Then I found I really enjoyed the experience of being sweated, washed and massaged at VALEO Spa in the JW Marriott Chicago.

First you sign the form in the unlikely event you die. Standard fitness center stuff, but who reads the fine print in public?

Enter the VALEO

The male attendant handed me a plush robe and a little wool blanket looking thing he said was good for the sauna.

I sealed my goods in an electronic locker and donned a robe with only my underwear and my camera on me as I was escorted to a sauna.

Valeo Spa – steam room (glass door left and sauna wooden door), JW Marriott Chicago.

Sitting in a sauna alone all I could think of the first few minutes were New York City Italian mafia movies. I realized the underwear had to go. The little blanket thing stayed. I couldn’t help but wonder as a person who studied microbiology in college how the wooden slats are cleansed. I kept my skin on the blanket.

Then I settled into the sauna vibe in a space much darker than shown in this flash photo. The sauna is heated by infrared. Normally I find a sauna unbearable. This actually was a different experience since there was no steam or single heat source. The heaters are distributed around the benches.

Twenty minutes or so in the sauna and then I was led to a waiting lounge room.

The St. Regis Monarch Beach, California spa is one of the few other inner spa sanctums I have seen. I never had any services there. All the grooming products available for guest use reminded me of the St. Regis spa. I thought to myself, I actually need a shave.

I was dropped off in this room that offered reading material, fruit and water.

Now turn the brightness factor way down and you can sense the waiting lounge. These are flash photos since the actual lighting was too dim for clear photos without the flash.

Valeo Spa has a full liquor license. I am not sure if they normally serve drinks here, but I think they might while you wait for your masseuse.

Charles, a 20-something looking and muscular local guy from Chicago, took over my spa experience just as I was about to chill out in these chairs.The lighting was so intensely moody in a mellow way that I chilled into the moment and flowed with the escort. My spa apprehensions kind of melted away.

I had no idea what was going to happen next.

Clarity Chamber A was an over-the-top different kind of experience for me.

The clarity chamber has three of these marble heated tables. This was the center table. My treatment was in a side room.

Basically I got hosed and scrubbed on this table. One of the most impressive aspects of this treatment is the care Charles took to position towels while performing the treatment. He moved towels around my body to expose most of me, but not all of me, and he held towels out in front to block his vision of me while I adjusted on the table when lying down and turning over.

The process would be much simpler if the person lying naked on the table can be directed to change positions, but in this spa experience the time was taken to carefully position towels so that the guest is not exposing himself to the masseuse.

There was washing, scrubbing the skin, and wonderful smelling scents being placed on my skin. This was star treatment which is a luxury I seldom let myself enjoy.

Hot Lounge, Valeo Spa JW Marriott Chicago

I was serious about getting hosed with water during the cleaning treatment. You have to keep your mouth up off the table, but Charles did a good job of not getting too much water near my face.

The Hot Lounge room is a heated marble room where I waited with a bottle of water. Alex at JetSetter.com joined me, another journalist from New York. I was having those mafia movie flashbacks again.

Couples Spa Room

Charles took me into the couples spa room for photos before my massage.

This room was photographed with my flash, but this photo is a much better indicator of the low lighting prevalent in the spa.

Couples spa room has infinity tub.

Couples spa room dual head shower.

I know I would have a fine night at JW Marriott Chicago if I treated Kelley to an experience like a couples massage in a room like this.

My wife has a penchant for Pebble Beach. I have to admit that now I see what attracts her to a luxury spa.

But that was not the end of my treatment. I don’t know how long I was massaged since I was nodding off while on the table during the 30 to 60 minute session. It was a full-body massage from toe to head.

I asked Charles how many people getting massaged fall asleep on him? He told me more than half. I know I drifted out a couple of times and I was on the verge of full-blown baby sleep.

BYOURBEST – Tailored to You

One thing to point out here is the customization of the massage. I was asked when I arrived at Valeo Spa what parts of my body bothered me recently.

I don’t think I ever mentioned this on Loyalty traveler, but when I went to Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas in February I had a herniated disk in my back from a prior injury.

Atlantis Resort is famous for its water rides and I was suffering intense back pain and only managed to float in a pool for about 30 minutes during the entire trip.

After returning to California I went through another five weeks of sciatic nerve pain in my leg.

Charles had my medical information and tailored much of the massage on my hip and thigh area where I had suffered the pain until about seven weeks ago.

After the massage treatment I was escorted to the VALEO Spa pool area. This is a special UV light pool without chlorine.

