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.

Links to my Loyalty Traveler posts provide more detail and promotion analysis for each offer.

Most hotel loyalty promotions are two to four months in duration.

The easiest way to quickly see a list of all hotel loyalty promotions discussed on Loyalty Traveler is to check my Loyalty Traveler Facebook page. All Loyalty Traveler post links feed into Twitter and all my tweets feed into Loyalty Traveler Facebook.

Summer 2012 hotel loyalty promotions

Le Club Accor - this Europe-based program officially changed its name from A|Club to Le Club Accor on March 28, 2012. Accor Hotels offers a variety of global regional bonusesand rate discounts. The program tends to have regionalized rate and bonus points promotions.

Until May 31, 2012 earn 1,000 miles per stay with Delta or Aeroplan.

Best Western Rewards – April 15 – June 3, 2012

Earn a $50 Best Western Travel Card after 3 stays. Elite members earn 1,000 bonus points for each stay, up to 3,000 bonus points.

Best Western FMJUMP12 promotion registration required.

• Best Western Jump Start to Summer Promotion 2012 FAQ.
• Best Western Jump Start to Summer Promotion 2012 T&C.
• Loyalty traveler post April 4, 2012.

Facebook Fans: Best Western runs weekly promotions on its Facebook page. Any Best Western frequent guest should check out Best Western Facebook.

Choice Privileges 

May 17 – August 15, 2012. Choice’s new offer is 2 stays for 8,000 points or a $50 gift card. Choice Privileges Summer Promotion registration link. There is no limit to the number of times this bonus can be earned. The value of this offer is dependent on where you can redeem points. This March 26, 2012 Loyalty Traveler post shows the value of 8,000 Choice privileges points in Paris can be quite the hotel savings.

Club Carlson

***** Club Carlson – Radisson Big Night Giveaway May 15-July 15, 2012. Club Carlson repeats the late-2011 promotion letting the first 100,000 members to register earn 50,000 bonus points after staying one night at a Radisson worldwide.

***** Club Carlson – Country Inns & Suites Big Night Giveaway May 15-July 15, 2012.First 35,000 members to register beginning May 15 earn 44,000 points after staying one night in a Country Inn & Suites.

***** Club Carlson – Park Inn Big Night Giveaway May 22-July 22, 2012.First 20,000 members to register beginning May 15 earn 44,000 points after staying one night in a Park Inn.

[Registration Links Note:the details for these three Club Carlson promotion will be available May 15. Registration for Radisson and Country Inn at 1am Tuesday May 15 eastern; 10pm Monday May 14 pacific time zones. Park Inn registration begins May 22.]

RadissonBigNightGiveaway.com

SOGOCountry.com

ParkInnOnePlusOne.com

Loyalty Traveler posts:

May 10 – Radisson, Country Inn and Park Inn brand promotions May to July.

May 8 –  Club Carlson Big Night Giveaway Summer Travel Promotions

Hilton HHonors

*** Hilton HHonors – April 1 – June 30, 2012 – Double Points or Double Miles. Registration required. Loyalty traveler post March 21, 2012.

Hyatt Gold Passport

**** Hyatt 3rd Night Free Rate is a rate discount for bookings through November 30, 2012 for stays by December 30, 2012. Rate includes breakfast for two and 2pm late checkout. My Loyalty Traveler rate analysis March 21showed this is a good value and usually lower than AAA rates.

Gold Passport Diamond Challenge- Most beneficial perhaps is to tie this offer into a Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond Challenge for 12 nights in 60 days (normally 25 stays or 50 nights in calendar year). As Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond for 2012 you also will receive 4 confirmed suite upgrades. Start the Gold Passport Diamond Challenge first and then get the credit card once you have Diamond status to get confirmed suite upgrades for your credit card free nights. FlyerTalk discussion threadon Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond challenge.

*** Hyatt bonus miles May 1 – August 31, 2012,

24,500 airline miles with 11 stays with choice of 11 airline partners.

