A perfect clear blue sky weather day was happening for mountain driving 150 miles to Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. The woman at the Sleep Inn Bend chuckled that I would be seeing walls of snow at Crater Lake. I did see walls of snow… and so many more indelible sights this day.

Sleep Inn Bend, Oregon with snowcapped mountains in pool background.

There are two Choice Hotels with Comfort Inn Bend and Sleep Inn Bend on Highway 20 east of downtown Bend just past Pilot Butte State Park (do not miss this photo spot on clear days). These hotels were about $82 (Comfort)and $70 (Sleep Inn) per night with Comfort Suites ranked as #8 of  38 hotels in Bend on June 23, 2011 and Sleep Inn at #23. Comfort Suites has comfortable bedding in rooms and an outdoor pool, although Sleep Inn has the better pool environment shown in the photo with mountains visible in the distance.

Both of these hotels are eligible for the 8,000 points after two stays promotion from May 19-August 11, 2011. The points are sufficient for the lowest hotel reward free nights at 6,000 and 8,000 points at about 1,500 of the 6,000+ hotels in Choice Hotels around the world. I saw this location as a high potential hotel stay spot in Bend this summer for earning at least a 50% rebate on the cost of two hotel nights with Choice Privileges. I think the free night I get with 8,000 Choice Privileges points from two Choice Hotel stays on this Vancouver trip will be worth at least the cost of one of the nights I paid.

The same kind of deal is available with Marriott Rewards from June 1 to August 31 for a free night after two stays. Fairfield Inn Downtown Bend is near shops and Drake Park while TownePlace Suites Bend near Mt. Bachelor is on the western road to Mt. Bachelor with several nearby golf courses and upscale Bend resorts.

The cost for two stays at these properties was about $120 to $130 per night. A free category 4 hotel night from Marriott Rewards can easily be a $150 to $200 per night free hotel room, so this deal is as good a rebate as Choice Privileges for a higher market segment hotel in more central locations of Bend for touring.

View of Cascades from summit of Pilot Butte, Bend, Oregon with Mt. Bachelor 20.9 miles away (left picture between trees) to Three Sisters – South, Middle and North about 25 miles away (right).

The AAA locksmith guy suggested I drive the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway sixty miles through the hills around Mt. Bachelor on my drive to Crater Lake. For the first time ever in five years with this car I locked my keys inside. Good thing I was sitting in a motel parking lot in Bend and not Criterion Summit on Highway 197.

The road is well paved and wide with a gentle gradient all the way up 20 miles to the slopes of Mt. Bachelor at 9,065 ft.

The road around Mt. Bachelor is probably around 6,000 feet elevation and this area had the most snow where the road runs south of Broken Top (9,175 ft. and South Sister (10,358 ft.).Broken Top is pictured below.

The spring thaw was evident within a couple miles of here.

Nature was changing with warm sun and people were taking advantage of the seasonal recreation opportunities.

Elk Lake is the first major Cascade Lake on the road heading south about 30 miles out of Bend. There is a lodge, market, bar/restaurant and boat launch all in one spot. This is wilderness with ice cream and beer.

Lava Lake below Mt. Bachelor had this Peruvian looking Lake Titicaca grass thing happening along the lakefront.

 

 

 

The river streams forming along the flat lands of the Cascade Lakes filled the woods with streams. There were people fishing alongside the road in many places.

Trout fishing in America

There are some rustic cabin rentals at a few of the lakes along the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway. Elk Lake Resort has cabins for $200 to $400 per night and some rustic cabins with no power or water for $58 per night. 

I pulled into Cultus Lake Resort and the green grass lawn down to the lakeside attracted me to the lodge house with a restaurant and market. Cultus Lake Resort has 23 cabin rentals with current rates at $85 to $155 per night and a slight weekly rental discount. The site has a restaurant with all-you-can-eat ribs on Friday and Saturday nights for $16.95.

Cultus Lake Resort lakeside cabin

You’ll need to bring your own linens for the double bed and two single bunks in the cabin I saw furnished with a bathroom, shower, bedroom, sitting room with a couch and two wooden chairs, and a full kitchen with table.

Cultus Lake Resort cabin bunks in bedroom.

The ambience seemed like a friendly place at Cultus Lake and there are some views, but I am more the Crater Lake Lodge type of guest these days.

Cultus Lake Resort cabin view, Cascade Lakes region, Oregon

My car did the most off road four-wheeling of its five year sedan life (last car payment made this month) as I followed a dirt road a few hundred yards into the woods to reach Crane Prairie Reservoir.

Crane Prairie Reservoir, Cascade Lakes region, Oregon

Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway drive reminds you in places that this is volcano country. Here is a large mound of volcanic rock with one tree growing in rock amidst a forest of pines.

Lone pine in volcanic mound, Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway

Another portion of forest showed effects of fire damage and recovery.

Cascade Lakes forest fire recovery.

I came across an informational sign telling how Highway 97 was the historic Klamath Trail used by Great Basin Indians trading with Columbia River Indians. In the Treaty of 1855 the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Indian Reservation was created from 640,000 acres of the formerly 10 million acres of Indian lands in Oregon. The present reservation is located northwest of Madras, Oregon to the east of Mt. Jefferson.

