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?

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.

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

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

Some people think I get free travel. The hotels and opportunities I get for discount rooms are the same opportunities open to any loyalty program member who plans with good travel strategies. I do not take complimentary rooms from hotels when I travel.

My goal is to show readers what is possible with hotel loyalty programs. Sometimes I probably get a nice upgrade due to being Loyalty Traveler, but the nice upgrades were a benefit I received as an elite hotel loyalty program member for many years prior to writing this blog.

Here is an example of how I stayed mostly in upper upscale and luxury hotels in Chicago for under $100 per night this past week even though a major Opthalmologist Convention was happening and filling many of the downtown Chicago hotels.

Holiday Inn Elk Grove (O’Hare Airport)

• Points & Cash = 0 points + $30
• Priority Club elite benefit = free Gatorade and chips from hotel pantry
• Published room rate = $109 or $122.08 after tax
• Loyalty Traveler Checkout total = $30 + $5 maid tip = $35
• Loyalty Traveler Savings = $87.08

 

 

Holiday Inn Elk Grove Village (O'Hare)

Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers

• SPG Cash & Points $60 + 4,000 points
• SPG Platinum benefits = 33^rd floor lounge access with evening snacks and sodas, morning lounge breakfast, free internet, SPG Platinum Welcome Amenity 500 points and late checkout
• Published Room Rate = $265 or $304.75 after tax.
• Loyalty Traveler Checkout total = $69 + $5 maid tip = $74
• Loyalty Traveler Savings = $230.75
• There is no cash equivalent value given for the 8,000 Starpoints used in Chicago since I earned 70,000 free Starpoints through this “My Midas Touch” promotion. There was also an option to buy SPG points at the rate of $145 per 10,000 points through DiscoverAmerica.com in May 2010. The cash equivalent value for 4,000 points would have been $58.

 

W Hotel Lakeshore

• SPG Cash & Points $60 + 4,000 points
• SPG Platinum benefits = Lakeview room, high floor, two free drinks at the Wave Bar, free internet, SPG Platinum Welcome Amenity 500 points and 4 pm checkout
• Published Room Rate = $309 or $355 after tax.
• Loyalty Traveler Checkout total = $69 + $5 maid tip = $74
• Loyalty Traveler Savings = $281

Crowne Plaza Hotel Avenue

• Priority Club 25,000 points award ( I purchased 25,000 points last May for $150 through DiscoverAmerica.com Priority Club discount offer).
• Priority Club elite benefits = 15% off breakfast buffetat 40^th floor lounge; free beer at Elephant & Castle pub; complimentary upgrade to Tech floor with Mac computer and free internet.
• Published Room Rate = $329 or $379.67 after tax
• Loyalty Traveler Checkout total = $15 (Elephant & Castle pub meal) + $5 maid tip = $20
• Loyalty Traveler Savings = $229.67

Park Hyatt Chicago

• Hyatt Gold Passport Category 6  award for 22,000 points ( I purchased 22,000 points last June for $206.25 through DiscoverAmerica.com Hyatt Gold Passport discount offer) (oops … I posted this a few minutes ago incorrectly stating I paid $123.75, so now my average is a little over $100 per night.)
• Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond elite benefits = complimentary breakfast at NoMI ($33 value for crab omelette); free internet; Diamond member welcome amenity of 1,000 points; preferred view room on top floor (18) of hotel facing historic Chicago Water Tower.
• Published Room Rate = $422.50 (AAA) or $487.56 after tax
• Loyalty Traveler Checkout total = $5 maid tip
• Loyalty Traveler Savings = $281.31

5 hotel nights in Chicago = $564.25 for Loyalty Traveler

Actual lowest published rates for these hotel rooms = $1,649.06

That is why I am a loyalty traveler.

Priority Club Points & Cash is a way to conserve points on Priority Club Reward nights. Basically the cost of the reward night is reduced by 5,000 points in exchange for $30 cash. Pay $60 and reduce the cost of the reward by 10,000 points.