• 500 miles is normal earning rate for first stay.
• 2,000 total miles (4x) for hotel stays 2 to 4.
• 2,500 total miles (5x) for hotel stays 5 to 11.
• Loyalty Traveler post May 1, 2012

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) Priority Club Rewards

*** IHG Priority Club 1,000 bonus points or 200 bonus miles per night May 14-Sep 3. Maximum 20,000 bonus points or 4,000 bonus miles after 20 nights. Loyalty Traveler post May 14.

**** IHG Priority Club 2012 Quarter 2 Stay promotions – Priority Club members may register for one of the quarterly stay promotions running April 1-June 30, 2012. You can only register for one offer, so pick the target you are most likely to reach. Loyalty Traveler post March 16, 2012.

• Stay 3 nights = 5,000 bonus points.
• Stay 7 nights = 10,000 bonus points.
• Stay 15 nights = 15,000 bonus points.

***** IHG Priority Club PointBreaks hotel rewards to May 31. These are hotels for 5,000 points. Priority Club points are only $30 through Daily Getaways sale April 9. Priority Club also has discount rates for buying points through April 30. Loyalty Traveler post March 30.

Marriott Rewards

***** Marriott Rewards – Summer Bonus 2012: June 1 – August 31, 2012. Earn one free night certificate at a category 1-4 hotel every two stays; maximum 3 free nights.  Free night certificate is valid for 12 months from issuance. Some members may have been targeted with a different bonus points offer. Loyalty Traveler post May 7, 2012.

Note to Marriott Rewards members: You must have your Marriott Rewards account earning preference set to miles in order to see Marriott Rewards miles promotions.

Starwood Preferred Guest

*** SPG Nice Choice (May 1 – Sep 30)

You choose the 3 month period you want and the offer you want from double points, triple points, free nights, discount rewards and more.

Loyalty Traveler post – SPG Nice Choice May 1, 2012.

*** Sheraton Club Lounge bookings earn 1,000 bonus points when paid with any American Express card for stays February 21 to May 31, 2012. LT post February 24, 2012.

Wyndham Rewards

*** March 29-July 8, 2012 – Double Points or double miles for first four stays and movie tickets. This offer is for members in US, Canada and Mexico. Loyalty Traveler post April 1, 2012.

**** March 29-July 8, 2012 – Wyndham Rewards 10,000 points every 2 stays, up to 30,000 bonus points after 6 stays. This is a better promotion offer for members who do not reside in US, Canada and Mexico. Loyalty Traveler post April 3, 2012.

5-Star Promotion Scale

Loyalty Traveler ranks the consumer value of some hotel loyalty promotions on a Five–Star Scale.

Five ***** = one of the best hotel loyalty promotions of the year.

Four ****= high value rebate on the cost of hotel stays.

Three ***= good value hotel loyalty promotion or rate offer

Two **= a bonus value if you play, but not necessarily worth going out of your way.

One *= There is limited or no value. You are likely paying more than the bonus value.

Rate discounts and loyalty program bonuses are two types of hotel chain incentives to consider when booking travel.

Rankings are subjective and subject to change. Your specific travel pattern may result in some promotions ranking more favorably for you.

When assigning a rank I take into consideration the following factors and probably more:

• The opportunity for significantly high-value return on hotel spend in terms of future hotel rebate in free nights and discounted hotel nights.
• Past loyalty program offers and rates for the specific hotel chain and loyalty program.

Loyalty Traveler Update Note: the expanded promotions page April 2012 update will be updated later this week. Today I am busy with Amgen Tour of California professional cycling race Stage 2: San Francisco – Santa Cruz (Aptos).

Readers: Please leave a comment with any promotion links you think should be in the expanded hotel loyalty promotions guide for May to Summer 2012.

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.