Off the Cascade Lakes Scenic Highway and back onto Highway 97 South I turned right on Highway 138 to be greeted by an informational sign for Crater Lake National Park showing the North Entrance to the park was closed when I was potentially just 30 miles from the lake.

This meant another 70 miles of driving to reach Crater Lake from the South entrance of the park.

And continue driving I did, all the way to the Rim Drive summit of Crater Lake National Park where I stood about 90 minutes later.

Related Links:

Cascade Lakes Oregon Scenic Byway road map.

National Geographic: Road Trip – Cascade Lakes, Oregon

Loyalty Traveler #TBEX11 Road Trip  – Eastern Exposure in Washington (6/21/2011)

Mountains beyond mountains in Central Oregon – Highway 197 and 97 from The Dalles to Bend (6/23/2011)

Marriott, Starwood, Best Western and Choice have free night promotions allowing you to pay now and stay free later on another trip. They all have restrictions on the type of free night allowed, so read the rules carefully and see if the free night looks like one you can use.

Marriott Rewards – One Free Night after Two Stays June 1 – August 31.

Marriott International hotel brands: Marriott, JW Marriott, Marriott Vacation Club, Renaissance, Fairfield Inn, Residence Inn, Courtyard, SpringHill Suites, TownePlace Suites, Autograph Collection, Ritz-Carlton, Edition. (AC Hotels is Marriott’s new brand in Europe, but AC Hotels are not listed as a participating brand for this promotion.)

• Register for this promotion by June 30.
• Stays at Marriott brand hotels worldwide qualify for promotion.
• Maximum of two free nights may be earned per member during promotion period after 4 stays.
• Free night is valid for any hotel category 1 to category 4 hotel worldwide. These are the lower category hotels, but includes around 2,500 hotels globally.
• Free night may be redeemed from June 5 to December 31, 2011.
• Award nights are not transferable and may not be gifted.
• Loyalty Traveler May 16 post on this Marriott promotion.

Strategy for Marriott Rewards promotion: My wife and I have traveled where one night at a hotel is a reservation in my name and the second night is a reservation in her name. First person should check out and get a hotel stay folio before second person checks in under different member account to be sure the stays credit appropriately to each member’s account for the free night credit.

This allows longer stays without changing hotels while maximizing promotion credit. Just tell the hotel you are staying on two different reservations to maximize the Marriott Rewards promotion and you might not need to change rooms during your hotel stay.

Starwood Preferred Guest – One Free Night at a Starwood Resort after Three Stays, May 1 – July 31.

Starwood Hotels brands: Westin, Sheraton, Four Points, Aloft, Element, St. Regis, Luxury Collection, W Hotels, Le Meridien.

• Register for this promotion by June 30.
• Stays at Starwood brand hotels worldwide qualify for promotion.
• No limit to earned free nights during promotion period.
• Free night is valid at over 200 Starwood Resorts worldwide.
• Free night may be redeemed any day of week to December 21, 2011.
• Redeem free nights by calling Starwood customer service 1-888-625-4988 (toll-free) and requesting Award ID 3FRN
• Award nights are not transferable and may not be gifted.
• Loyalty Traveler April 15 post on this promotion.

 

Choice Hotels – 8,000 points after Two Stays, May 19 – August 11, 2011.

Choice Brands: Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Sleep Inn, Quality Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, Ascend Collection, MainStay Suites, Suburban, Rodeway Inn, EconoLodge.

• Register for this promotion to increase earning limit to 4 bonuses for 32,000 points, otherwise the limit is 2 bonuses for 16,000 points. Elite Platinum and Diamond members may earn bonus 10 times for 80,000 points.
• Must be a resident of U.S., U.S. territories or Canada.
• Book at ChoiceHotels.com or 1-800-4CHOICE. (Elite platinum and elite diamond may book through any channel.
• Important to note: a minimum 2-night stay is required for an eligible stay at the Choice Hotels budget brands of EconoLodge and Rodeway Inn and extended-stay brands Suburban and MainStay Suites.
• 8,000 points is sufficient for about 1,500 hotels or 25% of all Choice Hotels. Many hotels will require 16,000, 20,000 or 25,000 points for a free night.
• Loyalty Traveler May 16 post on Choice Hotels promotion.

 

Best Western Hotels – One free night after three stays June 19-August 14, 2011.

Best Western hotels are all one brand, but in 2011 three tiers were created with most of the worldwide 4,000+ properties remaining Best Western and about 800 hotels as Best Western Plus and around 100+ hotels (mostly outside U.S.) as Best Western Premier.

