The major offers from each hotel loyalty program are listed first. The number of asterisks from 1-5 indicates my rating for this offer with 4 or 5 being the best value offers in my opinion.
2nd Quarter 2012 promotions from Top Ten hotel loyalty programs:
Accor A|Club – this Europe-based program offers a variety of global regional bonuses and rate discounts. The program tends to have regionalized rate and bonus points promotions. There does not seem to be one major promotion for the second quarter at this time. A|Club still hasn’t switched to its name change announced in 2011.
***** Best Western Rewards – February 6 – April 8, 2012 Free night after 3 stays. This offer is limited to one free night voucher after 3 stays. All hotels globally participate. Must register for promotion before stays. The free night voucher expires June 30, 2012 which is the biggest limitation for this offer. LT post January 23, 2012.
Loyalty Traveler pick for best midscale promotion: Best Western free night after 3 stays for stays from February 6 – April 8, 2012.
*** Choice Privileges – March 8 – May 8, 2012 – Earn 8,000 points after two stays. The promotion states earn one free night, but the offer is actually 8,000 bonus points which is sufficient for a free night at the two lowest tiers of hotels in the Choice chain. Top tier Choice brand hotels require 20,000 to 25,000 points for a free night.
Choice Hotels has the competitive advantage of being in so many places around the USA and Canada, yet also having a big presence globally.
This offer is stackable with Choice Hotels $50 restaurant gift card on 3-night stayfor bookings made from Feb 23 to March 15 for stays completed by April 15.
****Club Carlson – January 10 – March 16, 2012 Triple Points for all hotels worldwide is 60 points/$1. Club Carlson already has the fastest earning program for free nights and triple points gets you there so much faster. The highest category hotel reward night requires about $800 in hotel spend. Most hotel loyalty programs will require $2,000 to $4,000+ for a free night at their top hotels – even with promotion bonuses. LT post January 11.
Club Carlson should be launching a new promotion in the next couple of weeks.
9,000 Club Carlson bonus points for 3 or more days AVIS car rental through April 30, 2012.
*** Hilton HHonors – January 1-March 31, 2012. HHonors More Points promotionoffers 1,000 bonus points per night and 5,000 bonus points per two-night weekend stays with Thu-Fri, Fri-Sat or Sat-Sun.
**** Hilton HHonors – January 1-March 31, 2012. HHonors Bonus Miles with five airlines is stackable with the More Points promotion running concurrently:
American Airlines = Double Miles
Air Canada Aeroplan = Double Miles
British Airways = Triple Avios points
Delta SkyMiles = 2,012 Miles on 2-night or longer stays.
US Airways = Triple Miles
***** Hilton HHonors – December 1-April 30, 2012. Must book hotel stay by Jan 31, 2012. Resort Escapes offers one free night globally after 5 consecutive nightsat participating Hilton Resorts December 1-April 30, 2012. Maximum two free nights earned.
****Hyatt Gold Passport – February 1 – April 30, 2012 offers a progressive bonus every 4 nights starting at 4,000 bonus points after 4 nights; 8,000 more points after 8 nights (Total = 12,000 bonus points); 12,000 more points after 12 nights (Total = 24,000 bonus points); and 20,000 more points after 16 nights (Total = 44,000 bonus points).
Hyatt Visa card members earn 25% bonus each time for up to 11,000 additional points (Total = 55,000 points). You only need to be a Hyatt Visa card member for this bonus. You do not need to charge hotel stays to your Hyatt Visa to earn credit card 25% bonus points.
Hyatt promotion registration deadline is March 31.
This is a 4-star promotion for credit card members and frequent guests going for 16 nights. 3-star offer if not going all-in to stay at Hyatt for full bonus.
This is a high value deal if you go all in for 16 nights. This offer allows all types of travelers to benefit. This offer will earn at least two free nights at any top tier Hyatt Hotel (two category-6 hotel nights = 44,000 points for places like Maldives, Paris, London, New York). Regular points earned from hotel stays can put you in the 60,000+ points range.
Loyalty Traveler post January 26, 2012.
Hyatt Gold Passport 16 nights 44,000 points analysis. (Feb 3, 2012)
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.
*** InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club Rewards – January 23 – April 30, 2012 Double Points or Double Miles. You must register for this offer before your stays. Double points or double miles begins on second stay unless your first stay is Candewood Suites or Staybridge Suites. LT post January 13.
*** IHG Priority Club 2012 Quarter 1 Stay promotions – Priority Club members may register for one of the quarterly stay promotions running January 1-March 31, 2012. You can only register for one offer, so pick the target you are most likely to reach. Stay 3 nights = 5,000 bonus points. Stay 7 nights = 10,000 bonus points. Stay 15 nights = 15,000 bonus points.
**** Marriott Rewards – MegaBonus 2012 February 1 – April 30, 2012. Earn one free night every two stays; maximum two free nights. Select Marriott Rewards members received targetted offers for three free night maximum and 25,000 to 50,000 points after 15 to 25 nights. LT post Jan 7, 2012.
