Posted by Seth on October 11, 2011 under frequent flyer, Hotel, points | 
Hilton announced some changes to the HHonors program this afternoon, adding a number of new award types to the portfolio. These changes will allow the booking of "any room, anytime, anywhere" with points according to the release. In addition to the ability to redeem for suites and other premium rooms the changes will allow for upgrade bookings (cash for a regular rom plus points to get a suite) and a cash plus points option for redemptions, copying the tremendously popular offer from the Starwood Preferred Guest program.
That’s the good news. There is some bad news, too. For starters, there really aren’t any details. There is plenty of fine print, however.
As long as a premium room or suite is available at the time of booking, it is yours to book using points. The number of points required to redeem Premium Room Rewards varies by room, hotel, and booking date.
If there is a premium room or suite available when booking an upgrade, you can use your points to guarantee your upgrade to the premium room or suite with no blackout dates. The number of points required to redeem Room Upgrade Rewards varies by room, hotel, and booking date.
Availability of Points & Money Rewards and points required varies by participating hotels and stay dates at time of booking.
And in case you didn’t notice in that fine print, the number of points required for all these new bookings is unspecified at this time. So this could be one of those things where it is a great benefit or it could completely suck. Time will tell.
Posted by Seth on October 9, 2011 under Hotel, points |
I’ve never been a particularly big fan of using American Express Membership Rewards points for hotel stay transfers. The rates are generally pretty awful and there are better ways to accumulate hotel points out there. Still, the option is there and every now and then it is something that folks use.
It looks like AmEx is trying to make the product a bit better, at least for a few months.
UPDATE: This promo is only for cards in the MR First program, namely US-issued Platinum and Centurion cards. Sorry for getting anyone else excited, though you probably shouldn’t have been anyways.
Through the end of the year they’ve got a sale on for transfers to Hilton HHonors and Starwood Preferred Guest. Both programs are offering 25% off.
There is also a 25% discount on the various free night certificates that are available via the Marriott Rewards program:
None of these are a particularly great deal but it does suck a bit less.
Posted by Seth on May 9, 2011 under Review |
From time to time I wake up with a song running through my head. More often than not I have no idea why that particular string of lyrics is what I’m humming to myself. When I woke up last week in my room at the Hampton Inn San Diego – Downtown I knew exactly why I was humming Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues.
It is the opening lines of the song that were running through my brain over and over again:
I hear the train a comin’
It’s rollin’ ’round the bend,
And I ain’t seen the sunshine,
Since, I don’t know when
Why? Because all I could hear was the train, rolling up and down the line directly behind the hotel.
The location of the property is actually pretty good. Not right in the heart of the Gas Lamp district but close enough that you can walk it in 20 minutes or take a $6 cab over there. And far enough away that the room rates are pretty cheap and you’re not in the midst of the crazy at night which, theoretically, helps keep things calm and quiet. In theory.
The County Administration Building is right across the street and it lights up quite pretty at night. And just past that you have Harbor Drive and the waterfront, with the Maritime Museum, cruise ship terminal and USS Midway Museum literally steps away. On the other side of the hotel is a trolley station, able to carry you into Old Town or to San Ysidro in about 20 minutes. I was truly excited about the location and the connectivity it afforded me.
Instead of enjoying that location, however, I found it to be absolutely miserable. Single pane windows that didn’t seal particularly well meant that I was up bright and early listening to the "train a comin’" as the Amtrak Coaster and the Trolley took turns rolling past, with the crossing barricades going up and down with their bells clanging as well. Sleeping in was simply not an option.
The room was a typical Hampton Inn room. The bed was comfortable and the internet was free, though in the room was wired only, not wireless. Breakfast in the morning had a half dozen cereal choices plus the waffle machines that are so much fun. But with pretty much every room in the property looking out over the railroad tracks and the crossing gates it would take quite a bit to convince me to stay there again.
And I’d let that lonesome whistle,
Blow my Blues away.
Posted by Seth on May 2, 2011 under Flying, frequent flyer, News, points |
JetBlue announced today two new partnerships, furthering the growth of their route map and TrueBlue loyalty program. On the flying side Icelandair and JetBlue will now provide interline service with connections between the two available at Boston, New York’s JFK and Washington’s Dulles airports. And on the hotel side Marriott is now an earning partner with TrueBlue.