The new high-tech pool located within VALEO offers a spa-worthy experience with white tile enveloped in blue stucco walls. The 11.2 meter pool features comfortable seating for 7-12 people. Instead of chlorine, the pool is filtered by UV-light, where the water flows through UV-light chambers to eliminate 99 percent of all toxins and bacteria resulting in less chlorine in the pool than in average drinking water. A separate whirlpool has been custom-designed to offer therapeutic relief to guests with PSI jets as powerful as a shiatsu massage that target highly sensitive points along the back, shoulders, and neck. TravelPulse – May 10, 2012

Five journalists were treated to Godiva chocolate covered strawberries and Mimosas. I had planned to give the pool a thorough workout, but I didn’t make it back to the spa before leaving the hotel.

That was my spa experience at VALEO Spa JW Marriott Chicago.

VALEO Spa recently opened an Express Spa. There is a Father’s Day special for three treatments for $109.

Coincidentally I came across a 2011 TimeOut Chicago review of the VALEO Spa regarding the personalized spa treatments.

I looked at the current VALEO Spa menu and as best I can tell I received a 30 to 45 minute Clarity Chamber treatment and Hot Room and a 30 to 45 minute massage. The whole spa session was two hours start to finish.

Disclosure: The VALEO Spa sessions at the JW Marriott Chicago were complimentary as part of the Spring Media Tour for the hotel.

Took me three days to drink it though with all the wine being served at each press media meal. And I had to hit up the Club Lounge attendant for a big cup of ice when I had two beers and a bottle of wine to consume before my flight home to California. The beers were no problem.

Some Chicago local hanging out on a bench reading the newspaper at ORD left the airport with a free bottle of unopened wine courtesy of me and JW Marriott Chicago.

Might have been pizza if I’d answered the questionnaire differently?

JW Marriott Chicago Standard Room 1231

JW Marriott Chicago Standard Room 1231

JW Marriott Chicago is a 2010 hotel in a 1914 former bank building designed by renowned Chicago architect Daniel Burnham. The building housing the JW Marriott is a 21-story building known as the Continental & Commercial National Bank Building in Chicago’s Downtown Loop District, the historic commercial center of Chicago. The JW Marriott hotel is a $400 million dollar refurbishment of the 12 lower floors of the building that opened in November 2010. There are 610 rooms with 29 suites.

Daniel Burnham died in 1912 two years before the Continental & Commercial National Bank Building was completed. This building was the last building he worked on.

Lobby staircase JW Marriott Chicago (W City Center hotel is visible directly across West Adams Street).

Human or Tech information interface choices

JW Marriott Chicago electronic concierge is near the staffed Concierge desk in the lobby.

The original building design had a five story atrium that has been replaced with four floors holding the lobby, restaurants, conference rooms and ballrooms.

Remnants of the original atrium ceiling are found in 4th floor ceiling at Burnham Ballroom.

JW Marriott Chicago 4th Floor ceiling.

JW Marriott Chicago Burnham Ballroom ceiling

JW Wine Ambassador Program

The bottle of wine accompanying this food selection: 2007 Rancia, Chiant Classico Riserva, Tuscany.

This Sangiovese has a brilliant rich ruby red color. The nose is spicy with floral notes and berry nuances. Spice continues in the mouth, nicely complemented by a dense, soft fabirc of youthful tannins; excellent structure and superb overall character.

Paired with food:

• Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta & Asiago Crackers
• Chef’s Signature Rubbed All-Natural Tenderloin Panini, Arugula, Brussels Sprouts, Chianti Aioli (I downed the slider even before taking the photo above. All that is left is the stick.)
• Double Chocolate & Frango Mint cupcake

This wine and food tray was the welcome amenity waiting with my beers upon arrival into the room.

No time for wine in the room since a tour of the JW Marriott Chicago specialty suites was scheduled within the hour. Photos of those suites are in my earlier post.

Architectural wall art outside Burnham Ballroom, JW Marriott Chicago.

JW Marriott Chicago’s Spring Media Reception May 15, 2012

Our small media group of about a dozen attendees were treated to a meal and six wines in the 4th floor Hospitality Suite.

Starter – Fresh Ricotta and Zucchini Ravioli, Spring Garlic paired with 2010 Littorai Pinot Noir The Pivot, Sonoma Coast.

Starter – Heirloom Tomato and Watermelon Salad, Barrel Aged Feta, White Balsamic Reduction paired with 2011 Villa Maria, Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand.

Herb Rubbed Rack of Lamb, local peas, morels, fingerling potatoes paired with 2007 Altamura, Sangiovese, Wooden Valley, California.

Finale – Floating Island paired with 2010 Marenco Brachetto d’Acqui, Piemonte, Italy

This meal was designed by Chef Michael Reich and Director of Restaurants Olivier Lau.

Olivier Lau mentioned the JW Marriott Chicago runs monthly Facebook and Twitter contests for locals around Chicago to receive invitations to wine tastings at the hotel. Here is a Chicago Eater article on the wine ambassador contest from last month.

