Last week I stopped by the Four Seasons Westlake Village which is located in the last suburban city in northern Los Angeles County before heading into Ventura County at Thousand Oaks on Highway 101, known locally as the Ventura Freeway. Across the street from the Four Seasons Hotel is the global headquarters of Dole Foods.

Wikipedia lists Westlake Village as one of the most affluent communities in Los Angeles. Westlake Village is a planned community that developed over the past fifty years from a large cattle ranch. This is the ultimate in California suburbia with country clubs (Tiger Woods is playing this weekend in the Chevron World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club and at the time of writing leading the tournament by four strokes after 54 holes – The Bar at Four Seasons must be feverishly fun), lakes, horse and hiking trails in the Santa Monica Mountains and of course freeways.

Typical of Four Seasons Hotels is museum quality art. Here is a rare Twelve Panel Porcelain Throng-Back Screen, Qing Dynasty in the hallway across from Onyx Restaurant.

Four Seasons may not have a hotel loyalty program, but Four Seasons Westlake Village has a 10% discount dining program for Hampton’s and Onyx.

Long, wide hallways are a striking design feature of the Four Seasons Westlake Village.

These are the kind of hallways more common to 19th century hotel design where showing off your wears along the promenade was part of the hotel experience. I rarely see a new build hotel with grand halls.

Along the main hallway are wedding planning rooms, The Bar, The Spa, the kitchen for the Wellness Institute and a variety of window viewing experiences that can be lifestyle learning experiences if you so desire. Four Seasons epitomizes luxury with the opportunity to be trained, treated and pampered.

Wellness Kitchen Cooking Classes

Hotel design element details also make a difference in a luxury hotel setting. For example, the wall paper is actually engaging when walking the stairways of the Four Seasons Westlake Village.

Mural by central lobby lounge stairway

Hamptons and Onyx are the two hotel restaurants.

Hamptons Restaurant  (photo courtesy of Four Seasons Westlake Village)

Lobby Lounge - photo courtesy of Four Seasons Westlake Village

Onyx Restaurant - photo courtesy of Four Seasons Westlake Village

Typically I only post my own photos, but I visited Four Seasons Westlake Village in the morning when restaurants were not open, the lobby lounge was crowded with people and it was an impromptu stop without an appointment on a Saturday morning so I had limited access to many of the beautiful spaces.

Four Seasons Westlake Village has many more photos and video on the hotel website.

Indoor Pool (photo courtesy of Four Seasons Westlake Village)

Serenity Pool (photo courtesy of Four Seasons Westlake Village)

The grounds of the hotel are lovely for a stroll or a wedding.

Check out the Four Seasons Westlake Village website for room descriptions and photos.

Room with a View - photo courtesy of Four Seasons Westlake Village

Luxurious Bathroom (photo courtesy of Four Seasons Westlake Village)

Loyalty Traveler does not typically write about Four Seasons Hotels due to no loyalty program component for the hotel chain. The coincidence of driving home to Monterey from southern California and needing a hotel stop and learning there was a Four Seasons in Westlake Village led to my visiting this property last week in a town that I had never stopped in before.

The Hyatt Westlake Village is just one mile north on the other side of Highway 101 from the Four Seasons. The Hyatt is a fine upper upscale hotel where I had a wonderful Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond experience with an upgraded room and good breakfast.

When you want a luxurious experience the Four Seasons is definitely a class above the Hyatt.

Kind of like the Tiger Woods of hotels.

Four Seasons Westlake Village

Here is the update to the Current Hotel Loyalty Promotions page on Loyalty Traveler blog.

Sixty Second overview of current offers:

Choice Privileges has one of the best points reward offers with discount hotel partner rewards up to 50% off at Preferred Hotels Group properties for bookings through January 19, 2011.

Starwood Preferred Guest has a fast-track elite offer for the remainder of the year with Stays Count Double at their brands of Aloft, Element and Four Points Hotels through December 31.

Fast-track to SPG Gold elite with just four stays at these brands by January 31, 2011 with the other SPG offer. Elite status will last through February 2012.

Sheraton Club Lounges will remain open on weekends beginning in 2011. Will Marriott follow?