The Icelandair partnership is similar to eight of the nine other interline partnerships JetBlue offers. It adds the option for a single ticket and through-checking of bags but the fares are additive and there is no frequent flyer reciprocity in terms of earning or redemption.
The Marriott relationship is a nice improvement on the TrueBlue side, adding the option for TrueBlue points earning across the entire Marriott product portfolio. The full-service brands (The Ritz-Carlton®, EDITIONSM, JW Marriott®, Autograph Collection®, Renaissance® Hotels, Marriott® Hotels & Resorts, Marriott Vacation Club®) will earn at a $1=1 point ratio while the other brands earn at a $2=1 point ratio. This is an improvement versus the earning rates on the carrier’s other hotel partner, Hilton, where all properties are at a 2:1 earning rate. Earning on hotel points still does not extend the expiration date of TrueBlue points; only flight or American Express points do.
Overall, two big improvements that see JetBlue continuing to improve their product portfolio.
Related Posts:
Posted by Seth on January 10, 2011 under frequent flyer, News, points |
Since the announcement last week of Southwest Airlines’ new Rapid Rewards 2 program there have been a number of comparisons drawn to the other frequent flyer programs that operate under similar premises, namely revenue-based earning. Certainly not everything in the Rapid Rewards 2 program is revenue-based but a lot of it is. And the program is strikingly similar to the TrueBlue program from JetBlue. Just take a look at the comments of Dave Canty, JetBlue’s Director of Loyalty Marketing and Partnerships:
Just looking at the new SWA program, it’s almost identical to the JetBlue TrueBlue program, we are flattered and you’re welcome Mr. Kelly
Mr. Canty is correct; there are a number of similarities in the two programs. But there are also a fair number of differences, enough such that it is worthwhile to compare the two programs in detail.
Earning Points by Flying
Both programs see members accruing points based not on the distance of the trip but based on the amount paid for the airfare. In the TrueBlue program the earning is fixed at 3 points/dollar and doubled to 6/dollar if one buys the ticket at JetBlue’s website. Southwest’s new Rapid Rewards program has three earning levels – 6, 10 and 12 points/dollar spend – based on the type of fare. More restrictive (and generally cheaper) fares are worth fewer points while the fully refundable Business Select fares are worth the most. While most leisure customers will likely see their earnings at 6 points/dollar in either program Rapid Rewards 2 offers more potential upside in earnings, particularly for big spenders.
Earning Points with Partners
Thanks in large part to having been around much longer, the Rapid Rewards program has significantly more earning partners than TrueBlue does. Moreover, the earning rates with the partners appear to be better for the most part.
Rental Cars
Both programs have Hertz as a rental car partner. Rapid Rewards also has Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar and Thrifty. For all of their partners Southwest credits a flat 600 points per rental, the equivalent of $100 in airfare spend on the cheapest fares. In TrueBlue a rental with Hertz will net between 50-300 points, the equivalent of $9-50 in airfare spend*.
Southwest’s Rapid Rewards is much more lucrative for accrual with rental car partners.
Hotels
Currently TrueBlue has Hilton HHonors as an earning partner at the rate of 1 point per $2 spend. Rapid Rewards has Best Western, Choice, HHonors, Hyatt, La Quinta, Marriott, Starwood, Wyndham and the Venetian as hotel partners in the new program. Each of those partners will earn a fixed rate of 600 points per stay.
Once again, the Rapid Rewards program appears much more lucrative for accrual. If you are spending more than $1,200 on a stay and staying at HHonors-affiliated hotels then TrueBlue will net more points.
Credit Cards
Both programs offer a loyalty credit card for earning additional points. Both cards offer one point per dollar spent at most merchants. Both also offer two points per dollar when used to purchase airfare from their affiliated airline. The Rapid Rewards card also includes bonus points each year when the annual fee is paid. There is a premium card available on the Rapid Rewards side that can also earn Tier Qualifying Points (more on this later) for spend. The JetBlue card also offers bonus points for spend in certain additional categories, including gym memberships, restaurants, movie theatres and event tickets.
Overall this earning path seems pretty even; each has minor advantages but not enough to skew towards earning in one program or the other.
Read more of this article »
Posted by Seth on August 10, 2010 under frequent flyer, News, points |
Alas, the coupling isn’t nearly as sexy as it could have been.