**** Marriott Rewards MegaMiles January 1-April 30, 2012 earns 2,000 bonus miles per Marriott brand stay beginning with second stay. Maximum 50,000 bonus miles. Loyalty Traveler post December 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.
***** Ritz-Carlton Rewards February 1-April 15, 2012 earn one free night after two stays.Limit of two free night certificates. Promotion is open to new Ritz-Carlton Rewards enrollees or RCR members as of January 13, 2012. Current Marriott Rewards members are not eligible for this offer. Promotion registration required by March 1, 2012.
Loyalty traveler post Jan 31, 2012.
***** Starwood Preferred Guest – November 29- March 15, 2012 – Two free nights at participating Asia Pacific hotels after 9 nights in Asia Pacific hotels from November 29- March 15, 2012 when stays are paid with a MasterCard. One free night after 5 nights. Maximum 2 free nights. Loyalty Traveler post December 2, 2011.
*** Starwood Preferred Guest – Better by the Night – January 9-April 8, 2012 offers double points (2 bonus points/$1) for two night stays and triple points (4 bonus points/$1) for three night and longer stays in addition to the 2 base points/$1 normally earned. LT post Jan 9, 2012.
Register by March 15, 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 major promotion for 6,500 points after two stays ended today, March 5, after a four month duration. A new Wyndham Rewards offer should be appearing soon.
Most hotel loyalty promotions are two to four months in duration.
Links to my Loyalty Traveler posts provide more detail and promotion analysis for each offer.
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.
Loyalty Traveler Five ***** Promotion Scale
Loyalty Traveler ranks the consumer value of some hotel loyalty promotions on a Five ***** 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 bonusesare 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 Research
Hotel Points to Airline Miles Conversion Tables
- American Airlines Points-to-Miles Exchange Rates for 9 Hotel Programs. (Feb 5, 2012)
- American Airlines Points-to-Miles Exchange Rates for Elites and Credit Card members (Feb 6, 2012)
- Delta Skymiles hotel points-to-miles rates in 9 hotel programs. (Feb 7, 2012)
- United Mileage Plus hotel points-to-miles rates favor Marriott, Club Carlson, Wyndham (Feb 8, 2012)
- Hotel Loyalty Program Airline Partners: 10 programs compared on one spreadsheet. (Feb 9, 2012)
- Why Change hotel points into airline miles? (Feb 9, 2012)
- Hotel points conversion into Southwest Rapid Rewards points favors Marriott, Choice and Hyatt (Feb 10, 2012)
Accor Hotels – A-Club
Hotel Brands: Sofitel, Pullman, M Gallery, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis, Adagio, All Seasons, Thalassa Spa.
Le Club Accorhotels to replace A|Club loyalty program for Accor. Ibis incorporates All Seasons and and Etap to become mega-brand. Loyalty Traveler post on changes Sep 18, 2011.
Motel 6is the primary Accor Hotels brand in USA, however, extremely limited A-Club hotel loyalty program participation.
Accor Hotels is globally the largest chain of hotel brands outside of the USA. Accor also has the largest proportion of hotels as non-participants in its loyalty program compared to all other major global hotel chains. Hotels in economy and budget hotel market segments do not participate in Accor’s hotel loyalty programs.
Accor A|Club Global Promotion Offers List – link (This link allows searches by continent region)
Accor Hotels A|Club bonus offers
Amtrak Guest Rewards (loyalty program allows transfers to Choice Privileges and Hilton HHonors points)
Best Western Hotels – Best Western Rewards
- Best Western Hotel Brand Tiers: Best Western, Best Western Plus, Best Western Premier.
- Best Western Redeem Free Night Rewards Vouchers.
- Best Western Earn Points.
- Best Western International Offers.
- Best Western Special Rate Offers.
- Best Western Hotel Specific Bonus Point Offers in U.S.
***** Best Western Rewards – February 6 – April 8, 2012 Free night after 3 stays. This offer is limited to one free night voucher after 3 stays. All hotels globally participate. Must register for promotion before stays. The free night voucher expires June 30, 2012 which is the biggest limitation for this offer. LT post January 23, 2012.
***** Elite Status Match: Best Western Rewards Elite Status Match Offer (February 19, 2010) This offer is ongoing and still available. Best Western is a particularly useful loyalty program when traveling outside the USA. LT post Feb 19, 2010.
Best Western Brand Tiers Change– Best Western in 2011 designated about 25% of the chain’s higher quality hotels in the 4,000+ hotel chain as Best Western Plus (about 800 hotels) and Best Western Premier (about 100 hotels, mostly outside U.S.).
Carlson Hotels – Club Carlson
(formerly Goldpoints Plus loyalty program)
Hotel Brands: Radisson Blu, Radisson, Country Inn & Suites, Park Inn, Park Plaza
****Club Carlson – January 10 – March 16, 2012 Triple Points for all hotels worldwide is 60 points/$1. Club Carlson already has the fastest earning program for free nights and triple points gets you there so much faster. The highest category hotel reward night requires about $800 in hotel spend. Most hotel loyalty programs will require $2,000 to $4,000+ for a free night at their top hotels – even with promotion bonuses. LT post January 11.