This was one of just three meals I had at JW Marriott Chicago. I barely ate for days after the hotel stay. Florentine is the fine dining restaurant at the hotel and we also had lunch at the Lobby Lounge. Dinner at the Florentine Italian Restaurant JW Marriott Chicago was the final event of the press trip and included a wine pairing with five courses. Those meals and photos will have to be in a different post.

Living in a Historical Bank

Here are some exterior shots of the JW Marriott Chicago building.

La Salle street entrance to JW Marriott Chicago is used by office workers in higher floors and VIP types who can bypass main lobby.

JW Marriott Chicago is on right with Willis Tower (Sears Tower), the tallest building in U.S. in background.

Daniel Burnham designed JW Marriott building is a Chicago Landmark.

JW Marriott Chicago main entrance at 151 West Adams Street.

Loyalty Traveler Paired with Press Relations

For months now I have wanted to write about press trips and the relationship of PR teams to hotels and hotel loyalty programs. This is an area of the hotel industry I am still trying to figure out. In six years I have only accepted a handful of media trips. I didn’t start Loyalty Traveler to get free trips from hotel companies. I had been doing just fine for more than a decade with hotel loyalty points before I ever took a freebie.

JW Marriott Chicago is my fifth press trip where I have had a complimentary hotel stay while attending a tour or meeting as Loyalty Traveler blogger.

The common complaint by readers is a “freebie” is not indicative of the same experience as the common guest to the hotel.

I have to agree.

Press trips tend to be fast paced agendas stuffed full of food dining and activities, designed to fill the day with experiences for story writing in magazines, newspapers and online sites like my blog. Generally it is pretty damn nice to have a free room, free meals and drinks, waived conference fees and free activities as a press media attendee.

“That’s the way you do it, money for nothing and your chicks trips for free.” my version of Money for Nothing – Dire Straits

While not my typical guest experience, this JW Marriott Chicago trip provided samples of the Wine Ambassador program, several multi-course meals, a two-hour spa treatment, and a field trip to the Frank LLoyd Wright Home & Studio in Oak Park and the Robie House in Hyde Park.

Most of these experiences are available to paying guests except perhaps the tour of the JW Marriott Chicago specialty suites and you might not necessarily have tour guides from the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust.

Seriously, media trips seem to be the standard in the travel industry, unless you have a deep pockets employer to cover all the travel bills.

After a few of these trips I have come to think of them as a kind of professional development opportunity. I get the chance to meet other journalists, most not working primarily in the blogosphere, and I learn more about the hotel industry each trip through meetings with upper level management, tourism board representatives and staff members of major PR firms. Often there are more PR people around than hotel staff.

I’ll continue to accept opportunities for hotel travel and local tourism press trips when I think the experience will provide good content for Loyalty Traveler. My focus, as always, is finding good value for hotel travelers. Spa treatments and multi-course meals with wine is not my typical travel style, but it might be yours. Hopefully these sponsored trips still provide good information to readers.

Thanks JW Marriott Chicago and Caiti Carrow from Wagstaff Worldwide Public Relations for inviting me on this trip.

Still to come in other posts: the 12th floor lounge, and the bathroom photos, Valeo Spa and the fitness center. Florentine Restaurant and the Lobby Lounge will also be covered.

Turns out I didn’t get many lobby photos. Too much security all around the floor in advance of the NATO Summit.

JW Marriott Chicago 

Marriott Rewards Category 7 Hotel = 35,000 points/night.

JW Hotel of the Year

JW Marriott proudly announces that the new luxury, landmark hotel located in the heart of Chicago’s Loop district has been named ‘JW Hotel of the Year’ at the recent 2012 Global General Managers Conference. Recognized as the top JW hotel for service, guest experience and financial success.

JW Marriott Chicago Sample Rates:May 25-27, 2012

• $224 per night standard King room.
• $269 standard room with breakfast for two.
• $399 per night for 930 sq. ft. luxury suite.

And here I am in the JW Marriott Chicago checking out the hotel for a few days. This is a FAM trip, the travel industry term for media visits, where press gets hosted by the hotel, wined and dined.  Going beyond staying at a hotel to actually sharing the types of experiences you can have at a hotel provides more insight to these destinations.

JW Marriott Chicago invited a handful of journalists and social media types to check out the hotel this week. I am happy to get the opportunity to share some of the JW Marriott Chicago experiences with readers that I would not be writing about otherwise with my not-so-deep Loyalty Traveler pockets.

Upon Arrival: My name is …

Upon arrival from Chicago O’Hare the taxi driver was thinking I might be a celebrity or some VIP when the JW Marriott Chicago doorman greeted me by name. I told the driver he read the name off the big BoardingArea-Loyalty Traveler business card on my computer bag.