PointBreaks Anomaly

[Update: November 15, 2010 - This glitch has been closed down by Priority Club. Nice while it lasted.]

PointBreaks are Priority Club’s special 5,000 points per reward night limited time offers at select hotels.

While searching for hotels in the Chicago area I came across a Points & Cash rate anomaly through the Holiday Inn site revealing the option for $30 hotel nights.

The Chicago Do is being held at the Holiday Inn Elk Grove in the Chicago suburbs around the vicinity of Chicago O’hare Airport.

On the ichotelsgroup.com Priority Club Rewards website the Reward Nights option looks like this:

But, when I check the Chicago-Elk Grove hotel website link I find a Points & Cash anomaly.

 

The PointBreaks rate of 5,000 points per night is actually combined with a Points & Cash offer to pay $30 in exchange for the 5,000 points. The hotel is available for 0 points + $30 per night even for a Priority Club member who has no Priority Club points.

Even better yet, there is the Pay $60 Points & Cash offer. You can book the hotel room at this PointBreaks hotel for $60 and receive 5,000 points for the reward night. You get a $30 room night and the ability to buy Priority Club points for more than 50% off the normal purchase rate.

Points purchased through Points & Cash do not count toward the 12-month 40,000 points purchase limit. But remember, Points & Cash reward nights also earn no points or promotion credit. That is a big consideration currently with the option to get a free night at any IHG hotel after two stays.

But for a last minute booking for a late Chicago arrival, a $30 Holiday Inn hotel night near O’Hare certainly beats Priceline. And the $30 rate is 75% off the regular $109 room rate for the same night.

DiscoverAmerica’s Daily Getaways sale continues the points purchase discount offers with InterContinental  Hotels Group (IHG) Priority Club points on sale Tuesday, May 25, 10am eastern time sharp!

There are four quantities available in 920 items from 10,000 points to 40,000 points and each customer can buy up to five items. Potentially you can buy 200,000 Priority Club points for $1,200. Daily Getaways Priority Club Sale link.

Discover America Daily Getaways IHG Priority Club Points items

• $60 for 10,000 points (385 items) [regular buy points rate on Priority Club = $125]
• $150 for 25,000 points (275 + 75 items = 350 items) [regular buy points rate on Priority Club = $287.50]
• $240 for 40,000 points (185 items) [regular buy points rate on Priority Club = $460]

The loyalty advertising on the DiscoverAmerica site can be confusing for this IHG Priority Club points sale as with previous hotel points sales for Starwood and Hyatt.

For example, the 275 items of 25,000 points for $150 is advertised as “Stay 1-2 nights at Holiday Inn for $150”. The item being purchased is 25,000 points and there is no restriction to the use of the points for a stay at Holiday Inn hotels – you can redeem points for any InterContinental Hotels Group brand or exchange points into miles or other use. Using points for hotel stays almost always produces the highest monetary value.

IHG brands are InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites.

The main thing to keep in mind with this sale is to be ready to buy items within the first minute of the sale. The opportunity to buy 5 items means as few as 194 purchases may sell out the points.

My advice for the person who rarely uses IHG hotels and Priority Club is “Buy Points”

This offer is actually best for the person who rarely stays at IHG hotels. Savvy Priority Club members know how to earn 5,000 points with a $60 hotel stay and will likely not find as much value in this offer. But if you have few or no Priority Club points this is a good time to buy points.

Four reasons for buying points at $60 per 10,000 points.

1. This is a lower purchase rate than regular points purchases which cost $125 for 10,000 points through the Priority Club site.  

25,000 points for $150 is sufficient for any Crowne Plaza hotel globally. There are many Crowne Plaza hotels that will cost well over $150 per night.

