The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games just returned back to hoteliers 20% of its reserved room inventory blocked for the games opening July 27, 2012. Out of curiosity I checked Priority Club for reward room availability.

There are loads of Priority Club reward rooms available right now in London for Priority Club points. I found reward rooms for the opening ceremonies at Holiday Inn Kensington Forum for three nights Friday-Saturday-Sunday July 27-30 at the Points & Cash reward rate of 15,000 points + $60 per night for a room with a published rate at 305GBP or US$485 per night.

I found reward availability at multiple hotels in London for hotel stays throughout the Olympics dates.

25,000 points or 460GBP per night. Better yet is 15,000 points + $60 per night. That is a $670 value for 15,000 points. Buy points at $6 per 1,000 points from Priority Club and redeem for $45 per 1,000 points in hotel rate savings.

The image below shows Holiday Inn London Kensington Forum available for a 3-night points reward on the weekend with the London Olympics 2012 opening ceremonies  Friday, July 27, 2012.

Act Fast!

Hotel rewards using points for the London Olympics 2012 have been a rare find. I checked Hilton HHonors today and there was one hotel with Premium Room Reward availability at 195,000 points per night. Starwood Preferred Guest has reward night availability at Sheraton Heathrow Airport for 10,000 points per night on some dates. The availability of reward nights at a variety of IHG hotels in London is a real bargain during the Olympic Games from Friday, July 27 through Sunday, August 12.

Rates at most brand name hotels are over US$500 per night.

Priority Club members can buy 50,000 points in a calendar year at the rate of $11.50/1,000 points or $575 per 50,000 points. Priority Club members may also gift a member 50,000 points in a year. This means a couple can purchase 200,000 Priority Club points in all buying 50,000 points maximum purchase for yourself and as a gift to your partner. Your partner does the same. For $2,300 you can buy 200,000 points.

Typically buying points might not be a good deal, but when hotel nights are US$500 or 15,000 points and $60 for each night in London during the Olympics, then you are paying $232.50 for a room night buying points and redeeming for a Priority Club Points & Cash reward.

A hotel reward night is 15,000 points + $60 for several IHG hotels in London during the Olympics. These reward nights might be around all  week or may not last the day before reward night availability is gone.

And remember hotels like Hotel Indigo London Paddington can be booked for the old 25,000 points rate through March 18, 2012 by calling Priority Club customer service.

Here is a sample of IHG hotels in London with reward night availability for 8 nights from July 27-August 4, 2012.

The fourth article in this series comparing the “MegaChain” hotel loyalty programs of Hilton HHonors, IHG Priority Club and Marriott Rewards is a look at the hotel reward options for each hotel chain. Reward nights using points are one of the two primary incentives of being a hotel loyalty program member. The other incentive is additional complimentary hotel stay benefits received during hotel stays like free internet, complimentary room upgrades, hotel executive lounge access and free breakfast.

Comparing hotel rewards is one of the most technical aspects of hotel loyalty programs. The rate of earning points is different in each hotel loyalty program with Hilton members earning as many as 15 points per dollar for hotel spend while Marriott and IHG Priority Club earn as few as 5 points per dollar for certain hotel brands. Promotions offering bonus points also affect the rate of earning points in each program.

And even if the hotel loyalty member earns 10 points per dollar in each program, then is a 25,000 point hotel reward comparable in each program? How does one compare a Marriott Rewards category 5 reward night (25,000 points), Priority Club Crowne Plaza reward night (25,000 points) and a Hilton HHonors category 3 reward night (25,000 points)?

The logical way to compare hotel rewards across programs is to compare the published rate for the hotel night to the reward night cost in points. The problem is the reward cost is a fixed cost while the room rate fluctuates and might be $150 tonight and $250 tomorrow night for the same 25,000 points free night. The other variable is a 25,000 points hotel reward might save $100 at one Marriott Rewards category 5 hotel and save $250 at a different Marriott hotel.

The bottom line is hotel reward redemption value is dynamic and fluctuates depending on date and hotel. The best a member can do is try to use points in a way that maximizes their redemption value.

Read More…

Here are some thoughts on maintaining hotel loyalty elite status while traveling in cities of rising rates. STR, the hotel data company for North America, reported average daily rates last week in the U.S. were $154.50 for upper-upscale hotel market segment with occupancy at 78.0%. The luxury hotel market segment had average daily rates of $260.71 with occupancy at a high 77.3%. 

As a leisure traveler over the past decade, I have felt that an adequate annual budget for maintaining top elite status while primarily staying in upper-upscale market segment hotels takes between $3,000 to $4,000 a year. I’ve spent more and I have spent less, but $3,000 is typically around the minimum spend I can expect when planning to earn top elite like SPG Platinum, Hyatt Diamond, Hilton Diamond or Carlson Concierge elite. 

Marriott will likely take more than $3,000 for Gold elite at 50 nights and much more for Platinum at 75 nights, although elite rollover nights can reduce the annual spend somewhat. Priority Club qualification on points should take far less than $3,000 to earn 60,000 points for Platinum. I requalified for 2012 Priority Club Platinum elite status yesterday after less than $500 in hotel stays in 2011.

My Priority Club account has earned 117,330 points in 2011 and Platinum elite membership is earned with 60,000 points in a calendar year. I have earned Platinum elite status through December 31, 2012 after just 5 paid hotel nights in 2011. 

Maintaining hotel elite status in a city of rising rates

Upper-upscale market segment hotels like full service Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt and Starwood properties will frequently have rates in the range of $150 to $200 per night. 

The highest rates might be during midweek nights like in downtown San Francisco where business travelers and convention goers fill hotels on high rates. The highest hotel rates may be weekend nights like in my hometown of Monterey where many Californians come to vacation on weekends. 

$150 to $200 per night hotels on a $3,000 to $4,000 budget gets you 15 to 26 nights a year in hotels. It is tough to earn top-level elite status with fewer than 30 nights a year in hotels unless you only do one-night stays. 

Most hotel loyalty programs qualify members for elite status by either nights or hotel stays. Carlson, Hilton, Hyatt and Starwood require fewer stays than nights for elite qualification. 

