While I don’t consider this to be an exceptional purchase opportunity for everyone, there is no doubt that some HHonors members can find hotel rate savings with these offers. In this post I will show examples of where I think this buy is a great deal.

The Hilton HHonors Daily Getaways sale happens at 1:00pm eastern time. There are no pre-sale sets of points with this offer.

HHonors members can purchase 1 set of points from each set of offers for up to 500,000 HHonors points if you can grab all three sets before they sell out. Grabbing all three sets looks to be a difficult task due to the popularity of Daily Getaways this year. Play the game and get some trusted relatives and friends to help you buy as soon as the sale opens.

100,000 HHonors points

• $550 without Amex ($5.50 per 1,000 points),
• $495 with American Express credit card payment ($4.95 per 1,000 points).
• 80 sets of points available for sale.
• Maximum purchase = 1 set of points.

150,000 HHonors points

• $825 without Amex ($5.50 per 1,000 points),
• $742.50 with American Express credit card payment ($4.95 per 1,000 points).
• 100 sets of points available for sale.
• Maximum purchase = 1 set of points.

250,000 HHonors points

• $1,375 without Amex ($5.50 per 1,000 points)
• $1,237.50 with American Express credit card payment ($4.95 per 1,000 points). 
• 100 sets of points available for sale.
• Maximum purchase = 1 set of points.

The value of Hilton HHonors points purchased at these rates

Hilton HHonors uses seven primary hotel reward categories for pricing reward nights.

• Category 1 = 7,500 points ($41.25 / $37.13)
• Category 2 = 12,500 points ($68.75 / $61.88)
• Category 3 = 25,000 points ($137.50 / $123.75)
• Category 4 = 30,000 points ($165.00 / $148.50)
• Category 5 = 35,000 points ($192.50 / $173.25)
• Category 6 = 40,000 points ($220.00 / $198.00)
• Category 7 = 50,000 points ($275.00 / $247.50)
• Waldorf-Astoria (low season) = 50,000 points ($275.00 / $247.50)
• Waldorf-Astoria (high season) = 60,000 points (330.00 / $297.00)

FlyerTalk thread showing HHonors reward tables and a variety of discount rewards.

Analysis of HHonors reward chart:

In general, I think almost all category 1 and 2 hotel rewards will be a good deal when buying points at these rates.

Category 3-6 will be dependent on the property and the normal room rates. I think most category 6 and 7 hotels will not normally have room rates higher than the cost to buy points if you are looking at a one-night stay.

The problem with HHonors hotel reward assignment is there are numerous hotels in category 6 and 7 that will likely have average hotel rates in the $150 to $175 range for most nights of the year.

The deals with Hilton HHonors are to be found in the select category 7 hotels where rates are typically over $300 per night in certain places like the South Pacific, Europe and Asia.

Hilton New York redemption value = $9.50 per 1,000 points.

Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort = US$650 before taxes.

DoubleTree Amsterdam = US$289 or $8.25 per 1,000 points redemption value.

The hotels shown here offer substantial savings when using points purchased in the $5 per 1,000 points offers through these Daily Getaways.

Another thing to keep in mind is the extended stay discounts for VIP members and Points & Money discounts where only half the points are required with a cash supplement.

VIP Discounts available to HHonors Silver, Gold and Diamond elites offer:

• 15% fewer points on 4-night reward stays.
• 20% fewer points on 5-night reward stays.
• 25% fewer points on 6-night or longer reward stays.

The value of reward stays for the examples shown above improve when staying four or more nights and make the Daily Getaways offer even better for HHonors points. Silver status is earned with just 4 hotel stays in a calendar year or instantly if you are a HHonors credit card member.

Bottom line: HHonors points are a good deal at these Daily Getaways rates if you have a plan to use them for high value hotel reward stays. These sets in the 100,000 to 250,000 points quantities are sufficient for getting VIP extended stay rewards or several Points & Money reward nights.

Keep in mind that HHonors is probably the strictest hotel loyalty program for deleting points when a member has no earning or redemption activity for a year or more.

Good luck and be ready to buy exactly when the points go on sale Wednesday April 25 at 1:00pm eastern. 280 sets of points will likely sell out within a minute.

Hilton Worldwide At-A-Glance (December 31, 2011 data)

• 3,843 Hotels
• 633,238 Rooms
• 88 countries

USA

• 3,326 hotels in USA
• 86% of Hilton Worldwide global properties are in USA
• 650 hotels planned for next five years; primarily in Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites and Home2 Suites

Americas

• 3,473 Hotels (including 3,326 in USA)
• Plan to open 50 hotels in Canada in next five years and 20 hotels in Mexico.