I think you need good eyesight to be a high-end hotel doorman.

What did catch me by surprise though is the two other staff people in the lobby who greeted me by name as I walked to the front desk.

These people are wired. I mean the guys in the lobby look like secret service types with their ear pieces. Obviously they are in communication with each other.

Safety is their concern

Security is a feature I have always associated with the high-end Marriott hotels. I make this association due to the fact that I have been kicked out of more Marriott hotels than any other hotel chain for walking around taking photos when I was not a guest at the hotel. That comes with the territory of being a spontaneous hotel drop-in blogger.

This past year I have been much better about actually requesting appointments and introducing myself at the front desk of hotels when I arrive to check a new hotel out.

Feels nice to be a welcomed guest at JW Marriott Chicago.

Security is a significant concern for a major city hotel like JW Marriott Chicago. This is the kind of hotel that regularly hosts captains of industry, celebrities and heads of state.

The city of Chicago recently hosted the 12th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates April 23-25, 2012. Several of the attendees stayed at the JW Marriott Chicago. And the Nato Summit comes to town May 20-21. Police presence is heavy all around this financial district part of Chicago.

This Suite is for You

So what kind of hotel room do you get when you are someone like His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama or President Mikhail Gorbachev? 

Here are photos of three specialty suites at JW Marriott Chicago just in case you care to see what a 2,000 square feet suite hotel contains.

Foyer of La Salle Suite, JW Marriott Chicago

Living room of La Salle Suite, JW Marriott Chicago

Living room of La Salle Suite, JW Marriott Chicago.

LaSalle Suite Bedroom

LaSalle Suite bedroom tv.

Deep tub in La Salle Suite, JW Marriott Chicago.

The simple elegance of the La Salle Suite apparently accommodated the Dalai Lama for the Nobel Peace Laureate Summit.

All rooms at the JW Marriott Chicago have both a tub and a separate shower. The shower stall is shown in McCormick Suite photos below.

McCormick Suite at JW Marriott

La Salle Suite is simple elegance, but what does a former head of state like President Clinton need in a hotel suite?

Perhaps more room space.

McCormick Suite living room at JW Marriott Chicago

McCormick Suite office at JW Marriott Chicago.

Dining table in McCormick Suite JW Marriott Chicago.

A dining room is more functional with an en suite kitchen.

McCormick Suite living room and office and entry foyer.

McCormick Suite bedroom at JW Marriott Chicago.

Bedroom TV corner in McCormick Suite, JW Marriott Chicago.

Left door is toilet, right is dual head shower, dual sinks and TV embedded in mirror.

Soaking in the tub staring at giraffes might be more relaxing than a shower.

The McCormick Suite is nice, but my personal favorite is the Lincoln Suite.

Lincoln Suite, JW Marriott Chicago

The Lincoln Suite really appealed to me as a comfortable social living space. Now if only it would come at a LivingSocial room rate.

Lincoln Suite living room at JW Marriott Chicago.

Another view.

Lincoln Suite dining room at JW Marriott Chicago.

Lincoln Suite kitchen at JW Marriott Chicago.

Library corner in Lincoln Suite.

Office space in Lincoln Suite.

Lincoln Suite hallway art.

Lincoln Suite bedroom.

The bathroom in the Lincoln Suite is similar to McCormick Suite.

JW Marriott Experiences

These photos share a little of the suite life at the JW Marriott Chicago. I’d love to say that I spent the night in one of these suites, but I didn’t. The opportunity to check out these suites was just one of the treats during this trip.

The standard room where I stayed was on the 12th floor Executive lounge floor; the top hotel floor in the 21-story Daniel Burnham design building. Even the standard rooms of the JW Marriott Chicago have plenty of fine features for a comfortable stay.

I commend JW Marriott for exemplary service levels during my stay. The hotel truly provided outstanding service, even from staff who likely did not know I would be writing about my stay at the hotel.

Additional posts over the next week will describe the JW Marriott Wine Ambassador program, Valeo Spa, my guest room and Executive Lounge, and Florentine Restaurant.

Also, a field trip tour of two Frank Lloyd Wright houses with guides from the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust provided plenty of material for a good architecture style post.

This JW Marriott Chicago visit has definitely been experiential.

This is my kind of promotion.

The option to pay for some one-night-stays in a variety of places and earn a free night certificate is the chance to pay now and travel cheaply later. Hopefully I will find some cheap opportunities for Marriott stays this summer. I’ll be looking for those under $80 rates available in places.