Virgin America and Virgin Atlantic are slowly moving forward in their relationship, with the British half announcing today that customers flying on the American carrier’s flights will be able to credit their travel to the Flying Club frequent flyer program rather than Elevate if desired. This is a nice improvement, especially given the breadth of other partners that Flying Club has for good earning potential. Still, it is limited in several ways to the point of being less than great news.
For starters, flying on the less expensive fares will only earn half credit; only the most expensive fare classes like refundable Main Cabin fares or Main Cabin Select will earn full credit. That’s unfortunate but somewhat understandable, especially considering the similar limitations that Virgin Atlantic applies to their own flights and to other partners. Additionally, the partnership is only for earning: no redemption on Virgin America yet. Plus, it is only in one direction: no earning in Elevate for Virgin Atlantic flights. Turns out that you can earn in Elevate for flying on Virgin Atlantic, too. The rates are miserable – as low as 10% on some fares and maxing out at only 60% – but at least the option is there.
Still, for someone who doesn’t mind the fuel surcharges that Flying Club charges on redemptions and who has lots of Hertz rentals and Hilton stays, the ability to rack up points in Flying Club isn’t all that horrible. And being able to add the occasional Virgin America flight to that pool rather than abandoning it in Elevate is a nice option.
Growing partnerships are always nice to see, even if they are not perfect. This development certainly falls in to that category.
Posted by Seth on July 23, 2010 under News, points |
Assigning a value to points in a loyalty program is always a relative calculation. Each individual will have different uses for their points and the associated value that comes with that usage will necessarily vary. Still, when I read the following email I received from Hilton I was not really expecting the devaluation of the points that they had executed:
Dear Wandering Aramean,
Hilton HHonors supports the National Coalition for the Homeless as they engage in public education, policy advocacy, and grassroots organizing focusing on the following four areas: housing justice, economic justice, health care justice, and civil rights.
If you would like to support the effort, we have arranged for HHonors members to be able to donate points to support this cause.
For every 10,000 points you donate, we’ll send US$25 to the National Coalition for the Homeless. If you would like to join us in supporting this organization in their determination to battle homelessness by donating points, please visit us here.
So what’s the problem? Well 10,000 points are worth more than $25. A lot more. A conservative valuation puts the value at much closer to $50. Buying the points directly from Hilton – a terrible idea in almost every scenario – would cost $100.
So Hilton gets some quality PR from the move, appearing sympathetic to the cause. They also get to take a tax deduction on the value of the donation they make to the charity. And they get to wipe out the value of the points on their books, reducing their financial liabilities. They look good and profit while selling the scheme as charitable.
Last time they tried this scheme – as a response to the Haiti Earthquake – they received so much bad press that they ultimately agreed to match the value of the donations made by their members. This one hasn’t been out long enough to see if such a response is coming but here’s hoping they step up and put a reasonable value back on their points.
I’m happy that the company is publicizing an organization that certainly needs support. But the way they are going about it is not above board. HHonors members who want to support the cause should donate cash directly to the organization – and get the tax deduction directly – and redeem points for your next stay that would have been cash-based. The charity will get more money out of the deal and you’ll still use your points.
Posted by Seth on March 16, 2010 under frequent flyer, points |
You never know when frequent flyer miles are going to take center stage in a conversation. I’m sure that it is more often than it should when I’m around, though I have been better lately about trying not to always talk about travel. Still, when I sat down at the dentist a few months back and started chatting with my new hygienist the conversation turned to travel. She mentioned her recent engagement and honeymoon planning and my brain went into overdrive. I couldn’t resist.
We started talking about all the options available, which programs made sense (she was already pretty tied to Continental’s OnePass program and Hilton’s HHonors program) and which destinations offered the best bang for the spend. I don’t actually remember the cleaning that day so much or even if it happened (though I have the bill to suggest that it did). We talked about sign-up bonuses for credit cards and bank accounts. We talked about buying points through the US Mint dollar coin program. So much fun for me because she actually wanted to hear it all as opposed to my of my victims.
Six or so months later and I’m back in the office for another cleaning. The first thing out of her mouth was a huge thanks for all the help I provided. We spent the next ten minutes or so going through the itinerary (Hawaii and Fiji) and discussing how they got to use all the points that they earned from the last round of promotions (upgrades all the way through the trip). We chatted about hotels on Waikiki beach (Hyatt being MUCH better than the Hilton Hawaiian Village), a few of my favorite off-the-beach restaurants and things to do other than sitting on the fake beach there.