Asia Pacific

• 84 hotels
• Plan to open 130 hotels in next five years.
• China has 25 hotels and plan to grow to 110 hotels in five years.
• India has 8 hotels and plan to grow to 50 hotels in five years.

Latin America

• 40 hotels
• Plan to open hotels in more countries in next five years including Panama. Doubletree is already open in Panama.

Europe

• 230 hotels
• Plan to grow by more than 50% (115+ hotels) in five years.

Middle East and Africa

• 56 hotels
• Plan to sign more than 100 hotels in these regions in next five years.

Hilton Worldwide Hotel Brands by the Numbers

Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts (luxury)

• 21 hotels
• 8 countries
• Plan to open in Panama, Greece and Canada

Conrad Hotels & Resorts (luxury)

• 17 hotels
• 13 countries
• Plan to open in Fiji, India, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Portugal and United Arab Emirates.

Hilton Hotels & Resorts (upper upscale)

• 553 hotels
• 77 countries
• Plans to open 50 hotels in China and 5 in India

Embassy Suites Hotels (upper upscale)

• 212 hotels
• 7 countries
• Plans to expand in Latin America and Caribbean, including Costa Rica

DoubleTree by Hilton (upscale)

• 281 hotels
• 24 countries
• Plans to open more than 80 hotels; mostly outside the USA.

Hilton Garden Inn (upscale)

• 538 hotels
• 13 countries
• Plans to expand internationally with more than 50 hotels including 10 in Russia, 5 in India and the first HGI in China.

Hampton Hotels (upper midscale)

• 1,847 hotels (almost all in US)
• 10 countries
• Plans to continue expansion in the US and open more than 60 hotels outside the US.

Homewood Suites by Hilton (upscale extended stay)

• 310 hotels
• 3 countries
• Plans to open 6 hotels in Canada

Home 2 Suites by Hilton (upper midscale extended stay)

• 7 hotels
• 1 country
• Plans to open 100 hotels by end 2015 in US, Canada and Mexico

Hilton Grand Vacations (timeshare properties)

• 37 properties
• 5 countries (USA, Canada, Mexico, Portugal, Scotland)
• 176,000 members

Source: Hilton Worldwide Brands Fact Sheet 2012

Hotel market segment data from 2012 STR US Chain Scales.

HHonors Promotion registration is required. Promotion FAQ link.

HHonors Points & Points Earners with Double Points

Double points means 20 points per dollar for all brands except Home2 Suites where double points is 10 points per dollar. A Points & Points earner gets 25 points/$1 and elite bonuses are on top of that.

• HHonors Silver = 26.5 points/$1.
• HHonors Gold = 27.5 points/$1
• HHonors Diamond = 30 points/$1.

HHonors Points & Miles Earners with Double Miles

Most US airlines earn 500 miles per stay at most Hilton HHonors hotel brands for Points & Fixed Miles earners. Double miles is 1,000 miles per stay.

The main thing to remember with double miles is the low earning rate with most airlines for stays at Homewood Suites, Hampton Inn and Home2 Suites typically at 100 miles per stay for Points & Fixed Miles earners. You are not allowed to switch to Double Points once you have chosen Double Miles, so keep in mind that Double points are likely much higher value than Double Miles if your stays will be heavy on Hampton and Homewood.

There are some exceptions like bmi miles where members earn 1,000 miles per night for up to three nights. That can be 6,000 miles per stay. The problem is bmi airlines is in the process of being sold and there is uncertainty about the mileage program. I have not been following the bmi story closely, so I have no real insight into that issue.

Points & Variable Miles is usually the best miles earning preference for guests on extended stays.

HHonors airline partners and miles earn rate link.

Non-participating hotels are almost all in USA

This is a global Hilton HHonors promotion, however, there are about 325 non-participating hotels in the USA. There are only 6 hotels outside the USA opting out of double points/miles, so there is little concern for international travelers.

The number of hotels opting out of HHonors quarterly promotions has become a major issue with Hilton HHonors promotions in the past couple of years. 

My rough estimate indicates 325 hotels is more than 10% of all USA Hilton brand hotels. And with 100 or so Hampton Inns out of 1,800+ opting out of this promotion, then about 1 out of 6 hotels in all the other Hilton brands in the USA have opted out of this offer. That is a huge number of non-participating hotels.

SFO Airport Hotels  – only 4 of 9 hotels participate in Q2 promotion

The non-participating properties at San Francisco Airport include both Embassy Suites, both Hilton Garden Inns and the Hampton Inn SFO North. This leaves the Hilton, Doubletree and Hampton Inn in Burlingame, south of the airport out of five hotels and Homewood Suites north of the airport out of four Hilton brand hotels for a total of  4 out of 9 participating hotels in this promotion.