And I might even splurge to stay in a upper upscale hotel knowing there is a decent $75 or so rebate when I use that free night certificate for a category 4 hotel and save over $150. I am confident that I can get that kind of redemption value from a category 4 hotel over a one year time span of travel.

Marriott Rewards Summer Bonus Free Nights T&C

• Promotion registration required by June 30, 2012.
• Log into Marriott Rewards account, be sure earning is set to points and not miles, and check Promotion Central to find your summer bonus offer.
• Stay two times from June 1-August 31 and earn one free night certificate.
• Free night certificate valid at category 1-4 hotels.
• Free night certificate expires one year after date of issuance.
• Maximum three (3) free night awards earned with this promotion per member.
• Only one room per hotel is counted toward a member’s nights or stay.
• Awards are not transferable and may not be given as a gift.
• Offer valid at participating hotels within the following participating brands, including JW Marriott®, EDITION®, Autograph Collection®, Renaissance® Hotels, AC Hotels by Marriott, Marriott® Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard by Marriott®, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott®, SpringHill Suites by Marriott®, Residence Inn by Marriott®, TownePlace Suites by Marriott® and Marriott Vacation Club®.
• Stays at our exclusive luxury partner, The Ritz-Carlton®, will count toward achieving your bonus.

3 other variations of Summer Bonus Promotion

Marriott Rewards targets members with different promotions. As an infrequent Marriott hotel guest I always get the free nights offer. Here are the other offers I have seen mentioned on FlyerTalk.

5,000 points for one weekend stay, up to 15,000 points.

• weekend stay includes a Friday or Saturday night, regardless of check-in or checkout day.
• terms indicate you can earn two stays credit in one weekend by changing hotels on Friday and Saturday.

15,000 points for stays in 4 Marriott brands.

• 2,500 bonus points for stays in 2 brands; another 2,500 bonus points for stays in 3 brands; and 10,000 bonus points for stays in 4 brands.
• my observation is there are many places around the USA where three different Marriott brand hotels are next to each other. It is quite common to have a Marriott Residence Inn and a Courtyard by Marriott next door to each other with shared facilities.

40,000 Points for 25 Nights.

• 15 Paid nights = 20,000 points; 20 paid nights = 30,000 points; 25 paid nights = 40,000 points.

Marriott Rewards voted Hotel Program of the Americas for five consecutive years.

In an article I wrote for InsideFlyer I noted that summer 2009, when most hotel loyalty programs had their best promotion offers of the decade, Marriott Rewards was giving a maximum one free night certificate after three stays. Most hotel loyalty programs are in retrenchment in 2012 promotion offers and Marriott Rewards is peaking for the leisure traveler this summer. Perhaps the hotel program deserves its recent accolades at the 2012 Freddies.

Marriott Rewards has 5 consecutive years as winner of best hotel loyalty program in the Americas with the Freddies (2008, 2009, 2012) and Frequent Traveler Awards (2010-2011).

I see value in Marriott Rewards.

This offer is likely the best deal to come out for summer 2012 travel. I’ll be aiming for six stays this summer with Marriott.

My only reluctance to throwing my cash all-in for the Marriott Rewards program is that Marriott Gold elite level requires a lot of nights to reach. There are challenges and other fast-track elite offers to get Marriott Rewards Gold elite for less than 50 nights. 15 nights elite credit by having the Marriott Rewards credit card is a jump-start, but even still, the 35 nights left to reach Gold is sufficient for SPG Platinum, HHonors Diamond or Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond if you tend to be a one night stay traveler like me. I almost always use points for longer stays.

This offer is a great deal for leisure travelers on the road this summer. One night is equivalent to one stay if you are moving around. These offers are less compelling for extended stay travelers. The validity of the certificates for one year from date of issuance gives sufficient time for redemption.

Marriott TravelCards can be used like cash at over 3,600 participating properties, including any JW Marriott^® Hotels & Resorts, Autograph Collection^SM, Renaissance^® Hotels, Marriott^® Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard^® by Marriott, Fairfield Inn^® & Suites, SpringHill Suites^®, Residence Inn^®, TownePlace Suites^®, and Marriott Vacation Club^® (rentals only), worldwide.

Marriott TravelCards do not have an expiration date.

• $50 Marriott Travel Card for $44 or only $39.60 with Amex payment (150 available with maximum purchase quantity = 5 cards.)
• $100 Marriott Travel Card for $89 or only $80.10 with Amex payment (290 available with maximum purchase quantity = 5 cards.)
• $250 Marriott Travel Card for $222 or only $199.80 with Amex payment (452 available with maximum purchase quantity = 2 cards.)
• $500 Marriott Travel Card for $445 or only $400.50 (201 available with maximum purchase quantity = 2 cards.)
• $1,000 Marriott Travel Card for $890 or only $801 with Amex payment (50 available with maximum purchase quantity = 1 card.)