• Register for this promotion by logging into account, click My Account tab, and in section titled “Membership Overview” click the tab “Special Offers Sign-Up“.  This promotion should be listed.
• Here are the promotion terms.
• Promotion registration only open for residents of U.S., Canada, Bahamas and U.S. Virgin Islands.
• Stay at any Best Western worldwide to qualify for free night.
• Limit of one free night voucher per member during promotion period.
• Free night voucher expires January 31, 2012.
• Free night voucher valid only at Best Western hotels in U.S., Canada, Bahamas and U.S. Virgin Islands.
• Elite members of Best Western Rewards earn 6,500 bonus points if two of three stays are in two different tiers of Best Western (Best Western, Best Western Plus (about 800 hotels), Best Western Premier (100+ hotels). Limit of one elite bonus per member.
• Earn an additional 6,500 bonus points if each of three stays paid with Best Western Rewards MasterCard. Limit of one credit card bonus per member.

Marriott Rewards offers members 4x miles from June 1 through August 31, 2011 beginning with your second hotel stay during the promotion period. The design of Marriott Rewards site requires your member account be set to earn miles rather than points to enable the 4x miles promotion page to load. Promotion registration begins June 1.

Marriott Rewards members on FlyerTalk state the miles promotion and points promotions can both be earned if you switch your earning preference and register for both promotions. This makes it possible to toggle between earning points for the MegaBonus offer of one free night at a category 1 to 4 hotel after two stays which is great for one night hotel stays and then earn miles for longer, more expensive stays when the bonus miles will add up quickly. You just need to manage your earning preference by switching between  miles or points  to maximize the best earning option for each hotel stay.

Earn 8 miles per $1 for most charges at these hotel brands:

• JW Marriott
• Marriott Hotels & Resorts
• Renaissance
• Autograph Collection
• Marriott Vacation Club
• Edition

Earn 4 miles per $1 on room rate only at these hotel brands:

• Courtyard
• Residence Inn
• Fairfield Inn
• TownePlace Suites
• SpringHill Suites

Participating Airlines for 4x Miles:

• Aeroplan (Air Canada)
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific Airways
• Delta Air Lines
• Frontier Airlines
• Hawaiian Airlines
• JetBlue Airways
• Jet Airways JetPrivilege
• Kingfisher Airlines
• LifeMiles (Avianca-TACA)
• Southwest Airlines
• United Airlines
• US Airways

Southwest Airlines normally earns 600 points per stay for any Marriott hotel brand, so quadruple points = 2,400 points per stay at any hotel brand.

JetBlue with this promotion earns 4 points per $1 at upper tier brands (Marriott, Renaissance) and 2 points per $1 at the lower tier hotel brands (Courtyard, Residence Inn) shown above.

Marriott Rewards 4x Miles Promotion link (registration begins June 1).

4x Miles Promotion Terms & Conditions.

Please note: You must have your Marriott Rewards member account earning preference set to earn miles in order to load the webpages in these links. They will not load if your account is set for earning points.

Related Loyalty Traveler post: Marriott Rewards MegaBonus June 1-August 31, 2011 (May 16)

Purchase Marriott Travel Cards at 10% to 20% face value discount Monday, April 11, 2011 at DiscoverAmerica.com. The sale begins at 12 noon ET (New York time).

DiscoverAmerica.com Daily Getaways link.

• $50 Marriott Travel Card for $44.   (Maximum purchase = 5 cards.)
• $100 Marriott TravelCard for $89.   (Maximum purchase = 5 cards.)
• $250 Marriott TravelCard for $222.   (Maximum purchase = 2 cards.)
• $500 Marriott TravelCard for $445.   (Maximum purchase = 2 cards.)
• $1,000 Marriott TravelCard for $890.   (Maximum purchase = 1 card.)
• Get an extra 10% off purchase price for payment with any American Express card.
• You can buy up to five $100 cards and up to five $50 cards and so on.
• Marriott TravelCards will be delivered via U.S. mail within 10 days.

The primary advantage to Marriott TravelCards over buying Marriott Rewards points is the ability to earn hotel stay credit for points and promotions when paying for Marriott stays with Marriott TravelCards. The terms and conditions for these cards appear to have restrictions for rates and state no Marriott points earned, but in practice based on anecdotal evidence from last year’s DiscoverAmerica sale (FlyerTalk 2010 thread), the Marriott TravelCards are accepted for rates like AAA and points are earned.

There are few restrictions associated with Marriott TravelCards. The main thing is to treat the card like cash and not lose the card since it will not be replaced. Otherwise, the Marriott TravelCard value does not expire and may be used to pay for any Marriott brand hotels worldwide.

DiscoverAmerica.com Daily Getaways

A similar month-long Daily Getaways sale was offered last May 2010. Last year’s sale offered some of the greatest discounts of the year for hotel points in programs like Hyatt, Starwood, Choice and IHG points.

Last year I purchased several Daily Getaway offers for discount priced hotel loyalty points. The rates last year were actually closer to the American Express discount for this year without the need to use American Express for payment. 

These hotel discount sales are high value discounts and some items sell out quickly. You need to be ready to make a purchase at the start of the sale if you really desire one or more of these items. 

About DiscoverAmerica.com

DiscoverAmerica.com is the official travel and tourism website of the United States. The Daily Getaways are sponsored by American Express and prices are discounted by 10% when using American Express as payment. DiscoverAmerica.com has 25 days of discounted travel opportunities with a focus on hotels and car rentals through its “Daily Getaways”.