Top-Tier Elite Qualification Published Requirements (in a calendar year)

• Marriott Rewards Platinum = 75 Nights
• Club Carlson Concierge Elite = 30 Stays or 75 Nights
• Hilton HHonors Diamond = 28 Stays or 60 Nights or 100,000 base points ($10,000 hotel spend)
• Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond = 25 stays or 50 nights
• Starwood Preferred Guest = 25 stays or 50 nights 
• InterContinental Royal Ambassador has unpublished qualification terms which are generally reported to be around 50 to 60 nights in IHG brand hotels with stays in at least 3 different InterContinental Hotels in a 12-month period of Ambassador paid membership.

I have met many business travelers who spend 40 to 50 nights a year in hotels and never have attained top elite status. Most business travelers average two or three night stays. If you spend 60 nights a year in hotels with 20 hotel stays and 42 nights Hilton and 18 nights in Marriott, then your HHonors Gold and Marriott Silver elite receives minor attention compared to what you would likely experience as HHonors Diamond. 

The leisure traveler spending $3K to $4K can have four or five extended stay vacations a year staying in nice upper-upscale hotels at $150 to $200 per night. Most of my friends fall in this category of travelers who pay high rates in desirable places and never qualify for more than low-level elite hotel loyalty membership.

My objective throughout the year is finding upper-upscale hotels where my average daily paid rate is well below the average $155 per night for a U.S. upper upscale hotel. I regularly find upper upscale hotels in the $100 range during slow business and low occupancy periods. This allows me to stay 30 to 40 paid nights and the ability to maintain top-elite status with good elite benefits and hotel selection whether that loyalty program is Hilton, Hyatt, SPG or another hotel loyalty program.

Typically I spend about 80% of my paid hotel nights in upper-upscale hotels and around 20% in midscale brands like Four Points, Hyatt Place, Holiday Inn Express and Hampton Inn/Hilton Garden Inn.

Conventions and Events are a Leisure Traveler budget buster 

Conferences like the International Pow Wow in San Francisco this past week tend to push the daily hotel rates up to $250 to $300 per night for upper-upscale hotel brands like Hilton, Hyatt Regency, Marriott, and Westin. These high rates force the leisure traveler down to 10 to 16 nights a year if staying within a $3,000 to $4,000 budget. You are severely limited on your ability to earn hotel elite status while staying in the upper-upscale hotel market segment and paying high rates. 

I plan for hotel travel 12 months a year with a goal of maintaining top elite status in at least one program (currently I’m top-elite in four hotel programs). I seldom book a hotel more than one week in advance, but when I see good value hotel deals, like my W Silicon Valley $64 Best Rate Guarantee nights this weekend that I found a few weeks back, I jump on them to earn loyalty points and elite credit stays. 

Then, when I really need a hotel in a specific place like downtown San Francisco last week, I am able to spend points for nice upper-upscale hotel rooms with elite benefits like free internet or free breakfast and free room upgrades. Rates were over $200 and $300 at hotels around Moscone Center during International Pow Wow 2011 travel convention. Rates are about the same next month in downtown Vancouver for the Travel Blog Exchange 2011 conference.  My points earned steadily over the past year allow me to stay in upper upscale hotels in the center of the action at a fraction of the published paid rates by using points awards. 

The fact that most other guests at these hotels are paying $200 to $300 per night does not impact me. I spent $120 and 60,000 Priority Club points to stay two nights at the InterContinental San Francisco and saved nearly $500 on the published lowest rate. I stayed at the Starwood Luxury Collection Palace Hotel on a Cash & Points award and paid $103 (after tax) and 4,800 points to save over $200 on the lowest published rate. My SPG Platinum elite status also waived the $20 daily internet fee at the Palace Hotel. I booked both of these hotels within 24 hours of arrival during one of the year’s biggest conventions in San Francisco.

So if you are one of those high-paying guests during hotel convention times, or even worse, you are staying at the airport and spending two hours a day commuting to and from the city center from your budget hotel…

“Welcome to Loyalty Traveler.” 

This is where you will find tips on getting hotel value for the frequent guest. 

You do not have to book far in advance to get the best hotel rates. You just need to plan far in advance so you have plenty of points and hopefully elite status, rather than plenty of cash to cover your hotel needs when staying in a city of high-rise and high rate hotels.

Article Correction May 31: This post originally listed occupancy for upper-upscale hotel segment incorrectly at 68% rather than 78.0%.  The upper-midscale hotel segment was 68% occupancy.

The Palazzo and The Venetian in Las Vegas became InterContinental Alliance Resorts on April 1, 2011. These two adjacent Las Vegas Strip resorts are currently the only two hotels in the newly created branding alliance within the InterContinental Hotels Group.

The Palazzo Resort Las Vegas, an InterContinental Alliance Resort

I booked a room for Friday night, April 22, 2011 at The Palazzo using a Priority Club Points & Cash reward night at 30,000 points + $60 cash. The room rates for that date were $199 for a King Luxury Suite or $229 for a Bella Suite with two Queen beds. Priority Club let me book either room type with an award. The paid rates were $30 more for a View room in these two hotel categories.

My sister pointed out that most Las Vegas strip hotels charge more for two beds than for one King bed. I had never noticed this before since I am 99% a King.

This is part one of a two part post on The Palazzo Las Vegas Resort.

• Part One: The Palazzo Luxury and Bella Suites
• Part Two: The Palazzo Resort Recreation and Entertainment

Hallway from Palazzo Casino to Palazzo Shops

 

The Palazzo Resort Basic Room Type – Luxury or Bella Suite

Check-in at The Palazzo:

Actual check-in time was listed as 3:00pm on my reservation. I arrived at the hotel around 2:00pm.

The parking garage has one set of elevators that take you directly to the lobby area with hotel registration desks. Another set of elevators from the garage take you close to the hotel room floor entrance and its sets of room floor elevators. The hotel rooms are located on the opposite side of the casino from the Palazzo front entrance and registration desks.

The Palazzo Las Vegas lobby

There is a dedicated check-in desk for Priority Club Elite members.