Club Carlson online booking bonus – Club Carlson general members earn 1,000 bonus points for online booking. Silver and Gold elite members earn 2,000 bonus points for online booking. Concierge elite members earn 3,000 points. Club Carlson Benefits table link.
Club Carlson Gold Elite member exclusive 2-for-1 hotel weekend rates and 4-for-2 discount rates for Europe, Middle East and Africa. LT post January 27, 2012. These rates earn points.
New Business Program – Club Carlson for Businessoffers small to medium businesses a special program for hotel rate discounts and a Club Carlson business account for earning additional points from employee hotel stays. Employees also maintain their own personal accounts and earn points normally as a Club Carlson member.
Overview of Club Carlson loyalty program(Feb 23, 2012)
These Loyalty Traveler posts describe changes with Club Carlson launch March 31, 2011:
Club Carlson Hotel Category Reassignment Analysis – Overview and Category 1 Hotels(April 7) – This post has links to posts for each Club Carlson Hotel Reward category with tables showing the new Club Carlson reward category and the former Goldpoints Plus reward category.
Club Carlson Loyalty program Launches March 31 – Replaces goldpoints plus(Feb 14)
Club Carlson Reward Category Changes March 31, 2011 (Feb 18)
Club Carlson Hotel Reward Category Analysis(Feb 28) This post shows the number of hotels in each category and changes from 2010 level for different global regions.
Club Med resort credit for goldpoints. $100, $250 and $500 credit. (March 10).
Choice Hotels – Choice Privileges
Choice Hotels Brands: Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban, EconoLodge, Rodeway Inn, Ascend Collection.
Choice Privileges Hotel Reward Partners:
Preferred Hotels Group, Barcelo Resorts
*** Promotion: Choice Privileges 2x points or Points + Miles for stays December 1 – February 29, 2012. Loyalty Traveler post November 30.
Choice Privileges reward night cost analysis. Using a spreadsheet of 2010 reward cost, I calculated the percentage of hotels in various reward levels worldwide from 6,000 points to 40,000 points. This is the only breakdown of hotel reward tiers I have ever seen for Choice Hotels. Loyalty Traveler post May 1, 2011.
Choice Privileges Program Changes for Elite Members effective January 1, 2011:
Program enhancements for elites.
- Platinum elite qualification = 20 nights in a calendar year (formerly 25 nights).
- Diamond elite bonus increased to 50% base points (formerly 40%).
Reward night booking window extended for Choice Privileges elite members:
- Gold = 50 days (formerly 40 days)
- Platinum = 75 days (formerly 60 days)
- Diamond = 100 days (formerly 90 days)
Nordic Choice Club hotel loyalty program covers 140 Choice hotels in Scandinavia and Baltic regions of Europe. Choice Privileges members currently do not earn points for hotel stays in Scandinavia, although hotel stays are available for points. Nordic Choice Club offers points and benefits for hotels in this region. Choice Privileges members planning frequent travel in Scandinavia may want to compare the benefits of Nordic Choice Club to Choice Privileges. (LT post Sep 9, 2010)
Drury Hotels – Gold Key Club
Drury Hotels are the #1 rated midscale limited service hotel brand by J.D. Power Guest Satisfaction Survey six consecutive years including 2010 and 2011. This hotel brand is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri and properties are primarily located in Midwest and South.
1,000 bonus points for enrollment in Drury Gold Key Club(ongoing).
*** 500 points Online Booking Bonus Promotion January 1-April 30, 2012. Normal rate is 100 points per online reservation.
- E-Saver Discount ratesfor Drury Hotels.
- Vacation and Hotel Discount Coupons for Drury Hotels in St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbus, San Antonio and Atlanta. There are $10 and $15 per night discounts at select hotels on this page.
Expedia.com – Expedia Rewards
Expedia’s loyalty program, Expedia Rewards, earns points for air, hotel and travel package bookings. This is a gamechanger for online travel agencies. Booking airfare through Expedia is a no brainer method for earning additional travel rebates since frequent flyer benefits are unaffected. Hotels are a different matter though since no hotel loyalty points with programs like SPG, Marriott, Hilton and most others are earned for Expedia bookings.
Expedia Rewards offers the ability to earn points when booking travel for other people like family members and friends. And Expedia vacation packages often allow a hotel night to be added for the same price as airfare alone; particularly when traveling to Las Vegas. Loyalty Traveler Analysis March 28, 2011.
Fairmont Hotels and Fairmont President’s Club
Fairmont Hotels offer upper-upscale and luxury hotels in fewer than 100 hotels globally.
- Fairmont President’s Club Benefits and Elite Levels.
- Fairmont Hotel Locations.
Tip: Sign up for Fairmont President’s Club to receive special monthly discount rates for Fairmont Hotels.
Four Seasons Special Offers website link
Global Hotel Alliance – GHA Discovery – Hotel loyalty program alliance for 14 independent hotel brands including Omni Hotels, Pan Pacific, Kempinski Hotels, First Hotels, Mirvac, Anantara Resorts, Tivoli Hotels, The Doyle Collection, Marco Polo Hotels, Park Royal, The Leela Palaces, Shaza Hotels, Mokara Hotels & Spa, and Lungarno Collection.