Priority Club Sweet Dilemma for a free night after two stays and Hyatt Gold Passport 10,000 points after 5 nights are the best points and free nights deals for hotel stays through December 31 in my opinion.

Priority Club has an instant platinum elite offer that could make Sweet Dilemma a suite opportunity. IHG also has a high value 2 nights for the price of 1 special rate offer for hotels in the UK and Europe through December 30, 2010.

Accor Hotels has more hotels in South America than most other hotel loyalty program chains put together and through the end of 2010 you can 4x Accor AClub points.

November 21 is the last night for 15,000 goldpoints with just one night at a Country Inn & Suites.

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

Newly added offers since the last October 18 update are marked with an asterisk (*).

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

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

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

Three Keys = good value hotel loyalty promotion or rate offer

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

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

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 a 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.

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.

*North America – Sofitel Hotels Triple Points 11/9 – 12/31

*UK – Mercure Hotels Triple Points Book 11/9 – 12/30 for stays through 2/28/2011.

*Latin America – Ibis, Mercure, Novotel, Sofitel, Pullman – 4x Points through 12/31 at over 150 hotels.

*Paris – Triple Points through 12/31/2010

*Australia – Double Points Dec 1- Feb 28, 2011

*Other Accor Hotels A-Club bonus offers

Best Western Hotels – Best Western Rewards

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

* Best Western Travel Card Purchase Bonus – 2,500 points or $10 gift card for every $100 Best Western Travel Card purchase transaction from November 5 – December 31, 2010. You want to make separate $100 transactions to maximize bonus.

3-key promotion – 1,250 miles with American Airlines or Air Canada Aeroplan after two stays Sep 12-Nov 21. Earn 750 bonus miles every second stay. There is no cap on the number of times this bonus may be earned, unlike the concurrent promotion for triple points. Registration is required and you need to set your BW account earning preference to miles to see these promotion offers.  LT promotion post (Aug 22)

2-key Promotion – Double or Triple Points, Sep 12 through Nov 21, 2010. Earn triple points (30 points/$1) on your second stay booked through Bestwestern.com. Earn double points if reservation not booked online. This bonus is earned only one time, except elite members also earn triple points on 4^th stay. Promotion code is FALL10 or for AAA BestWestern Preferred members AAAFALL10. Promotion registration required. LT promotion post (Aug 22)

Best Western Rewards Elite Status Match Offer (February 19, 2010)

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 is designating 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).

Carlson Hotels – Goldpoints Plus

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

Country Inn & Suites -  October 3 – November 21, 2010; U.S., Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama

• 15,000 bonus points for one-night stay on a Sunday through Thursday. (Limit one bonus per member)
• 3-day advance reservation required. Promo code = 15000PTS.

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2010/09/28/country-inn-suites-one-night-stay-for-15000-goldpoints/

Goldpoints Plus program change – elite members earn 2,000 points for online booking. This change doubles the regular 1,000 online booking bonus for goldpoints elite members. (LT post July 18)

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

*Preferred Hotels Group Reward Nights up to 50% off. Upper-upscale, luxury and boutique hotel room nights 20,000 to 30,000 points. Book between November 3, 2010 and January 19, 2011. (5-key promotion)

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)

Four Seasons Hotels

Four Seasons Special Offers website link

$100 dining/spa credit at six participating California hotels for using Gowalla. Visit three location recommendations from Four Seasons concierge through Gowalla location-based social media site during a stay of two or more nights through November 19 to earn a $100 credit.

Hilton Hotels – Hilton HHonors

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

* Sweepstakes for 200,000 HHonors points – Vote for American Airlines AmericanWay Road Warrior by November 30, 2010 for sweepstakes entry.

Hilton Double Points and 4x Sundays   October 12 – December 30, 2010

Stay Sunday night and the entire stay earns a bonus equivalent to quadruple base points. Elite base points are earned at regular rate of 10 points per $1. 4x Bonus ends up being 30 bonus points per $1. (LT post: Oct 8, 2010) 4-key promotion if including Sunday stay; 3-key if not.