San Francisco Airport has five non-participating hotels for double points/miles while the entire list for all countries outside the US consists of six non-participating hotels.

What’s up Hilton?

Conclusion: This is a decent promotion for Hilton loyalists staying at participating hotels. Even non-elite members earning 25 points/$1 will earn 50,000 points after $2,000 in hotel spend; sufficient for a high-level category 7 hotel reward night that might have $400 per night rates.

HHonors Diamond member with a Surpass American Express card can earn 39 points/$1 with this promotion. That makes a significant rebate if you are staying at the participating hotels.

We should know soon enough what other chains have for frequent guests as the beginning of the year promotions expire soon for most major chains.

And even though he has never slept at a La Quinta Inn, he implies the housekeeping staff does not clean the rooms to the same standard a guest will find at a full-service hotel chain like IHG, Hilton or Hyatt.

Yet, he has no problem being a member of La Quinta Returns loyalty program to collect free points.

Here is my rebuttal for you Gary and a reason to build your account balance beyond 300 points.

Waldorf-Astoria Resorts – here we come with ice coolers.

Here is a Loyalty Traveler lesson in cheap value for travelers who can get by without room service morning coffee for hotel stays at La Quinta Inns & Suites.

The parent company of La Quinta Inns is the private equity firm Blackstone Group. Hilton Worldwide is owned by the same parent company Blackstone. La Quinta Returns points can be used for many Waldorf-Astoria Resorts.

Using La Quinta Returns for stays at Waldorf-Astoria Hotels

La Quinta Returns has a special deal right now for discount hotel rewards at resorts. Many of the luxury hotel partners of La Quinta are actually Waldorf-Astoria Resorts available for as few as 20,000 points per night. Other hotel partners of La Quinta Returns are part of Destination Hotels & Resorts.

Edgewater Beach Hotel – a Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, Naples, Florida.

La Quinta Returns members can book the Edgewater Beach Hotel for 20,000 points per night for stays through May 31, 2012. La Quinta Returns members earn 10 points/$1 for La Quinta stays. $2,000 in hotel spend earns 20,000 points.

Edgewater Beach Hotel Naples, Florida

20,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

45,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Now to earn points

La Quinta Returns has a 20% discount sale on points purchases through March 31, 2012. La Quinta Returns members can buy 40,000 points in a calendar year. Points are normally $11 per 1,000 points.

20,000 points = $176 with this sale. A couple can buy 80,000 points between two members for $704.

80,000 La Quinta points is sufficient for four nights April 19-23, 2012 at the Edgewater Beach Hotel, a Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

This same stay will cost 120,000 points + $400 with HHonors Points & Money or 240,000 points for a standard reward (or 204,000 points VIP elite reward) or more than $1,200 to pay the published rates for this Waldorf-Astoria hotel stay.

Buying La Quinta hotel points can save over $500 for a couple on a 4-night stay at this Waldorf-Astoria property.

$500 in savings will be more than enough to buy room service coffee.

Hey Gary Leff!

There is no need to qualify your La Quinta post title “La Quinta: cheap, or value?”.

La Quinta Returns is cheap value that can place a budget traveler in a Waldorf-Astoria beach resort on points for less hotel spend than Hilton HHonors.

Other Waldorf Astoria Hotels available through La Quinta Returns include:

• Boca Beach Club, a Waldorf Astoria Resort – Boca Raton, Florida
• Boca Raton Resort and Club, a Waldorf Astoria Resort – Boca Raton, Florida
• Casa Marina, a Waldorf Astoria Resort – Key West, Florida
• The Reach Resort, a Waldorf Astoria Resort – Key West, Florida
• Naples Waldorf Astoria – Naples, Florida
• The Boulders Resort, a Waldorf Astoria Resort – Carefree, Arizona
• El Conquistador Resort, a Waldorf-Astoria Resort – Fajardo, Puerto Rico

Hotels and resorts available with La Quinta Returns points at discount rates for 2012 dates.

Arizona

The Boulders Resort Carefree, Arizona

30,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

40,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Royal Palms Resort and Spa Phoenix, Arizona

20,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

45,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

California

Resort at Squaw Creek™ Lake Tahoe, California

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

45,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Miramonte® Resort & Spa Palm Springs, California

20,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

35,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Terranea Resort™ Ranchos Palos Verdes, California

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

45,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

L’Auberge Del Mar San Diego, California

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

45,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Paradise Resort & Spa San Diego, California

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

50,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Colorado

The Inverness Hotel Denver, Colorado

25,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

35,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

The Stonebridge Inn Snowmass Village, Colorado

25,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

35,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Vail Cascade Vail, Colorado

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

45,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

The Madison Washington, D. C.

