Hilton $6-9/1,000 points
Hyatt $15-$20/1,000 points
IHG Priority Club $7-$10/1,000 points
Marriott Rewards $7-10/1,000 points
Starwood Preferred Guest $35-$50/1,000 points

The comment had me thinking this past week about a method for making an accurate and precise calculation. I do not have the advanced mathematical tools to create a sophisticated analysis. Here is a great business idea for a fellow entrepreneur. Create computer programs that can evaluate high value redemptions for points and provide a list of hotels with great value for points.

My Loyalty Traveler corollary applies for this analysis:

“Points only have potential value until they are redeemed.”

Location is the key component of any program assessment when comparing one hotel chain to another. You have a good idea of the value of Starpoints or HHonors points if those are the points currency you frequently work with for your hotel stays. When it comes to comparing hotel programs and the value of points, then location comes into play along with other factors.

1.       Location – the objective variable. Look at the hotels in a particular city and compare points cost to rates for specific dates. That is what I have done for this assessment and in tribute to the Colbert Show I have titled this piece “Better Know a City”.

2.       Potential to earn points in the hotel loyalty program. This is the subjective variable and is related to the promotions offered, hotel stay pattern, elite status, and credit card earning.

My subjective evaluation of points earning ranking:

a.       IHG Priority Club

b.      Starwood/Hyatt

c.       Hilton/Marriott

Better Know a City – New York City

NYC is the most expensive hotel city in the US and therefore the hotel categories are also high for the different chains.

I picked a 3-night stay for Monday through Wednesday nights, April 5-8, 2010.

This is a date far enough in the future that awards were available 49 of 50 hotels in the city of New York and rates have probably not been discounted yet. Hotels typically begin heavy discounting within a few weeks of a stay date when occupancy is too low.

As will be seen from this analysis, the typically high hotel category placement for New York City hotels gives IHG Priority Club a competitive advantage in a hotel loyalty program comparison.

Priority Club bases the cost of a free night on hotel brand rather than hotel category. For this reason the cost in points for a free night at the Candlewood Suites in New York City is the same 15,000 points as a free night at the Candlewood Suites in Flowood, Mississippi.

Here are some observations on free night award searches across hotel loyalty programs:

1.       Starwood Hotels is the easiest program to check award availability compared to cash price. The initial search results for a location show the cash room rate, free night availability, and Cash & Points, if available. The search results also show the hotel category level for points. A member must be logged in as a member to check award availability with the other hotel chains.

2.       Hilton and Marriott require a check of the hotel’s homepage to see Hotel Category level. Hyatt requires a check of hotel category through Gold Passport award chart links.

3.       Marriott Rewards design is a mess. Has it always been this way?

I searched New York, New York and up to 92 hotels were displayed. I saw no function on the webpage to narrow this list down to just NYC downtown hotels.

Hilton and Starwood both offer a function to limit the geographic search to within a few miles of the location desired. Marriott Rewards did not even show a New York City hotel on page 1 of the search results.

I ended up searching by Category. The problem here is only one category could be searched at a time. I had to check Category 8, then Category 7, then Category 6, each time starting the search from scratch with New York City and filtering the 90+ hotel list down to the desired hotels so I would see only NYC listings.

New York City Results:

Hyatt Gold Passport  

Redemption value $20.02 for 2 hotels;

range $19.21 to $20.83

The best deal is Grand Hyatt New York, a Category 4 hotel at 15,000 points per night.

Hyatt Gold Passport in New York City

Starwood Preferred Guest  

Redemption value $22.14 per 1,000 points for 9 hotels;

range $14.40 – $34.92

Starwood Preferred Guest in New York City

SPG typically is a poor value for points when redeeming high category hotel properties. An unexpected result in this study was the relatively good redemption value for the Category 7, St. Regis New York. At $845 per night or 30,000 points, the points value of $28.16/1,000 points actually came out as one of the best deals for the SPG member in New York City. But seriously, $845 per night? That is some Wall Street level cash to spend for a hotel night.

4 of 9 Starwood hotels had a redemption value of less than $20 per 1,000 points.  That is a poor value and far below the $40 to $50 per 1,000 points a member can easily receive in many locations. I’d spend cash and save my points for another day.

Hilton HHonors  

Redemption value $6.68 per 1,000 points (17 hotels);

range $4.91-10.98 based on 2009 category levels.

