Elite status qualification in a hotel loyalty program is the avenue to getting consistent higher-value out of your hotel expenditures.  My rule of thumb with the major frequent guest programs like Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, and Starwood is high elite status will typically add $100 of value for each hotel night.  Bonus points, complimentary upgrades, special redemption offers, and complimentary hotel amenities all contribute to the value-added benefits of being a top elite member with your hotel program.  Complimentary upgrades to hotel rooms priced $200+ more per night than the rate you book at an upscale category hotel is a common benefit of top-elite membership in a frequent guest hotel loyalty program.

The benefits are doled out to lower level elite members on a sporadic basis.  I have had some fantastic upgrades as a Hilton HHonors Gold member and Marriott Silver member, but these are not the norm.  Regular room upgrades are the primary benefit of being a top-tier elite member and in my opinion the primary value for maintaining loyalty with a hotel chain year-to-year. 

Your personal travel pattern will determine your elite membership target.  If you travel just 20 nights per year, then Marriott is probably not a great program for your hotel lifestyle.  If your travel is not concentrated in major cities, then you will probably not benefit greatly from Hyatt or Fairmont as your primary hotel loyalty program.  If your budget is not elastic, then Loews may not be the program for you.

Not surprisingly, the hotel loyalty programs with the fewest hotel members such as Loews Hotels, Fairmont, and Kimpton tend to be the programs with the easiest high-elite qualification standards.  Hyatt and Starwood both have run promotions in the past year for counting stays double towards elite qualification, thereby making top elite status possible with as few as 13 nights.  Wyndham ByRequest does not provide a room upgrade as a defined benefit.

Here is the run-down of qualifying stays and nights for top elite status with major hotel loyalty programs.  All programs are based on the number of hotel stays or nights earned in a calendar year, except Hilton HHonors which uses any 12 month period of activity. 

Qualification Standard for Frequent Guest Top-Tier Elite Membership

Wyndham Rewards = ByRequest elite = 3 nights (room upgrades are not a defined benefit)

Fairmont President’s Club = Platinum elite = 10 stays or 30 nights in calendar year

Loew’s You First = Platinum elite = 10 stays

Kimpton InTouch = Inner Circle elite = 15 stays or 45 nights

Radisson Gold Points Plus = Gold Elite = 20 stays or 35 nights

Hyatt Gold Passport = Diamond elite = 25 stays or 50 nights

Starwood Preferred Guest = Platinum elite = 25 stays or 50 nights

Hilton HHonors = Diamond elite = 28 stays or 60 nights

Best Western Gold Crown Club = Diamond elite = 30 nights

Choice Privileges = Diamond elite = 40 nights

InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club = Platinum elite = 50 nights or earn 60,000 points (potential to earn platinum status based on points earned throughout year can make attaining platinum status qualification much easier than staying 50 nights in a calendar year.

Marriott Rewards =Platinum Elite = 75 nights

A hotel stay is defined as consecutive nights in one hotel property.  One-night stays allow a member to qualify for elite membership with a number of nights below the  qualification standard for nights.  For example, guest member #1 of Hilton HHonors could have 20 one-night stays and 8 two-night stays and qualify for HHonors diamond status with 28 stays and 36 nights.  Another HHonors member could have 15 three-night stays and would not qualify for HHonors diamond status with 45 nights and 15 stays.  Even though member # 2 has stayed more nights than guest # 1 at Hilton Hotel properties, the diamond qualification level has not been met.

Grand Cafe Bar, Hotel Monaco, San Francisco

Kimpton Hotels Low Summer Rates for San Francisco

Special summer rates at any San Francisco Kimpton Hotel for stays now through September 1, 2008.      

            Harbor Court Hotel                 $109 (Thursday-Sunday)

            Hotel Triton                            $109 (Thursday-Sunday)

            Serrano Hotel                          $119 (Thursday-Sunday)

            Prescott Hotel                         $129 (anyday)

            Sir Francis Drake Hotel          $139 (anyday, except Saturday)

            Hotel Monaco                         $159 (Thursday-Sunday)

            Hotel Palomar                         $159 (Thursday-Sunday)

            Argonaut Hotel                       $169 (anyday, except Fridays and Saturdays)

There was availability for 8 dates of 10 searches I checked.  (Harbor Court Hotel was unavailable on two dates checked.) An interesting feature of this promotion is the availability of the low rate on any day of the week for at least 3 hotels in San Francisco.  Monday to Thursday are usually the highest rates of the week for downtown San Francisco. 

These hotel rates for summer travel in San Francisco are competitive summer rates for the City and substantially less than rates I saw in searches two weeks ago.  Compare the benefits for a Kimpton InTouch loyalty traveler to the recent InsideFlyer’s July 2008 article on hotel loyalty programs and free nights earned based on hotel spending.  In their analysis, a traveler spending $2,052 will earn only one free night in San Francisco with just 4 of 9 hotel loyalty programs.  Kimpton Hotels is not included in their analysis.