The majority of InterContinental Hotels are 30,000 points per night with about 40% at 40,000 points for a reward night. My local IC Clement in Monterey is rarely available for $180 per night after taxes, but is easy to book for 30,000 points (room and tax included).

Here is a global list of InterContinental Hotels at 30,000 and 40,000 points per night.

2. Normally there is a 40,000 points annual purchase limit for Priority Club. The purchase opportunity tomorrow gets around that 40,000 point annual purchase limit with an opportunity to buy up to 50,000 (5×10,000) for $300; 125,000 points (5×25,000) for $750; or 200,000 points (5×40,000) for $1,200. It is unlikely you will have time to buy items from two different lots before they sell out.

3. PointBreaks are Priority Club 5,000 point reward night special offers. Buying points at $60 for 10,000 gives you access to $30 per night PointBreaks awards. I have repeatedly showed savings on my blog with PointBreaks saving $200+ per night when buying points at the regular purchase rate. The DiscoverAmerica rate is just 50% of the normal purchase rate for points.

Keeping 10,000 to 40,000 points around is a good investment for a Crowne Plaza, InterContinental and/or Pointbreaks stay. The current PointBreaks list has dwindled down to the remnants of hotels still bookable in the last month. Here is a link to the full list of hotels that were available when the last PointBreaks list posted in March 2010 for stays through June 30. 

The new PointBreaks list for summer hotel travel should be coming out any day now.

4. Points purchased through IHG Priority Club count for elite status. These Discover America purchased points will likely count as elite qualification points. [Note: I have not verified this fact.]  

Earned points are just about any points that post to your account with the notable exception of points purchased for Priority Club Points + Cash reward nights. 

20,000 points earned in a calendar year gives Priority Club Gold elite ($50 value + 10% bonus points on stays). 

60,000 points in a calendar year confers Platinum status with a 50% bonus on stays and other potential benefits like complimentary upgrades.

Press releases for Priority Club’s Hotels Anywhere online booking option hit the trade magazines yesterday. My initial title for this piece was “Priority Club’s Hotels Anywhere Offer is a Point Waster,” but after an analysis I had to change my opinion. There are some deals in this new program, in spite of, or perhaps due to the fact that there does not seem to be a direct correlation between a hotel’s room rate and the cost for a free night in Priority Club Rewards points. Hotels Anywhere link.

I looked into this points spending option to figure out how this is new or different or better than the existing option of the prepaid card program called Any Hotel, Anywhere?

The difference between the programs is this new Priority Club offer allows a member to instantly book a competitor’s hotel using Priority Club points, however, the selection of hotels available is limited to those found on the ezRez booking site. A “Hotels Anywhere” search for hotels in my home area of Monterey returned just four hotels. There are about 200 hotels on the Monterey Peninsula within ten miles of my home in one of California’s major tourist destinations.

The Any Hotel, Anywhere prepaid card program offers a fixed exchange rate based on the card denomination and allows the Priority Club member to exchange points for cash cards good at any hotel that takes American Express.

Any Hotel, Anywhere prepaid American Express cards come in five denominations for US members.

• $100 = 29,000 points (1,000 points = $3.45 cash)
• $125 = 34,000 points (1,000 points = $3.67 cash)
• $150 = 39,000 points (1,000 points = $3.85 cash)
• $200 = 49,000 points (1,000 points = $4.08 cash)
• $250 = 59,000 points (1,000 points = $4.24 cash)

Your points are worth 22.9% more cash when redeeming 59,000 points for a $250 card compared to 29,000 points for a $100 card.

Update May 21: Reader Udi points out in the comments what is perhaps the greatest advantage of prepaid cards over the Hotels Anywhere online booking with points — you can earn loyalty credit with SPG, Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt when booking rooms and paying for the room using Priority Club Any Hotel, Anywhere cards. You may find better exchange rates for your Priority Club points with online booking, however, online bookings will not be eligible for loyalty credit with the competitor loyalty programs.