This week I flew Virgin America for the first time in nearly two years. Checking my account I learned I had enough VX Elevate points for a west coast flight from SFO to places like San Diego, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

50% bonus on VX Elevate purchased points April 1-30.

There is a 50% bonus offer for Virgin America Elevate purchased points running April 1 to April 30 when buying 5,500 points or more. The regular purchase price is $52 per 1,000 points. This promotional offer reduces the price of points to $34.67 per 1,000 points.

After comparing the cash price to the redemption value of several VX flights I conclude the redemption value is relatively static at about $24 to $25 per 1,000 points. There is little leverage opportunity with Elevate since the cost in Elevate points for a reward flight correlates directly to the cash price.

Net effect is buying Elevate points is generally not a good value for most travelers, even with a 50% bonus offer.

Marriott Rewards MegaMiles and Virgin America (VX) Elevate Points

Marriott Rewards MegaMiles (Jan 1-April 30, 2012) allows members to earn 2,000 Virgin America Elevate points per stay, up to 50,000 points. With a relatively fixed redemption value for Elevate points at about $24 to $25 per 1,000 points, the value of each Marriott-brand hotel stay is $48 to $50 in VX flight credit with the 2,000 Elevate points per stay available during the Marriott Rewards MegaMiles.

Frequent flyers in some airline programs might find higher redemption value through other frequent flyer programs when the miles gained from Marriott stays place the frequent flyer within reach of a high value premium reward or a high-priced domestic ticket.

For example, I found reward ticket availability from Monterey, California to Aspen, Colorado for 12,500 United Mileage Plus miles for a $500 published fare. That is a $40/1,000 miles redemption value for UA miles. VX Elevate points do not allow this kind of high value redemption rate for certain routes or premium flights. There is a fixed redemption value for VX Elevate points.

Virgin America Elevate Hotel Partners

There are eight hotel partners for Virgin America Elevate. The regular miles earning rate is not particularly high for any of the hotel programs.

Hilton HHonors and Marriott Rewards are the only two major hotel loyalty program partners. These are the two loyalty programs with regular bonus miles offers where you might want to consider Virgin America Elevate based on the redemption value of about $25 per 1,000 Elevate points.

• Jetsetter (join and earn 250 Elevate points, plus 500 points after first purchase)
• Joie de Vivre (earn 1 point per dollar)
• Morgans Hotel Group (earn 650 to 1,000 points per stay depending on property. Most earn 800 points/stay.)
• One&Only Palmilla (through 12/18/2012 earn 2 points per $1; normally earn 1 point/$1)
• PlumpJack Resorts (500 points/stay)
• Wynn Las Vegas and Encore (750 points/stay)

Hilton HHonors

• Hilton HHonors (earn 1 VX Elevate point per $2 HHonors spend or 250 points per stay at most brands; Hampton, Homewood and Home2 Suites earn 50 points/stay.)

Marriott Rewards

• Earn 1 VX Elevate point per $2 in Marriott spend for room rate only at: AC Hotels, Courtyard, Edition, Fairfield Inn, Marriott Vacation Club, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites and TownePlace Suites.
• Earn 1 VX Elevate point per $1 in Marriott spend on all qualifying charges at Marriott, Renaissance, JW Marriott, Autograph Collection.
• Earn 1 VX Elevate point per $1 in Marriott spend on room rate only at Ritz-Carlton.

Marriott Rewards MegaMiles offers 2,000 VX Elevate points per stay at any Marriott hotel brand, even if staying one night at a $50 Fairfield Inn. That changes the earning ratio from the regular 25 Elevate points for a $50 Fairfield Inn stay to 2,000 Elevate points during MegaMiles.

Checking Virgin America fares between San Francisco and Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Diego revealed many one way fares in the $65 to $90 range. Three or four Marriott stays earns 6,000 to 8,000 Elevate points and $150 to $200 in award redemption credit. Virgin America Elevate has an advantage over airlines like United where the member needs more Marriott stays to reach the minimum 12,500 miles for a one-way award ticket. Virgin America Elevate one-way awards are under 4,000 points for many of the short-haul west coast flights.