Hyatt Gold Passport points Daily Getaway offer, Friday, April 15 – 12 noon ET

Hyatt Gold Passport points are available at a significant discount through DiscoverAmerica.com ($9.38/1,000 points with American Express discount at $225 for 24,000 points) compared to the purchase price through Hyatt Gold Passport ($24/1,000 points).

Currently the first three weeks of DiscoverAmerica.com DailyGetaways offers have posted.

Week 1: April 11-15, 2011

 

Week 2: April 18-22, 2011

 

Week 3: April 25-29, 2011

Related Link: Marriott Gift Cards (essentially same type of card).

Today, Monday March 7, is the last day to book reward nights at 351 hotels being assigned to a higher  hotel reward category on Tuesday, March 8. Most of these hotels will cost 5,000 points per night more for hotels rising one category level.

There are 35 hotels rising from category 4 to category 5 which will make them ineligible for free night certificates earned from Marriott Rewards MegaBonus and Marriott Rewards Visa credit card enrollment free night certificates limited to category 1 to 4 hotels.

Loyalty Traveler Analysis of Marriott Rewards 2011 hotel category assignment changes

First trend – Aruba, Netherland Antilles Caribbean island is the Marriott hot spot.

5-night Marriott stay = 140,000 points today or 160,000 points tomorrow.

Marriott’s Aruba Resort & Stellaris Casino, along with two Marriott timeshare properties, Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club and Aruba Ocean Club, leap to the prestigious category 8 reward level. 

Category 8 has been the exclusive domain of world class destinations like New York, London, Paris and Rome.

Now Aruba ties London and New York for most Marriott category 8 hotels at three each. Paris is only two and Rome just one.  

The Asians must be getting a team ready for 2012 competition. Australia can’t be far behind.

Marriott Aruba has a 23.74% hotel tax.

For now, dock the yacht in Aruba at 40,000 points per night, or possibly more points if you want to see the ocean from your hotel bedroom when you’re off the boat. Of course, go Dutch and you can live social in Aruba at 20,000 points per night each for two. Unfortunately you need 160,000 points in one account to get the Marriott Rewards 5^th night free rate, so going Dutch might not be so practical or economical if you need to buy points to reach 160,000 points.

Actually Marriott Rewards allows free transfer of points for spouses and domestic partners from one account to another to reach the amount needed for a specified award redemption level.

You can buy 50,000 points in a calendar year for $625. That is a fairly high price for buying points. For a location like Aruba the points might be worth the cost if you had 60,000 points and could buy 100,000 for $1,250 and redeem for a 5-night vacation. Aruba is a place where $500 per night is not uncommon.

Renaissance Aruba Beach rises to category 6 on March 8. 120,000 points for 5 nights makes this Aruba location the poverty jetsetter’s retreat.

Hey babe, Virginia Beach, Virginia or Zurich and Vail?

Category 7 hotel rewards share the realm of New York, London, Paris, Boston, Miami, South Lake Tahoe and San Francisco.

People must really like Virginia Beach.

I went to Virginia Beach once in 1973 when I was in 7^th grade and lived at Fort Eustis, north of Newport News, Virginia. My memory is a beach of jelly fish.  The area might be appealing to me now if I were to return, but I don’t know about a Residence Inn and SpringHill Suites moving from category 6 to category 7 in 2011.

Hotel names like Grand Cayman Marriott Resort and Key West Marriott Beachside Hotel and Zurich Marriott in Switzerland sound like places for legal and illegal financiers to mingle with pirates in the lobbies. Vail Marriott Mountain Resort is a jetsetter vacation getaway. JW Marriott Washington D.C. has fantastic location near White House and IHG’s The Willard and Starwood’s W hotel.

Then, there are the Residence Inn and SpringHill Suites Virginia Beach Oceanfront properties rising to category 7 and 35,000 points per night. Fairfield Inn Virginia Beach rises to Category 6 on March 8.

Hotels rising from Category 5 to Category 6 reward nights are evenly divided between 10 international and 10 domestic hotels. Aruba, Australia and Canada are places where room rates have risen and the dollar has weakened. The domestic hotels look like popular tourist destinations and of course Courtyard JFK Airport has a high traffic location.

Hotels rising from Category 4 to Category 5

Important: Book today if you want to use certificates for these Category 4 hotels rising to Category 5 hotels.  These hotels are rising from 20,000 points to 25,000 points per night.

Toronto, Munich and Cologne in Germany, Sao Paulo, Cairo, Moscow are places with rising hotels.

In the U.S. are Disneyland, San Diego, Miami, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Boston, Boston Logan, Raleigh, La Guardia (LGA) airport.

The majority of changes involve current category 1, 2 and 3 hotel assignments.

112 hotels increasing from category 3 to category 4.

About half of the 15 international hotels include full-service Marriott and Renaissance properties in  Shanghai, Bogota, Sao Paulo Airport, Stuttgart, Germany, Kuwait City, and Cebu City. Canada has several Courtyard and Residence Inn hotels rising.

97 of the hotels rising from category 3 to category 4 are in the U.S. The interesting aspect of these changes is the rates at U.S. hotels have actually been lowest of all the global regions. The changes affect Courtyard, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn and SpringHill Suites across the country.