2 free hotel nights at any Kimpton hotel can be earned for under $1,000 (including the 14% tax).  Kimpton InTouch is running a promotion for 1 free night after 3 stays and the regular benefit for InTouch members is a free night after 7 stays.  2 free nights can easily have a value of $600 to $800 in some hotel locations.  For 10 stays in 10 different Kimpton Hotels in the calendar year a person can earn an additional 2 free nights at any Kimpton Hotel with the Kimpton Passport Reward.  Kimpton InTouch can bring the frequent guest 4 free nights for an investment under $1,500 for 10 one-night hotel stays in 10 different hotels.  This achievement can even be accomplished without leaving California.

4 free hotel nights for a $1,500 investment in Kimpton Hotels this year with strategic hotel stays matches the free nights earned with the best of the 9 loyalty programs Inside Flyer reviewed based on a frequent guest spending approaching $6,000 per year.

Summer 2008 may be a good time to get InTouch with Kimpton Hotels.

Kimpton Stay 3, Get 1 Night Free Summer Promotion

Kimpton InTouch members have a valuable incentive to hotel stay this summer. Kimpton’s InTouch hotel frequent guest program will give members staying 3 times at any of the 42 Kimpton Hotels in the USA and Canada by August 31, 2008 a free night at any Kimpton Hotel.

Free Night Summer Promotion Terms:
- Promotional Period: June 15 – August 31, 2008
- Must be a Kimpton Hotels InTouch member at time of stay for credit eligibility. As long as member enrolls before checkout, the stay is eligible.
- Any Kimpton Hotels website published rate or package rate is eligible.
- A stay is defined as one or more consecutive nights at a single property regardless of check-in/ check-out dates.
- Free Night credit will be applied the week of September 1, 2008
- This promotion is combinable with the regular InTouch frequent guest benefit of earning a free night after 7 eligible stays.
- One Bonus Night can be earned for stays during the promotional period.

By the Numbers:

The Kimpton InTouch frequent guest earns one free night after 3 stays with this summer promotion. I put the numbers at about $480 to $600 after taxes, for 3 paid hotel nights based on sample rates in San Francisco ($144, Sir Francis Drake Hotel July 3, 2008), Denver ($143, Hotel Monaco, July 11) and Washington, D.C. ($139, Hotel Madera, July 12).

One free night for a mid-week urban stay in the Kimpton Hotels of New York City or Washington, D.C. can regularly be in the $350 to $500 range for mid-week stays.

$449, The Muse Hotel, NYC, Wed. Nov 19

$500 to stay 3 nights in a Kimpton hotel this summer can have a 100% return on investment with one night free in a $500 per night room in New York City later in the year.

7 Stays Earns a Free Night, the regular benefit with Kimpton InTouch

The InTouch frequent guest normally earns a free night after 7 stays. There is a significant opportunity for high value when you combine the summer promotion with the regular loyalty benefit to earn 2 free hotel nights with as few as 7 paid nights (as 7 one-night stays). I put the numbers at about $1,000 to $1,400 for 7 paid hotel nights based on rates in San Francisco ($144, Sir Francis Drake Hotel July 3, 2008), Denver ($143, Hotel Monaco, July 11) and Washington, D.C. ($139, Hotel Madera, July 12). There is the potential for nearly $2,000 in hotel room value with 9 hotel nights for around a $1,100 pay-out.

A brand new member to Kimpton Hotels InTouch program can get nearly a 100% return on investment if you can plan your hotel stays to maximize the value of the free nights. At the low-end a member should be able to get at least $600 in free room value with two free nights after as few as 7 paid nights.

Kimpton InTouch Free Night Rewards Benefit Spans the Years

A feature of Kimpton’s InTouch frequent guest program is a running hotel stay history on the member’s account that carries eligibility for free night credit from one calendar year to later years. Normally a member earns a free Kimpton hotel night credit after every 7 hotel stays or 20 hotel nights. The stays and nights do not need to be in the same year. In theory, after earning a free night from the 2008 summer promotion with 3 stays, the member could stay 2 more times in 2009 and 2 more times in 2010 and earn a free night after the 7th stay two years from now.

Loyalty Traveler Commentary “Earn Them and Burn Them”

The rules as written now for Kimpton InTouch frequent guests grant a free night after every 7 stays. This rule can change at anytime and it is important for a loyalty traveler to realize frequent guest program rules are dynamic. The trend in hotel frequent guest programs across the industry is to make free nights more expensive to redeem. Since Kimpton’s InTouch does not work on a hotel points-based structure of earning and redemption, the logical adjustment in the future is to up the stays/nights ratio for a free night. The free night after 7 Kimpton stays will likely be adjusted as the program grows and might be adjusted to something like earn a free night after 10 stays or 25 nights.

Earn Them and Burn Them.

The point is the loyalty traveler should plan on earning and spending within six months to a year to accurately estimate the value of your hotel loyalty program promotions. In the current hotel industry environment there are not many instances where loyalty program benefits become significantly more generous for the member in terms of earning free nights and plenty of instances where value deteriorated significantly with frequent guest program adjustments.