2,000 VX Elevate points per stay is a good rebate value that I will keep in mind the next time there is a Marriott Rewards MegaMiles offer. Marriott MegaBonus at a free category 1-4 hotel night is capped at 2 free nights for most members.

Virgin America on the west coast is a nice flight choice with free TV channels. I watched The Daily Show and Colbert Report on my flight Monday night three hours before the show is broadcast on my cable at home.

I’ll be keeping my eye on ways to earn Elevate points through hotel stays and other partner activities since much of my travel is between San Francisco and Portland, Seattle, LAX and Las Vegas.

And I’ll be looking for that next Marriott Rewards MegaMiles opportunity.

• Le Club Accor
• Club Carlson*
• Hilton HHonors
• Hyatt Gold Passport*
• InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club
• Marriott Rewards*
• Shangri-La Golden Circle
• Starwood Preferred Guest*

* I placed an asterisk next to the four programs I think are the only hotel programs worth using for this bonus offer.

Best exchange rates for hotel points to British Airways Avios points including the 25% bonus:

1. Marriott Rewards (at 125,000 points = 62,500 Avios points)
2. Club Carlson (at 100,000 points = 22,500 Avios Points)
3. SPG (at 20,000 points = 31,250 Avios points)
4. Hyatt Gold Passport (at 50,000 points = 31,250 Avios points)

The exchange rate is lower for each of these programs at other transfer amounts.

Marriott Rewards Hotel + Air Package can improve the exchange rate for Marriott Rewards points to 1 Marriott point = 1.25 Avios points for up to 150,000 Avios points + 7 hotel nights starting at 270,000 Marriott Rewards points.

Transferring Hotel Points between Hotel Loyalty Member Accounts

Combining hotel points from different member accounts is a good strategy for reaching the high balance needed to maximize hotel points to airline miles exchange rates.

Club Carlson members can combine points from different accounts at no charge. Club Carlson has the most lenient points transfer rules between member accounts.

Marriott Rewards allows points to be transferred between the accounts of spouses and domestic partners.

SPG requires members to be in same household to transfer points between member accounts.

Hyatt Gold Passport allows two members to combine points when redeeming points for a hotel award. I don’t think you can combine points from different member accounts to redeem for airline miles. Please leave a comment if you think you can combine points for hotel points to airline miles 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.

Let’s face it. Hilton and Marriott dominate the American landscape for business travelers due to the number of hotels around the country at a variety of market segments from upper midscale to luxury hotels. Each chain is poised to break the 4,000 hotels worldwide benchmark in the next couple of years.

HHonors members can double dip and earn points and miles for each hotel stay or 15 points/$1 as a Points & Points earner. Marriott Rewards has Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites properties which only earn 5 points/$1 compared to 10 points/$1 for other Marriott brands. Virtually all HHonors hotels earn 10 points/$1. The new Hilton brand Home2 Suites earns only 5 points/$1, but there are only a handful of these hotels currently in the 3,800+ Hilton Worldwide portfolio.

Bottom line is Hilton stays earn more points for HHonors members.

Earning is only 50% of the Loyalty Points Equation

Calculating points earned is relatively easy for Hilton HHonors and Marriott Rewards. Earning is a function of your hotel spend for stays and points earning partner activity. Estimate your spend and you have a base level for estimating the points you will earn. The unknown variable is amount of points earned from HHonors or Marriott Rewards promotions.

$2,000 in hotel spend Hilton HHonors = 30,000 points (Points & Points earner) + hotel stays promotion points + elite bonus points + partner activity bonus points.

$2,000 in hotel spend Marriott Rewards = 10,000 to 20,000 points, depending on how many Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites stays, + hotel stays promotion points + elite bonus points + partner activity bonus points.