115 hotels are rising from category 2 to category 3. These are nearly all in the U.S. and geographically diverse.

There is a net loss of 42 hotels from the category 1 level at 7,500 points per night. With all but 3 hotels of about 250 in category 1 located in the U.S., the loss of 42 hotels is a significant shift of hotels out of the bottom category for U.S. travelers. The blow is only an additional 2,500 points.

The shift of 227 hotels from categories 2 and 3 to categories 3 and 4 is not balanced in any way by the 55 hotels moving down from categories 4 and 3 to catagories 3 and 2. This is a net shift of 172 hotels, about 7% or 1 in 15 Marriott brand hotels in the U.S. going up 5,000 points per night tomorrow.

The past two years have seen room rates fall across the U.S. and the U.S. has one of the lowest average daily room rates across the globe. Looks like Marriott is picking up some of the rate difference through higher hotel reward cost for U.S. travelers.

See  March 2 Loyalty traveler post for a complete list of hotels changing category March 8.

The good side of the hotel category changes

89 hotels decrease in reward cost on March 8.

There are no hotels currently in category 7 or 8 that are decreasing a category level.

Dropping from Category 6 to Category 5 (3 hotels)

Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg, Florida Golf just isn’t the same with Tiger Woods a fallen angel, but this golf resort goes for less in 2011.

Ledra Marriott Athens, Greece.  You might sense a little anti-American  sentiment, but you can get it for a little less per night as this hotel drops from 120,000 points for a 5-night stay to just 100,000 points.

Casa Magna Marriott Puerto Vallarta for a zinging beach experience. A high floor should keep you out of target. I jest of course. VallartaToday.com, the English language local newspaper, says your chance of being a crime victim in the U.S. is 8% compared to 1.3% in Mexico.  I avoid those 8% neighborhoods around California.

Dropping from Category 5 to Category 4 (15 hotels)

JW Marriott Beijing or JW Marriott Caracas are a little bit cheaper on March 8. You can tell me all about the joys and authenticity of hostels, home rentals and couch surfing. When I am in Caracas, I’ll take the JW Marriott as a top recommendation. Although the Renaissance La Castellana Caracas is also category 4 and is ranked #1 on TripAdvisor today for Caracas hotels.

Boca Raton and Doral are the cheap vacation reward destinations with four full-service Marriott and Renaissance hotels dropping category. Renaissance Hotels in Tampa and Cleveland drop too. BWI Airport Marriott will cost less for a layover.

Dropping from Category 4 to Category 3 (29 hotels)

Beijing is the cheap place to be with two Marriott and two Renaissance hotels dropping to category 3 at 15,000 points per night. These hotels are 60,000 points for a 5-night stay. Getting that visa into China should go a little easier when your hotel address is an extended stay with Marriott Hotels.

Florida locations, Dallas and San Antonio Texas, Salt Lake City and full service Marriott hotels in Oklahoma City and Greenville, South Carolina are all dropping category. Norfolk Marriott at 60,000 points for 5-nights is a 10-mile drive to the category 7 Residence Inn of Virginia Beach.

Dropping from Category 3 to Category 2 (26 hotels)

Looking at these hotel names is like reading the Case-Shiller Home Price Indices for worst performing housing markets in the U.S. – Phoenix, Las Vegas, Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa-St. Pete, Ohio and Michigan.

Dropping from Category 2 to Category 1 (16 hotels)

Rural, suburbs, undesirable locations that you do not want to find yourself staying overnight. I actually am not familiar with any of these locations. Enough said.

Check the list, study it twice and see if there are any last minute reward nights you want to book before the hotels increase in category level on Tuesday March 8.

Marriott Rewards announced it will raise the hotel reward category at 350 hotels and lower the category for 100 hotels on March 8. Members can make reservations at the lower reward level for hotels moving up by ordering certificates before March 8. Members can receive an adjustment in points for existing reservations after March 8 for hotels moving down.

Marriott Rewards has only released the names of 50 hotels changing category in current categories 5 through 8. Of these 50 hotels, 31 are increasing in category and 19 are decreasing in reward category. The other 400 hotels changing category are currently in category 1 through 4.

Marriott Rewards has not posted a complete list at this time of the 450 hotels changing reward category on March 8, 2011. Last year Marriott Rewards never posted the complete hotel list prior to the 2010 category changes taking effect.

Loyalty Traveler excoriated Marriott Rewards for its lack of transparency last March when it chose not to publish the full list of category changes prior to the new reward category levels taking effect. Obviously my rants had no effect as Marriott Rewards has chosen to follow a similar strategy again for 2011.

The hotel reward costs what it costs, so what’s the big deal about an incomplete list of changes?

Marriott Rewards has announced it will change the hotel reward category assignment at 450 hotels. The 350 hotels moving up in category represent 10% of Marriott’s global hotel portfolio which was 3,507 hotels as of December 31, 2010.

The changes released in Marriott’s advance notice to members of Marriott Insiders and FlyerTalk include only 31 hotels of the 350 hotels increasing reward category March 8. That is less than 9% of the hotels revealed that will cost more points as of March 8.

