saying WOW!

Rates are so incredibly low for London hotels.

Per night rate using 2 Nights for Price of 1 booking link for London:

 

 

Hotel	Date	Room	Price (1GBP=$1.43)	Price per Night  in US $ after tax (15%).
Hotel Indigo London Paddington	4/10-12/09	Standard Room	64.50 GBP	$106
		Executive King	77.50 GBP	$127
Crowne Plaza London – The City	4/10-12/09	Standard Room	52.50 GBP	$86
		Deluxe Room	70 GBP	$115
		Crowne Plaza Club Room	92.50 GBP	$152
		Suite	147.50 GBP	$243
Crowne Plaza London-Shoreditch	4/10-12/09	Standard Room	49.50 GBP	$81
		Club (free breakfast)	54.50 GBP	$90
Crowne Plaza London Docklands	4/10-12/09	Standard Queen	39.50 GBP	$65
		King Executive	54.50 GBP	$90
		Junior Suite	77.00 GBP	$126
		Suite	114.50 GBP	$188
Holiday Inn London Mayfair	4/12-14/09	Standard	67.50 GBP	$111
		King Executive	82.50 GBP	$136
		Suite	175 GBP	$288
Holiday Inn London Oxford Circus	4/12-14/09	Standard Double	55 GBP	$90
		Junior Suite	140 GBP	$230
Holiday Inn London Regent’s Park	4/12-14/09	Standard	49.50 GBP	$81
		Deluxe	65 GBP	$107
Holiday Inn Kensington Forum	4/12-14/09	Standard Room	44.5 GBP	$73
		Executive Room	54.50 GBP	$90
		Suite	79.50 GBP	$131

 

There are actually Holiday Inn Express hotels in the greater London area for under $35 per night using the 2-for-1 reservation link.  Holiday Inn Slough-Windsor has rates at 21GBP.  I’m thinking Ricky Gervais and The Office.

I’ll take a hotel in central London please.  I still remember being 14 in 1974 and commuting an hour each way by train to travel from the campground in north London where our family slept to the city center during our week in and around the city.

From my travel experience, the rule of thumb I developed is get as close to the city center or in the vicinity of places you want to see.  Travel is costing you money and spending your time transiting from the place you sleep to the place you want to see can be a lot of wasted time.

Hotel Recommendations Anyone?

I am not IHG Priority Club elite and aside from the Crowne Plaza St. James where I stayed for my honeymoon in 1989, before it was a Crowne Plaza, I am not familiar with the IHG properties in London.

TripAdvisor was too daunting.  I searched and there are over 1,000 hotels in the database for London.

I quickly moved on to FlyerTalk where I could get the IHG experts’ opinions on the benefits of particular hotels.

Within 30 minutes I found a consensus for the InterContinental as the top choice for London. Crowne Plaza The City seems to be a popular choice.  The main complaint is the closure of the Tube station by the hotel this month for two years means a five to ten minute walk to the next station.

Crowne Plaza-The City has standard rooms for $86 and a Club room for $152 per night. TripAdvisor.com shows the Crowne Plaza-The City as having a $362 average rate. The hotel has an overall four star customer rating with 123 reviews. 80% of the TripAdvisor reviews are at least a 4 and mostly 5 star ratings.

The Holiday Inn Kensington Forum also is a popular choice for one of the best IHG hotels and the 2-for-1 offer has standard rooms for $73 or even a suite for $131 per night. TripAdvisor has 440 reviews for Holiday Inn Kensington Forum and mostly 4 and 5 star ratings, but more 4 star than 5 star.  Average price is listed at $209.

Crowne Plaza Shoreditch at $90 per night including Club lounge access with free breakfast sounds like a great deal. According to FlyerTalk posters this hotel would put me in the clubbing district. There was also the comment the club lounge is closed on weekends and guests receive vouchers for a much better breakfast at the hotel restaurant. That sounds good to me.  Looking for breakfast on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday holidays is not as easy as you might think in a major city like London.

TripAdvisor.com gave Crowne Plaza Shoreditch the highest popularity rating (#71 of 1,169 London hotels) of the three hotels.  Guests have supplied 153 hotel reviews, although the Crowne Plaza-The City has overall higher guest rating. Average price is listed at $205.

Conclusion

IHG can place me in central London for under $100 per night with a choice of hotels.  I can even book a suite at a popular hotel like the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum for $130 per night. A Crowne Plaza Club Room in central London (CP-The City) for $150 per night can easily save $50 a day or more in breakfast, snacks, and drinks for a couple.

My initial budget allows about $900 for my hotel and transportation for the week.  The closer I am to the central London sites, the less I spend on transportation around London. 

The IHG “Stay 2 Nights, Pay 1” special rates allow me to stay in central London hotels for under $600 for eight nights.  Counting on an elite status upgrade with Starwood or Hyatt is not so important when I can just pay for a suite.

Priority Club’s current 3,000 points for 3 nights along with the regular base points earned for $500+ in room spending for IHG stays will add another $100 value to the paid rooms through points received. 

Another advantage of the IHG plan for this April trip to London is my Starwood points can be saved for another vacation destination where there may not be such a good alternative like the IHG 2-nights-for-1 rates.