Overview of GHA Discovery, elite membership benefits and local experiences, Loyalty Traveler post January 30, 2011.
Hilton Hotels – Hilton HHonors
10 Hilton HHonors Hotel Brands: Hilton, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, Conrad, Waldorf-Astoria Collection, Hampton Inn, and Home2Suites.
- Earn HHonors Points and Miles
- HHonors Double Dipping
- HHonors Airline Partners
- Redeem HHonors Hotel Rewards
- HHonors VIP elite Rewards
- HHonors American Express AXON 4-night Awards.
- MilePoint.com HHonors Primer.
- HHonors Miles-for-Points(unique to HHonors is ability to change miles into points.)
- HHonors Points-for-Miles(poor exchange rate for most airlines)
- HHonors Purchase Points
*** Hilton HHonors – January 1-March 31, 2012. HHonors More Points promotionoffers 1,000 bonus points per night and 5,000 bonus points per two-night weekend stays with Thu-Fri, Fri-Sat or Sat-Sun.
**** Hilton HHonors – January 1-March 31, 2012. HHonors Bonus Miles with four airlines is stackable with the More Points promotion running concurrently:
- American Airlines = Double Miles
- Air Canada Aeroplan = Double Miles
- Delta SkyMiles = 2,012 Miles on 2-night or longer stays
- US Airways = Triple Miles
Program Change: HHonors Diamond elite enhancement guarantees breakfast, room upgrade, executive lounge access and welcome amenity points. LT post Jan 26, 2012.
***** Hilton HHonors – December 1-April 30, 2012. Must book hotel stay by Jan 31, 2012. Resort Escapes offers one free night globally after 5 consecutive nights at participating Hilton Resorts December 1-April 30, 2012. Must book hotel stay by Jan 31, 2012. Maximum two free nights. LT post Dec 4, 2011.
Program Change: HHonors – Southwest Airlines partnership ends January 1, 2012. No more earning Southwest Rapid Rewards points with HHonors. LT post October 14.
Redeem: HHonors Points & Money Rewards Analysis – Loyalty Traveler post October 3. This post shows the HHonors Points & Money rate table that was removed from HHonors website within a few hours after publishing this Loyalty Traveler post.
Redeem: HHonors Premium Rewards Analysis – Do HHonors Premium Room Rewards Prevent GLON/AXON Rewards at some Hilton Hotels? – Loyalty Traveler post October 13. This October 10 post also looks at using HHonors flexible dates tool to find low Hilton rates and Premium Room Rewards. Loyalty Traveler Research October 10.
HHonors Representative responds to Hotels only offering Premium Room Rewards issue. LT post October 14.
HHonors Redemption tip: A unique feature of HHonors is the ability to buy all needed point for a reward stay at time of booking hotel through Hilton reservations.
***** Elite Status Promotion: Hilton HHonors Gold elite fast-track for Carlson Wagonlit Travel customers. Earn HHonors Gold elite after four stays within 90 days of promotion registration. This offer has an end date of 12/31/2013 so might be best to wait until January 2012 to register for Gold elite through 2013. Loyalty Traveler post Sep 6.
***** Elite Status Promotion: HHonors Gold VIP elite after 4 stays or 9 nights in 90 days at U.S. hotels with Hilton HHonors MVP. Promotion registration required.
Hotel News: Hilton Hotels in 2011. Loyalty Traveler survey of 34 Hilton Hotels recently opened (LT post Sep 14).
Hotel News: Doubletree Hotels in 2011. LT post Sep 17.
Program Change: HHonors Point Stretcher Rewards discontinued for 2012. Point Stretchers required 40% fewer points than standard HHonors rewards. No official word yet on HHonors web site, but FlyerTalk thread indicates these rewards are dead and have been replaced with Points & Money Rewards. LT post Jan 6, 2012.
Hotel News: Home2Suites, Hilton’s second extended stay brand, opened its first hotel in 2011 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Unfortunately this new hotel brand becomes the first HHonors brand with a lower earn rate for points and miles. Loyalty Traveler post March 21, 2011.
Redeem: HHonors Comprehensive Reward Charts– Members have difficulty locating the various reward charts on the Hilton HHonors sites, particularly VIP Rewards and Waldorf-Astoria rates. This Loyalty Traveler post places all the HHonors reward charts in one post. (LT post Sep 13, 2010)
Hotels.com Welcome Rewards
Earn a free night for every 10 nights.
Hyatt Hotels – Hyatt Gold Passport
Hotel Brands: Park Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Vacation Club, Hyatt Resorts, Andaz, Hyatt House (AVIA and Hotel Sierra acquired Sep 1, 2011. Hotel Sierra and Hyatt Summerfield Suites were rebranded as Hyatt House in 2012. Four AVIA upper upscale hotels are currently still called AVIA.)
- Hyatt Gold Passport Membership Levels and Benefits
- Hyatt Gold Passport Airline Partners and Earn Miles.
