Loyalty Traveler February 2015 Hotel Promotions Guide
One of the big pieces of news for February 2015 is Hilton HHonors announced it will run only two global promotions each year and offer targeted promotions during other periods. Targeted promotions is research advice I have heard at industry conferences since starting Loyalty Traveler eight years ago. The obstacle for all these years is the appropriate software to data mine all the information hotel loyalty programs have on their members. Apparently that obstacle has been overcome as Hilton, Hyatt, IHG and Marriott now primarily rely on targeted promotion offers.
2015 sees expanded free internet access in Hyatt, Marriott and Starwood Hotels. Pretty much every major hotel chain, except Hilton, now guarantees free internet access worldwide for loyalty members across more than a dozen hotel chains. Hilton limits free internet access to Gold and Diamond members.
Loyalty Traveler – Free Internet Rules for 2015 across major hotel brands (Feb 5, 2015)
Starwood Hotels improved its Best Rate Guarantee to offer a 20% discount. For me at least, this makes Starwood Hotels more competitive to other BRG claims. 2,000 points was good compensation for a $100 room night, but for a $200 room night found for $180 somewhere else, the 10% discount for a $162 rate did not make the grade compared to Marriott 25% off for $135 rate and Hyatt 20% off for $144 rate. Good move Starwood.
The other major trend is a change in cancellation policies with Hilton, Marriott and Starwood announcing Day Before Arrival policies worldwide for hotel reservation cancellation without penalty. Hilton and Marriott require cancellation by 11:59pm day before arrival and Starwood requires 6pm Day Before Arrival.
Best Western Rewards
Best Western February 2 – March 15, 2015 Stay two times and earn a choice of
- $35 Best Western Travel Card
- $25 gift card Amazon,
- $25 gift card Best Buy,
- $25 gift card iTunes or
- $25 gift card Dunkin’ Donuts.
This is a global promotion with residents outside USA, Canada and Caribbean automatically earning 6,500 bonus points every two stays. There is no gift card option for Best Western Rewards members outside the USA, Canada and Caribbean. There is also no option to choose 6,500 bonus points if you reside in the Americas regions offering the gift card choices.
Best Western Feb 2 to March 15 2015 $35 BW Gift Card for 2 stays or unAmerican 6,500 points (Feb 2, 2015).
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Best Western Aeroplan 2,000 miles per stay to April 30, 2015. This is 8x the normal 250 miles per stay at Best Western hotels. Valid for stays in USA, Canada or Caribbean. This looks like better value than $35 travel cards for Aeroplan miles collectors.
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Hotel Rate Discount: Best Western Great Britain Winter Sale has 280 hotels for 30% or 40% or 50% off Best Flexible Rate for stays December 15 to March 31, 2015. These rates are prepaid and nonrefundable.
Choice Privileges
Choice Privileges offers triple points for stays that include a Sunday to Thursday night, which is 30 points per dollar at most brands. I value Choice Privileges points by hotel redemption values in Norway and Sweden. This is one of the best value offers for travel in January and February, Spend $534 at Choice Hotels and earn 16,000 points. That is enough points for one night at about 160 Choice Hotels in Norway or Sweden, where rates are typically $200 to $400 per night.
Loyalty Traveler – Choice Privileges Triple Points Dec 29-February 18, 2015 (December 29, 2014)
Choice Privileges Points Plus Cash Reward Nights – the concept is simple. You need 8,000 points in your account and you can pay $7.50 per 1,000 points for additional points needed. A hotel reward night at 16,000 points can be bought for 8,000 points + $60.
Loyalty Traveler – Choice Privileges launches Points Plus Cash rewards (Jan 23, 2015)
Loyalty Traveler – Choice Privileges Points Plus Cash Trick (Jan 30, 2015)
Choice Privileges Points Plus Cash model is closest to the IHG Rewards Club model. This also means members can build points balances buying and canceling hotel reward stays at the rate of $7.50 per 1,000 points, rather than the normal purchase price of $11 per 1,000 points. Members can buy up to 250,000 points per year using Points Plus Cash Rewards.
Club Carlson Promotions
Extend Your Stay Bonus Points: 15,000 bonus points for 2-night stay and 30,000 bonus points for 3-night and longer stays at any Club Carlson participating hotel January 12 to March 29, 2015.
Loyalty Traveler – Club Carlson Jan 12 to March 29, 2015 stays earn 15K for 2 nights, 30K for 3 nights (Jan 5, 2015).
Extend Your Stay is the best hotel bonus points offer during this period among the major hotel chains.
Loyalty Traveler – Hotel stay examples stacking Club Carlson promotions to rack up points and miles (September 22)
Club Carlson Gold elites 2-for-1 and 4-for-2 rates in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Loyalty Traveler – May 29, 2014.
http://www.clubcarlson.com/2for1
Club Carlson Car Rentals
AVIS – Earn 9,000 to 10,000 Club Carlson points with an AVIS 4-day rental through December 31, 2015.