The Palazzo Priority Club elite member desk

My check-in agent was charmingly friendly and seemed genuine in her conversational interest while setting up the hotel stay. She welcomed me as a Priority Club Platinum elite and said I was receiving an upgrade to a view room on the 32^nd floor. There are three sets of room elevators for floors up to 23, 23-36 and 37-50.

Late check-out at 1 pm rather than the normal time of 11am was offered as a complimentary benefit.

Royal Ambassadors have their own separate registration lounge room at The Palazzo.

The Palazzo Royal Ambassador hotel registration lounge

I received a Bella View suite on Floor 32 with my Priority Club Points & Cash room. The room rate for this last minute reward night was $290 for room with tax. My 30,000 Priority Club points were worth $230 or $7.67 per 1,000 points. That is why buying points at $6 per 1,000 is a good idea when you get the chance with Points & Cash rewards.

$7.67 per 1,000 points is actually a low redemption value for my Priority Club reward stays where I generally spend points for $10+ per 1,000 points. The primary reason I went with points was to avoid spending $230 more for the hotel night. I burned points to save the cash for other hotel stays I need to make in May 2011 that will earn back far more than 30,000 Priority Club points.

P for Palazzo in marble

Check-in Amenities:

There is a mandatory Palazzo Resort fee of $17.00 + 12% tax = $19.04 per day. This fee includes free wi-fi and access to Canyon Ranch Spa fitness rooms. There is even a rock-climbing wall in the spa. This is also a location where breakfast can be purchased at a café far less crowded than the pool area or casino locations.

There was a set of coupons provided at check-in which appeared to be geared for Priority Club members. My sister who booked a rate not using Priority Club had different coupons for her stay.

The Palazzo discount coupons provided with my Priority Club reward night stay had the following offers:

• Canyon Ranch Spa $35 off any 50 minute or longer Massage or Facial.
• Morels French Steakhouse & Bistro – 20% off breakfast or brunch.
• Zine Noodles DimSum – Asian cuisine – $30 off $60 purchase.
• LAVO Nightclub – complimentary line pass and admission.
• Piano Bar two for one drinks.

The Palazzo Las Vegas lobby ceiling

Prestige at The Palazzo

Prestige at The Palazzo is a nightly paid upgrade for an additional $100 that includes:

• Private champagne check-in starting at noon (normal check-in time is 3pm).
• Deluxe continental breakfast from 7am – 10am.
• Coffee and tea on 23^rd floor from 10am – 4pm.
• Hot and cold hors d’oeuvres from 5pm – 7pm.
• Complimentary cocktail reception from 5pm – 8pm in the 23^rd floor lounge.
• Desserts from 7pm – 9pm.
• Plasma TV screens throughout the 23^rd floor lounge.
• Complimentary wi-fi on 23^rd floor.
• DVD library for suite.
• Personal concierge service 7am – 9pm.

Basically Prestige is an extra $93 after tax over the otherwise mandatory resort fee of $17 + tax. For two people this could be a decent value for the additional food and drinks.

Complimentary continental breakfast in the Floor 23 lounge is perhaps a $25 per day value. The Grand Lux in the Palazzo casino has many more food selections with a buffet breakfast at $15.95 per person. This is a relatively good deal at Grand Lux dining room for a Las Vegas Strip resort breakfast.

Drinks are $6 beer and $12 cocktails in most places around the Palazzo Resort, so 3 hours of free drinks could be a significant value depending on your intake. Evening appetizers and dessert are probably another $25 to $30 value.

Prestige at the Palazzo for $100 + $12 tax = $112 per day is a reasonable price for 23^rd floor lounge access if you are staying as a couple and will be hanging around the hotel for the free food and drinks. Most of the other amenities like wi-fi and fitness room access are provided with the regular daily resort fee.

The View

The room view overlooked the pools, but from the 32^nd floor the pools are rather far away.

The Palazzo Las Vegas - pool view from Floor 32

Straight ahead window view was Treasure Island and that hotel had an 8:30 pm pirate ship battle and performance. Again, this was far away for seeing the people performing in the show so our visual attention focused on the overall light effect, fireballs and sinking ship. Hundreds of people were gathered on the sidewalks watching the show outside Treasure Island.

The Palazzo Las Vegas view of Treasure Island

The lights at night stretching across the valley are pretty to watch.

The Palazzo Las Vegas view

The Room:

The entry-rate standard room category at The Palazzo is either a Luxury Suite (King bed) or Bella Suite (two Queen Beds). My family had one of each room type for this stay and both rooms were identical with the exception of the beds. These are large rooms at 720 square feet. Most commonly a luxury class hotel room is about 500 to 600 sq. ft. at the entry level room category.

The Palazzo Las Vegas Bella Suite

The Bella Suite has two Queen beds. Good quality pillows and linens make these comfortable beds.

Each bed has a seat at the foot of the bed. There was seating for at least ten people in the room.

The Palazzo Las Vegas bed seat.

The bed section of the suite has a wall-mounted 42-inch TV.

The Sitting Room

The couch is extra large and contains a pull-out bed.

The Palazzo Las Vegas large couch and desk

The Palazzo Las Vegas Bella Suite TV

The TV in the sitting room seemed slightly smaller, perhaps 37-inch. This piece of furniture also had stocked electronic mini-bar and room safe.  A small round table with three chairs in front of the window provided a place to eat or sit. Two stairs between beds and sitting room could be an issue for some guests.  

The Palazzo Las Vegas Bella Suite curtains

The Bathroom

The bathroom is a large space at 130 square feet with separate shower and bathtub, dual sinks, a separate toilet room and stand alone vanity table.

The Palazzo Las Vegas bathroom vanity table in Bella Suite

Separate shower and tub.

Dual sinks and just outside this picture on the right is a wall mounted TV.

Separate toilet room.

My overall impression is the size of the room at The Palazzo makes this hotel a great choice if you want room to move about in your room at a price that is likely cheaper than upgrading to a room this size at most of the other Las Vegas Strip hotels.

Part Two at The Palazzo Las Vegas has photos of  the seven or so pools and Canyon Ranch Spa.