- Hyatt Gold Passport Purchase and Transfer Points.
- Hyatt Gold Passport Reward Nights and Hotel Reward Category Lists
- Hyatt Gold Passport Paid Night Upgrades for points.
****Hyatt Gold Passport – February 1 – April 30, 2012 offers a progressive bonus every 4 nights starting at 4,000 bonus points after 4 nights; 8,000 more points after 8 nights (Total = 12,000 bonus points); 12,000 more points after 12 nights (Total = 24,000 bonus points); and 20,000 more points after 16 nights (Total = 44,000 bonus points).
Hyatt Visa card members earn 25% bonus each time for up to 11,000 additional points (Total = 55,000 points). You only need to be a Hyatt Visa card member for this bonus. You do not need to charge hotel stays to your Hyatt Visa to earn credit card 25% bonus points.
This is a 4-star promotion for credit card members and frequent guests going for 16 nights. 3-star offer if not going all-in to stay at Hyatt for full bonus.
This is a high value deal if you go all in for 16 nights. This offer allows all types of travelers to benefit. This offer will earn at least two free nights at any top tier Hyatt Hotel (two category-6 hotel nights = 44,000 points for places like Maldives, Paris, London, New York). Regular points earned from hotel stays can put you in the 60,000+ points range.
**** January 18-March 15, 2012 Buy Hyatt Gold Passport Points for 10% to 30% bonus points. 1,000-9,000 points = 10% bonus. 10,000 to 29,000 points = 20% bonus. 30,000 to 40,000 points = 30% bonus points. LT post January 20, 2012.
Gold Passport Enhancement – Diamond members receive 50% bonus on Welcome Amenity pointsif points do not automatically post after stay. Loyalty Traveler post November 5.
Program Update: Hyatt House new brand to replace Summerfield Suites. LT post Sep 20.
Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond elite member enhancements and 43 hotel reward reassignments (25 hotels went up in reward cost, 18 went down) effective September 1, 2011. LT post July 28, 2011.
Hyatt adds annual anniversary free night benefit for Hyatt VISA card renewal members valid for one night in category 1 to category 4 reward hotel. LT post August 5, 2011.
InterContinental Hotels Group – Priority Club
Hotel Brands: InterContinental Hotels, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites, Hotel Indigo.
- Priority Club Membership Levels and Benefits.
- InterContinental Ambassador membership.
- Priority Club Reward Nights.
- Priority Club PointBreaks for only 5,000 points per night.
- IHG Hotel Locations.
Program Change: Priority Club Reward Tiers Change on January 18, 2012. Over 1,000 hotels will increase in reward price. Members will have 60 days to March 18 to redeem points at the old reward level for hotel stays. Loyalty Traveler post Jan 3, 2012. Loyalty Traveler analysis of changes at InterContinental Hotels January 20, 2012.
***** Priority Club PointBreaks through March 31, 2012 are probably the best hotel loyalty program reward night value across all hotel chains and available at 5,000 points for a free night. Loyalty Traveler post January 23, 2012.
***** Europe Rate Discount through August 31 offer high discounts, but these rates do not earn Priority Club points. LT post January 27, 2012.
Use the 35% off link to go to UK site for IHG discount rates. This site allows search of hotels in Europe for 2 nights for price of 1 rates and 3 nights for price of 2.
- 2-for-1 rates in UK and Europe
- 3-for-2 rates in UK and Europe
IHG Friend & Family Hotel Rates (Steve Sickel). Steve Sickel is senior Vice President Relationship Marketing for InterContinental Hotels Group. During the hotel recession of 2009 he offered this link to FlyerTalk members for booking discount friends and family rates. This link is still active. And we are all friends of Steve’s. Here is a FlyerTalk threaddiscussing this rate deal. The link in Steve Sickel’s name leads to the offer page for a voucher to complete. Some guests mention the hotel wants the completed voucher at check-in. These rates do not qualify for points or stay credit. One of the best features of this offer is the ability to book high category rooms at steep discount.
IHG First Night Free Best Rate Guarantee new policy. LT post Sep 22.
IHG Priority Club Last Minute Reward Nights are posted the week before the first weekend of the month. Hotels are only posted for a few days and must be booked by Thursday prior to the Friday through Sunday first full weekend of the month dates. LT post February 28, 2012.
IHG Priority Club partnership with Las Vegas Resorts – The Venetian and The Palazzobecome InterContinental Alliance hotel partners as of April 1, 2011. Priority Club points can be earned and burned for hotel stays and InterContinental Ambassador benefits apply.
InterContinental Ambassador Accelerator – 20,000 points after 15 nights at InterContinental Hotels. Registration required.
Kimpton Hotels – Kimpton InTouch
- How to Earn free nightsat Kimpton.
- Inner Circle elite qualification and benefits.
- Kimpton Hotel locations.
- Kimpton Hotels promotions page.
Loyalty Traveler posted an outline of Kimpton’s InTouch programshowing how 21 stays in 2011 can potentially earn 7 free nights at any Kimpton Hotel. (LT post Jan 11, 2011)
La Quinta Hotels – La Quinta Returns
Hotel chain and hotel loyalty program overview by Loyalty Traveler April 12, 2011.