HHonors Point Stretcher Rewards posted for hotels through December 2010. Point Stretchers require 40% fewer points than standard HHonors rewards. Use the drop-down menu to see participating hotels in different Hilton brands. This is the largest set of hotels I recall in several years offering Point Stretcher discount reward dates. (LT post Sep 9)

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 puts all the HHonors reward charts in one place. (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)

4-key promotion – up to 10,000 Delta Skymiles Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQM) for stays of two or more nights between September 1 and December 10, 2010.

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

Hyatt Hotels – Hyatt Gold Passport

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

* Hawaii Hyatt Hotels – 10,000 bonus points for 4 or more night stay, Dec 1 – Mar 31, 2011. Must book HI10K rate by Dec 31, 2010. (Nov 12)

* Hyatt Gold Passport Program Change – No elite status matches will be given for elite membership in another hotel program. Elite status trial offer is at the discretion of individual hotel properties.

4-key promotion – ‘Great 10K’ Fall 2010 offer awards 10,000 Gold Passport points for every 5 nights September 15 – December 15, 2010. Nights do not need to be consecutive nights. Stay every night in a Hyatt Hotel and you can earn 180,000 bonus points. Register online beginning September 15 at goldpassport.com/welcome10k. LT post Aug 25. This promotion may be combined with the 3,000 AA miles per stay offer below (60,000 AAdvantage miles).

Hyatt 5,000 points for two-night stays at 27 West Coast hotels.

• September 25 – December 30, 2010, use Special Offer Code 5000GP
• 5000GP rates are reasonable and do not appear to have a mark-up like most special offer rates.

Combinable with Great 10K offer for 10,000 bonus points every 5 nights. You can potentially earn 35,000 bonus points after 10 nights. This is a good deal. Two reward nights at high-end Category-5 hotels will cost 36,000 points. 35,000 points will get 7 free nights at a category-1 hotel. And unlike other hotel loyalty programs, you will find lots of Hyatt category-1 hotels 

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2010/10/07/hyatt-5000-points-for-2-night-stays-at-27-west-coast-hotels/

Program change: Hyatt Gold Passport hotel award categories increased for 25% of hotels as of June 4, 2010. Loyalty traveler post.

InterContinental Hotels Group – Priority Club

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

* 5-key offer IHG Priority Club Instant Platinum Elite status and a $25 gift card after 5 nights within 90 days. (Nov 15) 

* IHG 2 nights for the Price of 1 in UK/Europe through December 30 – London for under $75 per night over the Christmas-New Year Holiday season. Suites under $300 per night.

* $50 flight credit for Friday, Saturday or Sunday night stay at any IHG brand hotel in the U.S. from November 5, 2010 to April 30, 2011 when you book by December 31, 2010.

* 15% points discount for retail and dining gift card Priority Club points rewards to November 30.

$50 gift cards = 17,000 points; $100 gift cards = 32,300 points

5-key promotion – Sweet Dilemma – Free night after two stays or double points/miles for stays between September 20 and December 31, 2010. Registration is required and member must choose to earn free nights or double points/miles. There is a limit of five free nights after ten stays. Free nights stays must be used between December 1, 2010 and May 31, 2011. Asia-Pacific region IHG hotels are not participating in free nights portion of this promotion. A big drawback to the free nights offer is members will not earn any base or elite points for the remainder of 2010, even if the free night offer is maxed out after ten stays. IHG loyalists may prefer double points or miles.

Priority Club PointBreaks through December 30, 2010 are probably the best hotel loyalty program reward night value available at 5,000 points for a free night. The current list favors the USA with 77 hotels and only 49 hotels for the rest of the world.

Some of these hotels will run over $200 per night on some dates. PointBreaks rewards reduce the reward cost for a 30,000 points per night InterContinental Hotel to just 5,000 points. That can be quite a points break for an extended stay.

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2010/10/05/priority-club-pointbreaks-hotels-list-to-dec-30-2010/

Cheaper Hilton Reward nights using Priority Club points – this Loyalty Traveler analysis developed from the 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. (LT post Sep 17)

5-key offer Priority Club “Crack the Case” individually targeted promotion terms. My Crack the Case offer is a 5-key promotion, however, the best offers appear to be for Priority Club members who did not stay too frequently over the past year. Members who received this promotion have until May 31, 2011 to fulfill the tasks for bonus points. You need to already be a Priority Club member and check your email offer for your own Crack the Case promotion terms.