The primary drawbacks to the Any Hotel, Anywhere cards are the fine print terms:

1. Any Hotel, Anywhere card takes two to four weeks for delivery.
2. These cards are not credit cards and can’t be used to hold hotel rooms.
3. The card expires one year from date of issue.

 

Hotels Anywhere offers free nights for booking online instantly

The new Hotels Anywhere Priority Club feature is an online program allowing instant redemption of Priority Club points for hotel rooms. You need at least 20,000 points to be able to book a room. Most hotels offer a Points + Cash option at 20,000 points + cash. The Points + Cash option offers the better value for some hotels as shown in the rate analysis table below.

As previously stated, I found no direct correlation between the cost of a hotel room and the points needed for a free night. 47,000 points will buy a free night at the trendy Clift Hotel in San Francisco and save you $295. The Omni San Francisco is a hotel in the same competitive upper upscale market segment of San Francisco and this hotel will require 81,000 points to save $288.

The Hyatt Regency San Francisco cost 54,000 points for a free night compared to 58,000 points for the Grand Hyatt San Francisco. The Grand Hyatt room rate is almost $150 less than the Hyatt Regency for the night I checked.

Points redemption for Hotels Anywhere covers hotel room rate and hotel tax. An analysis of San Francisco hotels shows there are some good values available with Hotels Anywhere, but finding them takes some research.

 

When I checked Monterey/Carmel for hotels the Hotels Anywhere site only returned four hotels. The date of May 28, 2010 is the Friday of Memorial Day weekend and a major tourist holiday for the Monterey Peninsula. One night at the Embassy Suites is more than the cost of two nights at the The Clement InterContinental Monterey. Even more perplexing is the higher priced cost in points at 74,000 for one night at a budget motel when the Embassy Suites is a far nicer upper upscale hotel.

The Priority Club Hotels Anywhere program seems to have several price anomalies at this time. The algorithm used to determine Priority Club points needed for a free night is a mystery to me. The current state of the program offers some good redemption values. Find one in your favor like the Marriott San Francisco Airport or Clift Hotel in San Francisco and this can be a great way to check out upscale hotels at a bargain or use your Priority Club points to book the hotel where you need to be rather than the neighborhood IHG property.

A reader’s comment the other day asked if I would give a simple points value for the different hotel chains. I quickly made an educated assessment off the top of my head.  

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

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

My Loyalty Traveler corollary applies for this analysis:

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

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

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

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

My subjective evaluation of points earning ranking:

a.       IHG Priority Club

b.      Starwood/Hyatt

c.       Hilton/Marriott

Better Know a City – New York City

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

New York City Results:

 

 

Hyatt Gold Passport  

Redemption value $20.02 for 2 hotels;

range $19.21 to $20.83

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

 

 

Starwood Preferred Guest  

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

range $14.40 – $34.92

Starwood Preferred Guest in New York City

 

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

 

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

 

Hilton HHonors  

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

range $4.91-10.98 based on 2009 category levels.

 

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

2010 redemption value = $5.62 per 1,000 points

range will be $3.98-$8.78.

 

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

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

 

Marriott Rewards

Redemption value = $7.54/1,000 points;

range $5.97 to $8.63  (11 hotels)

 

Marriott Rewards in New York City

 

 

 

InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club

Redemption value = $9.96/1,000 points;

range $7.00 to $17.00  (10 hotels)

IHG Priority Club in New York City

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Part 3 of this multi-part examination of the mega-size hotel chains Marriott, Hilton, and IHG is focused on points earning potential. I have also included an award redemption comparison for spending points on New York City hotel award nights.

 

Earning Points

 

How does earning points compare between the three loyalty programs for Marriott Rewards, IHG Priority Club, and Hilton HHonors?  

 

Base hotel spending (room rate excluding taxes and fees) earns 10 points per US$1 with all three programs with some hotel brand exceptions for Marriott and IHG.

