The interesting facet of the luxury segment is just seven luxury hotel brands are ranked in the North America survey. There is no rank for Park Hyatt, Starwood brands St. Regis, Luxury Collection and Le Meridien, Accor’s Sofitel, and Hilton’s Conrad or Waldorf-Astoria Collection brand. There truly are not many luxury properties in the US with the major hotel chains.

JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study link.

JD Power Luxury Segment Satisfaction link.

The JD Power luxury segment chart led me to estimate the number of properties for each luxury hotel brand. The result shows luxury hotel brands are a small population in the overall hotel market in North America.  

Here are 15 luxury hotel brands ranked by number of properties in North America. The number of hotels was estimated by a simple count and may include some hotels scheduled to open this year. Links to property locations are included for each brand.

Ritz Carlton (Marriott Rewards redemption) = about 45 hotels in US, Mexico and Caribbean. Hotel Locations.

Four Seasons (no published loyalty program) = about 35 hotels in North America. Four Seasons  Hotel Locations. 

InterContinental Hotels (IHG Priority Club and Ambassador Club) has about 37 hotels in North America. InterContinental Hotel locations. 

Fairmont (Fairmont President’s Club) about 30 hotels.  Fairmont Hotel locations.

W Hotels (Starwood Preferred Guest) has about 20 hotels in North America. W Hotel locations.

JW Marriott (Marriott Rewards) 19 hotels in North America. JW Marriott hotel locations.

Loews (You First) has hotels in 17 cities. Loews hotel locations.

Waldorf-Astoria Collection (Hilton HHonors) 17 Hotels in North America. Several of these properties opened in the past year. I suspect WAC brand will be included in the JD Power luxury list for 2011. Waldorf-Astoria Collection hotel locations.

The Luxury Collection (Starwood Preferred Guest) 18 Properties, although three properties are in one location at The Phoenician Scottsdale. The Luxury Collection Hotel locations.

Millennium Hotels (M&C Loyalty Club) = 13 hotels in North America. Millennium Hotel locations. This brand is prevalent in New Zealand/Australia. 

Le Meridien (Starwood Preferred Guest) = 10 hotels in North America Le Meridien Hotel locations. 

St. Regis (Starwood Preferred Guest) = 8 hotels in North America.  St. Regis Hotel locations. 

Sofitel (Accor A-Club)= 9 hotels in North America.  Sofitel Hotel locations.

Park Hyatt (Hyatt Gold Passport) has only 5 North America locations. Park Hyatt Hotel locations.

Conrad Hotels (Hilton HHonors) has 5 hotels in North America. Conrad Hotel locations.

Globally the largest luxury brands in this selection are InterContinental Hotels (about 175 hotels), Le Meridien (about 100 hotels) and Sofitel (131 hotels). These brands have the vast majority of their hotels outside North America. These three brands, two of which do not rank in the JD Power luxury hotel brands for North America, surpass Ritz-Carlton (80 hotels) or Four Seasons (85 hotels) global portfolio in number of hotels.

Ritz-Carlton is a Marriott brand that partially participates in Marriott Rewards. You do not earn Marriott points for paid stays at Ritz-Carlton hotels, but you can use points for free nights at Ritz-Carlton Hotels. Marriott changed their award chart this past year to go to a 5^th night free redemption program for all their hotel brands, except Ritz-Carlton hotel awards are still progressively discounted for longer stays. The longer you stay the less Marriott points per night needed. A Tier 1 Ritz-Carlton Hotel costs 45,000 points for a one night stay, but only 25,000 points per night at 175,000 points for a seven night stay. This is a substantial savings on a seven night points stay at a Ritz-Carlton.  

One of the best values in the Marriott Rewards points catalog is PointSavers discounts for Ritz-Carlton stays.

Noticeably absent from the JD Power list of North America luxury brands is Hilton Worldwide’s Waldorf Astoria Collection. The rapid expansion of the Waldorf-Astoria Collection this past year now places the brand at 24 hotels globally with 17 in North America. These numbers will likely place Hilton’s luxury brand on the JD Power list in the next year or two. Conrad Hotels are still limited to just five locations in North America and 19 hotels worldwide.

InterContinental, W Hotels, and Loews are rated two JDPower circles. I am not too familiar with Loews having only been to two locations. I really like the Loews Lake Las Vegas (formerly a Park Hyatt), but I wonder if that property will survive with the closing of the Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas a few months ago?

W Hotels are trendy but not what I consider a luxury hotel brand in terms of service and facilities. I like the hotels for their ambience, but the typically small room size is a big detractor for the typically high price. When I am paying for a luxury hotel I want at least 500+ square feet of room space to lounge around in and the typical W Hotel room is well short of that size.

InterContinental Hotels are a better loyalty program value if you buy in to Ambassador membership for the extra benefits. The annual rate for new members increased in July to $200 or 32,000 Priority Club points.

Fairmont Hotels are great if you travel across Canada and the west coast. Fairmont President’s Club only requires ten stays for top elite membership with some nice benefits. You should sign up for FPC membership just to receive the monthly special rate offers even if you are not positioned for earning elite status.  There are some high value rate discounts for loyalty members sent each month in email.