This is a good YouTube video posted by SuperCabbie1 showing the standard Palazzo luxury suite with a King bed. There is an extra chair that is not present in Bella Suites with two Queen Beds. The room location in the video is the non-view room that looks southeast to the Venetian and lots of low roof tops over the casino and spa and parking garages behind the Las Vegas Strip resorts.

DiscoverAmerica.com Daily Getaways offer at 12 noon ET today April 27, 2011 is for sets of Priority Club points. A member may purchase up to 5 sets in each of the four offers for up to 20 total sets. It is possible to buy 500,000 points in this sale.

• 10,000 points for $67 ($60.30 if payment is American Express), 650 sets for sale. Maximum purchase is 5 sets per member.
• 25,000 points for $167 ($150.30 if payment is American Express), 120 sets for sale. Maximum purchase is 5 sets per member.
• 25,000 points for $167 ($150.30 if payment is American Express), 420 sets for sale. Maximum purchase is 5 sets per member. (There are two separate sales for sets of 25,000 points).
• 40,000 points = $267 ($240.30 if payment is American Express), 300 sets for sale. Maximum purchase is 5 sets per member.

There are two good reasons for making a Priority Club points purchase today.

1. Purchased points from this sale count for elite status. Priority Club requires 20,000 points earned in a calendar year for Gold elite or 60,000 points for Platinum elite. These points purchases from DiscoverAmerica count for elite qualification, whereas points purchased through Points & Cash rewards do not count for elite qualification. You can buy your way to Platinum elite for $361 with the purchase of 60,000 points today.
2. If you do not have any Priority Club points, then a purchase today puts you in play for taking advantage of Points & Cash reward nights where the price of a reward is discounted by 10,000 points for $60. All hotels are available for Points & Cash rewards. Crowne Plaza hotels cost 25,000 points per night. Points & Cash takes 15,000 points + $60. Purchasing points for $60 per 10,000 points through this DiscoverAmerica sale drops the price of a Crowne Plaza hotel to $150 to pay with points. Any Crowne Plaza hotel night more than $150 will be cheaper to pay with points.

InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club Rewards hotel brand reward nights:

InterContinental Hotels = 40,000 points (high tier) or 30,000 points per night (low tier). There are slightly more hotels at the 30,000 points level.

Crowne Plaza and Hotel Indigo= 25,000 points per night.

Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express = 10,000 points or 15,000 points or 25,000 points. Most hotels are in the 15,000 points tier. About 200 of 3,000 hotels globally are in the 10,000 points tier.

Staybridge Suites = 20,000 points per night.

Candlewood Suites = 15,000 points per night.

Holiday Inn Club Vacations = 27,500 per night.

Another way to buy Priority Club points at a discount

Buying Priority Club points at $60 is a fair market value, but not necessarily a deep discount. Priority Club members can actually buy 10,000 points for $60 through Points & Cash reward nights by making a booking for a hotel, buying 10,000 points and later canceling the booking before the stay.

The way Points & Cash rewards are structured requires the member to buy either 5,000 or 10,000 points prior to booking the reward night. 5,000 points cost $40 or 10,000 points cost $60. The points purchased are added to your Priority Club account instantly. The points purchase is nonrefundable so if you end up canceling the reward night the points remain in your account.

There really seems to be no limit to making points purchases through this method. The primary reason the DiscoverAmerica.com sale is better is points purchased through the sale count for elite qualification. But that is irrelevant if you already have Priority Club Platinum elite status and plan to requalify in 2011 anyway.

DiscoverAmerica.com Daily Getaways has travel sales every weekday through May 13. Here is the calendar for upcoming sales.

Priority Club has a limited time offer for 7,500 bonus points when booking Spring Break hotel stays for a minimum 2 nights at more than 100 hotels in Florida, California, Texas and other locations.

Priority Club Rewards Spring Break promotion web link. Rate Code = ISGSB

The Spring Break promotion page lists these destinations:

• San Diego, California (22 hotels)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
• Miami, Florida (27 hotels)
• Orlando, Florida (28 hotels)
• Panama City, Florida
• Honolulu, Hawaii
• South Padre Island, Texas
• San Jose, Costa Rica
• Cancun, Mexico
• Los Cabos, Mexico

Terms and Conditions

• Requires stay of two or more consecutive nights.
• Cancellation policies are liberal, generally day before arrival with no penalty.
• Rates are higher than advance purchase and Best Flexible; generally $10 to $30 per night more.
• 7,500 points per stay.
• Available for stays through May 15, 2011

Loyalty Traveler Analysis:

Panama City, Florida Holiday Inn Select

Wed Mar 16 – Fri Mar 18, 2011 (2 double beds)

Spring Break Rate $119/night = $253.48 (after tax)

• Cancel up to 6pm Mar 16 with no penalty. 

Best Flexible Rate $109/night = $232.18 (after tax)

• Cancel up to 6pm Mar 16 with no penalty. 

Discount Rate $95.99/night = $204.46 after tax

• Cancellation will be charged first night rate.  

Advance Purchase $92.99/night = $198.06 after tax.

• Cancellation forfeits entire prepaid room deposit.  

AAA rate $92.99/night = $198.06

• Cancel up to 6pm Mar 16 with no penalty. 

This Spring Break offer for 7,500 bonus points will cost $55 more than the AAA rate for a two-night stay at the Panama City Holiday Inn Select with the same cancellation policies.

You can save $55 now and simply buy 10,000 points for $60 when you book your next reward stay.  

7,500 bonus points is only a good deal if you would otherwise book the Best Flexible Rate and you do not qualify for AAA rate and you need bonus points now.

I do not recommend this Spring Break promotional offer for most guests since the rates are higher.

Keep in mind that when you redeem points for a free hotel stay, there is usually the option of Points & Cash whereby you can pay $60 and reduce the reward cost by 10,000 points for your hotel stay.

The ability to buy 10,000 points for $60 makes paying more than $45 extra to earn 7,500 Priority Club points not such a good deal.

The primary advantage to paying a higher rate to earn Priority Club bonus points is the fact that these bonus points count for elite qualification. Priority Club Gold elite is reached by earning 20,000 points in a calendar year and Platinum elite takes 60,000 points. If you need points for elite status then paying $45 for 7,500 points is a fair exchange.

