Current Hotel Loyalty Promotions and News – updated November 16, 2010
Here is the update to the Current Hotel Loyalty Promotions page on Loyalty Traveler blog.
Sixty Second overview of current offers:
Choice Privileges has one of the best points reward offers with discount hotel partner rewards up to 50% off at Preferred Hotels Group properties for bookings through January 19, 2011.
Starwood Preferred Guest has a fast-track elite offer for the remainder of the year with Stays Count Double at their brands of Aloft, Element and Four Points Hotels through December 31.
Fast-track to SPG Gold elite with just four stays at these brands by January 31, 2011 with the other SPG offer. Elite status will last through February 2012.
Sheraton Club Lounges will remain open on weekends beginning in 2011. Will Marriott follow?
Priority Club Sweet Dilemma for a free night after two stays and Hyatt Gold Passport 10,000 points after 5 nights are the best points and free nights deals for hotel stays through December 31 in my opinion.
Priority Club has an instant platinum elite offer that could make Sweet Dilemma a suite opportunity. IHG also has a high value 2 nights for the price of 1 special rate offer for hotels in the UK and Europe through December 30, 2010.
Accor Hotels has more hotels in South America than most other hotel loyalty program chains put together and through the end of 2010 you can 4x Accor AClub points.
November 21 is the last night for 15,000 goldpoints with just one night at a Country Inn & Suites.
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The frequent guest has the choice of many hotel loyalty promotions with little guidance to their relative value. Here is Loyalty Traveler’s summary of current hotel loyalty promotions and limited time rate offers for the frequent guest.
Newly added offers since the last October 18 update are marked with an asterisk (*).
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Loyalty Traveler ranks the consumer value of hotel loyalty promotions on a Five Key Scale.
Five Keys = one of the best hotel loyalty promotions of the year.
Four Keys = high value rebate on the cost of hotel stays.
Three Keys = good value hotel loyalty promotion or rate offer
Two Keys = a bonus value if you play, but not necessarily worth going out of your way.
One Key = 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 key rank I take into consideration the following factors and probably more:
- The opportunity for significantly high-value return on hotel spend in terms of a future hotel rebate in free nights and discounted hotel nights.
- Current loyalty program promotions and offers from other hotel chains.
- Past loyalty program offers and rates for the specific hotel chain and loyalty program.
- Current economic conditions in the hotel location and travel industry.
Hotel Brands: Sofitel, Pullman, M Gallery, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis, Adagio, All Seasons, Thalassa Spa.
Motel 6 is the primary Accor Hotels brand in USA, however, extremely limited A-Club hotel loyalty program participation.
*North America – Sofitel Hotels Triple Points 11/9 – 12/31
*UK – Mercure Hotels Triple Points Book 11/9 – 12/30 for stays through 2/28/2011.
*Latin America – Ibis, Mercure, Novotel, Sofitel, Pullman – 4x Points through 12/31 at over 150 hotels.
*Paris – Triple Points through 12/31/2010
*Australia – Double Points Dec 1- Feb 28, 2011
*Other Accor Hotels A-Club bonus offers
Best Western Hotels – Best Western Rewards
Hotel Brand Tiers: Best Western, Best Western Plus, Best Western Premier
* Best Western Travel Card Purchase Bonus – 2,500 points or $10 gift card for every $100 Best Western Travel Card purchase transaction from November 5 – December 31, 2010. You want to make separate $100 transactions to maximize bonus.
3-key promotion – 1,250 miles with American Airlines or Air Canada Aeroplan after two stays Sep 12-Nov 21. Earn 750 bonus miles every second stay. There is no cap on the number of times this bonus may be earned, unlike the concurrent promotion for triple points. Registration is required and you need to set your BW account earning preference to miles to see these promotion offers. LT promotion post (Aug 22)
2-key Promotion – Double or Triple Points, Sep 12 through Nov 21, 2010. Earn triple points (30 points/$1) on your second stay booked through Bestwestern.com. Earn double points if reservation not booked online. This bonus is earned only one time, except elite members also earn triple points on 4th stay. Promotion code is FALL10 or for AAA BestWestern Preferred members AAAFALL10. Promotion registration required. LT promotion post (Aug 22)
Best Western Rewards Elite Status Match Offer (February 19, 2010)
Program Change for Elites: Elite members earn 250 bonus points for stays in US/Canada or a welcome snack. (Aug 3, 2010)
* Best Western Brand Tiers Change – Best Western is designating 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).