My offer was 162,000 points for five tasks and a 91,000 points bonus for completing four of the challenges: PC credit card enrollment 60,000 points; stay two Saturdays; stay in two brands, complete a hotel stay profile survey; stay 10 room nights. I can potentially receive 157,000 Priority Club points for just two Saturday hotel nights in two different brands over the next nine months.

3-key promotion – Sep 1-Dec 30 – Stay two consecutive weekend nights (Fri, Sat or Sun) at an IHG brand hotel in conjunction with a flight and get reimbursed for one roundtrip checked baggage fee up to $50. (Aug 17)

IHG Friend & Family Hotel Rates (through Dec 26, 2009)

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).

Joie de Vivre Hotels – Joy of Life Club (California Boutique hotels)

3-key promotion - Earn both Virgin America Elevate points and Joy of Life points for the remainder of 2010. LT post July 22.

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

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

* LHW Hotels 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

* Marriott Gift Card purchases earn 10 points per US$1, up to 25,000 points through December 31, 2010. (Nov. 2)

* Earn 5,000 Delta miles for a Marriott stay and Delta flight between Nov. 1 – Jan. 31, 2011. One bonus per Delta ticket, so one-way tickets are way to maximize offer if the price is not much more than roundtrip. (LT post Nov 6)

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.

3-key promotion – Marriott Triple Airline Miles October 1-December 31, 2010. You need to set your Marriott Rewards earning preference to miles to register for this promotion. Marriott Rewards has 30 airline partners and miles are earned at the rate of 2 miles/$1 for full-service Marriott brands (3x miles = 6 miles/$1) and 1 mile per $1 for other Marriott brands (3x miles = 3 miles/$1). The Triple Miles promotion has just five participating airlines: Air Canada, Continental, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Jet Airways. Loyalty Traveler post Aug 26.

4-key promotion – Marriott MegaBonus (Sep 15-Jan 15, 2011) various targeted offers with the basic offer being one free night after two stays paid with Visa. Limit of two free nights during promotion. Free night valid only for Category 1 to category 4 hotels.

Active Marriott Rewards members may receive bonus points offers based on total nights stayed or 5,000 points for every two stays. There are several variations mentioned for 25,000 to 50,000 bonus points. 

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

Ritz-Carlton Rewards

5-key promotion – New members to Ritz-Carlton Rewards earn one free night for two stays through December 31, 2010. Limit of two free nights after four stays. You are not eligible for this offer if you are a current or past member of Marriott Rewards. I provided a guide to how new members can get $2,500 in Ritz-Carlton Hotel rooms for under $1,000. (LT post Sep 18)

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.

* 4-Key promotion – Free weekend night after 3 stays paid with MasterCard in Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa.  Stay November 1, 2010 – January 31, 2011 at over 250 Starwood Hotels. Maximum one free night may be earned per member during this promotion. Great offer, but too bad limited to one free night.

* 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)

* SPG American Express Facebook Sweepstakes – enter once each week’s prizes 21,000 Starpoints Nov 4-10; 30,000 Starpoints Nov 11-17; 36,000 Starpoints Nov 18-24; 60,000 Starpoints Nov 25-Dec 1.

Buy Starpoints at 20% discount. October 12 – December 31, 2010.  $14 per 500 points rather than $17.50.  Calendar year purchase limit is 20,000 points. $560 for 20,000 points. http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2010/10/16/buy-spg-starpoints-20-discount-oct-12-dec-31-2010/

SPG Nights and Stays Count Double at Starwood’s Four Points, Aloft and Element brand hotels.

• October 1 – December 31, 2010 

(This is basically the offer for fast-track Platinum or for an SPG member who is already just a couple of stays away from SPG Gold Elite since the other offer gives Gold elite after 4 stays.) 

SPG Fast-Track to Gold elite after 4 stays at Starwood’s Four Points, Aloft and Element brand hotels.

• October 1 – January 31, 2011 

There are about 200 hotels in these three Starwood brands, mostly in U.S.

Gold elite status good through February 2012 and earns a 50% elite bonus points. This is a great time to grab cheap elite with SPG.