Altogether, a person can potentially buy $3,250 in Marriott Travel Cards for $2,600.10 with a $650 discount.

One consumer consideration is technically these Marriott TravelCards are not valid for payment for hotels stays made using a corporate rate or group rate like AAA or Senior rates. Reports on FlyerTalk indicate some people have had no problem using TravelCards on AAA rates and others have been denied.

Marriott TravelCard Terms & Conditions

• Marriott TravelCards may be used at all JW Marriott^® Hotels & Resorts, Autograph Collection^SM, Renaissance^® Hotels, Marriott^® Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard^® by Marriott, Fairfield Inn^® & Suites, SpringHill Suites^®, Residence Inn^®, TownePlace Suites^®, and Marriott Vacation Club^®(rentals only), and participating hotel retail, spa, golf, or food and beverage outlets.

• Card is a pre-paid card, not a credit card, and is property of and issued by MI Fulfillment Services, LLC. Protect card like cash.

• Card cannot be applied to group, special corporate/negotiated, catering, associate, or other discounted/non-commissionable rates.

• Card cannot be used when reservation is booked by a travel agent or other third party.

• Card cannot be used to secure a reservation.

• Card is not redeemable for cash and change will not be returned except as required by law. Change is not provided by hotels. See pre-paid card terms and conditions.

• There are no blackout dates on TravelCards.

• Card is not replaceable if lost, stolen, or destroyed.

• Marriott TravelCard and Marriott GiftCard terms vary.

• Card becomes inactive when all value has been redeemed.

• Each transaction will be debited against card balance; if transaction exceeds balance, user must pay the difference.

• To check card balance visit gifts.marriott.com or call 1-800-442-6132. For balance information outside the U.S. and Canada use the AT&T Direct^® access number for the country you are calling from with 1-800-442-6132.

• Use of card confirms acceptance of terms above.

• All sales are final.

Marriott Concierge message posted on FlyerTalk February 27, 2012 states hotel reservations must be booked before Thursday March 15 to get the lower category rate before the increases. Members who have reservations for hotel stays dropping in category on March 15 can receive a points rebate.

We have the list of new hotel categories for 2012 for you, which are effective for all reservations made after March 15, 2012.

Based upon your feedback in years past, we are releasing the full list of changes for 2012 (categories 1-8). You’ll find each hotel moving downward or upward by one category level within this PDF. To give you a sense of the impact of these changes with respect to the overall portfolio of brands and properties, 3% of hotels are decreasing by one category (100 hotels) and 15% are increasing by one category (526 hotels).

Again, these changes will go in to effect starting Thursday, March 15, 2012 so any reservations made prior to March 15 will be honored at the current category. If you have an existing redemption reservation at a hotel that is decreasing in category, you may call Marriott Rewards® Customer Support at 801-468-4000 to adjust the reservation after March 15.

Thanks and safe travels!

Andy & the Marriott Rewards team

I published tables of the Marriott Rewards hotel list of category changes organized by geographic location in a series of posts on the 2012 Marriott Rewards hotel category shifts for category 4 to 8. A large part of the increases are actually in Category 2 and 3 going up and I didn’t get around to organizing those changes by location.

Burn Marriott MegaBonus Free Nights before 96 hotels rise to Category 5 on March 15 (February 29, 2012).

Marriott Rewards – 138 Category 5-8 hotels moving up on March 15, 2012. (February 27, 2012).

Marriott Rewards hotels dropping category on March 15, 2012 (February 27, 2012).

Marriott Rewards Category Changes March 15, 2012 (February 27, 2012)

Rewards booked March 14 still qualify for lower category rate.

This may be a good time to redeem free night certificates and points.

Marriott Rewards – MegaBonus 2012 February 1 – April 30, 2012. Earn one free night every two stays valid for Category 1-4 hotels; maximum two free nights. Select Marriott Rewards members received targeted offers for three free night maximum and 25,000 to 50,000 points after 15 to 25 nights. LT post Jan 7, 2012.

The free night certificates received for MegaBonus and the enrollment free night certificate for Marriott Visa cardmembers are limited to category 1-4 hotels. Nearly 100 hotels are rising from category 4 to category 5 and will not be available for reward nights using these certificates after March 15.

Marriott Rewards members sitting on reward night certificates may want to closely examine the list of hotels in this post rising from category 4 to category 5 on March 15, 2012 and decide to redeem certificates for hotel stays prior to March 15. You can book a stay using the certificate for dates past March 15 as long as you make the reservation before the hotel rises to category 5.

Marriott Visa Premier cardmembers receive a certificate good for category 5 hotels with renewal membership. Check out this list of category 5 hotels moving to category 6 to see if there may be a current category 5 property to book your reward night before the hotel rises to category 6 on March 15.