About Kimpton Hotels
There are currently 41 boutique-style hotels open in the USA and most prominent in the key cities of San Francisco (9 hotels) and Washington, D.C. (7 hotels). There are not a lot of Kimpton Hotels, however, they are located in the major cities around the country. Several more hotels will be opening soon and industry news indicates Kimpton Hotels has money and plans to buy properties in key US and Canadian markets over the next couple of years.

Hotel Monaco, Denver, Colorado

Kimpton Hotels is marketing two hotel summer promotions to provide frustrated airline flyers a bit of cash relief for additional baggage fees and hospitable hospitality treatment for stranded passengers. And registration is not necessary for these Kimpton Hotels offers.WE GOT YOUR BAG

“We Got Your Bag” is an offer to provide the guest up to a $25 room credit if you are an airline passenger with a receipt to present at hotel check-in showing the airline charged you for checking a second bag. The promotion is limited to one bag only (I assume per hotel stay, since checked baggage charges can occur numerous times over the summer for frequent travelers, although this is not specified in the published terms. )

The $25 room credit is based on a Best Available Rate. The offer states some restrictions apply, however, there is no mention in the published terms concerning the flight dates. It seems to me that any flight within the promotion dates might be available for a room credit.

Kimpton has 43 upscale boutique hotels in major cities of the USA. “We Got Your Bag” promotion runs from May 22 to September 9, 2008.

STRANDED IN STYLE

Kimpton Hotels will offer a passenger of a canceled flight a complimentary “Stranded in Style” amenity with proof of a cancelled flight at check-in.

Soothing – comforting amenity such as bath salts or eyeshade
Pampering – bottle of wine or in-room movie
Relaxing – designer lounge socks
Indulging – cocktail or appetizer

These deals are not huge value offers, but after the treatment millions of airline passengers will experience this summer with the nickel and dime charges, or more like $15 to $40 charges, a little hospitality relief shows Kimpton Hotels remains In Touch with the public.

Kimpton Hotels Website

Kimpton InTouch Frequent Guest Loyalty Program

Hotel Monaco, Denver lobby ceiling

Kimpton InTouch Loyalty Program

Kimpton Hotels is a boutique hotel chain with over 40 hotels in the USA and Canada. San Francisco (9 hotels) and Washington D.C. (7 hotels) are the best covered cities. The Hotel Monaco, Denver (Kimpton has 8 Hotel Monaco’s in the USA) was mentioned in a February blog post as the #1 rated hotel on TripAdvisor for Denver, Colorado (now it is ranked #3 on TripAdvisor 4-17-08). After touring several of the big chain hotels in downtown Denver, the Hotel Monaco, Denver property was a relaxing haven from the bustle of the big box hotels of Hyatt, Marriott, and Westin.

Kimpton Group is planning significant development expansion of boutique hotel properties over the next few years to the tune of $800 million.

InTouch is Kimpton Hotels’ guest loyalty program.

Basic features are:
- A free hotel night is earned after every 7 eligible stays or 20 eligible nights (not required to be in a single calendar year). Free night credits are posted quarterly to member account.

- Inner Circle elite level status is earned after 15 eligible stays or 45 eligible nights in a calendar year. Benefits include complimentary upgrades and personalized in-room amenities for your hotel stay.

- A Year-end bonus award with a gift certificate value is earned based on total stays or nights in calendar year. Range from 20 stays = $50 to 45 stays = $800 value for Kimpton partner restaurants, spa services, or KimptonStyle catalog. 50 stays earns a $1,500 chef-hosted dinner or cocktail party at a Kimpton Hotel partner restaurant.

- Stays at 10 different Kimpton Hotels in a calendar year earns a complimentary 2-free nights “Kimpton Passport Reward”.

- On top of all these benefits listed, the Kimpton InTouch membership card looks nice.

TripAdvisor ranks Hotel Argonaut #7 of 238 San Francisco hotels. Hotel Palomar #25, Hotel Monaco San Francisco ranks #26, Prescott Hotel #36, Harbor Court Hotel #46, Serrano Hotel #54, Hotel Triton #84, and Sir Francis Drake #102 (TripAdvisor rankings are from 4-17-08).

Hotel Monaco, Portland, Oregon is rated #2 in popularity of 119 hotels ranked on TripAdvisor.

Hotel Marlowe is ranked # 1 of 16 hotels in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Hotel Palomar, Dallas is ranked # 1 of 168 hotels ranked on TripAdvisor.

The Muse New York is ranked #68 of 340 New York City hotels ranked on TripAdvisor.

Hotel Burnham, Chicago ranks #9 of 164 hotels ranked on TripAdvisor.

The popularity of Kimpton boutique hotels is apparent in the number of guest reviews and the generally high overall ranking of Kimpton Hotel properties in a variety of cities. Most of the Kimpton hotels have over 100 guest reviews listed on TripAdvisor. The hotel traveler has lots of data and anecdotes to look over when making a Kimpton hotel selection.

The small number of Kimpton hotels in select major US cities is the primary limitation of the Kimpton loyalty program. If Kimpton hotel stays fit into your travel lifestyle, then you should definitely consider getting InTouch Kimpton loyalty membership.