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

45,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Florida

Boca Beach Club Boca Raton, Florida

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

40,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Boca Raton Resort Boca Raton, Florida

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

40,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

South Seas Island Resort Captiva Island, Florida

25,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

30,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Casa Marina Resort Key West, Florida

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

40,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

The Reach Resort Key West, Florida

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

40,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Miami Beach Resort & Spa Miami Beach, Florida

20,000 Points (per night)

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Edgewater Beach Hotel Naples, Florida

20,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

45,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Naples Grande Beach Resort Naples, Florida

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

40,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Buena Vista Palace Orlando, Florida

20,000 Points (per night)

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Sanibel Inn Sanibel, Florida

20,000 Points (per night)

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Sundial Resort Sanibel, Florida

25,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

30,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

New Mexico

Inn and Spa at Loretto Santa Fe, New Mexico

25,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

35,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

New York

LaGuardia Airport Hotel East Elmhurst, New York

20,000 Points (per night)

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Oregon

Sunriver Resort® Sunriver, Oregon

25,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

35,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Puerto Rico

El Conquistador Resort Fajardo, Puerto Rico

30,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

40,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

San Juan Condado Plaza San Juan, Puerto Rico

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

40,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

El San Juan Hotel & Casino San Juan, Puerto Rico

30,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

40,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

South Carolina

Wild Dunes® Resort Charleston, South Carolina

35,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

45,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Texas

The Driskill Hotel Austin, Texas

20,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

45,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Washington

Skamania Lodge® Stevenson, Washington

20,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

35,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Suncadia Resort® Cle Elm, Washington

25,000 Points (per night) from 1/1/12-5/31/12

35,000 Points (per night) through 12/31/11 & 6/1/12-12/31/12

Resort Details | Join Nowto earn points

Related posts:

La Quinta Inn 2x and 3x points Dec 12-Jan 8, 2012 (LT post – this promotion could have reduced the hotel spend to earn a free Waldorf-Astoria hotel night down to $667 to earn 20,000 points.

La Quinta Returns Loyalty Program Profile (LT post April 12, 2011)

La Quinta Inns & Suites website.

La Quinta Returns loyalty program.

Hotel Chain Scales are used by hotel industry analysts at STR.com to segment hotel brands into luxury, upper-upscale, upscale, upper midscale, midscale and economy categories.

The largest hotel loyalty programs for the US are Hilton, Marriott and IHG in terms of the size and broad range of hotels in different market segments. Wyndham Rewards, Choice Privileges and Best Western Rewards are comparable megachain hotels, but there are far fewer hotels in the upscale to luxury segments in these three brands. Starwood (1,100 hotels) and Hyatt (500 hotels) have a high proportion of upscale to luxury hotel brands in their portfolios, however, the number of hotels are far fewer in these chains and not as useful for travelers needing wide geographic coverage.

Hotel Brands and Market Segments

What is a luxury hotel or an upper-upscale hotel?

Price is generally the defining line between hotel market segments. I do not work in the hotel industry and I am an amateur analyst interpreting numbers from hotel industry data. STRGlobal.com provides industry data reports and I gather statistical data about the hotel industry regularly from the free data provided online.

STR has a list of hotel brands in different chain scale segments based on the average room rate data for thousands of hotels worldwide.

This post uses the 2011 STR US Chain Scales  along with the latest hotel properties data for each brand from the hotel chain’s websites to compare market segments for hotel brands of Hilton, IHG and Marriott.

Basically I want to see how the hotels in Hilton, IHG and Marriott segment out in each chain and compare to each other when looking at the number of luxury, upscale and midscale hotels in each hotel loyalty program.

Hilton Worldwide Hotel Brands with Market Segment and Number of Hotels

• Hilton Worldwide has 3,712 hotels in this list, but this is only an estimate. New hotels open every few days.The percentage of hotels in each brand is listed in ( ).
• Conrad Hotels (luxury) = 18 hotels (<1%).
• Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts (luxury) = 23 hotels (<1%).
• Hilton Hotels and Resorts (upper upscale) = 540 hotels (15%) in 78 countries including 70 Resorts.
• Embassy Suites (upper upscale) = 201 hotels (5%) with 193 in US and 8 international.
• Hilton Grand Vacations (upper upscale) = 50 properties (1%).
• DoubleTree by Hilton (upscale) = 250 hotels (7%) in 17 countries.
• Homewood Suites (upscale – extended stay) = 309 hotels (8%) in North America.
• Hilton Garden Inn (upscale) = 515 hotels (14%) with 130 in development.
• Hampton Inn (upper midscale) = 1,800 hotels (48%) with more than 1,700 in US and growing international expansion recently.
• Home2 Suites (upper midscale – extended stay) = 6 hotels (<1%).