But how much are 30,000 HHonors points compared to 20,000 Marriott Rewards points?

Redeeming Points

The point of earning hotel points is to redeem the hotel loyalty currency for hotel stays or other items of value like airline miles or tangible objects like a TV set.

30,000 Hilton HHonors points buys a category 4 hotel reward night at a Hilton brand hotel. Extended stay rewards (4 or more nights offer discount rates) and Points & Money rewards (50% points + cash) can stretch your points for even more reward nights or a higher category reward night.

20,000 Marriott Rewards points buys a category 4 hotel night at a Marriott brand hotel. Marriott does not have a Points + Cash option, although there are 5th night free rewards.

Forgetting the special reward rates, the primary question is what are the  category 4 hotel options in Hilton HHonors compared to category 4 hotels in Marriott Rewards?

Hotel Category Reassignment is the primary factor changing hotel point value.

Hotel points have no value until they are redeemed.

The reason I pay so much attention to hotel category reassignments each year is when a hotel shifts from one reward category to another, the value of hotel points changes for that hotel.

HHonors shifts a hotel from Category 2 to category 3 and the cost of a reward night changes from 12,500 points to 25,000 points. The reward night cost doubled, but the hotel room rate probably only changed by a few dollars per night.

A category 2 reward night at a hotel with a $100 room rate for 12,500 points is $8.00 per 1,000 points redemption value for my HHonors points. This same hotel at say $105 as a Category 3 hotel for 25,000 points gives a redemption value of  $4.20 per 1,000 points.

The problem with hotel loyalty points is the earning rate does not improve at anything close to the redemption rate devaluation. Most hotel loyalty programs have not altered earning rate for close to a decade. Starwood Preferred Guest made an earning rate adjustment for Super-Platinum members in 2012. This is the first adjustment SPG has made to the 2 base points and 1 elite point earning rate in over a decade.

Hilton HHonors and Marriott Rewards have not adjusted earning rates in years.

Yet, each hotel loyalty program has added new high-end reward categories in recent years.

Hotel Reward Category Shift

• Hyatt Category 5 – Dec 2006 18,000 points (20% increase)
• SPG Category 7 – March 2007 30,000 to 35,000 (50% increase)
• Priority Club tiered rewards – March 2007
• Holiday Inn/HI Express 10,000; 15,000; 25,000 (40% increase)
• InterContinental Hotels 30,000; 40,000 (33% increase)
• Marriott Category 8 - Jan 2009 40,000 points (12.5% increase)
• Marriott Extended Stay Discount Reward Tables for up to 7 night hotel stays changed to 5th Night Free Reward Stays – Jan 2009 (up to 60% increase)
• Marriott Vacation Club Awards - July 2009 (up to 85% increase)
• Hilton Category 7 - Jan 2010 (up to 29% increase)
• Hyatt Category 6 - June 2010 (22% increase)
• Ritz Carlton Rewards 2 Tiers to 5 Tiers – Sep 2010 (up to 68% increase)
• Priority Club tiered rewards: Jan 2012 higher tiers added for all brands (up to 40% increase)

Annual reassignment of hotels among reward categories tends to move average redemption rates higher across the program.

Here are some tables to illustrate how hotel reward category assignment and reassignment changes points redemption value.

Both Hilton HHonors and Marriott Rewards offer category 1 hotels for 7,500 points. The difference is there are only 35 HHonors category-1 reward hotels in the United States right now (up by another 9 hotels on April 30) compared to 227 category-1 hotels in the USA with Marriott Rewards.

April 2012 Hotel Reward Category Distribution for Marriott Rewards and Hilton HHonors in the USA

HHonors website allows a search of category hotels by country.

Therefore, I created the tables of USA hotels by category for HHonors and Marriott Rewards for the USA as of April 12, 2012. These are fairly accurate tables.