Carlson Hotels – Goldpoints Plus
Hotel Brands: Radisson Blu, Radisson, Country Inn & Suites, Park Inn, Park Plaza
Country Inn & Suites – October 3 – November 21, 2010; U.S., Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama
- 15,000 bonus points for one-night stay on a Sunday through Thursday. (Limit one bonus per member)
- 3-day advance reservation required. Promo code = 15000PTS.
Goldpoints Plus program change – elite members earn 2,000 points for online booking. This change doubles the regular 1,000 online booking bonus for goldpoints elite members. (LT post July 18)
Choice Hotels – Choice Privileges
Hotel Brands: Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban, EconoLodge, Rodeway Inn, Ascend Collection.
Hotel Reward Partners: Preferred Hotels Group, Barcelo Resorts
*Preferred Hotels Group Reward Nights up to 50% off. Upper-upscale, luxury and boutique hotel room nights 20,000 to 30,000 points. Book between November 3, 2010 and January 19, 2011. (5-key promotion)
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)
Four Seasons Special Offers website link
$100 dining/spa credit at six participating California hotels for using Gowalla. Visit three location recommendations from Four Seasons concierge through Gowalla location-based social media site during a stay of two or more nights through November 19 to earn a $100 credit.
Hilton Hotels – Hilton HHonors
Hotel Brands: Hilton, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, Conrad, Waldorf-Astoria Collection, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Home2Suites.
* Sweepstakes for 200,000 HHonors points – Vote for American Airlines AmericanWay Road Warrior by November 30, 2010 for sweepstakes entry.
Hilton Double Points and 4x Sundays October 12 – December 30, 2010
Stay Sunday night and the entire stay earns a bonus equivalent to quadruple base points. Elite base points are earned at regular rate of 10 points per $1. 4x Bonus ends up being 30 bonus points per $1. (LT post: Oct 8, 2010) 4-key promotion if including Sunday stay; 3-key if not.
HHonors Point Stretcher Rewards posted for hotels through December 2010. Point Stretchers require 40% fewer points than standard HHonors rewards. Use the drop-down menu to see participating hotels in different Hilton brands. This is the largest set of hotels I recall in several years offering Point Stretcher discount reward dates. (LT post Sep 9)
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 puts all the HHonors reward charts in one place. (LT post Sep 13, 2010)
Cheaper Hilton Reward nights using Priority Club points – this Loyalty Traveler analysis developed from the Priority Club Anywhere Challenge. Hotels Anywhere allows Priority Club members to spend points for hotels in other chains. My study shows there are numerous Hilton Hotels requiring fewer Priority Club points than Hilton HHonors charges its members in HHonors points for the same reward. (LT post Sep 17)
4-key promotion – up to 10,000 Delta Skymiles Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQM) for stays of two or more nights between September 1 and December 10, 2010.
HHonors Program change: Gold and Diamond members receive complimentary internet at all Hilton Worldwide hotels beginning September 1, 2010. (Hilton – Aug 2 press release)
Hyatt Hotels – Hyatt Gold Passport
Hotel Brands: Park Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Vacation Club, Hyatt Resorts, Andaz, Hyatt Summerfield Suites
* Hawaii Hyatt Hotels – 10,000 bonus points for 4 or more night stay, Dec 1 – Mar 31, 2011. Must book HI10K rate by Dec 31, 2010. (Nov 12)
* Hyatt Gold Passport Program Change – No elite status matches will be given for elite membership in another hotel program. Elite status trial offer is at the discretion of individual hotel properties.
4-key promotion – ‘Great 10K’ Fall 2010 offer awards 10,000 Gold Passport points for every 5 nights September 15 – December 15, 2010. Nights do not need to be consecutive nights. Stay every night in a Hyatt Hotel and you can earn 180,000 bonus points. Register online beginning September 15 at goldpassport.com/welcome10k. LT post Aug 25. This promotion may be combined with the 3,000 AA miles per stay offer below (60,000 AAdvantage miles).
Hyatt 5,000 points for two-night stays at 27 West Coast hotels.
- September 25 – December 30, 2010, use Special Offer Code 5000GP
- 5000GP rates are reasonable and do not appear to have a mark-up like most special offer rates.
Combinable with Great 10K offer for 10,000 bonus points every 5 nights. You can potentially earn 35,000 bonus points after 10 nights. This is a good deal. Two reward nights at high-end Category-5 hotels will cost 36,000 points. 35,000 points will get 7 free nights at a category-1 hotel. And unlike other hotel loyalty programs, you will find lots of Hyatt category-1 hotels
Program change: Hyatt Gold Passport hotel award categories increased for 25% of hotels as of June 4, 2010. Loyalty traveler post.