Note on IHG 2 for 1 London rates: Rates vary depending on the dates selected for two day stays.  I only included a sample of the rates for comparative purposes.  Rates during the April 10-18 period vary by as much as $50 per night or more depending on the dates selected.

 

Hilton HHonors hooked up with Miles & More to offer two-night hotel stays in Europe at select hotels.  Loyalty Traveler looked into the value of a miles-for-hotel-stay exchange.

There are several categories of hotels grouped within mileage redemption opportunities.

36,000 miles from Miles & More is sufficient for a weekend stay at these Hilton hotel properties:

·         Hilton Innsbruck

·         Hilton Vienna Danube

·         Hilton Nuremberg

·         Hilton Paris Orly

47,000 miles for a weekend at these properties:

·         Barcelona

·         Bonn

·         Bremen

·         Brussels City

·         Budapest West End

·         Dresden

·         Istanbul (Park)

·         London Docklands

·         London Olympia

·         Paris CDG Airport

·         Rotterdam

·         Valencia

67,000 miles for a weekend at these properties:

·         Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

·         Barcelona Diagonal Mar

·         Berlin

·         Brussels

·         Budapest Castle Hill

·         Evian

·         Helsinki

·         Istanbul

·         Cologne (Köln)

·         London (Kensington, Metropole, Hyde Park)

·         Milan

·         Munich

·         Paris La Defense

·         Prague

·         Stockholm

·         Vilamoura, Portugal

·         Vienna

100,000 miles for a weekend at these properties:

·         Amsterdam

·         Athens

·         Bucharest

·         Florence

·         Paris

·         Prague (Old Town)

126,000 miles for a weekend at these properties:

·         Rome Cavalieri, A Waldorf-Astoria Collection Hotel

·         Paris Arc de Triomphe

·         Venice Molino Stucky

There may be some reasonable value exchanges in the 47,000 to 67,000 mile categories, however, the exchange is generally a quite poor use of miles.

Value Example:

Hilton Molino Stucky Venice is an HHonors Category 6 hotel requiring 40,000 HHonors points per night.  A VIP-elite 6-night award stay is 175,000 points through HHonors. 

A two-night hotel weekend award stay for arrival on Friday or Saturday night through Miles & More awards requires 126,000 miles. 

April 17-19, 2009 weekend rates for Friday and Saturday night

Rome Cavalieri 222.50EUR/night  60,000 HHonors points per night

Paris Arc de Triomphe 295EUR/night or 40,000 HHonors points per night

Hilton Molino Stucky Venice, Italy 295EUR/night or 40,000 HHonors points per night

A Hilton Hotel weekend award for 126,000 miles may be worth as little as $600 and perhaps as much as $1,200.

 

And it is not simply a poor rate of exchange between Miles & More with Hilton Hotels. 

 

Other hotel brand redemption options are no better value:

 

InterContinental Hotel 2-night Weekend Stay = 89,000 miles

·         Berlin

·         Düsseldorf

·         Frankfurt/Main

·         Hamburg

·         Cologne

 

Le Meridien (Starwood) Hotels 2-night Weekend Stay = 118,000 miles

·         Algarve

·         Barcelona

·         Paris

·         Vienna

 

Hyatt Hotels 2-night Weekend Stay = 139,000 miles

·         Dubai

·         Hong Kong

·         London (2 hotels)

·         Madrid

·         Milan

·         Moscow

·         Paris

·         Tokyo (2 hotels)

·         Zurich

 

There is not much value in redeeming Miles & More miles for hotel awards with properties participating in the major hotel chain loyalty programs like Hilton, Starwood, or Hyatt.

 

I have advice for all of you Miles & More members and other frequent flyers who are willing to waste a large chunk of miles on low value redemptions.

 

Please visit the Coupon Connection at FlyerTalk and offer to trade your miles.  There are plenty of honest travelers looking for ways to get airline tickets in the Star Alliance who will give you an exchange much closer to fair value.

 

Miles & More will take a person roundtrip from North America to Australia, Asia, or the Middle East in Business Class for only 120,000 miles.  These are $4,000 to $10,000 flight awards.   

 

Trade 120,000 Miles & More miles for 175,000 Hilton HHonors points and let someone supply you with a six night hotel vacation at the Venice Hilton or the Paris Hilton Arc de Triomphe.

 

Trade 120,000 Miles& More miles for 120,000 American AAdvantage miles.  You don’t actually have to transfer miles to each other’s account.  Simply redeem awards for each other from your own accounts.

 

120,000 AAdvantage miles  can be exchanged through Hilton HHonors for 240,000 HHonors points.  As long as the account holder is a Silver VIP, requiring only four stays in a year or HHonors credit card membership, a VIP hotel stay award at a Category 6 hotel is only 235,000 points for 8 nights.

 

Don’t redeem your miles with Miles & More for poor value awards.  Take advantage of social networks and find someone seeking a fair travel exchange.  Rather than a simple weekend hotel getaway, your 126,000 miles can be exchanged for six to eight (6 to 8) Hilton Hotel nights at a Category 6 property if you put a little effort into getting fair value for your miles.

 

Remember we are fellow travelers on this globe.  Don’t waste the value of your travel miles by trading them back to the company for a low value item.  Share your wealth with a new found friend who can give you a fair value trade of a different airline flight or hotel stay option. 

 

In these economic times we need to retain whatever value we can in the assets we have.