Marriott International Hotel Brands with Market Segment and Number of Hotels

• 3,747 properties in 13 brands in 72 countries. This total does not include Marriott Executive Apartments which earn Marriott Rewards points, but are extended stay contracted properties and not a typical hotel stay.
• Ritz-Carlton (luxury) = 81 hotels (2%).
• JW Marriott (luxury) = 62 hotels (2%).
• Marriott Hotels & Resorts (upper upscale) = 521 hotels (14%).
• Renaissance (upper upscale) = 160 hotels (4%).
• Autograph Collection (upper upscale) = 29 hotels (<1%).
• Marriott Vacation Club (upper upscale) = 59 properties (2%).
• Marriott Conference Centers (upper upscale) = 7 hotels (<1%).
• Courtyard (upscale) = 926 hotels (25%).
• AC Hotels (upscale) = 82 hotels mostly in Spain (2%).
• SpringHill Suites (upscale – extended stay) = 299 hotels (8%).
• Residence Inn (upscale – extended stay) = 627 hotels (17%).
• Fairfield Inn (upper midscale) = 689 hotels (18%).
• TownePlace Suites (upper midscale – extended stay)= 205 hotels (5%).

InterContinental Hotels Group

• 4,452 hotels (as of September 2011)
• InterContinental Hotels (luxury) = 171 hotels (4%).
• Crowne Plaza (upscale) =  401 hotels (9%).
• Hotel Indigo (upscale) =  38 hotels (<1%).
• Staybridge Suites (upscale – extended stay) = 195 hotels (4%).
• Holiday Inn (upper midscale) = 1,238 hotels (28%).
• Holiday Inn Express (upper midscale) = 2,103 hotels (47%) with 1,866 in Americas.
• Candlewood Suites (midscale) = 300 hotels (7%).
• Holiday Inn Club Vacations = 6 properties (<1%).

I have some issue with the broad segmentation of Crowne Plaza and DoubleTree as Upscale rather than Upper Upscale for some locations and Holiday Inn as Upper Midscale for some locations where the Holiday Inn is more upscale.  Keep in mind in the real world of travel there will be some Crowne Plaza and DoubleTree hotels that will be just as nice or better than the nearby Marriott, Hilton or Embassy Suites.

How the hotel chains stack up when brands are compared by market segment.

Luxury market segment

• IHG = 171 hotels (InterContinental)
• Marriott = 143 hotels (Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott)
• Hilton = 41 hotels (Conrad, Waldorf Astoria)

Upper Upscale market segment

• Hilton = 791 hotels (Hilton, Embassy Suites, Hilton Grand Vacations)
• Marriott = 776 hotels (Marriott, Renaissance, Autograph Collection, Marriott Vacation Club)
• IHG = 0 hotels (based on STR chain scale rankings, but in reality many Crowne Plaza hotels are upper upscale).

Upscale market segment

• Marriott = 1,934 hotels (Courtyard, Residence Inn, AC Hotels)
• Hilton = 1,074 (Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, DoubleTree)
• IHG = 634 hotels (Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Staybridge Suites)

Upper Midscale market segment

• IHG = 3,341 hotels (Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express)
• Hilton = 1,806 (Hampton Inn)
• Marriott = 894 (Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites)

Midscale market segment

• IHG = 300 (Candlewood Suites)

The key point here is to consider what market segment you desire for your travels. IHG Priority Club will tend to be lower room rates, but Priority Club does not offer frequent guest elite members the level of defined benefits provided by Hilton HHonors or Marriott Rewards to their md-tier and top-tier elite members.

Another point to add is the practice of placing branded hotels in the same chain adjacent to each other. This is really common with Marriott where Courtyard and Residence Inn are literally adjacent hotels in many places. I have seen three Marriott properties in the same location in places. Geographic coverage is not as extensive as you might think when all the locations with multiple properties are considered. On the other hand, the placement of hotels in the same chain next to each other makes hotel hopping for loyalty promotion stay credit an easy task when you want to earn free Marriott MegaBonus nights.

Comparison of hotel loyalty program benefits across these hotel brands will be discussed in future posts.

The Elysian is currently the #1 hotel of 165 hotels in Chicago ranked on TripAdvisor.com. A food critic I met last month in Chicago raved about dining at Ria, a 2011 two Michelin star restaurant at the Elysian.

Elysian Hotel Chicago is #1 on TripAdvisor 12-15-2011.