But, if you already have Priority Club elite status and you do not need points to earn elite status, then save your money. This deal is really only a good deal if you do not have many Priority Club points and you need more points for a planned redemption.  

For example if you only have 10,000 Priority Club points, then you can’t afford a free Crowne Plaza reward night for 25,000 points, even with the option to buy 10,000 points.

Account Balance = 8,788 points. Book the Spring Break package for $253.48 and you earn $119 x 2 nights x 10 points/$1 = 2,380 points + 7,500 Spring Break bonus. Earning 9,880 points now opens up the possibility of booking a Crowne Plaza 25,000 points hotel reward night with 18,668 points.

You can book a Crowne Plaza using Points & Cash with 15,000 points + $60 to purchase the remaining 10,000 points.

The majority of IHG hotels cost 15,000 points for a free night at a Holiday Inn or Holiday Inn Express (popular locations require 25,000 points, but the vast majority of hotels in the chain are 15,000 points per reward night).

A person with no Priority Club points can book the Spring Break 7,500 bonus points offer and have enough points after the stay to book a Points & Cash night at any of nearly 2,000 Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels for 5,000 points + $60.

Holiday Inn Orlando Convention Center (Wed March 2- Friday March 4, 2011)

Spring Break Rate = $79/night = $182.76 after tax

Advance Purchase = $56/night = $131.00 after tax

AAA rate = $63/night = $146.76 after tax

7,500 bonus points for $36 over the AAA rate is a good deal and the cost is only $15 over the prepaid, nonrefundable rate. Of course, the prepaid rate is a better deal if the nonrefundable conditions are acceptable for your risk tolerance.

A Hilton HHonors member spends 80,000 points for a two-night hotel stay at Conrad Brussels, Belgium this week. Next week Conrad Brussels is available for 24,000 points per night on HHonors Point Stretcher Rewards. The guest next week experiences the same hotel, same room comfort, same amenities, same staff and same restaurant. And the prospect of receiving a complimentary upgrade is increased during a low occupancy hotel period.

A shift of one week in hotel stay dates results in 32,000 points savings on a normally 80,000 points two-night reward stay. Even a three night Point Stretcher stay requires just 72,000 points for the HHonors hotel category 6 Conrad Brussels.

I burned over 2 million Hilton HHonors points in the past 12 years. More than 90% of those reward nights were reduced points rewards – either Point Stretcher nights or HHonors VIP discounted 6-night rewards. Singapore, Germany, Spain, Ireland, and Belgium are a few of the locations I stayed on Point Stretcher nights. These discounts allowed me to stay about 50 more nights at Hilton properties than if I had redeemed using standard rewards like 40,000 points for the HHonors category 6 Conrad Brussels.

Discount Hotel Rewards

Several hotel programs offer discount hotel reward nights. Marriott Rewards calls them PointSavers, Hilton HHonors trademarked Point Stretcher and Priority Club has PointBreaks.

Starwood Preferred Guest has Cash & Points and a similar reduced points and cash component offer is available for Priority Club at IHG properties and Goldpoints Plus for Carlson Hotels’ Radisson and Country Inn.

There are differences in each of these program’s offers. Here is a summary of how each offer works and what you can reasonably expect to find.

Three categories of hotel reward discounts.

Limited Date Discounts

• IHG PointBreaks = 5,000 points per free reward night. (IHG reward nights are normally 10,000 to 40,000 points per night.)
• Marriott Rewards PointSavers = discount to next lower hotel category reward level; for example, category 5 hotel (25,000 points/night) requires category 4 points (20,000 points/night) for free nights. 5^th night free does apply to PointSavers rate.
• Hilton HHonors Point Stretcher  = Pay 60% of standard reward points per night (40% discount); for example, category 6 hotel at 40,000 points is 24,000 points per night with PointStretchers. HHonors VIP Extended stay discount (4 or more nights) does not apply to Point Stretcher rewards. 

Extended Stay Reward Discounts

• Marriott Rewards =  5^th night free (pay hotel category level points for four nights)
• Starwood Preferred Guest =  5^th night free (pay hotel category level points for four nights)
• HHonors VIP rewards for stays 4 nights (15% discount); 5 nights (20% discount); 6 to 14 nights (25% discount). VIP discount rewards are restricted to HHonors elite members Silver and higher.
• Goldpoints plus = 10% fewer points for additional reward nights after first night.

Cash and Points Rewards

• Starwood Preferred Guest Cash and Points nights require 40% normal points and cash portion ranging from $15 to $150 depending on SPG hotel category level from 1 to 6. Not applicable to SPG category 7 hotels. Cash & Points have the potential for very high savings and points value. There are opportunities to save more than $200 on published room rates and receive a very high redemption value for your points, particularly at the category 4 ($60 + 4,000 points) and category 5 ($90 + 4,800 points) award level.
• SPG Cash & Points awards are capacity controlled.   

SPG Cash & Points chart

• Category 1 = $25 + 1,200 points (only in U.S., Canada, Asia-Pacific)
• Category 2 = $30 + 1,600 points (only in U.S., Canada, Asia-Pacific)
• Category 3 = $45 + 2,800 points
• Category 4 = $60 + 4,000 points
• Category 5 = $90 + 4,800 points
• Category 6 = $150 + 8,000 points
• Category 7 = N/A

Priority Club – Points + Cash is a system for buying points to complete a hotel reward stay booking. Two options: Pay $40 for 5,000 points or $60 for 10,000 points. This option is available even if you have sufficient points for the hotel reward stay. This is a way to buy points at a huge discount and save Priority Club points for more hotel free nights. Buying points directly from Priority Club costs $230 for 20,000 points.

Goldpoints Plus Cash & Points offers the option to pay a cash supplement for reduced points reward nights. Category 1 to 3 hotels require 5,000 points and category 4 to 6 hotels require 10,000 points. Cash portion determined at time of hotel booking.  

Important to Remember: Reward stays, including Cash and Points rewards, do not earn hotel stay credit for annual elite qualification, with the exception of Hilton HHonors and Choice Privileges where reward stays earn elite qualification credit.