The total count of hotels for Hilton HHonors in the table below is just an estimate since I did not check each country (about 80 countries to check) for each HHonors reward category to build an accurate count for international Hilton brand hotels. The Marriott hotel numbers in the table are more precise. The hotel numbers for Marriott Rewards categories 2-4 were quick counts, so close, but not quite accurate.

*Note the numbers in this table do not reflect the April 30 changes for HHonors reward category reassignment.

HHonors Reward Category 6 and 7 will grow by about 25% on April 30 when 27 more hotels become reward category 7 and 66 hotels are added to reward category 6.

The table below is one I created two years ago in 2010 based on precise data for all Marriott and Hilton hotels worldwide. The two tables when compared reflect changes over the past two years.

Marriott Rewards and Hilton HHonors Category Reassignment Trends

The trend over two years shows Marriott Rewards moving hotels upward and out of category 1 and 2 as the proportion of hotels in the two lowest categories has dropped from 34% of the chain to 28%. Many of these formerly category 1 and 2 hotels have likely gone to category 3, but the proportion of category 3 hotels has not changed much overall. As hotels moved into category 3 from lower categories, hotels have moved up from category 3 to higher categories.

The movement of hotels to category 4-7 has been a significant shift in category creep. In March 2010 there were 490 Marriott hotels in categories 5-8, fewer than 15% of Marriott hotels. Two years later that has increased to about 670 hotels; more than 18% of Marriott hotels.

Marriott rewards program still has a far higher proportion of hotels in categories 1-3 (62%) relative to Hilton HHonors categories 1-3 (44%).

Marriott Rewards has fewer hotels in category 5-8 (19%) than Hilton (23%). Hilton rewards for Waldorf Astoria Hotels are similar to Marriott’s Category 8. Ritz-Carlton reward tiers are not considered in this analysis. Hilton HHonors has around 900 hotels in categories 5-7 and Waldorf Astoria. Marriott has about 700 hotels in categories 5-8.

Conclusion

Marriott Rewards hotels tend to be in lower reward categories compared to the Hilton brand hotel in the same location. And the HHonors hotel reward category reassignments on April 30, 2012 do not help in this comparison. More hotels will be added to HHonors Category 6 and 7 at the end of the month to skew HHonors to even higher category hotel rewards.

HHonors members earn more points per dollar on hotel stays, but Marriott Rewards members have far more choice of hotels at lower reward rates compared to Hilton when it comes time to redeem your earnings for hotel stays.

Here are six Marriott Rewards program strengths (besides Ritz-Carlton Hotels):

1. More hotels in lower categories than comparable market segment hotels in most other chains. 

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80% of Marriott Rewards hotels are in the bottom four hotel categories. Hilton HHonors distribution is skewed more to higher categories compared to Marriott Rewards.

This is easier to explain with an example.

JW Marriott Los Angeles LA Live is a Marriott Rewards category 6 hotel at 30,000 points per night and a AAA 4-diamond hotel.

Hilton Checkers Los Angeles is a AAA 3-diamond hotel and a Category 6 HHonors reward night at 40,000 points.

Marriott Rewards Silver elite member needs $2,500 in spend to earn 30,000 points. Hilton HHonors Silver elite member earning Points & Points needs $2,424 in spend to earn 40,000 points.

I would consider JW Marriott to be the better quality hotel for Los Angeles and it would certainly be a category 7 HHonors property at 50,000 points per night if it were a Conrad brand hotel.

In city after city a comparison of Marriott brand hotels to Hilton brand hotels will show Marriott has its hotels in lower categories along the scale of its eight reward categories compared to comparable market segment hotels in Hilton HHonors eight reward categories including Waldorf-Astoria. Most places where the Hilton brand hotel is a category 6 or 7 will have Marriott brand hotels of comparable market segment in Marriott Rewards categories 5 or 6.