 

Loyalty Traveler related post: August 10 Overview of JD Power North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study

Loyalty Traveler Comments on JD Power 2010 Upscale Hotel Brand Ratings (Aug 11, 2010)

Loyalty Traveler Comments on JD Power 2010 Midscale Full Service Brand Ratings (Aug 13, 2010)

Loyalty Traveler comments on JD Power 2010 Midscale Limited Service Brands (August 15, 2010)

Loyalty Traveler comments on JD Power 2010 Economy/Budget Hotel Brand Ratings (August 16, 2010)

Comments on JD Power 2010 Extended Stay Hotel Satisfaction Index (Aug 17)

Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort is about 20 miles east of the major action on the Las Vegas Strip. The hotel décor is bright, airy, and the loudest noises you are likely to hear will come from kids screaming and laughing out of fun, joy, and excitement at the pools, ping pong tables, and the lake beach rather than the typical clink, clang, and ring of slot machines in Las Vegas.

 

Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort struck me as a family fun destination in a desert oasis perched on the edge of a private lake on the outskirts of Henderson, Nevada. This hotel used to be the Hyatt Lake Las Vegas and possibly familiar to many movie watchers as the Las Vegas location for the 2001 movie America’s Sweethearts with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Julia Roberts, John Cusack, and Billy Crystal.

Link to Resort Overview page for Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort.

 

The hotel was designed with a Moroccan theme. This lobby invites one to sit and lounge in the cool open space with plenty of comfortable cushion chairs and couches when the outside temperature can peel your skin in the sun before you can finish a round of golf. 

 

 

 

There are nearly 500 rooms and close to 50 suites at the resort.  This hotel is one of my favorite locations in the Las Vegas Valley. You will be hard pressed to find a better value for a resort getaway if you desire sun and relaxation and don’t mind the absence of gambling facilities.

The website has a page for room category comparisons. http://www.loewshotels.com/en/Hotels/Lake-Las-Vegas-Resort/Rooms/Compare.aspx

 

The primary difference for most of the standard rooms at 392 square feet (a comfortable size) is the view from three locations within the hotel.

Superior rooms will be located on the side of the resort facing away from the Lake. Loyalty Traveler Aug 20 rate check: AAA rate $93 per night Aug 25-27. Taking Care of Business Instant Gold Elite rate $139 per night.

Deluxe rooms face the pool side or may have a partial lake view. Loyalty Traveler Aug 20 rate check: AAA rate $106 per night Aug 25-27. Taking Care of Business Instant Gold Elite rate $159 per night.

 

Luxury rooms have the nicest view in the standard room size category and look upon Lake Las Vegas.  Loyalty Traveler Aug 20 rate check: AAA rate $106 per night Aug 25-27. Taking Care of Business Instant Gold Elite rate $159 per night.

 

Grand Luxury King at 524 square feet provides ample space for feeling a bit more resort like. I feel like I’ve scored a decent upgrade when I have a room over 500 square feet. That makes the hotel room feel spacious enough for an extended hotel stay. Loyalty Traveler Aug 20 rate check: AAA rate $126 per night Aug 25-27. Taking Care of Business Instant Gold Elite rate $189 per night.

 

An Executive Suite at 792 square feet is when the going is good and the relaxing in your room is truly a comfort. Taking Care of Business Instant Gold Elite rate Luxury King Suite $289 per night Aug 25-27.

Moving above this size of room will rapidly increase the cost of your stay.

Grand King Suite at 1,188 square feet is $489 per night with “Taking Care of Business” Instant Gold Elite rate Aug 25-27.

 

 

Loews You First Hotel Loyalty Program Instant Gold Elite Offer

One of the real values of booking a room at this hotel for a quick stay over the next week is the ability to receive instant Gold elite status in Loews “You First” hotel loyalty program for stays by August 30, 2009. Even a one night stay qualifies for this offer.

One of the benefits of Gold elite membership, normally requiring 5 stays in a calendar year, is a complimentary room upgrade. Book the Luxury room and you may find yourself in the Grand Luxury King. Book the Grand Luxury and you may receive an Executive Suite. Upgrades may be confirmed at time of booking and Gold members can buy a suite upgrade for $50 per night, if available.

Loews You First Gold members also receive complimentary late checkout, complimentary internet and free fitness center access.

Loews You First Elite Level benefits: https://www.loewshotels.com/en/YouFirst/Benefits.aspx

 

 

Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort website link for hotel virtual tour: http://www.loewshotels.com/Content/en/Hotels/Lake-Las-Vegas-Resort/PhotoGallery/virtualtour.html

Dozens of children were playing in the activity pools outside.

 

One lone woman sat reading a book in the quiet spacious lobby on a Saturday morning. The pool is off to the side and the beach loaded with toddlers sits below the lobby level. The view from the lobby was an uninterrupted-by-people vista and unobtrusively tranquil with glittering sunlight reflecting off the lake surface.

 

Boats are available for rent and the roads are fairly wide and quiet of heavy traffic in the Lake Las Vegas community if you want to try a bike ride.

 

Self-parking is free at the resort and just 50 yards from the entrance. (I clocked myself at 25 minutes to go from my room at Planet Hollywood on the Las Vegas Strip directly to my car in the self-park lot and directly back to the room).

 

The hotel shuttle will take guests to MonteLago Village about a mile away where the MonteLago Casino and Ritz Carlton Hotel are located.