InterContinental Hotels Group – Priority Club
Hotel Brands: InterContinental Hotels, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites, Hotel Indigo
* 5-key offer IHG Priority Club Instant Platinum Elite status and a $25 gift card after 5 nights within 90 days. (Nov 15)
* IHG 2 nights for the Price of 1 in UK/Europe through December 30 – London for under $75 per night over the Christmas-New Year Holiday season. Suites under $300 per night.
* $50 flight credit for Friday, Saturday or Sunday night stay at any IHG brand hotel in the U.S. from November 5, 2010 to April 30, 2011 when you book by December 31, 2010.
* 15% points discount for retail and dining gift card Priority Club points rewards to November 30.
$50 gift cards = 17,000 points; $100 gift cards = 32,300 points
5-key promotion – Sweet Dilemma – Free night after two stays or double points/miles for stays between September 20 and December 31, 2010. Registration is required and member must choose to earn free nights or double points/miles. There is a limit of five free nights after ten stays. Free nights stays must be used between December 1, 2010 and May 31, 2011. Asia-Pacific region IHG hotels are not participating in free nights portion of this promotion. A big drawback to the free nights offer is members will not earn any base or elite points for the remainder of 2010, even if the free night offer is maxed out after ten stays. IHG loyalists may prefer double points or miles.
Priority Club PointBreaks through December 30, 2010 are probably the best hotel loyalty program reward night value available at 5,000 points for a free night. The current list favors the USA with 77 hotels and only 49 hotels for the rest of the world.
Some of these hotels will run over $200 per night on some dates. PointBreaks rewards reduce the reward cost for a 30,000 points per night InterContinental Hotel to just 5,000 points. That can be quite a points break for an extended stay.
Cheaper Hilton Reward nights using Priority Club points – this Loyalty Traveler analysis developed from the Anywhere Challenge. Hotels Anywhere allows Priority Club members to spend points for hotels in other chains. My study shows there are numerous Hilton Hotels requiring fewer Priority Club points than Hilton HHonors charges its members in HHonors points. (LT post Sep 17)
5-key offer Priority Club “Crack the Case” individually targeted promotion terms. My Crack the Case offer is a 5-key promotion, however, the best offers appear to be for Priority Club members who did not stay too frequently over the past year. Members who received this promotion have until May 31, 2011 to fulfill the tasks for bonus points. You need to already be a Priority Club member and check your email offer for your own Crack the Case promotion terms.
My offer was 162,000 points for five tasks and a 91,000 points bonus for completing four of the challenges: PC credit card enrollment 60,000 points; stay two Saturdays; stay in two brands, complete a hotel stay profile survey; stay 10 room nights. I can potentially receive 157,000 Priority Club points for just two Saturday hotel nights in two different brands over the next nine months.
3-key promotion – Sep 1-Dec 30 – Stay two consecutive weekend nights (Fri, Sat or Sun) at an IHG brand hotel in conjunction with a flight and get reimbursed for one roundtrip checked baggage fee up to $50. (Aug 17)
IHG Friend & Family Hotel Rates (through Dec 26, 2009)
Program Change: Ambassador Annual Membership Fee Increased from $150 to $200 as of July 1, 2010. You can also buy Ambassador membership for 32,000 Priority Club Rewards points (formerly 24,000).
Joie de Vivre Hotels – Joy of Life Club (California Boutique hotels)
3-key promotion – Earn both Virgin America Elevate points and Joy of Life points for the remainder of 2010. LT post July 22.
Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) – Leaders Club Rewards
3-key promotion – Earn 1 free night after every 5 hotel stays in 2010. Must stay in at least two different hotels. Bellagio in Las Vegas is LHW member. (April 13, 2010)
* LHW Hotels Special Offers link
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
* Marriott Gift Card purchases earn 10 points per US$1, up to 25,000 points through December 31, 2010. (Nov. 2)
* Earn 5,000 Delta miles for a Marriott stay and Delta flight between Nov. 1 – Jan. 31, 2011. One bonus per Delta ticket, so one-way tickets are way to maximize offer if the price is not much more than roundtrip. (LT post Nov 6)
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.
3-key promotion – Marriott Triple Airline Miles October 1-December 31, 2010. You need to set your Marriott Rewards earning preference to miles to register for this promotion. Marriott Rewards has 30 airline partners and miles are earned at the rate of 2 miles/$1 for full-service Marriott brands (3x miles = 6 miles/$1) and 1 mile per $1 for other Marriott brands (3x miles = 3 miles/$1). The Triple Miles promotion has just five participating airlines: Air Canada, Continental, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Jet Airways. Loyalty Traveler post Aug 26.