Hilton HHonors in New York City

If all these properties move up one category in 2010, then the

2010 redemption value = $5.62 per 1,000 points

range will be $3.98-$8.78.

The Waldorf=Astoria was the only New York City hotel not available as an award among the 50 hotels searched across the different hotel chains. The hotel was available for Sunday night April 4 at 40,000 points (50,000 points as of January 15, 2010.)

Doubletree Guest Suites Times Square was the only hotel to have a redemption value over $10/1,000 points, however, this hotel was by far the most expensive Hilton brand property in the city for the April dates at $439 per night for this Category 6 hotel. The Waldorf Towers was only $399 for the same dates.

Marriott Rewards

Redemption value = $7.54/1,000 points;

range $5.97 to $8.63  (11 hotels)

Marriott Rewards in New York City

 

 

InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club

Redemption value = $9.96/1,000 points;

range $7.00 to $17.00  (10 hotels)

IHG Priority Club in New York City

Conclusion: My initial off-the-top-of-my-head estimates of points redemption value were within the range I found for New York City with the exception of Starwood Preferred Guest where the value was significantly lower than I estimated.

In my defense, SPG has poor redemption value at most high category hotels. I have repeatedly made this criticism of the program on Loyalty traveler blog. The St. Regis New York at $845 per night is an exception to the rule. This is actually a good use of 30,000 points for a SPG category 7 hotel.

I have never actually redeemed points for any hotel higher than a category 5 in the Starwood hotel chain. My analyses generally conclude a member is better off paying the big bucks for a high category hotel and saving your points for higher value hotel stays at Category 2 to 4 hotels and Cash & Points stays.

As someone who has burned several hundred thousand Starpoints, I typically get around $50 per 1,000 points with my free night redemptions. Cash & Points is usually the high value deal. Unfortunately, there were few offers of Cash & Points rates for the New York City Starwood Hotels so far in advance of the April date.

Priority Club and Hyatt Gold Passport show high value points redemption opportunities. Points & Cash rates with Priority Club provides even higher value for your points at these hotels.

Hilton and Marriott both showed redemption values in the lower range I initially estimated. Hilton, Marriott, and SPG offer better value when you have a 4 or 5 night stay and receive a discount on points.

IHG Priority Club and Hyatt Gold Passport are easily the winners for best value in the Better Know a City for your hotel points stays in New York.

The contest is a giveaway for 2,023 free rooms at 86 Sheraton hotels for a free night. Friday night, October 23 is the only date valid for the free night stay.

You may submit one entry per day from Tuesday, October 6 through Friday, October 9.

Winners will receive instant notification of win. Contestants are limited to winning one free night during the contest.

Contest Link: sheraton.com/freenight

Contest Rules: http://sheraton.promo.eprize.com/freenight/display_page?page=rules

Participating Sheraton Hotels:

I gave Sheraton San Jose a try since I already plan to be in San Jose on Friday, October 23.

I did not win today.

Sheraton San Jose, California

The number of miles needed for a free night is related to the actual room rate, yet there is a wide range of redemption values depending on the hotel you choose. While many hotel free night redemptions will only have a value of about $7 to $9 per 1,000 miles, there are hotels with a redemption value in the $10 to $14 range per 1,000 miles. Loyalty traveler compared room rates with Mileage Plus redemption rates for some 4 and 5 star hotels in San Francisco and Las Vegas.

Mileage Plus Hotel Awards link.

The redemption values in the table above show a wide range between hotels, from a low value of $4.12 per 1,000 miles to a high value of $14.47 per 1,000 miles. The good news is these hotels listed in the table above are just a small portion of the high end hotels available. Hotels in the 2 star and 3 star category are under 10,000 miles per night in many locations.

Careful comparison shopping of Mileage Plus miles to prevailing rates for the dates of your stay is vital for getting the best value from a hotel award.

Airline and Hotel Comparative Redemption Value

A typical domestic economy class airline award of 25,000 miles redeemed for a San Francisco SFO – New York JFK with a retail price of $304 has a redemption value of $12.16 per 1,000 miles.

First Class SFO –JFK priced out at $5,489 or 70,000 miles. This is a high redemption value of $78/1,000 miles.

But seriously, would you ever spend $5,500 to fly first class in a 3-cabin aircraft domestically?

