The Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) is the opportunity for hotel brand representatives, property management companies, hotel owners and financiers to get together, discuss the state of the industry and make deals. The 2013 conference was held Jan 22-24 at JW Marriott L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles.

What many hotel guests do not realize is the fact that the brand name whether Westin, Residence Inn, Hampton Inn, or whatever is primarily for marketing and sales. The hotel has an owner who may own other hotels in different brands. I have met several hotel owners who have multiple hotels in the same area under different competing brands. And the hotel may even be managed by a different company than the franchise. For example a Westin Hotel branded as a Starwood, might be managed by a third party hotel management company and owned by some other individual or investment group.

This was my first time attending ALIS. I was not sure how relevant the conference would be for Loyalty Traveler. There was good data content and some insights into 2013 trends during presentations. I will pass along some of the data trends like where the rates are rising fastest in Europe and why the USA is now once again everybody’s darling with data from STR, PKF, PwC and other 3-letter acronym hotel industry sources.

As someone only peripherally connected to the hotel industry I found the hotel brand trade booths interesting and I photographed them. This post shares the hotel brands exhibit hall portion of the conference for the major hotel chains present at ALIS with brand booths. Hotel trade show booths are certainly not the most novel thing for a reader who has been to a travel or hotel industry trade show, but if you have never seen hotel trade show booths before, then here is your chance. Read More…

Red Lion R&R Club made loyalty program changes effective September 22, 2011 with program benefit improvements for some members and some takeaways. Red Lion Hotels have 45 properties in the western United States in California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Victoria, British Columbia.

R&R Club has a traditional hotel loyalty program for earning points and miles, elite status, free hotel night rewards, and hotel partners like Preferred Hotel Group for redeeming points.

The main change is the elimination of elite tier bonus points and a change for miles earners from 500 miles per stay to 250 miles per night. The miles change is an enhancement for guests on extended stays, but a reduction for one-night stays.

There is a $15 pet fee per hotel stay for R&R base level members. Pets stay free was previously a benefit for all R&R Club members and this benefit has been restricted to Gold and Platinum members. There is a consolation of 500 bonus points when traveling with pets.

R&R Club Basics

• Hotel stays earn 10 points per dollar for all members. (Red Lion Victoria, BC is excluded.)
• Membership levels are Red = base member; Gold = 12 nights in calendar year; Platinum = 25 nights in calendar year.
• Members may choose 250 airline miles per night instead of points. Platinum members earn both points and miles.
• Free nights at Red Lion Hotels are 10,000 points per night.
• Free nights at Preferred Hotel Group properties are 20,000 to 40,000 points per night.
• Points may be earned for up to two rooms each night.
• R&R Club points expire after two years of no activity.

R&R Club Airline Partners

• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• Delta Airlines
• Hawaiian Airlines
• United Airlines

Elite Tier benefits and program changes

All R&R members receive free wi-fi internet and a welcome amenity bag. The main changes getting feedback on Red Lion’s Facebook page are pets used to stay free and now this benefit is only provided for Gold and Platinum elites. R&R Red tier members will pay $15 per stay pet fee.

R&R Club Gold Tier = 12 nights in a calendar year.

The major change in the program for Gold elite members is the elimination of elite tier 25% bonus points. This has been replaced with a breakfast benefit for up to 4 people in same room. Now you can feed the family for free on hotel stays.

• 10 points for every eligible dollar charged to your room, or air miles on partner airlines per
  qualifying stay.
• Welcome amenity bag at check in
• Complimentary breakfast at most locations.
• Best room available
• Free local phone calls
• Access to our member service center by calling (888) 606-0563
• No early departure fee
• Pets stay free

R&R Club Platinum Tier = 25 nights in a calendar year.

Major change is elimination of elite tier 25% bonus points. Platinum members now receive both 10 points/$1 and 250 miles per night. (T&C state a maximum 30,000 miles may be earned in a 12 month period based on airline partner contracts.)

A major enhancement for R&R Club Platinum members is a guaranteed premium room upgrade or member receives 2,500 bonus points for the stay. This is an unpublished benefit as far as website information goes, but Red Lion R&R Club customer service confirmed the 2,500 bonus points.

As a Platinum Member, you will receive all the benefits of Gold status as well as:

• 10 points for every eligible dollar you spend
• Air miles on partner airlines with each qualifying stay in addition to points
• Priority room upgrades upon availability at check-in
• A Friend-to-Friend voucher valid in the restaurant or lounge (or 500 bonus points)
• Complimentary breakfast at most hotels
• Free local phone calls
• Late checkout
• No early departure fee
• Pets stay free
• Access to our priority issues phone contact

Related Loyalty Traveler post describing former program benefits: Red Lion Hotels (Feb. 1, 2011)

Aside story: Earthquake Awareness Day was yesterday in California. Two small earthquakes hit the East Bay region around Berkeley yesterday afternoon (4.0) and evening (3.8). The afternoon quake was the local buzz on Twitter. Usually quakes of that magnitude are hardly a story.

Red Lion Hotel Eureka, California holds a special memory in my heart due to being at the hotel running an education conference for 500 people when the Cape Mendocino 7.1 earthquake hit on April 25, 1992 (link to NOAA earthquake report). Feeling a building move and visibly watch it bend is a memorable experience – especially when the building does not break. Gotta love construction engineers. The Red Lion hotel was evacuated and my conference was cancelled. That initial quake was followed by a 6.6 and 6.7 quake over the next 18 hours. I can’t even imagine what it is like to go through a 9+ quake like Japan and Chile have had recently.