- La Quinta Returns elite qualification and benefits.
- La Quinta Returns free night rewards.
- La Quinta Returns Purchase Points.
- La Quinta Hotels Special Deals.
- La Quinta Hotel Locations.
Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) – Leaders Club Rewards
- LHW Hotel Locations.
- American Express Membership Rewards redeem LHW rewards.
Leaders Club Rewards program changes: Membership fees for Leaders Club Rewards dropped to $100 annual for Access level. You can also buy Access level membership for 10,000 American Express Membership Rewards points. Access membership includes complimentary breakfast for two each day of stay and free internet.
Unlimited membership is $1,200 annually. Loyalty traveler post Feb 3, 2011.
Marriott Hotels – Marriott Rewards
Hotel Brands: Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Ritz-Carlton, Residence Inn, Courtyard, Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites, SpringHill Suites, Edition, Autograph Collection, Marriott Vacation Club, AC Hotels.
- Marriott Rewards elite levels and benefits.
- Earn Marriott Rewards points.
- Redeem Marriott Rewards points and Hotel Reward categories.
- Marriott Vacation Club rewards.
- Marriott Rewards room upgrades.
- Marriott Rewards airline partners and earn rate for miles.
- Marriott Rewards points-to-miles exchange.
- Marriott Rewards 7 Hotel Nights + Airline Miles Travel packages.
- Marriott International Hotel Directory.
**** Marriott Rewards MegaMiles January 1-April 30, 2012 earns 2,000 bonus miles per Marriott brand stay beginning with second stay. Maximum 50,000 bonus miles. Loyalty Traveler post December 7, 2012.
**** Marriott Rewards – MegaBonus 2012 February 1 – April 30, 2012. Earn one free night every two stays; maximum two free nights. Select Marriott Rewards members received targetted offers for three free night maximum and 25,000 to 50,000 points after 15 to 25 nights. LT post Jan 7, 2012.
Marriott Rewards Program Change: All-inclusive Resort Rewards discontinued. LT post October 21.
New Autograph Collection Hotels are joining Marriott Rewards with six Boscolo Hotels in Italy, Prague and Budapest. LT post August 1.
AC Hotels is Marriott’s newest hotel brand. AC Hotels are a Madrid-based hotel chain now partnered with Marriott and brings 90 new upscale hotels in Spain, Italy and Portugal into the Marriott Rewards system. This brand is projected to expand in Europe and Latin America. Loyalty Traveler post March 27, 2011. AC Hotels earn Marriott Rewards points as of November 8, 2011.
Marriott Rewards Hotel Category Assignment Changes for 2012
- Marriott Rewards Hotel Category Changes March 15, 2012 (LT Feb 27, 2012)
- Marriott Hotels Dropping in reward category (Feb 27, 2012)
- Marriott Hotels rising in Category 5-8. (Feb 27, 2012)
- Burn MegaBonus free nights before 96 hotels rise to Category 5 March 15. (Feb 29, 2012)
Marriott Rewards PointSavers –PointSavers reduce the points cost of a free night by one hotel category. For example, category 5 hotel requires only 20,000 points per night priced at category 4 rate. 5th night free rewards rate also applies to PointSavers rate. LT post Marriott PointSavers hotels updated this week(March 4, 2012).
Marriott Points Redemption Strategy using $1,000 in Marriott Cheques. This post explains how Marriott elite members may buy $1,000 Marriott Cheques for 135,000 points. You can then pay for hotel stays and earn points and elite credit on paid stays you actually purchased indirectly with points. Loyalty Traveler post Jan 27, 2011.
Marriott Rewards Elite Rollover Nights extended for 2012. This is the fourth year Marriott Rewards offers elite rollover nights for elite qualifying nights over your earned elite membership. For example: Silver elite requires 10 nights in calendar year and Gold elite takes 50 nights. Stay 25 nights in 2012 and the 15 nights above Silver elite rollover to 2013 membership year. You will have earned Silver elite for 2013 from your 15 extra nights in 2012 rolled over to 2013. This applies to Marriott credit card nights too. Rollover nights from 2011 to 2012 are deducted from 2012 end-of-year total nights to determine rollover nights for 2013. Confused? Don’t worry. This is a great benefit for elite members. (Loyalty Traveler 5-key offer. LT post Jan 6, 2012.
Program change – Free internet worldwide for Gold and Platinum Marriott Rewards members beginning January 2011. This expands the complimentary internet benefit offered to elites for hotel stays in the Americas since May 2010.
Program Change: All Marriott Rewards members receive complimentary internet at Asia-Pacific region hotels. Loyalty Traveler post May 2, 2011.
Omni Hotels – Omni Select Guest
- Member benefitsinclude complimentary in-room Wi-Fi, shoe shine and morning beverage delivery.
- Omni Select Guest Airline Partners.
- Earn a free night after every 10 nightsor earn 500 miles per hotel stay.
- Omni Hotel Locations.