There will be an increase in points needed for a reward night at 319 other Marriott brand hotels on March 8. Making a reservation at the lower reward level is rather difficult when members do not know the names of these 319 hotels.

Marriott Rewards Free Night Certificates Often Restricted to Category 4 and Lower

Currently Marriott Rewards offers MegaBonus 2011 for a free night certificate after two hotel stays. The free night certificates earned from the MegaBonus promotion are only valid at Marriott Rewards category 1 to 4 hotels.  New members of Marriott Rewards Visa card also receive a free night certificate restricted for use at Category 1 to 4 hotel rewards. 

Marriott Rewards members holding these types of free night certificates do not have a list of the hotels that will be increasing to category 5 on March 8. The reassignment of hotels to category 5 hotel rewards will likely make dozens of Marriott hotels ineligible for free nights as of March 8, even though these hotels are currently eligible with a Category 4 free night certificate earned from credit card membership or MegaBonus.

At least this year I am seeing numerous requests to Marriott Rewards from members seeking the full list of hotel reward category changes before the changes go into effect. More voices calling for transparency create a louder voice.

Will Marriott Rewards listen to their members’ voice before March 8?

Update: February 28, 2010

Here is Marriott’s official response to members’ request for a complete list of hotel reward category changes before the changes go into effect on March 8, 2011.

“The entire list is considered proprietary.”

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/15948807-post43.html

Update Wednesday, March 2: Marriott posted today on FlyerTalk the full list of properties changing categories on March 8.

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2011/03/02/marriott-posts-complete-list-of-hotel-reward-category-changes-for-march-8/

Marriott International posted 2010 Q-4 room rate increases of 2.3%, however, there was a decline in room rates overall for the full year 2010 compared to 2009. 

• Autograph Collection launched in 2010 to brand 13 independent hotels in the U.S. with Marriott.
• Edition Waikiki opened as the first property in a new Marriott luxury brand.
• AC Hotels, a Spanish hotel group will be a new Marriott brand in 2011 and add 90 hotels in Spain, Portugal and Italy.
• Marriott had net growth of 125 hotels in 2010 with the majority being U.S. hotels in Fairfield Inn (28), Courtyard (27) and SpringHill Suites (18).

 

 

Source: Marriott International 2010 Results (2-14-2011)

Loyalty Traveler surveys world’s Top 20 Hotel Brands for loyalty program affiliation and hotel benefits.

The hotel industry generally ranks the world’s biggest hotel brands by different criteria than Loyalty Traveler. The hotel industry ranks hotel brands by the total number of rooms worldwide. That is the hotelier’s viewpoint since more rooms creates the potential for more money.

My viewpoint as a traveler is whether I will be able to find a hotel in a particular hotel brand in the location I am visiting.  I generally only need one or two rooms for my hotel stay. As a traveler I care less about whether a hotel has 100 rooms or 1,000 rooms and more about the number of hotels in my preferred brand for geographic coverage.

Therefore, Loyalty Traveler ranks hotel brand size by the number of hotels rather than the number of rooms. This results in a different hotel brand ranking order than will be found for most hotel chain size surveys.

When it comes to the number of hotels in a hotel brand you can forget about your upscale Hyatt’s and Hilton’s and Marriott’s being the leaders. There are no upscale market segment brands in the top 20 global hotel brands when ranked by number of hotels.

Marriott Hotels (550 hotels) and Hilton Hotels (540 hotels) just miss the Top 20 cut coming in at #21 and #22 respectively with the distinction of being the highest ranking upscale brands worldwide.

The Benefits of Economy and Mid-scale Hotels

Free internet and complimentary breakfast are the two most desired benefits for upscale hotel travelers. In recent years there has been a move among loyalty programs to add these benefits for elite members of Marriott Rewards, Hilton HHonors, Starwood Preferred Guest and Hyatt Gold Passport.

Travel in the economy hotel market segment pretty much guarantees you will have access to free internet and most of the top brands also offer a free breakfast as a benefit for all hotel guests. Downsizing your hotel brand may upsize your savings in more ways than room rate.

Family-Friendly Hotel Brands  

One of the biggest value benefits of the major economy/mid-scale hotel brands is a policy at six of the Top 20 Hotel Brands to let kids stay free in the room with an adult family member. This policy is extended to a high age limit of 19 years old for Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express which offers some interesting possibilities for taking Mom, Dad or Uncle Bob on spring break.

Children Stay Free Policies can be big savings for big families. Bring the sleeping bags.

Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express = Children 19 and under stay free in same room with adult guest.

La Quinta Inn = Children 18 and under stay free in same room with adult guest.

Super 8 = Children 17 and under stay free in same room with adult guest.

Motel 6 = Children 17 and under stay free in same room with adult guest.

Premier Inn (U.K.) = Children 15 and under stay free.

 

“Honey, I Just Fed the Kids!”

Some hotel brands even offer free restaurant meals to kids when an adult orders off the regular menu. The age limit is a bit lower than 19 for this benefit.

Holiday Inn (U.S. and Canada only) – ‘Kids Eat Free’ policy allows up to four children age 12 and under to eat free from kids menu any time of day when adult guest pays for meal from regular menu.