Finally, when scheduling my next appointment the receptionist mentioned that it will be just after the hygienist returns from the honeymoon, meaning I’ll get the follow-up report, too. It is always fun to have the conversation when the other person in them actually is interested in the information being shared, and hearing about the successful bookings makes it even better. I’m looking forward to hearing about the trip in a few months.
Related Posts
Posted by Seth on February 16, 2010 under Trip Reports |
It isn’t my story so I don’t want to appropriate it too much. And it is certainly not for the squeamish – especially the photo. Still, if you’re not eating right now and have a reasonably strong stomach check out this tale of a truly craptacular experience at the Hilton hotel in Hilton Head, South Carolina from this past weekend.
Not good at all.
Posted by Seth on February 3, 2010 under frequent flyer, News, points |
Frequent traveler loyalty programs often like to subtly point out their advantages over competitors. Whether it was bragging about no blackout dates back in the day (most programs offer that these days) or pointing out variations in upgrade policies, raising the differences help the programs differentiate themselves and attract customers. The comparisons are generally rather passive; no need to outright attack the other programs.
Priority Club, the frequent guest program for Holiday Inn, Intercontinental and several other brands, has decided to skip the subtlety with their latest promotion. They’re attacking Hilton’s HHonors program with a full frontal assault and they aren’t shy about it at all. The promo is titled “The Luckiest Loser.” It goes after Hilton’s recent rewriting of their reward charts where, on average, the value of HHonors points dropped about 20%. Priority Club is offering folks who are feeling a bit jilted by the devaluation an opportunity to get some of those points back in the form of Priority Club points. Here’s how the promo works:
- We’ll automatically "give you back" 1,000 Priority Club points
- If you’re one of the top 20,000 "Lucky Losers," you will gain back up to 20% of your current HHonors balance in Priority Club points (up to 20,000 points)
- If you’re "The Luckiest Loser," you’ll win 2 million Priority Club points
It is a pretty smart promo in terms of what they are offering and generating some buzz. And the way they are going after HHonors directly is definitely more aggressive than programs have been in the past. It will be interesting to see if this sort of aggressiveness carries over to other programs.
Read more on the Priority Club promo here.
Posted by Seth on May 11, 2009 under News |
Hilton has come up with another new brand to add into their portfolio. Maybe it is because they have hit a snag with the lawsuits related to the Denizen brand, or maybe it is because they are just thinking irrationally, but they have decided to make a change to one of their longer established brands – Embassy Suites. The appeal of Embassy Suites properties has always been that they are actually suites. Two rooms, with walls and a door to separate them. Plus free breakfast every morning and the Manager’s Reception happy hour on weeknights. But the brand name has the word “suites” in it. There isn’t a lot of wiggle room there. Or is there?
Apparently Jim Holthouser, brand manager for the Embassy Suites brand within Hilton’s corporate structure, feels that having that extra room in each suite is actually pushing business travelers away. "For years, customers have told us, ‘We love Embassy Suites with family. But for business? Not sure I quite need that’," is his take on the situation. Apparently business customers have actually been calling up Hilton’s corporate offices and telling them that they don’t want more space.
Yeah, we’re really supposed to believe that.
Even worse, somehow the folks at Hilton convinced USAToday to write their article on the change using that exact theme as the leader as though it much be fact because they said it was:
Ever driven past an Embassy Suites hotel because its two-room suites were too spacious for you and your laptop?
Embassy Suites execs think it’s time to fix that. They’re rolling out a one-room version of the chain’s standard, two-room suite for travelers who don’t need – or want – the extra space. It’s the first major room change since the chain was founded in 1984 aimed squarely at road warriors.
If the folks at Embassy Suites really want to focus on the bits that are probably driving business travelers away they should probably consider that their properties are generally located in tourist districts more than business districts and are frequently filled with families that want that second room for the kids and the free breakfast every day. So there are kids running around all over the place (in my experience, at least) and it can be pretty loud. At least they have a restaurant and room service at most properties.
The one room “suites” will only be an option for 20% of the rooms at any given property and they are actually only about 20% smaller than the regular suites, so it isn’t too much of a loss of space. Though the reasoning and justification are certainly specious at best. In the mean time, look for the new “suites” opening up in Buffalo, NY; Louisville, KY and St. Louis, MO in the coming months.
Read Lucky’s take on the story here. More objective than the USAToday bit by a long stretch.