Preferred Hotels & Resorts – I Prefer
Hotel brands: Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Preferred Boutique, Summit Hotels & Resorts, Sterling Hotels, Sterling Design.
- I Prefer benefits include complimentary internet, room upgrades and early check-in, late checkout.
- Preferred Offers I Prefer and Preferred Hotels Group special offers page. Members of Choice Privileges and Red Lion R&R Club can use points in those programs for free nights at participating hotels within Preferred Hotels Group.
Red Lion Hotels – R&R Club (44 hotels in western U.S.)
- Red Lion R&R Club membership benefits.
- Red Lion R&R Club elite levels.
- Red Lion R&R Club earn points or miles.
- Red Lion R&R Club rewards.
- Red Lion R&R Club loyalty program changes in September 2011. LT Post October 21.
- Redeem points for Preferred Hotel Group stays.
- Red Lion Hotel locations.
Red Roof Inn – RediCard
- Red Hot Deals.
- 15% off military friends & family rateto March 31, 2012.
- RediCard earn and redeem for free night or Delta miles.
Ritz-Carlton Rewards
(Marriott Rewards partner brand. You may only hold membership in either Marriott Rewards or Ritz-Carlton Rewards, not both programs.)
- Ritz-Carlton Hotel locations.
- Ritz-Carlton Rewards earn points or miles.
- Ritz-Carlton reward nightsand hotel tier lists.
- Ritz-Carlton Rewards elite member benefits.
***** Ritz-Carlton Rewards February 1-April 30, 2012 earn one free night after two stays. Limit of two free night certificates. Promotion is open to new Ritz-Carlton Rewards enrollees or RCR members as of January 13, 2012. Current Marriott Rewards members are not eligible for this offer. Registration required by March 1. Loyalty traveler post Jan 31, 2012.
Ritz-Carlton Rewards Visa – 50,000 points enrollment offer and Gold elite first year. Maintain Gold elite with $10,000 annual spending. Three confirmed Club level upgrades per year and other benefits. Loyalty Traveler post June 13.
Ritz-Carlton Rewards loyalty program launching Sep 15, 2010 (LT post Sep 14, 2010.)
Reward Changes in new Ritz-Carlton Reward Tiers(LT post Sep 15, 2010.)
Ritz-Carlton rewards Hotel + Air Packages Analysis(LT post Sep 16, 2010.)
Starwood Hotels – Starwood Preferred Guest
Starwood Hotels brands: Sheraton, Westin, W Hotels, Le Meridien, Luxury Collection, St. Regis, Four Points, Element, Aloft.
SPG Program Changes effective March 1, 2012:
SPG Gold members
· Hotel Stay Welcome Gift – Choose from Starpoints (up to 250 points/stay) or free internet or free beverage.
SPG Platinum members
· Hotel Stay Welcome Gift – Choose from Continental Breakfast for entire stay or Starpoints (up to 500/stay) orlocal gift.
· 50+ nights Platinum members only – 10 Suite Night Awards. This is in addition to the existing and continuing policy of complimentary upgrades upon arrival for SPG Platinum elites that has been a long time competitive edge of Starwood preferred Guest.
· 75+ nights Platinum members only – Earn 4 points per dollar on hotel spend. Lower tier Platinum members earn 3 points/$1 on hotel spend.
· 75+ nights Platinum members only – Your24 check-in at any hour and maintain room for 24 hours. Check in at 9pm and the room is yours until 9pm 24 hours later.
· 100+ nights Platinum members only – Personal Starwood Hotels Ambassadorto help travel planning.
***** Starwood Preferred Guest – Two free nights at participating Asia Pacific hotels after 9 nights in Asia Pacific hotels from November 29- March 15, 2012 when stays are paid with a MasterCard. One free night after 5 nights. Maximum 2 free nights. Loyalty Traveler post December 2, 2011.
*** Starwood Preferred Guest – Better by the Night – January 9-April 8, 2012 offers double points (2 bonus points/$1) for two night stays and triple points (4 bonus points/$1) for three night and longer stays. LT post Jan 9, 2012.
Ongoing Starwood Hotels & Resorts Rate Discounts:
**** Pay Your Birth Year Rate -This promotion has been extended through 2012. Rates can be an incredible 5-key savings or no savings depending on the hotel and your birthyear. LT post 4/28/2009. LT post Jan 30, 2012.
**** Starwood Hotels Discount Rates for hotel stays 2 to 6 nights.
**** Starwood Resorts Discount Rates for hotel stays 2 to 6 nights.
These Starwood extended stay discount rates for 2 to 6 nights have been around for several years, but are not well advertised on Starwood site. Third Night Free tends to be the best discount rate. Important to check other rates (AAA, Senior, Special Offers) as these discounts are generally based on the Best Available Rate (BAR) and may not be the lowest overall rate for some hotels. Loyalty Traveler rate analysis Sep 21, 2011 – Better Know a Rate Z3H and Z3R and other extended stay promo codes.
BeattheTimer.com for discount Starwood rates in Europe, Middle East and Africa (Starwood EMEA Discounts at BeattheTimer.com).