Red Lion Hotels advertises this offer as 5,000 bonus points per stay through March 31, 2011. Actually, the offer works out to be a free night every two stays since a free night is only 10,000 points at any of the 44 Red Lion Hotels in the western U.S. and Canada. 

Promotion Code = Q1RR5K.  Eligible promotion rates I checked were only about $10 over lowest AAA rates.

And this deal includes breakfast buffet.

Red Lion Hotel locations

One aspect of this promotion that I do not recall ever seeing before is a specific condition prohibiting hotel stay credit for consecutive nights at different hotels in the same city. So forget hotel hopping each night between multiple Red Lion Hotels when staying in Portland, Seattle or Spokane.

Earning Points: webpage link 

Red Level: Entry level loyalty member with fewer than 12 nights per calendar year.

• Earn 10 points per dollar on all eligible room charges or 500 miles per stay.
• Complimentary internet access.

Gold Level: 12 nights to 24 nights in a calendar year.

• Earn 12.5 points per dollar in base spend or 500 miles per stay.
• Complimentary internet access.
• Complimentary breakfast.
• Free local phone calls.

Platinum Level: 25 nights or more in a calendar year

• Earn 12.5 points per dollar in base spend and 500 miles per stay.
• Complimentary room upgrades.
• Late Check-out privileges.
• Complimentary internet access.
• Complimentary breakfast.
• Free local phone calls.

R&R Club Airline Partners:

• Alaska Mileage Plan
• American AAdvantage
• Delta Skymiles
• Hawaiian Miles
• United Mileage Plus

Redeeming Points

Any Red Lion Hotel = 10,000 points per night.

Preferred Hotels Group partner awards

This is one of the best features of Red Lion R&R Club points.

Preferred Hotels Group partner awards start at 20,000 points per night.

• Tier 1 Hotels = 20,000 points
• Tier 2 Hotels = 30,000 points
• Tier 3 Hotels = 40,000 points

PHG properties are upper-upscale and luxury hotels. For example, Dromoland Castle Ireland is available at 40,000 points per night with an R&R Club partner award. This 16^th century castle is available through Marriott Rewards as a partner hotel reward at 75,000 points per night in off-season and 100,000 points per night in peak season. Choice Privileges also offers Preferred Hotels Group partner awards.

Red Lion Hotels are a great chain to consider when traveling throughout the Pacific Northwest. The Red Lion Hotel was Eureka’s major conference hotel for the many years I lived within the redwood curtain of northern California. I was in the Eureka Red Lion Hotel during a 7.1 earthquake April 1992. Another fonder memory was being in-transit at the airport in Lewiston, Idaho during a 140,000 bonus miles mileage run on Alaska Airlines in November 2003. I called up the Red Lion Hotel Lewiston and a shuttle came to the airport and picked me up mid-afternoon so I could eat at the hotel’s microbrewery restaurant overlooking the Snake River. Then after getting my beer buzz and salmon dinner they took me back to the airport for my flight to Boise. (side note: I earned a First Class SFO-AMS ticket on British Airways for $700 all-in from that Alaska Airlines 100K for 35 segments.)

That’s what I called hotel customer service. 

Loyalty Traveler Key Rank – 5 keys (one of best value promotions currently available).

Souvenir t-shirts from Northcoast California 1992 earthquakes upgraded from 6.9 to 7.1 in final analysis.

Red Lion Lewiston, Idaho

Earn 2,500 United Mileage Plus miles per stay through June 30, 2010 in 19 cities with Red Lion Hotels in the western states.  There are 44 Red Lion Hotels and at least half are participating in this bonus miles promotion. Portland, Spokane, and Seattle have multiple properties if you feel like mattress running for miles.

The Mileage Plus promotion lists only 18 cities for participating Red Lion Hotels, so I assume one city in some state has been left out. Come on you United Express aficionados, which city is missing?

Convenient locations in the western U.S.
Earn miles when you stay at any of these Red Lion Hotels -
19 are in cities where United® flies:

California: Anaheim, Bakersfield, Eureka, Redding, Sacramento
Colorado: Denver
Idaho: Boise, Idaho Falls
Montana: Helena, Kalispell, Missoula
Oregon: Bend, Eugene, Medford, Portland
Washington: Pasco, Seattle, Spokane

It’s easy to earn 2,500 miles
Here’s what you have to do to get bonus miles:

1. Join the Red Lion R&R Club
2. Select the “500 air miles per stay” and “United Mileage Plus” radial buttons and enter your Mileage Plus account number when you set your Red Lion R&R Club settings.
3. Reserve a room, go to www.redlion.com and use the promotion code UNITED.

You’ll earn the usual 500 miles per stay, plus an additional 2,000 bonus miles for a limited time.

Red Lion Hotel Directory

Red Lion R&R Club

I haven’t looked closely at the Red Lion loyalty program in the past couple years. There are some good benefits if you are a west coast traveler.

For example, Red Lion R&R Platinum members (25 nights) earn both points and miles for hotel stays. Platinum members earn 15 points per $1 and a free night is only 10,000 points at any Red Lion Hotel. That is one free night for every $667 in hotel spend. Not bad.