IHG PointBreaks

These are the cheapest hotels available in hotel loyalty world at 5,000 Priority Club points per night, but I am wondering if Prioity Club members have seen the best days pass for this incredible reward discount. The last two PointBreaks lists may indicate a new pattern for PointBreaks with mid-month release in December and January for hotel stays through the end of the following month. The list released this week does not include a single InterContinental Hotel which I hope does not become a new trend.

June 7, 2010 – 118 hotels (79 US, 39 international) – stay through August 30, 2010.

August 2, 2010 – 130 hotels (79 US, 51 international) – stay through October 30, 2010.

October 4, 2010 – 126 hotels (77 US, 49 international) – stay through December 30, 2010.

December 13, 2010 – 35 hotels (15 US, 20 international) – stay through January 30, 2011.

January 24, 2011 – 55 hotels (31 US, 24 international) – stay through February 28, 2011.

The deal here is any hotel on the list is available for 5,000 points. All Crowne Plaza hotels have a standard reward cost of 25,000 points per night. A PointBreaks reward night for a hotel like Crowne Plaza Denver International Airport is an 80% discount.

InterContinental Hotels have standard rates at 30,000 points or 40,000 points per night. Landing a PointBreaks vacation at an InterContinental Hotel like IC Budapest (October 2010 PointBreaks hotel) means your 40,000 points can put you in a hotel room for an eight night Pointbreaks vacation rather than just a one night stay using a standard 40,000 points reward.

PointBreaks reward nights were an 87.5% discount at the normally 40,000 points per night InterContinental Budapest luxury hotel for stays October through December 2010.

Marriott Rewards PointSavers (Loyalty Traveler post 1/26 Marriott PointSavers)

Marriott Rewards PointSavers reduce the cost of an award night by one category level. A great feature of these rewards is the 5^th night free is still offered with PointSavers. A category 6 hotel reward is normally 30,000 points per night or five nights for 120,000 points. PointSavers reduce the nightly cost of a category 6 reward down to the rate for a category 5 reward at 25,000 points per night or 100,000 points for five nights.

Biggest savings is 33% and results at Marriott category 3 level where a 15,000 points per night reward is just 10,000 points when paying the category 2 hotel reward rate. Five nights at a category 3 hotel for 40,000 points with a PointSavers reservation will likely have a high redemption value for your points in excess of $10 per 1,000 points (this occurs when the published rate of the hotel is more than $80 per night or $400 for five nights).

Marriott Rewards PointSavers Chart

PointSavers Free Nights

• Category 1 – Standard =  7,500 points; PointSavers = 6,000
• Category 2 – Standard = 10,000 points; PointSavers = 7,500
• Category 3 – Standard = 15,000 points; PointSavers = 10,000
• Category 4 – Standard = 20,000 points; PointSavers = 15,000
• Category 5 – Standard = 25,000 points; PointSavers = 20,000
• Category 6 – Standard = 30,000 points; PointSavers = 25,000
• Category 7 – Standard = 35,000 points; PointSavers = 30,000
• Category 8 – Standard = 40,000 points; PointSavers = 35,000

PointSavers are also available for select Ritz-Carlton Hotels offering 10,000 points per night discount. 

Hilton HHonors Point Stretcher (Loyalty traveler Dec 3 post HHonors Point Stretcher)

Hilton HHonors published a long list of hotels in early December offering Point Stretcher reward dates through May 2011. This is a welcome change for a program feature that languished a couple of years with very weak offerings. The hundreds of hotels on the current Point Stretcher list make Marriott Rewards, at just 25 hotels currently posted as PointSavers, look like the Hilton HHonors of old.

But don’t count on finding a Hilton HHonors Point Stretcher Category 1 Reward anytime soon.

Point Stretcher Free Nights Chart

• Category 1 – Standard =  7,500 points; Point Stretcher = 4,500
• Category 2 – Standard = 12,500 points; Point Stretcher = 7,500
• Category 3 – Standard = 25,000 points; Point Stretcher = 15,000
• Category 4 – Standard = 30,000 points; Point Stretcher = 18,000
• Category 5 – Standard = 35,000 points; Point Stretcher = 21,000
• Category 6 – Standard = 40,000 points; Point Stretcher = 24,000
• Category 7 – Standard = 50,000 points; Point Stretcher = 30,000

Extended Hotel Stay Rewards

Carlson Hotels goldpoints plus (Radisson, Park Inn and Country Inn) discount every reward night after the first night by 10%. This is the best standard discount available for two or three night stays in hotel loyalty world.

Four night stays: Hilton HHonors steps in with a 15% total points discount available as an elite member VIP reward.

Five night stays: Hilton, Marriott and Starwood all discount five night stays by 20%. Hilton restricts all VIP discount rewards to elite members.

Hilton HHonors unquestionably wins the biggest discount contest with 25% off the reward cost for stays of 6 to 14 nights. Marriott Rewards was the best discount until they went to 5^th night free in 2009. That being said, there is still competitiveness for Marriott with Hilton in that the hotel category reward distribution is much more skewed to lower categories for Marriott than Hilton. For example, there are many places where Marriott Rewards category 4 and 5 hotels are the same hotel market segment class as Hilton HHonors category 5, 6 and 7 hotels.

Marriott Rewards category 5 = 25,000 points per night or 7 nights = 150,000 points (5^th night free).

Hilton HHonors category 6 = 40,000 points or 7 nights = 210,000 points (25% discount).

HHonors Points & Points earner at 15 points/$1 compared to Marriott Rewards at 10 points/$1 makes these two rewards nearly comparable in points cost for the respective programs. The promotions make all the difference for the member (or credit card earning).

Hilton, Marriott, SPG and goldpoints have the advantage over all the other hotel loyalty programs offering no discount for extended night hotel stays.

Conclusion: The value of your points increases when you take advantage of discount rewards. There are many hotels offering discount reward rates at any given time.

A new list of PointBreaks hotels for highly discounted reward nights at 5,000 points per night posted this week on Monday, Dec 13.

There are only 35 hotels presently available for stays completed by January 31, 2011. This means you can book January 30 as the last eligible PointBreaks night for this offer.