 SPG Platinum members only – register for an extra Starpoint during stays from October 1-December 31. Platinum members will receive two elite bonus points for every $1 in hotel spend for stays completed after requalification for 2011 Platinum status (25 stays or 50 nights in 2010). (LT post Sep 16)

2-key promotion – Every Night Counts Double/Triple Points for stays from Sep 8-Dec 15, 2010. Earn double points beginning with your first night and triple points (applied retroactively) after10 nights during the promotion period. Registration is required by October 31, 2010. The FAQ state this promotion is combinable with other SPG promotions.

There are over 150 hotels globally not participating in this promotion, so check the list carefully. The list of non-participating Starwood properties are posted on FlyerTalk.

Every Night Counts does not thrill me as the primary Fall 2010 SPG promotional offer.  Spend $2,000 on 10 or more nights during the promotion and you will only earn 8,000 bonus points with triple points. That is nothing to get too excited about.

4-key promotion – Earn 10,000 bonus points at Starwood Resorts for a stay of four or more nights between Sep 1 and Dec 19, 2010 at any of 131 participating resorts globally. This bonus may be earned multiple times. Only stays after promotion registration are eligible for bonus. Register by Sep 30. 

4-Key Promotion – (through Dec 30) 3,000 Bonus Points for Sunday night stay at 11 NYC area Starwood Hotels through December 30. (Aug 13, 2010)

3-Key Promotion – (through Dec 31) 3^rd Night Free or Two Free nights on six-night stay in Europe, Africa, and Middle East when paying with MasterCard

SPG program change: Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards is new airline partner. Exchange rate for points-to-miles transfer is 1,500 Starpoints = 1 Rapid Rewards credit. Free roundtrip flight requires 16 credits. SPG members may also earn 0.5 credits per stay through SPG Airline Direct Deposit. (August 19, 2010)

4-Key Promotion – SPG Rewarding Returns offers members a choice after 5 stays by December 31, 2010. Promotion choices are 25% off an award up to five nights at any category 1 to 5 hotel for redemption by July 31, 2011. Discount may be combined with “5th night free award”. Other choices are $50 hotel credit certificate or 4,000 Starpoints. Loyalty Traveler post July 14.

There are variations of this offer including only requiring one stay by August 31 for targeted members. Points offer ranges from 2,000 to 8,000 points, and some members may have a free night choice. Offers are targeted.

Promotion registration is required at https://www.spgpromos.com/rewardingreturns/index.cfm.

3-key promotion SPG link: Pay Your Birthyear Rate (This promotion can be an incredible 5-key savings or no savings depending on the hotel and your birthyear.) LT post 4/28/2009

3-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)

Wyndham Worldwide –  Wyndham Rewards

Double miles with 11 airlines – October 1-December 31, 2010 

Participating airlines and travel partners are Aeromexico, Air Canada Aeroplan, Amtrak, Continental, Delta, Midwest, Southwest, Spirit, Sun Country, United and US Airways.

The catch is these promotions are hotel brand specific offers for most of the participating airlines, except Aeromexico and Air Canada Aeroplan.

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2010/10/06/wyndham-rewards-double-miles-with-11-airlines-oct-1-dec-31-2010/

Airline Bonuses:

* Qantas Airlines Sweepstakes – free flights for you and companion between Los Angeles and Adelaide for most of 2011. Enter by December 31, 2010.

* FareCompare Sweepstakes for a Rick Seaney designed Mileage Run. Enter by November 26, 2010.

Loyalty Traveler Research Articles

* The Promotion Variable in Hotel Loyalty Programs – Part 1 (Nov 8, 2010)

* The Promotion Variable in Hotel Loyalty Programs – Part 2 (Nov 8, 2010)

* The Promotion Variable – Part 3 – Hilton HHonors Case Study 2009-2010 (Nov 9, 2010)

Hotel Loyalty Credit Cards and the Value of Hotel Points

Hotel Rewards Credit Cards Comparison of Benefits (September 1) 

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

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

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

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-Q2 – 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. (Sep 14)

This promotion runs through November 19, 2010.