4-key promotion – Marriott MegaBonus (Sep 15-Jan 15, 2011) various targeted offers with the basic offer being one free night after two stays paid with Visa. Limit of two free nights during promotion. Free night valid only for Category 1 to category 4 hotels.
Active Marriott Rewards members may receive bonus points offers based on total nights stayed or 5,000 points for every two stays. There are several variations mentioned for 25,000 to 50,000 bonus points.
1-Key offer – Marriott Rewards Instant Redemption Awards (March 24, 2010)
Ritz-Carlton Rewards
5-key promotion – New members to Ritz-Carlton Rewards earn one free night for two stays through December 31, 2010. Limit of two free nights after four stays. You are not eligible for this offer if you are a current or past member of Marriott Rewards. I provided a guide to how new members can get $2,500 in Ritz-Carlton Hotel rooms for under $1,000. (LT post Sep 18)
Ritz-Carlton Rewards loyalty program launching Sep 15 (LT post Sep 14)
Reward Changes in new Ritz-Carlton Reward Tiers (LT post Sep 15)
Ritz-Carlton rewards Hotel + Air Packages Analysis (LT post Sep 16)
Starwood Hotels – Starwood Preferred Guest
Starwood Hotels brands: Sheraton, Westin, W Hotels, Le Meridien, Luxury Collection, St. Regis, Four Points, element, aloft.
* 4-Key promotion – Free weekend night after 3 stays paid with MasterCard in Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Stay November 1, 2010 – January 31, 2011 at over 250 Starwood Hotels. Maximum one free night may be earned per member during this promotion. Great offer, but too bad limited to one free night.
* Starwood Hotels Policy Change: Sheraton Hotel Club Lounges will be open 7 days a week in 2011.
* Starwood Preferred Guest – American Express credit card changes effective October 14, 2010. The annual fee is increasing to $65 from $45 for renewals beginning Oct 14. Benefit changes include 5 elite nights and 2 elite stays credit each year. This will have no effect for members who qualify on stays. The SPG50 certificate will be discontinued in favor of a 3rd night free offer at Sheraton Hotels. Loyalty traveler post (August 24); Sheraton 3rd Night Free Analysis (Nov 12)
* SPG American Express Facebook Sweepstakes – enter once each week’s prizes 21,000 Starpoints Nov 4-10; 30,000 Starpoints Nov 11-17; 36,000 Starpoints Nov 18-24; 60,000 Starpoints Nov 25-Dec 1.
Buy Starpoints at 20% discount. October 12 – December 31, 2010. $14 per 500 points rather than $17.50. Calendar year purchase limit is 20,000 points. $560 for 20,000 points. http://loyaltytraveler.boardingarea.com/2010/10/16/buy-spg-starpoints-20-discount-oct-12-dec-31-2010/
SPG Nights and Stays Count Double at Starwood’s Four Points, Aloft and Element brand hotels.
- October 1 – December 31, 2010
(This is basically the offer for fast-track Platinum or for an SPG member who is already just a couple of stays away from SPG Gold Elite since the other offer gives Gold elite after 4 stays.)
SPG Fast-Track to Gold elite after 4 stays at Starwood’s Four Points, Aloft and Element brand hotels.
- October 1 – January 31, 2011
There are about 200 hotels in these three Starwood brands, mostly in U.S.
Gold elite status good through February 2012 and earns a 50% elite bonus points. This is a great time to grab cheap elite with SPG.
SPG Platinum members only – register for an extra Starpoint during stays from October 1-December 31. Platinum members will receive two elite bonus points for every $1 in hotel spend for stays completed after requalification for 2011 Platinum status (25 stays or 50 nights in 2010). (LT post Sep 16)
2-key promotion – Every Night Counts Double/Triple Points for stays from Sep 8-Dec 15, 2010. Earn double points beginning with your first night and triple points (applied retroactively) after10 nights during the promotion period. Registration is required by October 31, 2010. The FAQ state this promotion is combinable with other SPG promotions.
There are over 150 hotels globally not participating in this promotion, so check the list carefully. The list of non-participating Starwood properties are posted on FlyerTalk.
Every Night Counts does not thrill me as the primary Fall 2010 SPG promotional offer. Spend $2,000 on 10 or more nights during the promotion and you will only earn 8,000 bonus points with triple points. That is nothing to get too excited about.