United States

CALIFORNIA

HOLIDAY INN DIAMOND BAR

FLORIDA

HOLIDAY INN MELBOURNE-VIERA CONFERENCE CTR

HOLIDAY INN PALM BEACH-AIRPORT CONF CTR

HOLIDAY INN SARASOTA-AIRPORT

ILLINOIS

CANDLEWOOD SUITES CHICAGO/NAPERVILLE

HOLIDAY INN CHAMPAIGN/URBANA

INDIANA

HOLIDAY INN RICHMOND

MASSACHUSETTS

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS ANDOVER NORTH-LAWRENCE

MARYLAND

HOLIDAY INN CUMBERLAND-DOWNTOWN

OHIO

CROWNE PLAZA CINCINNATI NORTH

OKLAHOMA

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS AND SUITES LAWTON-FORT SILL

PENNSYLVANIA

CANDLEWOOD SUITES PITTSBURGH-AIRPORT

TEXAS

CROWNE PLAZA HOUSTON WEST – ENERGY CORRIDOR

CROWNE PLAZA NORTHWEST-BROOKHOLLOW

VIRGINIA

CANDLEWOOD SUITES RICHMOND-SOUTH

Canada

ONTARIO

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS AND SUITES OTTAWA WEST – NEPEAN

HOTEL INDIGO TORONTO AIRPORT

Mexico

CROWNE PLAZA MEXICO CITY NORTH-TLALNEPANTLA

CROWNE PLAZA TUXTLA GUTIERREZ

Central & South America

ARGENTINA

HOLIDAY INN ROSARIO

NICARAGUA

INTERCONTINENTAL REAL METROCENTRO MANAGUA

Europe

GERMANY

HOLIDAY INN FRANKFURT AIRPORT-NORTH 

ITALY

HOLIDAY INN MILAN-ASSAGO

HOLIDAY INN MILAN NORD-ZARA

UNITED KINGDOM

HOLIDAY INN LEICESTER

HOLIDAY INN WOKING

Middle East  

There are no properties available at this time

Africa

SOUTH AFRICA

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS DURBAN-UMHLANGA

Asia

CHINA-PEOPLES REPUBLIC

CROWNE PLAZA JINAN

HOLIDAY INN DATONG CITY CENTRE

HOLIDAY INN HOHHOT

HOLIDAY INN JASMINE SUZHOU

HOLIDAY INN JIUZHAI JARPO

HOLIDAY INN SHANGHAI JINXIU

HOLIDAY INN XIAOSHAN HANGZHOU

TAIWAN

CROWNE PLAZA KAOHSIUNG E-DA WORLD

Oceania

There are no properties available at this time

Loyalty Traveler Commentary: 

Only 35 hotels on this list. Certainly not a big list, but the general consensus I perceived from FlyerTalk discussion was nothing new would be coming in PointBreaks during December. In that case, this is better than nothing new.

PointBreaks TIP: You cannot get the PointBreaks rate for the nights on a hotel stay that are past the last date for this current offer which is 1/30/11.

This 5-night stay at the Holiday Inn Richmond, Indiana is calculated as 3 nights at PointBreaks 5,000 points per night rate for Jan 28, 29 and 30, but then charges 25,000 points per night for January 31 and February 1, 2011 for a total of 65,000 points.  

January 30, 2011 is the last night available using 5,000 points per night PointBreaks reward rate for this set of hotels. 

5,000 points is essentially a $30 per night room rate based on the rate you can buy points through Points & Cash rewards.

IHG Priority Club made a change to their Points & Cash Rewards yesterday with an increase from $30 to $40 to buy 5,000 points. The price for 10,000 points remains unchanged at $60.

Priority Club Points & Cash reward nights allow the member to purchase in advance either 5,000 points or 10,000 points at a discount rate for a reward night booking. Now it is a more expensive rate to buy 5,000 points at $8 per 1,000 points compared to 10,000 points at $6 per 1,000 points for a Priority Club Points & Cash reward night.

The primary negative effect this has is on the 200 or so Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express Hotels that are normally 10,000 points for a free night. These properties only offer $40 + 5,000 points for a Points & Cash reward night, effectively increasing the cost of each reward night by $10.

The choice to buy 10,000 points for $60 is obviously the better deal now and will encourage members to buy more points from Priority Club.

Will the price for 10,000 points go up anytime soon?

Price Increase from $30 to $40 for Priority Club Points & Cash Reward Night

Priority Club is discounting the points price for retail and restaurant gift cards by 15% through November 30, 2010. Less than half the Priority Club shopping partners are participating retailers and restaurants offering 15% discounts. You can redeem online or call 1-800-272-9273.

Priority Club Retail Partners link

Priority Club Restaurant Partners link

There are two versions of gift cards at $50 and $100.

$50 cards cost 17,000 Priority Club points, 15% off the regular 20,000 points.

$100 are 32,300 Priority Club points, 15% off the regular 38,000 points.

Retailers offering 15% Discount Gift Cards

• Amazon
• Barnes& Noble
• AMC Theaters
• Bath & Body Works
• Bed, Bath & Beyond
• CVS Pharmacy
• Kohl’s
• Land’s End
• Macy’s
• Northern Tool + Equipment
• Pier 1 Imports
• Sears
• SpaFinder
• Sports Authority
• Target Giftcard
• The Home Depot
• Zales Jewelers

Restaurants offering 15% discount gift cards

• Applebee’s
• Bahama Breeze
• Chili’s
• Harry and David
• Macaroni Grill
• O’Charley’s
• Red Lobster

Loyalty Traveler promotion analysis 

In general you will get better value redeeming points for hotel rooms. 

The cost for a $50 gift card at 17,000 points, even with 15% savings, means you are exchanging sufficient points for any IHG Hotel in the world aside from the InterContinental Hotels brand. All Crowne Plaza and top-tier Holiday Inns are 25,000 points. Assuming you have a Points & Cash option the cost for a free night will be 15,000 points + $60. The $50 value of a gift card (17,000 points) + $60 in cash means you are better off saving points for any hotel room that will cost more than $110 per night after tax rather than spending points on gift cards. 

But if you are points rich and cash poor, the discounted gift cards are actually a decent value for your points. 