Premier Inn (U.K.) – free breakfast for up to two children (15 or under).

 

Loyalty traveler note on hotel numbers and Choice International hotel brands count:

The source of hotel numbers is primarily hotel brand website checks February 8-10, 2011 and data from the most recent financial reports. Choice Privileges only reported domestic properties in its Sep 30, 2010 financial statement. There were 1,140 international Choice Hotels Sep 30, 2010. This is the only detail on international franchised Choice Hotels properties I located without making a hand count by country.

My website checks indicate these 1,140 international hotels are primarily Comfort Inn & Suites and Quality Inn & Suites properties with about 150 Clarion and a handful of EconoLodge and Sleep Inn properties. Australia and New Zealand have more than 200 Choice Hotels.

Choice Hotels total hotel numbers for Days Inn and Quality Inn are from TopHotelChains.com Sep 2010. Hotel numbers for U.S. properties are taken from Choice International financial statements for Sep 30, 2010.

 

Loyalty Traveler Survey of the Top 20 Hotel Brands in the World

Tip: Click on the spreadsheet picture to open in a new window and see in full size. (You may need to click on picture again in new window to magnify size).

Please add a comment if there are other noteworthy features and benefits for these 20 brands; particularly some first-hand knowledge of Mercure and Ibis would be appreciated for these non-U.S. hotel brands.

Marriott Rewards PointSavers discount the cost of a hotel reward night by one category level.  Book three nights at a category 5 hotel and only pay the category 4 reward price – 20,000 points instead of 25,000 points per night. PointSavers are available at select hotels. Some hotels currently have PointSavers dates listed into December 2011.

The current list is limited with only 20 hotels in the U.S. and 5 international hotels. But this is a great opportunity for a winter vacation in Michigan or spring in Cologne, Germany if you are in the area.

Ritz-Carlton Hotels also participate in PointSavers, however, there has been a dramatic decline in participation since the September 2010 launch of Ritz Carlton Rewards. The current list has only Ritz Carlton Seoul Korea and only for two single night dates in January and February.

On a side note: I notice two new Ritz-Carlton Hotels added since launch of Ritz-Carlton Rewards in September 2010. 

• The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong

• The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong

  Both hotels enter the system at the top Tier 5 for 70,000 points a night.

I guess entry at the Tier 5 top of the reward chart is appropriate for Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong since it will occupy the 102^nd to 118^th floors and hold the distinction of the tallest hotel in the world when it opens in March 2011.

Marriott PointSavers Reward Chart

The Marriott Rewards system for PointSavers means the discount is lower as the reward category increases in Ritz-Carlton Rewards. Marriott Rewards category 3 and Ritz-Carlton Rewards category 1 hotels are the sweet spot in the PointSavers system for the maximum 33% points savings.

At the top three Marriott categories of 6, 7 and 8 and Ritz-Carlton Tiers 4 and 5, the PointSavers discount falls below 20% overall.

Marriott PointSavers

United States

Arizona

Marriott Vacation Club  Canyon Villas, Phoenix (Marriott Rewards category 6)

• - January 30 – February 13, 2011

The Buttes, A Marriott Resort, Tempe (Marriott Rewards category 5)

• - May 23 – September 5, 2011
• - November 18-27, 2011
• - December 16 – 25, 2011

 

California

Marriott Vacation Club  Desert Springs Villas II, Palm Desert  (Marriott Rewards category 6)

• - April 30 – May 13, 2011

Marriott Vacation Club Shadow Ridge I-The Villages, Palm Desert (Marriott Rewards category 6)

• - January 2 – March 6, 2011
• - April 30 – May 25, 2011

Napa Valley Hotel and Spa

• - October 31 – March 31, 2011 (Sundays – Thursday)

San Francisco Marriott Fisherman’s Wharf

• - January 13 – February 13, 2011
• - February 18–27, 2011
• - March 4–16, 2011
• - March 22–31, 2011

Warner Center Marriott Woodland Hills

• - January 7, 2011 – December 30, 2011 (weekends only)

 

Florida

World Golf Village Renaissance St. Augustine Resort

• - February 2-18, 2011
• - February 24 – March 5, 2011

Hawaii

Kaua’i Marriott Resort

• - March 27 – April 6, 2011
• - May 1-15, 2011
• - June 1-15, 2011
• - August 15-31, 2011

 

Michigan

Courtyard Detroit Dearborn

• December 15, 2010 – March 31, 2011 (except 12/31/10, 1/9/11-1/12/11)

Courtyard Detroit Troy

• - December 15 – March 31, 2011 (except 12/31/10, 1/13/11-1/15/11) 

Courtyard Detroit Warren

• - December 15, 2010 – March 31, 2011 (except 12/31/10)

Residence Inn Detroit Warren

• - December 15, 2010 – March 31, 2011 (except 12/31/10) 

Residence Inn Dearborn

• December 15, 2010 – March 31, 2011 (except 12/31/10 & 1/9/11-1/12/11)