• 100 hotels are decreasing by one category (3% of Marriott brand hotels globally).
• 526 hotels are increasing by one category (15% of Marriott brand hotels globally).

Reservations can be made using the current reward category rates until March 14, 2012. Reward reservations you already have at a hotel that will be dropping in category can be adjusted downward after March 15 to the lower rate by calling Marriott Rewards Customer Support at 801-468-4000.

The full list of hotel category changes with explanations and a category distribution graphic is available through the link in this FlyerTalk post. The hotel reward category distribution shows a competitive edge for Marriott Rewards with the high proportion of hotels in the lower four of eight reward categories.

On a personal note:

The past three years I have mounted social media attacks primarily on Marriott Rewards and Hilton HHonors each February and March when the announcement was made that hotel reward categories were being changed, yet these programs refused to release the full list of hotels changing categories prior to the changes taking effect.

Big thumbs up to Marriott Rewards for changing to a fully transparent announcement. Many of us using hotel loyalty programs take our loyalty as a serious investment in our travel budgeting for hotel stays. This is a consumer friendly move by Marriott Rewards. Thank you.

I will follow up this post in the next day or two with a detailed analysis of the Marriott Rewards hotel category reassignment changes.

Hotel Chain Scales are used by hotel industry analysts at STR.com to segment hotel brands into luxury, upper-upscale, upscale, upper midscale, midscale and economy categories.

The largest hotel loyalty programs for the US are Hilton, Marriott and IHG in terms of the size and broad range of hotels in different market segments. Wyndham Rewards, Choice Privileges and Best Western Rewards are comparable megachain hotels, but there are far fewer hotels in the upscale to luxury segments in these three brands. Starwood (1,100 hotels) and Hyatt (500 hotels) have a high proportion of upscale to luxury hotel brands in their portfolios, however, the number of hotels are far fewer in these chains and not as useful for travelers needing wide geographic coverage.

Hotel Brands and Market Segments

What is a luxury hotel or an upper-upscale hotel?

Price is generally the defining line between hotel market segments. I do not work in the hotel industry and I am an amateur analyst interpreting numbers from hotel industry data. STRGlobal.com provides industry data reports and I gather statistical data about the hotel industry regularly from the free data provided online.

STR has a list of hotel brands in different chain scale segments based on the average room rate data for thousands of hotels worldwide.

This post uses the 2011 STR US Chain Scales  along with the latest hotel properties data for each brand from the hotel chain’s websites to compare market segments for hotel brands of Hilton, IHG and Marriott.

Basically I want to see how the hotels in Hilton, IHG and Marriott segment out in each chain and compare to each other when looking at the number of luxury, upscale and midscale hotels in each hotel loyalty program.

Hilton Worldwide Hotel Brands with Market Segment and Number of Hotels

• Hilton Worldwide has 3,712 hotels in this list, but this is only an estimate. New hotels open every few days.The percentage of hotels in each brand is listed in ( ).
• Conrad Hotels (luxury) = 18 hotels (<1%).
• Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts (luxury) = 23 hotels (<1%).
• Hilton Hotels and Resorts (upper upscale) = 540 hotels (15%) in 78 countries including 70 Resorts.
• Embassy Suites (upper upscale) = 201 hotels (5%) with 193 in US and 8 international.
• Hilton Grand Vacations (upper upscale) = 50 properties (1%).
• DoubleTree by Hilton (upscale) = 250 hotels (7%) in 17 countries.
• Homewood Suites (upscale – extended stay) = 309 hotels (8%) in North America.
• Hilton Garden Inn (upscale) = 515 hotels (14%) with 130 in development.
• Hampton Inn (upper midscale) = 1,800 hotels (48%) with more than 1,700 in US and growing international expansion recently.
• Home2 Suites (upper midscale – extended stay) = 6 hotels (<1%).

Marriott International Hotel Brands with Market Segment and Number of Hotels

• 3,747 properties in 13 brands in 72 countries. This total does not include Marriott Executive Apartments which earn Marriott Rewards points, but are extended stay contracted properties and not a typical hotel stay.
• Ritz-Carlton (luxury) = 81 hotels (2%).
• JW Marriott (luxury) = 62 hotels (2%).
• Marriott Hotels & Resorts (upper upscale) = 521 hotels (14%).
• Renaissance (upper upscale) = 160 hotels (4%).
• Autograph Collection (upper upscale) = 29 hotels (<1%).
• Marriott Vacation Club (upper upscale) = 59 properties (2%).
• Marriott Conference Centers (upper upscale) = 7 hotels (<1%).
• Courtyard (upscale) = 926 hotels (25%).
• AC Hotels (upscale) = 82 hotels mostly in Spain (2%).
• SpringHill Suites (upscale – extended stay) = 299 hotels (8%).
• Residence Inn (upscale – extended stay) = 627 hotels (17%).
• Fairfield Inn (upper midscale) = 689 hotels (18%).
• TownePlace Suites (upper midscale – extended stay)= 205 hotels (5%).