Participating California Four Seasons Hotels:

• Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills
• Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel
• Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, Los Angeles
• Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara
• Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley at East Palo Alto
• Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco

Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley, East Palo Alto, California

JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index - Luxury Segment

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)

“Red Shirts” have been demonstrating for over five weeks in Bangkok and since April 3 the protests moved into the hotel area with encampments and barricades on the streets of one of Bangkok’s most prominent luxury hotel and business districts. This part of the city has become a “no-go” zone. The Gucci, Prada and Louis Vuitton stores are closed at the Gaysorn shopping mall. Thai military encounters led to some of the worst violence in the city in two decades earlier this month with 25 killed. Hotels and retailers in the area have lost millions of dollars in revenue and several hotels have closed for the time-being, citing guest safety as a major concern.

The InterContinental Bangkok and Holiday Inn Bangkok have both temporarily closed as of April 20 and are scheduled to reopen April 26. Four hotels in the demonstration area have over 1,500 rooms and employ 2,000 people. Renaissance Bangkok and the Four Seasons Bangkok are not currently taking reservations for hotel stays this week. Guests have been relocated to other hotels in the city, particularly the Sukhumvit area.

Slum Living in Bangkok City Center Tourist District (2004)

The Four Seasons and Renaissance hotel websites show no traveler notices regarding the protests and safety concerns for guests at these hotels.

InterContinental Bangkok website mentions the Red Shirt protests at the end of the hotel overview, but states the city Skytrain stations are open.

*** NOTE: The red shirt demonstrations in the City Centre at Rajdamri road are still ongoing and could affect street traffic around the hotel due to the volume of people. However, BTS Sky train and Ploenchit Road in front of the hotel are still operating. Report was announced that these rallies will go on with no violence. We suggest that you check with your Foreign Ministry for any updates and possible travel advisories. ***

Grand Hyatt Bangkok has the most detailed warning for potential guests located as the first paragraph of the Hotel Overview.

Bangkok, April 20, 2010 – Protests by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) have been taking place in the vicinity of Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok since April 3, 2010. The government announced a State of Emergency in Bangkok on Wednesday, April 7. Visit News & Events to read more.

The link goes to this statement:                 

Media Statement on Latest Situation in Bangkok

Bangkok, April 20, 2010 – Protests by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) have been taking place in the vicinity of Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok since April 3, 2010. The government announced a State of Emergency in Bangkok on Wednesday, April 7.
For the safety and security of our guests and employees, Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok has at this stage decided to suspend all guest services and not to accept any reservations until April 24, 2010. Security measures remain at the highest level at the hotel. 

Four Seasons Hotel logo is an appealing design

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.

Ritz-Carlton San Francisco

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.

Looking north from the bluffs or Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay

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.

Spa Gaucin lap pool at St. Regis Monarch Beach

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 Phoenician, Scottsdale, Arizona

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.

Fairmont Scottsdale

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

Camelback Inn pool, JW Marriott, Scottsdale, Arizona

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).

Wynn Las Vegas

Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel is idyllic for sunset views.

Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, Dana Point, California

These four hotels alone have over 4,300 rooms and each hotel from upper floor locations offer some of the best high-rise urban landscape views in the city of San Francisco.

St. Regis view of San Francisco hotels at dawn

Turn down your sound volume. I still need to work on the sound aspect of video. Lots of street and wind noise in this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw7CwjyqpIs

Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA October 16, 2008

Rushing out of Monterey I had no idea what the temperature was in Silicon Valley, California.  The 70° Monterey air soon went to 90° on Highway 101 right where Monterey County changes to San Benito County.  Somehow the County line seems to be situated right at the point of the freeway where the Pacific Ocean air conditioning ends.

The beautiful hotel exterior of the Four Seasons caught my attention numerous times as I passed by on Highway 101 through Palo Alto. 

Four Seasons Silicon Valley, East Palo Alto, California

A room with a view of IKEA and the freeway always seemed like an odd location for a luxury hotel.  The dichotomy of social existence in California is reflected perfectly in a luxury hotel next to a freeway separating the predominantly lower socioeconomic households of East Palo Alto from the Stanford University dominated Palo Alto to the west.