Frequent flyer experts will generally advise you to save up your miles for Business Class or First Class international travel to get the best value. For example, San Francisco, SFO – London, LHR in First Class can easily be a $10,000 ticket or 135,000 Miles. This ticket will have a redemption value in the range of $75 per 1,000 miles.

The value of your miles increases greatly when redeeming for domestic or international Business Class or First Class tickets.

However, if you typically redeem your miles for economy class tickets, then you may find similar value using miles for hotel free night redemptions.

Previously Mileage Plus miles could be redeemed for a hotel certificate free night. This option is still available but hotel certificates are valid at only a select few hotel brands including Hyatt, Marriott, and Radisson.

Mileage Plus Hotel Certificates link:

http://www.united.com/page/article/0,5046,51237,00.html

Getting the best value from your Mileage Plus account miles requires selective use of awards for hotel rooms.

Spending 21,000 miles for a $300 per night hotel room is a decent redemption value on par with an economy class ticket.

Spending 40,000 miles for a $200 per night room is like spending 25,000 miles for a $125 economy class ticket and not a good value for your miles.

Your Mileage Plus miles can be redeemed for good value with hotels. Just be sure to compare your hotel options carefully and compare hotel rates in miles with cash rates to find good value.

Unclear if all the future giveaways in August will be on Tuesdays?

*****

Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles re-launched its Twitter and website free room giveaway today. Monday mornings thru August 31st at 9am PDT, Los Angeles local time, be one of the first 10 people to contact @thebonaventure and tweet #U.O.Me to win a free room. 40 rooms will also be available for free thru the website at this time.

There were some early morning glitches and the original 9amPDT start time for the giveaway was postponed an hour.

@thebonaventure on Twitter

I eyed the tweet from @thebonaventure about 15 minutes before the giveaway.

Anyway, I set my atomic clock to make sure I had the correct time this giveaway since I sent my tweet 10 seconds too early the last time they ran this promotion in March.

And I still messed it up this time. I actually forgot to reply to @thebonaventure so my #U.O.Me went to nobody but my own page.

Not to fret. I know how to navigate my way around a hotel website better than posting rapid Twitter tweets so I headed over to http://www.thebonaventure.com/ and searched for the 40 rooms being offered for free on the website. No luck there finding the offer for free rooms.

My impromptu trip to LA for the weekend was put aside as I went on with my day of uploading some of my hotel room videos to YouTube.

Around 2pm I look at Twitter again and see @thebonaventure posted free rooms still available through the website. Now there actually was a special offer link that wasn’t there earlier today.

Westin Bonaventure Free Night link

Westin Bonaventure Free Room Offer web link:

http://www.thebonaventure.com/give_away/

Twitter directions:

1.       Join Twitter

2.       On Monday morning, August 3, 2009 at 9am Los Angeles time leave a tweet like:

@thebonaventure #U.O.Me a free room please since I know how and when to tweet.

(You might want to keep the message shorter like “@thebonaventure #U.O.Me” so you beat out all the people going for those 10 rooms.)

Website directions: Go to http://www.thebonaventure.com/give_away/

Click the link “click here for a chance at a FREE night!” The rate will appear as $0.01 if a room is available. This is how the reservations page looks when a free room is available.

The web is a better way to secure your free room in my opinion. Last time they did this deal I easily found rooms through the website rather than gambling that I could be one of the first ten to contact the hotel through Twitter.

Westin Bonaventure Reservations free room page

Twitter is becoming a regular source of good deals. It is in your travel interest to take the time to figure out this social media tool if you are not yet a follower or following Twit.

Next Westin Bonaventure free room giveaway is scheduled for Monday, August 3, 2009 at 9am PDT.

Follow me on Twitter @LoyaltyTraveler for quick news that generally doesn’t make my blog – particularly San Francisco area hotel deals.

http://twitter.com/LoyaltyTraveler

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.

Hotels are sitting half empty on average, and some hotels are far less than half full on certain nights. Hotels need bodies, hence free night promotions. Pay and stay nights now to earn future free nights and spend your free nights over this summer.

Advantages of Priority Club Free Nights promotion over SPG

1.    No need to hotel hop.  A single two night stay at one hotel will earn a free night with Priority Club. A single 8-night stay at one hotel will earn 4 free nights.  SPG’s promotion is based on hotel stays and not hotel nights. A free night with the Starwood promotion requires at least one night at two different hotels or two nonconsecutive nights at a single hotel to earn a free night.