InterContinental Hotels Group

• 4,452 hotels (as of September 2011)
• InterContinental Hotels (luxury) = 171 hotels (4%).
• Crowne Plaza (upscale) =  401 hotels (9%).
• Hotel Indigo (upscale) =  38 hotels (<1%).
• Staybridge Suites (upscale – extended stay) = 195 hotels (4%).
• Holiday Inn (upper midscale) = 1,238 hotels (28%).
• Holiday Inn Express (upper midscale) = 2,103 hotels (47%) with 1,866 in Americas.
• Candlewood Suites (midscale) = 300 hotels (7%).
• Holiday Inn Club Vacations = 6 properties (<1%).

I have some issue with the broad segmentation of Crowne Plaza and DoubleTree as Upscale rather than Upper Upscale for some locations and Holiday Inn as Upper Midscale for some locations where the Holiday Inn is more upscale.  Keep in mind in the real world of travel there will be some Crowne Plaza and DoubleTree hotels that will be just as nice or better than the nearby Marriott, Hilton or Embassy Suites.

How the hotel chains stack up when brands are compared by market segment.

Luxury market segment

• IHG = 171 hotels (InterContinental)
• Marriott = 143 hotels (Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott)
• Hilton = 41 hotels (Conrad, Waldorf Astoria)

Upper Upscale market segment

• Hilton = 791 hotels (Hilton, Embassy Suites, Hilton Grand Vacations)
• Marriott = 776 hotels (Marriott, Renaissance, Autograph Collection, Marriott Vacation Club)
• IHG = 0 hotels (based on STR chain scale rankings, but in reality many Crowne Plaza hotels are upper upscale).

Upscale market segment

• Marriott = 1,934 hotels (Courtyard, Residence Inn, AC Hotels)
• Hilton = 1,074 (Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, DoubleTree)
• IHG = 634 hotels (Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Staybridge Suites)

Upper Midscale market segment

• IHG = 3,341 hotels (Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express)
• Hilton = 1,806 (Hampton Inn)
• Marriott = 894 (Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites)

Midscale market segment

• IHG = 300 (Candlewood Suites)

The key point here is to consider what market segment you desire for your travels. IHG Priority Club will tend to be lower room rates, but Priority Club does not offer frequent guest elite members the level of defined benefits provided by Hilton HHonors or Marriott Rewards to their md-tier and top-tier elite members.

Another point to add is the practice of placing branded hotels in the same chain adjacent to each other. This is really common with Marriott where Courtyard and Residence Inn are literally adjacent hotels in many places. I have seen three Marriott properties in the same location in places. Geographic coverage is not as extensive as you might think when all the locations with multiple properties are considered. On the other hand, the placement of hotels in the same chain next to each other makes hotel hopping for loyalty promotion stay credit an easy task when you want to earn free Marriott MegaBonus nights.

Comparison of hotel loyalty program benefits across these hotel brands will be discussed in future posts.

10% Bonus on Marriott Gift Card Value

Amtrak promotion code AMT or Marriott Associate Friends & Family promotion code MMT both offer 10% added value to a Marriott Gift Card. You can purchase any gift card amount from $25 and up. The 10% added value means the actual value on the card will be $1,100 when you pay $1,000 for a gift card.

Earn 10 Marriott Rewards points per dollar for buying Gift Cards - up to 25,000 bonus points.

Another gift card promotion offers 10 Marriott Rewards points per dollar in gift card value purchased, up to 25,000 bonus points. This could be a better than 10% value depending on how you use points. There are Ritz-Carlton Hotels for 30,000 points per night that are more than $300 per night.

Hertz Rental Car Marriott Gift Card Offer 

Get $50 Hertz rental car voucher with $250 Marriott Gift Card purchase. Promotion code = Hertz.

Save 10% on Marriott VacationCards and earn up to 10,000 Delta Skymiles bonus miles.

A Marriott VacationCard promotion with Delta Airlines gives a 10% discount in the cost of a $1,000 or $2,000 VacationCard and 1,000 Delta Skymiles bonus miles for each $1,000 in VacationCard value, up to 10,000 bonus miles. This offer is only available through January 1, 2012.

What is the difference between Marriott Gift Card and Marriott VacationCard?

See this FlyerTalk thread where Counsellor posted the difference between Marriott Gift Cards and VacationCards.