Starpicks discount rates for following three to six weeks post each Tuesday. Prepaid, nonrefundable and no changes. Must book by Friday each week.
Website Change – Starwood Hotels webpages now include Guest Reviews. Loyalty Traveler Oct 22 post shows how to post a hotel review from your Starwood Hotel stay.
New SPG Member Benefit – Award Stays Earn SPG Elite Qualification Credit as of October 1, 2011. Loyalty Traveler analysis Sep 29.
Loyalty Traveler Research on using SPG website Compare Rates and Calendar Tools to find low Starwood rates. LT post Oct 10.
Loyalty Traveler analysis of Starwood Preferred Guest Airline Direct Deposit program for Mileage Plus membersand others interested in earning miles rather than points from hotel stays. (August 4, 2011)
Starwood Preferred Guest Hotel Category reward assignment changes for 2012 took effect on March 1, 2011. 183 hotels went up and 138 went down. My LT post “Analysis of SPG Hotel Category Changes March 1, 2012†(Feb 21, 2012) has a list ordered by city, state and country for changes.
Starwood Hotels data on number of hotels in each brand and average rates by brand and global region. Loyalty traveler post Feb 4, 2011.
Starwood Preferred Guest – American Express credit card changes effective October 14, 2010. The annual fee increased to $65 from $45 for renewals Oct 14, 2010. Benefit changes included 5 elite nights and 2 elite stays credit each year. The SPG50 certificate was discontinued in favor of a 3rd night free offer at Sheraton Hotels. Loyalty traveler post (August 24, 2010); Sheraton 3rd Night Free Analysis(Nov 12, 2010)
Stash Hotel Rewards
Stash Rewards is a two year old loyalty program for over 100 independent upscale hotels in the U.S. Loyalty Traveler post Jan 19.Loyalty Traveler has found the hotel partners with Stash Rewards in Monterey and Washington D.C. are great choices for hotel travelers seeking independent hotels with loyalty benefits. Stash Rewards offers points for many high quality independent hotels that previously had no loyalty program affiliation.
Stash Hotel Specialsfor Bonus Points and Low Redemption Rate Hotels
Swissotel Hotels and Resorts – Swissôtel Circle
Swissôtel Circle is the newly relaunched loyalty program for Swissotel Hotels and Resorts as of August 15, 2011. The Swissotel Circle loyalty program includes 30 Swissotel Hotels, Fairmont Hotels and Raffles. This Sep 9, 2011 Loyalty Traveler postis an overview of the hotel loyalty program, elite levels and benefits.
Voila Hotel Rewards
Loyalty Traveler profile of Voila Hotels programinternational loyalty program for 250 independent hotels.
Wyndham Worldwide – Wyndham Rewards
Wyndham Brands: Wyndham, Wingate, Hawthorn Suites, Ramada, Days Inn, Super 8, Howard Johnson, Travelodge, Baymont Suites, Microtel, Knights Inn, Tryp.
**** Wyndham Rewards – Nov 17 – Mar 5, 2012 – Gift Me promotion for U.S., Canada and Mexico resident members for 6,500 bonus points after 2nd, 4th and 6th stays at any Wyndham brand globally Nov 17 – March 5, 2012. Online booking bonus is 1,000 points for first 3 stays. Total 22,500 bonus points for 6 hotel stays. This promotion has been extended past the original Feb 1 end date. LT post November 18.
***** Wyndham Rewards Nov 17 – March 5, 2012 offer for European resident members only is 10,000 bonus points on 2nd, 4th and 6th staysfor 30,000 maximum bonus points. This offer has been extended from its original February 1 promotion end date.
Loyalty Traveler Research Articles
Hotel Points to Airline Miles Conversion Tables
- American Airlines Points-to-Miles Exchange Rates for 9 Hotel Programs. (Feb 5, 2012)
- American Airlines Points-to-Miles Exchange Rates for Elites and Credit Card members (Feb 6, 2012)
- Delta Skymiles hotel points-to-miles rates in 9 hotel programs. (Feb 7, 2012)
- United Mileage Plus hotel points-to-miles rates favor Marriott, Club Carlson, Wyndham (Feb 8, 2012)
Hotel Points Buy, Gift and Transfer Rules for major hotel loyalty programs. Loyalty Traveler post December 5, 2011.
PointHub.com gives loyalty travelers Cash vs. Points Hotel and Airline Recommendations (August 11, 2011). This new beta version website shows the cost in loyalty points for a free hotel night alongside the hotel rate and makes a recommendation for your travel dates. Airlines are also rated.
Room77.com hotel room views compared to my photos. Loyalty Traveler website analysis June 22.
Comparing the value of hotel program points – compares Hyatt, Priority Club and Hilton programs, then discusses how I planned summer travel using free night promotions. (May 2, 2011)
Hotel Loyalty Credit Cards and the Value of Hotel Points
Best Hotel Credit Cards for Low Spenders (August 5, 2011)
Loyalty Traveler Analysis of Hotel Rewards Credit Cards(March 19, 2011)
Elite Status Benefits with Hotel Loyalty Credit Cards(March 21, 2011)
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