New York will see the fifth Conrad Hotel in North America open in 2012 in the Manhattan financial district adjacent to the headquarters of Goldman Sachs. Apparently the market segment for Conrad is contemporary aesthetic luxury while Waldorf aims for traditional luxury market.

Hilton is looking to expand its presence in the U.S. with key luxury properties in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston and Washington D.C.

Source: Hotels News Now

• Stay must be booked at least 7 days before arrival in Americas. Advance booking window may be less for hotels in other regions.
• Earn 1,000 bonus HHonors points for stays of at least two nights booked with this promotion offer. You can book one night stays, but no bonus points.

Hilton Rate Discounts by Hotel Brand and Region

North and South America

• 25% discount: Conrad, Doubletree, Hilton, Waldorf Astoria
• 20% discount: Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Grand Vacations, Homewood Suites, Home2 Suites.

Europe, Middle East and Africa

• 33% discount on BAR and Bed & Breakfast: Conrad, Doubletree, Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Waldorf Astoria.
• 20% discount BAR: Hampton Inn

Asia Pacific

• 33% discount on BAR: Conrad, Doubletree, Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Waldorf Astoria.
• 25% discount: Japan properties

Loyalty Traveler analysis

Rate comparisons for two San Francisco Hilton Hotels show a 25% discount on BAR. These hotels offered from 10% to 15% discount with AAA rates. The December Sale discount is the lowest rate I found for these two hotels. Keep in mind though that December Sale rates are prepaid at time of booking and nonrefundable.

December Sale rates apply to higher category rooms like junior suites and full suites.

Hilton Union Square San Francisco  Dec 24-26, 2011

December Sale rate saves about $130 after tax for a two night stay in a one bedroom suite compared to AAA rate.

Hilton San Francisco Union Square Rate Comparison

Bed & Breakfast deals in EMEA region can be a significant savings compared to the normal cost to eat breakfast which often runs as high as US$30 per person at hotel restaurants.

Hilton London Euston Hotel Breakfast rate is only US$10.40 more per day.

The removal of Southwest Airlines as a Hilton earning partner is a loss for members who spend lots of nights at Hampton Inns and Homewood Suites where 600 Rapid Rewards points are earned per stay, the same rate as all other Hilton brands.

HHonors airline miles table Southwest shows *See important notice below.

*Effective January 1, 2012, the Hilton HHonors program will no longer offer Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Points for stays at hotels & resorts within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio.

Most airlines earn only 20% miles at Hampton and Homewood compared to stays completed at other Hilton brands. Fixed miles earners typically receive 500 miles per stay at all Hilton brands, and only 100 miles per stay for Hampton Inns and Homewood Suites.

JetBlue is the only other US carrier offering full points/miles for stays at these lower miles earning Hilton brands.

HHonors Points & Miles vs. Points & Points Earning

500 miles per Hilton stay is a convenient way to build up frequent flyer account mileage balances. 30 stays per year can earn 15,000 additional miles with most airlines at 500 miles earned per stay at Hilton, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Conrad, Waldorf Astoria Collection, Hilton Garden Inn and Hilton Grand Vacations.

Assume an HHonors member spends $6,000 per year on 30 stays and a Points & Points earners will receive 30,000 bonus points compared to a Points & Fixed Miles earner who can pick up 15,000 miles instead. The value of 15,000 miles might exceed the value of 30,000 points for someone who probably earns 100,000+ points already as a Points & Miles earner.

The HHonors Brand Determines the Miles Factor

The miles factor is dependent on which of the ten HHonors hotel brands you stay. There is a two-tier earning system for most airlines when collecting Points & Fixed Miles. Hilton, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Conrad, Waldorf Astoria Collection, Hilton Garden Inn and Hilton Grand Vacations offer 500 miles per stay with most airlines.

The value of miles is reduced greatly if you frequent Hampton Inn or Homewood Suites where the earn rate is only 100 miles per stay for most airlines. That 15,000 miles is reduced by 80% if you have 30 stays at Hampton Inn and earn only 3,000 miles with American Airlines AAdvantage, Delta Skymiles, or United Mileage Plus.

I’d take 30,000 HHonors points as a Points & Points earner rather than 6,000 miles as a Points and Variable Miles earner.

The value of Southwest Airlines is 30 Hampton Inn stays earns 18,000 points and enough for a free flight on Southwest Airlines. That is a comparable value to 30,000 HHonors points and likely a better deal than 6,000 miles in another airline.

bmi, British Midland International (Star Alliance partner)

There is a decent alternative for earning miles when staying at Hampton Inns, Homewood Suites and Home2Suites.

bmi airlines, a Star Alliance partner, earns 1,000 miles per night at Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites for a maximum three nights per stay. 3,000 miles is a good haul and applies to stays at all Hilton brands except Home2 Suites where the earning limit is 1,000 miles per stay.