The Dearborn Inn

• - December 15, 2010 – March 31, 2011 (except 12/31/10 & 1/9/11-1/12/11) 

Troy Marriott 

• December 15, 2010 – March 31, 2011 (except 12/31/10, 1/14/11-1/15/11, 1/21/11-1/22/11 & 2/17/11-2/19/11)

 

New Jersey

SpringHill Suites Ewing Princeton South

• - December 17, 2010 – February 5, 2011

New York

Springhill Suites Brookhaven

• - January 1 – March 26, 2011

North Carolina

Renaissance Charlotte Suites

• - February 3-6, 12-14, 20-22, 27, 2011
• - March 6-7, 10-14, 20-21, 24, 26-27, 31, 2011 

Texas

Houston Marriott South at Hobby Airport

• - January 10 – February 28, 2011

 

International

Denmark

Copenhagen Marriott Hotel

• - December 10, 2010 – April 10, 2011

Germany

Cologne Marriott Hotel 

• - April 18 – May 1, 2011 

Renaissance Cologne Hotel

• - January 1-16, 2011
• - April 18 – May 1, 2011

 

India

Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel

• - February 15-28, 2011
• - March 1st March 31,2011

South Korea

The Ritz Carlton, Seoul

• - January 29
• - February 28, 2011

Marriott Rewards offers triple miles with any of 26 airlines for stays at any Marriott brand hotel February 1 – April 30, 2011. Triple miles begin with second stay during promotion period. Marriott Rewards members need to switch earning preference in online profile to miles in order to register for this promotion.

Marriott Rewards MegaMiles Promotion offer link.

Participating Airline Partners

• Air Berlin topbonus
• Air China
• Aeroplan (Air Canada)
• Aeromexico
• Air France / KLM
• Alaska Airlines
• Alitalia MilleMiglia
• All Nippon Airways
• Asiana Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• China Southern Airlines
• Continental Airlines
• Delta Air Lines
• Frontier Airlines
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Japan Airlines
• Jet Airways JetPrivilege®
• LAN
• Lufthansa
• Singapore Airlines
• TACA Airlines (As of February 1, 2011)
• United Airlines
• USAirways
• Varig
• Virgin Atlantic

 

Marriott Rewards Earn Rate for Miles

The base-level earn rate is 2 miles per $1 in hotel spend at Marriott, Renaissance, Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott and Autograph Collection hotel brands.  Only 1 mile per $1 earned for stays at Courtyard, Fairfield Inn, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites and TownePlace Suites.

Oddly inconsistent with Marriott Rewards is the lower earning rate of 1 mile per $1 hotel spend at Courtyard, Fairfield Inn and SpringHill Suites. Hotel stays in these three brands earn full points credit at 10 points per $1, yet only 50% miles credit. Earning reduced miles for stays at Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites is consistent with 50% base points earn rate for these brands at just 5 points per $1.

Triple Miles Calculation

6 miles per dollar hotel spend at Marriott, Renaissance, Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott and Autograph Collection hotel brands.

3 miles per dollar hotel spend at Courtyard, Fairfield Inn, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites and TownePlace Suites.

 

Loyalty Traveler Analysis

Any stay over $83 at an upper tier hotel earns more than 500 miles as a comparative data point to Hilton HHonors fixed rate of 500 miles per hotel stay for HHonors Points & Fixed Miles earners.  But HHonors members still earn points in addition to 500 miles.

Assume a 6 points/$1 Marriott stay at $800 and 4,800 miles earned, in lieu of 8,000 points. That seems like an equitable trade-off in miles.

But I would go for 10 points per dollar rather than triple miles on any stay at Courtyard, Fairfield Inn and SpringHill Suites only earning 3 miles per dollar.

Marriott Rewards Excellent Points-to-Miles Exchange Rates for High Points Transfers

You can ultimately earn more miles by earning points instead of triple miles at Courtyard, Fairfield Inn and SpringHill Suites during this MegaMiles promotion.

Marriott Rewards points at the 125,000 points level exchange into 50,000 miles. The 50,000 miles exchange rate is 10 points = 4 miles or the same as earning 4 miles for every dollar in hotel spend. The exchange rate available with a 70,000 or 125,000 points-to-miles transfer is better than 3 miles per dollar with this triple miles promotion.

Spend $1,000 at Courtyard and you earn 3,000 miles during this triple miles promotion.

Take 10,000 points instead.

You can exchange 10,000 points into 3,571 miles when making a 70,000 points to 25,000 miles exchange through Marriott Rewards.

10,000 points equals 4,000 miles at the 125,000 points to 50,000 miles exchange rate.

Brands offering 6 miles/$1 triple miles are a good mileage earning opportunity since this rate is higher than the points-to-miles exchange rate that maxes out at the equivalent of 4 miles/$1.

Marriott Rewards MegaBonus offers members a free night after two stays during this promotion period. Free nights may be the better offer for some members.

MegaMiles 2011 is a good triple miles offer for Marriott Rewards miles collectors, although members may want to actively adjust your online earning profile to get the better value for each hotel stay.

Related Post: Marriott Rewards MegaBonus Feb 1- April 30, 2011 (free night after two stays)