Hilton HHonors has an advantage to Marriott Rewards for extended stay rewards with 15% to 25% discounts for any length of reward stay from 4 to 14 nights and even bigger discounts on 4-night stays for HHonors American Express card members. Marriott Rewards use to blow away the competition with its extended stay discounts, but dropped a progressively favorable reward chart for a simple 5th night free.

2. High Airline Miles Exchange Rate

Marriott Rewards has the best points-to-miles exchange rate of any hotel loyalty program for US airlines like Delta, United and US Airways. when exchanging 125,000 points into 50,000 miles. Unfortunately Marriott and American no longer partner for points-to-miles exchange.

The Marriott points-to-miles rate far surpasses Hilton HHonors. The value of Double Dip for HHonors Points & Miles earners is certainly a major route to earning airline miles aside from Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites stays and should not be overlooked.

Club Carlson is typically the second best program for points-to-miles exchange rates and perhaps is better for some international airlines than Marriott Rewards where 125,000 miles only earns 35,000 miles. Starwood is also a valuable program for airline miles, but its competitive advantage is predominantly through SPG American Express credit card spend earn rates rather than points earned from hotel stays.

Here is my Loyalty Traveler post for American Airlines point-to-miles exchange rate comparisons between hotel loyalty programs with links to posts for other US airlines.

3. Marriott Rewards Hotel + Airline Packages offer 1 point = 1 mile exchange rate.

Hotel + Air rewards take huge account balances of 200,000 or more points, but also offer the best value for points-to-miles exchange rates when combined with a 7-night hotel stay reward. My post from January 21, 2012 describes the range of hotel discount rewards in Marriott Rewards, Hilton HHonors and IHG Priority Club.

4. Marriott Rewards offers upgrades for 5,000 points per night at participating hotels available to all members. Some hotels also offer cash upgrades. The Marriott upgrade for points is probably a better value than most examples of HHonors Premium Room Rewards that generally have a relatively low redemption value (about $4 to $6 per 1,000 HHonors points).

IHG does not offer upgrades for points.

Hyatt and SPG have confirmed upgrade certificates, but these are limited to top elite members.

5. Marriott Rewards elite benefits often apply even when the hotel stay is booked through a third party site. Hilton HHonors counts reward stays for elite credit and that is generally a more valuable benefit for a loyalty member. But when a $100 Priceline winning bid puts you into a $300 Marriott hotel and you still receive benefits…that is what I call win-win!

6. Elite Nights credit with credit card and elite rollover nights and the ability for annual challenges lower the high bar for Marriott Rewards elite member tiers at 50 nights for Gold and 75 nights for Platinum.

Here is a post I wrote March 15, 2012 on Marriott Rewards Elite Challenge.

January 18, 2012 I wrote a post on Making Elite with Marriott, IHG and Hilton.

Most of my information about Marriott Rewards is based on comparative analysis of program features to other hotel loyalty programs and the experiences I read from high elite members.

I find there is good value for Marriott Rewards members even though I am not personally using Marriott Rewards much in my travels.

Related Post: Weighing in on the value of Marriott Rewards – Part 1 (3-26-12)

My perception as a top-elite member in several hotel loyalty programs over the past decade (but, not Marriott Rewards program) is life is good at the top of the elite chain, regardless of program. Reading about members’ experiences as elite Marriott Rewards Platinum, Hilton HHonors Diamond, SPG Platinum, Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond and IHG Royal Ambassador gives a general consensus that the benefits are very good in all these programs despite the differences in specific published benefits.

My loyalty experience, primarily with SPG, Hilton and Hyatt, is one that generally has provided thousands of dollars of more hotel value each year when staying enough hotel nights to earn that status with each of these hotel chains.

You as the consumer have the choice to move to a competitor program if you don’t feel you are being treated well. The reality that you might checkout for the last time keeps upscale and upper upscale hotels in most major loyalty programs working to keep your loyalty.

Marriott Rewards or Hilton HHonors for the frequent business traveler.