Home2 Suites is Hilton’s newest brand and I have to give a big thumbs down to HHonors this year when setting a  precedent of reduced points earning for stays at Home2 Suites. Stays at this newest brand of Hilton HHonors earn only 5 points per dollar. All other Hilton brands earn 10 points per dollar. Hilton points earning link.

Many airlines, including Southwest Airlines, do not earn any miles for stays at Home2 Suites. Most airline partners allow a maximum 100 miles or points for a stay at Home2 Suites. bmi airlines at 1,000 miles per stay at Home2 Suites looks like a great deal.

I seem to recall some issues about redeeming miles for new members to bmi who have not had a bmi flight. Perhaps someone with up-to-date knowledge on that aspect of bmi can comment to remind me of any restrictions on using bmi miles.

bmi airlines earns most miles of any airline for Hampton Inn, Homewood and Home2 Suites brand stays.

This effectively is a devaluation of HHonors points if only Premium Room Rewards are available since the redemption rate for these rewards rarely exceeds $5.00 per 1,000 points for these Category 6 and Category 7 resort hotels.

FlyerTalk member JasonVR wrote to Hilton HHonors asking if some hotels are now only offering Premium Room Rewards and yesterday posted this response from Hilton .

Hello Mr. jasonvr,

Thank you for your message to Hilton Reservations and  Customer Care. It is my pleasure to assist you today regarding your concerns with Premium Rewards.

We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused. With the new Reward offerings provided by HHonors, some of our hotels only offer Premium Rewards. Because rooms at some of our Resorts offer additional features or are not standard hotel rooms (i.e. bungalows) all room types for these hotels are now considered Premium Roomsand the point values will now reflect this new change.

[bolding was added by jasonvr]

A Major Devaluation of HHonors Points

What does this effectively mean?

Will Premium Room Reward only hotels effectively eliminate Standard Room redemption and block availability of extended stay Going Global and American Express AXON rewards for stays of four nights or more?

Here are some rate searches I made today at properties mentioned in the FlyerTalk thread as now having only Premium Room Reward availability.

[Note: click on images below to view full size]

Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa

Looking at flexible dates for points rewards over the next several months showed no standard reward availability at 50,000 points per night.

HHonors Bora Bora flexible dates search showed 151,366 as lowest reward rate.

HHonors Bora Bora rate at $551/night or 151,366 points.

Hilton HHonors Premium Room Reward Redemption rate for Hilton Bora Bora Nui: $649/151,366 is $4.29 per 1,000 points and even less when compared to advance purchase rates.

Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa

This hotel shows 105,822 points for a Premium Room Reward as the new standard for hotel stays on points.

HHonors Reward Stay at Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa costs 105,822.

Granted this places you in a large King Garden Bungalow Pool room, but this room used to be 50,000 points per night or even less with Going Global and AXON rewards.

Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort premium reward

Hilton Moorea Premium Reward Redemption Rate = $453/105,822 = $4.28 per 1,000 points.

I still found availability of Standard Rewards for 80,000 points at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives.

Waldorf Astoria Maldives still shows limited Standard Reward availability.

This property shows the high value of Standard Rewards compared to the new Premium Room Rewards.

Redemption Value is $875/80,000 points = $10.94 per 1,000 HHonors points.

Conrad Sanya, China Category 6 Hotel = 40,000 points as Standard Reward.

Conrad Sanya shows only Premium Reward availability.

Granted this is another resort property with special rooms, but the Premium Reward rate is relatively low redemption value for these March 2012 dates.

Conrad Sanya Haitang Bay King Deluxe Plunge Pool Ocean Room

HHonors Redemption Value $495/115,395 = $4.29 per 1,000 HHonors points.

Do you see a redemption rate pattern here with the hotels Premium Room Rewards?

Here is a Premium Room Reward outlier using a different date at Conrad Sanya Haitang Bay for the same room type in December 2011.

HHonors Premium Reward at Conrad Sanya is far less in December 2011.

HHonors Redemption Value $479/79,808 = $6.00 per 1,000 HHonors points.

There is something happening here with Premium Room Rewards at select Hilton Resorts.

The big devaluation?

Hat tip to FlyerTalk member Beltway and Gary Leff at View from the Wing pointing me to the FlyerTalk thread today.

Upgraded Room rewards offer the ability to book a confirmed upgrade using points to upgrade a confirmed reservation. Points & Money reduce the cost of a reward night to a fixed dollar amount and 50% points of a standard reward. Points & Money rewards were analyzed in this Loyalty Traveler post last week.