 

Hilton has some points earning advantages over the other two for base hotel spend:

1.       All Hilton hotel brands earn 10 points per $1.

2.       Marriott Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites brands earn only 5 points per $1. These two brands are about 1/4 of total hotels in Marriott chain. IHG brands Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites earn only 5 points per $1. InterContinental Hotel stays earn 2,000 points per stay rather than 10 points per dollar hotel spend.

3.       Hilton offers Double Dipping with Points & Points earning preference or Points & Miles. Members may earn 15 points per $1 if choosing not to earn miles with hotel stays. Earning preference may be changed with each stay. Elite bonuses are additional (HHonors Gold 25% elite bonus is 2.5 points per $1 hotel spend for 17.5 points per US$1.)

4.       Hilton HHonors American Express Surpass credit card earns 9 points/$1 at Hilton Hotels. Marriott Rewards Visa earns 5 points/$1 at Marriott brands. Priority Club Visa only gives 3 points per $1 at IHG hotels.

 

When it comes to promotion earnings the game definitely favors the Priority Club member. Frequent combinable promotions allow a guest to regularly earn 30+ points per $1 on hotel stays.

 

In this Loyalty Traveler post I detailed hotel free nights redemption with Marriott and Hilton based on the distribution of hotels in redemption categories. I did not include IHG Priority Club free nights due to a brand-based redemption structure as shown here on IHG Priority Club.

 

On the free nights side the loyalty benefit of free nights with points favors Priority Club with point levels for hotels like Crowne Plaza and high-end Holiday Inn hotels at just 25,000 points per night. Comparable quality hotels with Marriott and Hilton in many locations will likely be 5,000 to 10,000 points higher per free night.

 

New York City, 2 nights, Monday, November 16 to Wednesday, November 18

Marriott Rewards Category 6 Hotels

(30,000 points per night; 5^th night free)

• Brooklyn- New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge ($359)

• New York- Courtyard New York Manhattan/Fifth Avenue  ($359)

• New York- Fairfield Inn New York Manhattan/Times Square ($269)

• New York- Courtyard New York Manhattan/Upper East Side  ($299)

• New York- Fairfield Inn & Suites New York Manhattan/Fifth Avenue (na)

• New York- New York Marriott Downtown ($419)

 

Marriott Rewards Category 7 Hotels

(35,000 points per night; 5^th night free)

• New York- Renaissance New York Hotel 57  ($399)

• New York- New York Marriott East Side  ($449)

• New York- Courtyard New York Manhattan/Times Square South  ($296)

• New York- Courtyard New York Manhattan/Midtown East  ($359)

• New York- Courtyard New York Manhattan/SoHo  (na)

• New York- Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Times Square ($323)

 

Marriott Rewards Category 8 Hotels

(40,000 points per night; 5^th night free)

• New York- New York Marriott Marquis  ($399)

• New York- Renaissance New York Hotel Times Square ($399)

Ritz-Carlton Battery Park  ($685)

Ritz-Carlton Central Park ($795)

(70,000 points for 1 night; 110,000 points for 2 nights)

 

Hilton HHonors Category 5 Hotels

 (35,000 points per night; 150,000 points for 6 nights)

• Hilton Garden Inn Times Square ($296/night)

• Hampton Inn Manhattan Times Square North ($229)

• Hampton Inn Manhattan Times Square South ($249)

• Hilton Garden Inn West 35^th Street ($239)

• Hampton Inn Manhattan 35^th Street ($209)

• Hampton Inn Madison Square Garden ($269)

• Hilton Garden Inn Chelsea ($399)

• Hampton Inn Chelsea ($299)

• Hilton Garden Inn Tribeca ($375)

 

Hilton HHonors Category 6 Hotels Best Available Rate (BAR)

(40,000 points per night; 175,000 points for 6 nights)

• Hilton Times Square ($479)

• Hilton New York ($349)