Four Seasons Silicon Valley, East Palo Alto, California

I decided to check out the freeway-side hotel as I exited University Avenue in East Palo Alto on the way to Stanford University.  Ambient music played in the lobby.  The bright sun on this 90°F October day kept the west facing window seating “awash in clear sunlight by day”.  That descriptive phrase lifted from the Four Seasons website perfectly captures the light I experienced as I walked through the hotel.  Most of the people present were in the Quattro café/bar area.  http://www.fourseasons.com/siliconvalley/photo_gallery/

Four Seasons Silicon Valley lobby, East Palo Alto, California

I wasn’t dressed for public relations or The Bar.   The rooftop pool view will have to wait for another day.

Four Seasons Silicon Valley Quattro Restaurant

A quick lobby walk-through and photo snaps with a stop in the toilet comprised my visit.  Five star luxury bathrooms use hand towels, not paper towels in the public area restrooms.

Four Seasons, Silicon Valley has a $245 Bed and Breakfast rate which must make this hotel one of the lowest priced Four Seasons in the United States. 

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The train tracks separate the few blocks of upscale shops, restaurants, and bars on University Avenue east of the tracks, from the Palo Alto Sheraton and Westin and Stanford University on the west side of the tracks.  I parked in the business district and joined the multilingual crowd on the sunny sidewalks. 

Electric Car, Palo Alto, California

Several people walking in front of me all turned right into a store.  Several people walking towards me all turned left into the same store.  I glanced in as I passed by the door and saw it was an Apple computer store.  Dozens of shops on the street and it seemed just about everyone on the sidewalk had walked into the Apple store.  There must have been fifteen people go inside in a 30-second period.

I turned around and went in the Apple store.  I have never been in an Apple store before.  Long white countertops had Apple products evenly spaced for consumer-user friendliness.  One counter had about six or eight computers.  There were several rows of these counters.  Another area had i-phones, and another area i-pods.  Headphones were dangling from overhead fixtures.  Dozens of people were standing in front of computers surfing the internet.   My little city of Monterey has nothing like this. 

The Palo Alto Sheraton and Palo Alto Westin are adjacent to each other and across the street from Stanford University.  I have stayed at both of these hotels.  The Westin is elegant and has nicer rooms.  The Sheraton has the better pool and is the place to be if you want to party.  The Westin exudes professorial sophistication and the Sheraton says California sunshine and tan maintenance.  Both hotels are outrageously high on most weekdays with $200+ rates.  Over the past year the Sheraton Palo Alto drops to $99 to $119 for some weekends, while the Westin tends to bottom out in the $129-$149 range.

The Sheraton concierge kindly provided me with a map of Stanford University and even a 10% discount card for dinner at Gordon Biersch Brewery near where I had parked my car. 

Palm Avenue, Stanford University

Along Palm Avenue, across the street from the Sheraton Hotel, it is a 15 to 20 minute walk to the University buildings.  In the hot sun, my ears burning, the distance to the Rodin Sculpture Garden was a bit farther than I had remembered and I wished I had brought a bottle of water from my car.  The temperature controlled environment of the museum was a respite from the early fall heat of California.

Cantor Center for the Visual Arts, Stanford university, Palo Alto, California

My Rodin knowledge is primarily from the 1989 Isabelle Adjani and Gerard Depardieu movie, “Camille Claudel”.   

The Thinker, Rodin sculpture, Cantor Museum, Stanford University

A museum that permits photography is a pleasant surprise.

I love this painting of Napoleon. 

 Napoleon (1798), Artist: Andrea Appiani (1754-1817)

I was disappointed to take two fuzzy photographs of a painting by William Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905).  I purchased a print of Bouguereau’s “The Young Seamstress” in Ireland back in 1997 and it hangs in our bedroom.

There was a party scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30 with a free band and $5 microbrew beers and wines ($8) in the Rodin Sculpture Garden.  I wandered on to look for food.

“Social Butterfly” 1990, Roger Brown, 1941-1997

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Naomi Klein (right) and Terry Karl, Stanford University, 10-16-08

Naomi Klein, author of “No Logo” and “The Shock Doctrine”, speaking at Stanford University was the purpose of this trip. 

What does a liberal journalist have to do with hotel travel? 