2.    Free night can be used any day of the week with Priority Club. SPG limits free night redemption to Friday, Saturday, or Sunday weekend nights.

3.    Priority Club Redemption period is from July 3 through December 26, 2009. SPG free nights must be redeemed by Sep 27, 2009.

Advantages of SPG Free Nights promotion

1.    Member earns normal SPG points for hotel stays during promotion. Priority Club suspends normal points earning for duration of promotion through July 3 if member registers for Free Nights promotion. A Priority Club member has the choice to register for an alternate promotion for Double Points or Miles.

2.    SPG promotion for earning free nights lasts longer. SPG stays from May 1 through July 31^st count towards free nights. Priority Club paid nights from May 4 through July 3 earn up to 4 free nights.

3.    SPG free nights appear in account within three days of qualifying stay and may be redeemed throughout the promotional period through September 27. Priority Club members may start making reservations around May 22, but free nights can’t be used until July 3.

4.    Starwood Free nights earned are unlimited (there is actually a technical limit of 46 free nights that can be earned within the free night qualifying period and the member would need to be redeeming free nights while earning free nights to actually use them all since redemption is limited to three weekend nights per week).  A Priority Club member may earn only 4 free nights.

InterContinental Hotels Group Free Nights Promotion link: http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/pc/1/en/c/10/content/dec/teaser/pc/0/en/lp/promolp/screaming/promo.html?_promoCode=9663

Starwood Hotels Free Night Promotion link: https://www.spgpromos.com/weekends/index.cfm

·          

I have spent some time this past week making spreadsheets to track hotel rates for the Starwood Preferred Guest free nights promotion starting Friday May 1.

I am following hotel rates throughout California. The good news is that generally the lowest hotel rates are in my part of the state around the San Francisco Bay Area.

The shock to me was the prices of Holiday Inn Express hotels for the IHG free nights promotion running concurrently with Starwood’s free night promotion.  I would love a 4-night stay at a good InterContinental Hotel in Europe later this year. 

So the shock was seeing most Holiday Inn Express hotels with rates from $100 to $140 per night. I can stay at the InterContinental San Francisco for the same price as most HI Express hotels I checked in California in little gas station villages along the freeway exits of Interstate-5.

I plan to earn my first Starwood free night by the end of this week. I lined up two Best Rate Guarantee hotel claims for next weekend. The hotel room rates actually come out to be the same price I would have paid if I booked the rooms last week on StarwoodHotels.com, but Starwood raised their rates. Some online travel agencies did not.

So in addition to the low rate I will earn an extra 4,000 Starpoints for my first two stays in this free night promotion.  Wouldn’t it be something special to book 20 Best Rate Guarantee stays and earn 40,000 bonus Starpoints on top of the 10 free nights?

My trend analysis shows the hotel rates in San Francisco went up on average $10 to $30 per night for the lowest priced popular hotels over the past week.  Here are some changes I saw in room rates over just the past six days. I am not putting dates, but these are room rate changes I’ve documented for a specific Starwood hotel on a specific date in May.

·         The Palace Hotel, San Francisco rate of $118 went up to $169.

·         Westin Market Street, San Francisco, $99 rate 4-21 went up to $139 on 4-25

·         Le Meridien San Francisco, $139 went up to $159

·         Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf, $125 went up to $179.

·         Sheraton Petaluma, $109 went up to $129.

·         Sheraton Palo Alto, $199 up to $239.

Loyalty Traveler post on IC Hotels Group free night promotion

Loyalty Traveler post on Starwood Preferred Guest free night promotion

5 rooms each weekend will be given away exclusively through Twitter to the first five tweets.

Twitter @Bonaventure #U.O.Me

Today, March 17 between 9am-12pm Pacific Time was the first date for the room giveaway for stays over March 27-28 weekend. There were not very many tweets on the #U.O.Me pages today.

Entries for remaining weekends can be made beginning 9am the Tuesday before the weekend.

Next Tuesday, March 24 at 9am you can try for a free room for Friday, April 3 or Saturday, April 4.

Winners also receive a 10% off coupon for the hotel restaurant or 20% off if you book a paid second night.

Westin Bonaventure Hotel website

Free Room Promotion link

Promotion terms and conditions

Press release link (discusses twitter)