Many business travel frequent guests around the USA tend to favor either Hilton HHonors with about 3,800 hotels globally or Marriott Rewards, also with about 3,800 hotels globally. I think both of these chains have over 2,700 hotels in the USA for widespread geographic distribution.

The vast majority of these U.S. hotels are in the upper midscale chain segment with Hilton’s  Hampton Inn (1,700+ hotels) and Marriott’s Fairfield Inn and TownePlace Suites (900 hotels) or upscale Hilton brands with about 1,100 hotels (Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, Doubletree) and about 1,700 upscale Marriott brands (Courtyard, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites). These brands are in far more locations like metropolitan suburbs, interstate highways and small towns compared to Starwood Four Points, Aloft and Element brand hotels, IHG Staybridge Suites and Crowne Plaza, and Hyatt Place or Hyatt House.

Holiday Inn Express and Holiday Inn are the only other brands with anywhere near the geographic coverage of Marriott and Hilton in the USA without dropping to predominantly midscale brands in Best Western, Choice, La Quinta and Wyndham.

Marriott and Hilton have upscale and upper upscale hotels in all major cities and many smaller cities. The option of Hyatt Gold Passport and Starwood Preferred Guest are strong competitor programs with high value defined benefits like suite upgrades and breakfast benefits when staying in resort locations and major urban centers. But travelers outside major urban centers need Hilton, Marriott or IHG if they want a program with a selection of upper upscale and luxury hotels to use for vacations with the points earned from business travel stays. And IHG has far fewer upper upscale and luxury hotels in the USA than Hilton or Marriott.

Link: Hilton, Marriott and IHG hotel brand market segments (Jan 15) lists the number of hotels in each brand for these three chains.

Marriott Rewards is a minor player for my travel pattern.

I am a leisure traveler and while Marriott Rewards is a hotel loyalty program where I see good value for points rewards, the Marriott hotel chain is not the best match for my current travel pattern. I tend to be in urban centers where SPG, Hyatt and IHG work well or rural areas where Choice, Wyndham and Best Western and IHG Holiday Inn Express work well. Marriott and Hilton in the rural areas tend to be quite a bit higher rates than the predominantly midscale brands. I would love to give Marriott Rewards a good year of travel, but that just hasn’t happened yet.

Most of my Marriott brand stays over the past decade have been via Priceline winning bids. I certainly wish I had 120,000 Marriott Rewards points right now to book JW Marriott LA Live for next month when I could get a $2,000 value from the points; by far the best deal in downtown Los Angeles for a reward stay I need for a 5-night travel conference.

But, I don’t have anything close to that number of Marriott Rewards points. The problem for me with Marriott Rewards is the recurring MegaBonus promotion for a free night reward after two stays is a great value promotion for free nights, but that doesn’t earn much in the way of points.

Working the Marriott Rewards MegaBonus.

$200 for two hotel nights might earn 2,000 Marriott Rewards points. A limit of two free night certificates per MegaBonus promotion means I can stay 8 nights a year, earn 8,000 Marriott Rewards points if I avoid Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites brands, and I’m still likely shy of Silver elite status earned by staying 10 hotel nights in a calendar year. Still I can earn four free hotel nights with only 8 paid hotel nights and about $800 in annual spend. Chances are I can get 12 nights in Marriott brand hotels and $1,600 in hotel stay value for $800 or less per year staying with Marriott Rewards and working two MegaBonus promotions per year.

Marriott Rewards is a good value hotel loyalty program to me for low cost hotel nights, but not a good program for maintaining high tier Platinum elite status requiring 75 nights.

I want to get the most nights for the least cost with plenty of high market segment hotel options when looking to redeem free hotel nights. I can usually maintain high level elite in two or three other hotel programs for the same number of nights as maintaining Marriott Rewards Platinum.

Of course you can always maintain Marriott Rewards Silver elite status just by getting the Marriott Rewards Visa credit card and its benefit of 10 or 15 nights elite credit every year.