• Doubletree Times Square ($289)

• Hilton Garden Inn West 35^th Street ($239)

• Doubletree Hotel Chelsea ($207)

• Doubletree Metropolitan ($219)

 

Waldorf Astoria Hotel ($399)

2009: 40,000 low season; 60,000 high season

2010: 50,000 low season; 60,000 high season

 

InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club

(Most of these hotels also offered even better discounts with Points & Cash awards)

• Candlewood Suites Times Square 15,000 points ($184)

• Holiday Inn Express Times Square 25,000 points ($165)

• Crowne Plaza Times Square 25,000 points ($299)

• Holiday Inn Express Madison Square Garden 25,000 points ($160)

• Hotel Indigo Chelsea 25,000 points ($269)

• Holiday Inn Midtown 57^th Street 25,000 points ($220)

• Holiday Inn Express Fifth Avenue 25,000 points ($210)

• Holiday Inn Manhattan 6^th Ave 25,000 points ($205)

• Holiday Inn Manhattan Soho 25,000 points ($255)

• InterContinental The Barclay 40,000 points ($494)

 

 

Upper end InterContinental Hotels at 40,000 points are at the price level of Marriott’s Category 8 elite hotels, but still below many Ritz-Carlton free nights using Marriott points. Lower-tier InterContinental Hotels at 30,000 points per night are the bargain redemption option for high end hotels. The new HHonors award chart pushes the high-end with Hilton to 50,000 points for the new Category 7 hotel or an off-peak award at most Waldorf-Astoria Collection properties. Top-tier Waldorf-Astoria Hotels go up to 80,000 points per night.

 

Low-end brands like Holiday Inn Express (15,000 points to 25,000 points), Candlewood Suites (15,000 points), and Staybridge Suites (20,000 points) are more in line with Marriott’s large number of hotels at the lower categories for free night redemption. Marriott Rewards has 77% of its hotels in Category 2 (26%), Category 3 (35%), or Category 4 (16%) with free nights at 10,000 points, 15,000 points, or 20,000 points, respectively. Hilton HHonors already has a higher proportion of hotels in higher point-level categories and they will be pushed even higher in 2010 when the hotels change to the new category structure with what looks to be an impending wholesale step-up of hotels into the next higher points redemption level.

 

Marriott and Hilton may toss a 50,000 points bonus a few times per year if you are lucky. The current Hilton promotion is the best for 2009 with 25,000 bonus points for 4 stays, up to 75,000 points. This promotion was launched one week before the 2010 hotel category increase was announced.

 

12 Hilton stays earns enough points (about 100,000 points with base spending and bonus) for two nights at a Category 7 hotel or Waldorf Astoria in off-peak dates.  12 Hyatt stays earn sufficient credit for 6 free nights at Category 5 Hyatt Hotels worth 108,000 Gold Passport points.

 

The promotions make all the difference in the hotel loyalty program world. Base earning for Starwood Preferred Guest is a low 2 points per $1 and Hyatt is only 5 points per $1. Reaching point levels necessary for free nights at a high redemption category hotel with SPG or Hyatt can look daunting.

 

Loyalty program comparisons often point out it would take $10,000 in hotel spend to earn a free night at a Category 6 Starwood hotel based on 2 points earned per $1 spent. Starwood Preferred Guest promotions available to any SPG member this year gave me the opportunity for 8 free nights in Category 6 hotels (120,000 points value) for under $2,000 in hotel spending.

 

Hyatt requires 18,000 points for its top category which could be as much as $3,600 in hotel spend. Bonus points offers of 2,000 to 5,000 per stay often exceed points earned from base spending at Hyatt hotels. Hyatt Gold Passport is providing its loyalty program members the opportunity through January 31, 2010 for a free night at any hotel with every two hotel stays.

 

Buy low-redeem high is a frequent guest bargain vacation. The result is better value for your money with any hotel loyalty program.