Well, the main thesis of Naomi Klein’s latest book, “The Shock Doctrine“ is the pattern of corporatism winning out over public good through privatization and appropriation of resources, money, and law in a catalytic way of change after a major disaster.  Her thesis is supported by four main examples: Chile and the corporate overthrow of democratic socialism in the 70s, Bush’s war privatization in Iraq, hotel development on appropriated beaches after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and school privatization in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Naomi Klein spoke primarily about the current economic crisis and expressed her activism in urging everyone to hound their legislators for securing a better bailout economic package to the one Hank Paulson negotiated with the banks.

Her main social point was to stay on your legislators to enable Barack Obama to address a grassroots call for change and generate reforms for infrastructure and social policy development in a climate that is unfortunately ripe for a continuation of disaster capitalism a la Bush Administration through corporate bailouts rather than changes more directly related to the working people of the USA.

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W Hotel Silicon Valley, Newark, California

The W Hotel Silicon Valley is an easy 20 minute drive from Palo Alto.  Crossing the Dumbarton Bridge over southern San Francisco Bay reminded me of the leftover fresh crab I cracked and ate for lunch before leaving my home in Monterey.  The scent from the sea at low tide pervaded my car.

W Silicon Valley is located near the East Bay shoreline in the estuary of Newark, California.   Estuaries are a great place for bird watching.  The darkness at 10pm kept my eyes from seeing the mudflats my nose detected.

The Check-in receptionist told me I was being given an upgrade.  The room was on the 4^th floor facing east.  The preferred view in this hotel is the west facing room or pool rooms.  I have stayed here probably a dozen or more times in the past six years and I have only had an interior facing room once and I couldn’t see the pool from that room, just the roof of the café area. The room looked like every room I’ve had at this hotel.  One time, years ago, I actually did receive a corner room upgrade. 

Room 410, W Hotel Silicon Valley, Newark, CA

At $89 on a Starpicks rate for a Thursday night I am not complaining.  This hotel is normally twice the price on Thursdays.

Lobby was dead at 10:00pm.  One man working on a computer at a café table.

Only one bar of soap in the bathroom.  That was inconvenient to have to move the soap from the sink to the bath and back to the sink.  Ecologically, I can’t bear the thought of throwing away bars of soap after one day so one bar is a “green” move.  Personally,  I always take the soap home with me and my home supply is a little low lately.   

Room 410, W Silicon Valley bathroom

Friday morning working on my computer and  I realize there is no coffee maker in the room.  I had to put on my glasses to read the W Hotel card on the sink counter.

“WHO DO YOU HAVE TO KNOW TO GET A CUP OF COFFEE AROUND HERE?”

The sentence on the card was written in all caps like that.  The card then said “Join us for coffee or tea, at the W Café in the Living Room this morning. Along with coffee or tea, you will find fresh-baked pastries and other tempting treats to whet your appetite.”

The card does not say if coffee is complimentary.

I had to place the card under the lamp to decipher the line at the bottom of the card, set in a smaller size font: “Can’t live without your fix?  Call Whatever/Whenever to have a coffee maker delivered to your room.”

This is a change for the W Silicon Valley.  There was always a coffee maker in the room for my hotel stays over the past six years.

I tossed on some gym shorts and headed to the lobby for coffee.  Felt a little underdressed in the elevator with a perfumed, business attire woman.  Then again, I looked like I might be headed to the workout room or perhaps I was on my way to “Wet” (the W synonym for swimming pool).

Coffee fixed I proceeded to work on my computer.

W Hotels have interesting accessories for your stay.  On the desk was a silver tube sitting in a tray labeled “WISH” and the tube was in fact a kaleidoscope.  The hotel has complimentary DVD movies for check-out and a DVD player beneath the TV.  The room has a sink, microwave, and refrigerator and two sets of plates and utensils.  Magazines are everywhere from the selection of three in the room to three more titles in the elevator vestibule.  I grabbed a copy of “Wired” to take home.

The café was busy in the morning.  I have never seen it so crowded in my previous stays as I am usually here on a Saturday or Sunday morning.  They appeared to be business guests who probably have meetings in one of the tech buildings in the business park surrounding the W Hotel.  After all, it is called Silicon Valley for a reason.