For example: 

Some members like me have high points, easy targets for the Priority Club “Crack the Case” promotion. I can earn 100,000 points fairly easily with just ten hotel nights by May 2011. Even though the Sweet Dilemma free night after every two stays offer restricts earning base points and elite bonus points for IHG hotel stays through December 31, there is no restriction to earning bonus points from other promotions. 

There are several Crowne Plaza Hotels in the San Francisco Bay Area with rates under $80 per night on weekends over the next two month.  I can spend say $1,000 or as little as $800 for ten hotel nights at InterContinental Hotels Group properties and earn 100,000 bonus points from Crack the Case promotion and earn bonus points from other Priority Club promotions during ten stays. 

100,000 points earned from completing the Crack the Case goals (10 nights; 2 IHG brands; 2 Saturdays; survey) is enough for three $100 gift cards at 96,600 points. $300 in gift card rebates, in addition to 5 free nights from the Priority Club Sweet Dilemma promotion after ten paid IHG hotel nights. 

Spend $800 to stay ten hotel nights in ten one-night stays and earn $300 in gift certificates and five free nights at any IHG hotel globally. 

That is 5-key value and a deal you will find hard to beat even on Priceline.

But I will save my Priority Club points for hotel reward stays. 30,000 points for a luxury hotel night is a much better value in my opinion than a $100 gift card.

The real gem of Crowne Plaza Avenue Hotel Chicago is its 40^th floor rooftop pool and open-air deck. The view is one of the best in Chicago despite what room view you may have. Since the pool is uncovered I assume the deck area is closed for most of the winter weather season. But catch this deck on a sunny day and you have a 270-degree view across the city. The hotel breakfast lounge is also on the 40^th floor with north and east facing views.

Crowne Plaza Avenue Hotel Chicago 40th floor pool deck

I received a Tech room on Floor 33 with a desktop Mac computer and complimentary internet access.

Crowne Plaza Avenue Hotel Chicago Tech Room with Mac computer

I was competent on a Mac when I taught computer studies at an elementary school ten years ago, but it takes some getting used to after working regularly on a PC. I enjoyed playing with the computer for a bit, but found myself pulling out my laptop for work.

Crowne Plaza Avenue Hotel Chicago bed and north facing window

The zebra chair is a feature of the Avenue Hotel rooms.  The hotel has 200 deluxe rooms.

There are 150 suites in the hotel featuring leather couches. The hotel was filled with doctors attending a major convention and I didn’t get upgraded to a suite. Some suites at the hotel have Lake Michigan views which you can also see from the 40th floor pool deck.

There are also kid-friendly rooms with Wii video games and in-room games and colorful bedding. I do not recall seeing any kids in the hotel during my stay.

The curved shower rod is a simple feature I truly appreciate in a hotel bathroom.

The Avenue Hotel website uses the phrase “Welcome to an oasis in the heart of it all.” Loyalty Traveler has to agree. Located on Huron Street, just one building east of Michigan Avenue places the Avenue Hotel Chicago in a prime Magnificent Mile location for shopping, dining, and easy transportation. Walk straight west on Huron Avenue about four blocks and there is a Whole Foods Market with plenty of hot food options and the usual market items.

My room view looked across Michigan Avenue to the Peninsula Hotel. The pool at the top of the Peninsula Hotel is the finest pool setting I saw in Chicago, but I was not permitted to take photos inside the pool room while guests were swimming. I have a sentiment that it is almost as nice to have a terrific view from a lower market segment hotel than to be in a high market segment hotel without a great view.

Frequent buses will take you north or south on Michigan Avenue and the Red Line CTA is about five blocks NW on Chicago Street west of the Water Tower and running between the Peninsula Hotel and the Park Hyatt Hotel.

Park Hyatt 70-floor tower residences seen from Crowne Plaza 40th floor pool deck

View of Marriott Chicago and Trump Tower Chicago from 40th floor pool deck of Avenue Hotel

Lake Michigan at sunset (Avenue Hotel 40th floor view)

Fitness room is located on a low floor.

The Sky Lounge, also located on the 40th floor, offered breakfast until 11am in the morning. The spread looked like a typical buffet breakfast. A bit overpriced even with the 15% discount coupon, which in effect only covers the hotel tax on the $18 breakfast. Dinner dining is probably a better value.

The Elephant & Castle pub, located off the lobby of the Avenue Hotel, was not a good dining experience for me. After eating at the Peninsula Hotel the night before where my entrée was only $1 more than the Fish & Chips at the Elephant & Castle, I thought the pub offered poor dining value.

My pet peeve with the free beer coupon I redeemed at the Elephant & Castle was the waiter told me it was only valid for a 10 oz. domestic beer at a British pub. The Elephant & Castle pub only lists imperial pints (19 oz.) on its menu and does not even list 10 oz. beers as a menu choice.

The coupon was also valid for a glass of wine or a well drink. Does the pub only give you half a glass of wine? Half a shot?

This hotel was a bargain at 25,000 points compared to the $380 after tax published rate. The effective rate for me was $150. I bought 40,000 points for $240 last May through DiscoverAmerica’s Daily Getaway at a time when I had no Priority Club points in my account. I booked the Avenue Hotel Chicago less than two hours before I checked in, but the Points & Cash Priority Club reward option was no longer available.

One of the advantages of Priority Club Points & Cash rewards is the requirement to buy nonrefundable points before completing the reward reservation. This past month I have purchased 40,000 Priority Club points through Points + Cash rewards for $240. As it happened I needed to cancel two of my hotel reward reservations and I used two of the reservations. The net effect is I purchased 20,000 points for $120 and these points are available in my account for other Priority Club reward nights. This is about 50% the cost to buy points from Priority Club through the normal Purchase Points link.

The InterContinental Hotel Chicago is just a few minutes walk from the Crowne Plaza on Michigan Avenue. That hotel will cost 40,000 points for a reward night. The IC Chicago actually had lower published room rates for the night I stayed at the Crowne Plaza. I toured the IC Chicago and photographed rooms and the pool. The pool at the IC Chicago is also one of the hotel gems of the city. Loyalty Traveler will post an InterContinental Chicago hotel review soon.

Crowne Plaza Avenue hotel website photos