Premium Room Rewards Analysis

The Waldorf=Astoria New York room rate for Wednesday, October 19 is $709.

[Note: Click on images below to view full size in separate window.]

Waldorf Astoria New York BAR rate Wednesday 10-19-11 is $709.

The checkbox in upper right corner, “Use HHonors Points“, allows a search for reward availability. The points reward availability appears when the box is checked. The $709 lowest Best Available rate makes a 60,000 points Standard Reward a high value points redemption. But what if there is no standard reward availability?

Waldorf Astoria New York Premium Room Reward 10-19-11 is 212,487 points.

There is no standard reward availability for the Waldorf-Astoria New York for the October 19 date. Premium Reward availability is 212,487 points for a small room at 250 to 300 square feet. This is more than three times the high season standard reward rate of 60,000 points per night.

The extremely high rate for a small room makes paying a bit more points for a one bedroom suite with twice the room space look like a feasible option on this date for an HHonors points millionaire.

Waldorf Astoria New York Premium Room One-Bedroom Suite 10-19-11 is 272,427 points.

Compare Redemption Value of HHonors points for Premium Room Rewards

• $709/212,487 points = $3.34 per 1,000 HHonors points for a superior room Premium Reward.
• $909/272,427 points = $3.34 per 1,000 HHonors points for a one-bedroom suite Premium Reward.

Both Premium Rewards offer the same redemption value of $3.34 per 1,000 points compared to the Best Available room rate. This is a relatively low redemption value for HHonors compared to the $5.00 per 1,000 points most redemption rate analyses for HHonors points. NerdWallet.com changed its point value analysis for HHonors points to a points value extended range from $1 per 1,000 points (0.1 cent/point) to $17/1,000 points (1.7 cents/point).

Using Flexible Dates Calendar tool to find Standard Reward Availability for Waldorf Astoria New York

Standard Rewards at 60,000 points per night will allow a three night stay for 180,000 points compared to a one night premium reward stay at 212,427 points. Flexible Dates calendar tool makes this an easy search option.

Restarting my search and checking “Flexible Dates” box allows me to quickly check two weeks of dates for standard reward availability.

HHonors Flexible Dates reward search tool.

The Flexible Dates search shows there are several dates in a two week period around October 19 where peak season standard rewards are available for 60,000 points per night.

Waldorf Astoria New York Flexible Dates reward search shows several dates with Standard Rewards at 60,000 points.

Moving the hotel stay forward by one week provides a Standard Reward room for three nights at 60,000 points per night or 180,000 points for three nights.

Waldorf Astoria New York Standard Reward availability is 180,000 points for three night stay October 14-17.

When I go back to flexible dates and input October 14-17 I find there is actually much more Standard Reward availability for a 3-night reward stay compared to when I checked Standard Reward availability for a one night stay.

One would think that Premium Rewards would be less for these dates since the Best Available room rate is less for the lowest category rooms. That does not appear to be the case.

In the earlier search for October 19 the flexible dates returned only Premium Reward availability at 212,000+ points per night for each night from October 19-22. When searching 3-night stays there is Standard Reward availability at 60,000 points per night.

Waldorf Astoria New York Flexible Dates search for 3-night stay shows plenty of Standard Reward Availability.

Returning to the original search date of October 19,  the flexible dates reward calendar now shows a three night stay is available for 180,000 points in a Double Deluxe Guest Room on HHonors Standard Rewards compared to my previous search showing only Premium Reward availability at the one night rate of 212,487 points for a King Bed Superior Room.

Waldorf Astoria 3 night Standard Reward October 19-22 is 180,000 points total.

HHonors Redemption Value for this three night stay Oct 19-22 using 180,000 points for Standard Rewards is $10.98 per 1,000 points for a stay that is $1,977 + tax compared to the original Premium Room reward rate of 212,487 points for a $709 Superior King room for one night with a redemption value of $3.34 per 1,000 HHonors points.

The King One Bedroom Suite is still available as a Premium Reward for October 19-22, however the rate is unchanged from the initial search at $909 or 272,427 points per night for a redemption value of $3.34 per 1,000 HHonors points.

Dozens of searches for Premium Rewards at hotels around the world reveal a fairly constant redemption value for HHonors Premium Rewards at $3.34 per 1,000 points. The exceptional case is when a hotel has Point Stretcher Reward availability. In these cases the Premium Reward Redemption Value improves significantly.

HHonors Flexible Dates search tool using points provides members the ability to quickly search and compare paid stay and reward stay rates in a two weeks calendar.

The Flexible Dates Calendar tool allows you to search for better reward and paid stay rates when your dates are flexible.