4-key promotion – Earn 10,000 bonus points at Starwood Resorts for a stay of four or more nights between Sep 1 and Dec 19, 2010 at any of 131 participating resorts globally. This bonus may be earned multiple times. Only stays after promotion registration are eligible for bonus. Register by Sep 30.
4-Key Promotion – (through Dec 30) 3,000 Bonus Points for Sunday night stay at 11 NYC area Starwood Hotels through December 30. (Aug 13, 2010)
3-Key Promotion – (through Dec 31) 3rd Night Free or Two Free nights on six-night stay in Europe, Africa, and Middle East when paying with MasterCard
SPG program change: Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards is new airline partner. Exchange rate for points-to-miles transfer is 1,500 Starpoints = 1 Rapid Rewards credit. Free roundtrip flight requires 16 credits. SPG members may also earn 0.5 credits per stay through SPG Airline Direct Deposit. (August 19, 2010)
4-Key Promotion – SPG Rewarding Returns offers members a choice after 5 stays by December 31, 2010. Promotion choices are 25% off an award up to five nights at any category 1 to 5 hotel for redemption by July 31, 2011. Discount may be combined with “5th night free award”. Other choices are $50 hotel credit certificate or 4,000 Starpoints. Loyalty Traveler post July 14.
There are variations of this offer including only requiring one stay by August 31 for targeted members. Points offer ranges from 2,000 to 8,000 points, and some members may have a free night choice. Offers are targeted.
Promotion registration is required at https://www.spgpromos.com/rewardingreturns/index.cfm.
3-key promotion SPG link: Pay Your Birthyear Rate (This promotion can be an incredible 5-key savings or no savings depending on the hotel and your birthyear.) LT post 4/28/2009
3-key discount rates Starwood Hotel Rate Discount Codes for Multiple Night Stays
These offers are for rate discounts on stays of 2 to 6 nights. Third night free tends to be one of the best discount rates. 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.
Starpoints Airline Direct Deposit is Better for United, Continental, and Singapore miles (March 25, 2010)
Wyndham Worldwide – Wyndham Rewards
Double miles with 11 airlines – October 1-December 31, 2010
Participating airlines and travel partners are Aeromexico, Air Canada Aeroplan, Amtrak, Continental, Delta, Midwest, Southwest, Spirit, Sun Country, United and US Airways.
The catch is these promotions are hotel brand specific offers for most of the participating airlines, except Aeromexico and Air Canada Aeroplan.
Airline Bonuses:
* Qantas Airlines Sweepstakes – free flights for you and companion between Los Angeles and Adelaide for most of 2011. Enter by December 31, 2010.
* FareCompare Sweepstakes for a Rick Seaney designed Mileage Run. Enter by November 26, 2010.
Loyalty Traveler Research Articles
* The Promotion Variable in Hotel Loyalty Programs – Part 1 (Nov 8, 2010)
* The Promotion Variable in Hotel Loyalty Programs – Part 2 (Nov 8, 2010)
* The Promotion Variable – Part 3 – Hilton HHonors Case Study 2009-2010 (Nov 9, 2010)
Hotel Loyalty Credit Cards and the Value of Hotel Points
Hotel Rewards Credit Cards Comparison of Benefits (September 1)
Hotel Credit Cards Comparison by Value of Points (September 2)
Hotel Credit Card Comparison using NerdWallet.com Value of Points (Sep 5)
Loyalty Traveler’s Three Rules for the Value of Hotel Points (Sep 7)
Hotel Points to Airline Miles Conversion Tables
Hotel Points-to-Miles Conversion Tables for 9 hotel programs and 7 U.S. airlines (March 30, 2010)
Hotel Market Segments and Hotel Brand Profiles based on JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study
Overview JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study (Aug 10)
Loyalty Traveler comments on JD Power Luxury Segment and luxury hotel brands (Aug 11, 2010)
Loyalty Traveler comments on JD Power Upscale Segment Hotel Brands (Aug 11)
Loyalty Traveler Comments on JD Power 2010 Midscale Full Service Brand Ratings (Aug 13, 2010)
Loyalty Traveler comments on JD Power 2010 Midscale Limited Service Brands (August 15, 2010)
Loyalty Traveler comments on JD Power 2010 Economy/Budget Hotel Brand Ratings (August 16, 2010)
Comments on JD Power 2010 Extended Stay Hotel Satisfaction Index (Aug 17)
Hotel Rates Survey for USA States, Cities, and Average Hotel Rates Worldwide
Hotels.com 2010-Q2 – Global Hotel Price Index – This is a great resource for finding where hotel rates are high and low around the world. There are tables of USA average hotel rates by state and major cities. (Sep 14)
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