Alamo Car Rental – Earn 1,500 Club Carlson points per day through December 31, 2015. Use Contract ID 7015940. The rate went up $3.00 with a frequent flyer points fee for earning Club Carlson points.
National Car Rental – Earn 1,500 Club Carlson points per day through December 31, 2015. Use Contract ID 5030270. The rate went up $3.00 with a frequent flyer points fee for earning Club Carlson points.
AVIS Airport Location Rentals
AWD Number for Club Carlson = G639300
9,000 points Coupon Code = MUHA021
- Offer of 9,000 total Gold Points is valid on rentals of three days or longer at participating Avis airport locations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand.
- Bonus Gold Points are in addition to the base points you receive each time you rent with Avis. 9,000 total Gold Points offer reflects 8,250 bonus points plus 750 base points earned.
FrequentFlyerBonuses.com and LoyaltyLobby.com list a 10,000 points rental car bonus points offer from Club Carlson. The primary offer on the Club Carlson website is 9,000 points on a 4-day or longer Avis rental. This is 8,250 bonus points + 750 normal rental points for 9,000 Club Carlson points.
I did not find a direct link to the Club Carlson Avis offer, but it works. I checked Kelowna, British Columbia Canada and found the 10,000 bonus points offer for a 4-day car rental by entering MUHA002 in the coupon code box.
Here are main T&C as posted on Loyalty Lobby.
- 1,750 bonus points is valid on rentals of 1 day in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- 4,250 bonus points is valid on rentals of 2 days in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- 6,750 bonus points is valid on rentals of 3 days in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- 9,250 bonus points is valid on rentals of 4+ days in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- Bonus Gold Points are in addition to the base points you receive each time you rent with Avis. 10,000 total Gold Points offer reflects maximum of 9,250 bonus points plus 750 base points earned.
- Rental must begin by December 31, 2015.
Hilton HHonors Promotions
Hilton HHonors announced in January 2015 it will only run two global promotions per year and focus on targeted member promotions. Some HHonors elite members have reported lucrative promotion offers like 100,000 points and double elite credit.
The next global promotion is scheduled to begin March 1, 2015.
You may want to check for emails from Hilton HHonors and look over your account for targeted offers.
@Play – Hilton HHonors lined up with Live Nation to bring concert tickets as an option for your points. Currently there are concerts like Maroon 5 in Washington D.C. on Monday, March 2. Two tickets are 150,000 HHonors points.
As an old-timer in Hilton HHonors, I think back to the days in 2002 when 150,000 points bought six nights at any of the top Hilton brand hotels in the world.
Loyalty Traveler – Hilton and LiveNation band together for five years (Jan 16, 2015)
Hyatt Gold Passport promotions
Hyatt Stay More Play More January 15-April 30, 2015 has five targeted promotion variations from 2,000 bonus points to 65,000 bonus. Login to your account to find which offer you received or join Hyatt Gold Passport.
Loyalty Traveler – Hyatt Gold Passport Stay More Play More Jan 15 to April 30, 2015 registration (Jan 9, 2015)
Hyatt Hotels – Free Wi-Fi for all Hyatt guests around the world as of February 2015. Free internet benefit does not require Hyatt Gold Passport membership and there are no Hyatt booking channel restrictions. All Hyatt guests get free Wi-Fi access on an unlimited number of devices. Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond and Platinum elite members receive complimentary upgrade to premium Wi-Fi service, where available. Hyatt’s reach is 573 hotels.
Hyatt Gold Passport News: Loyalty Traveler – Hyatt Award category changes Jan 22, 2015 with 22 hotels up and 48 down (December 10, 2014)
Hyatt Gold Passport News: Loyalty Traveler – Hyatt drops My Elite 20% Discount Rate and 5,000 points Bed Type Guarantee (Dec 11, 2014)
Expired bonus points offer, but I’ll keep the link up for Hyatt mobile app download. Hyatt mobile app earned 1,000 points per booking Oct 1- Dec 31, 2014.
Hyatt Mobile app promotion page and download links
Loyalty Traveler – Mobile apps for hotel discounts and bonus points: Hyatt, Club Carlson, Expedia, TravelPony (Oct 5)
IHG Rewards Club
IHG PointBreaks November 24-February 28, 2015 are one of the best deals in hotel loyalty with every hotel 5,000 points per night.
Loyalty Traveler – IHG PointBreaks Nov 24 to Feb 28, 2015 by State and Country.
IHG Set Your Sights January 1, 2015 to April 30, 2015 earns up to 50,000 bonus points for completing tasks in your targeted offer. My tasks require a minimum 6 nights with two 2-night weekends and 2 stays at Crowne Plaza. Kelley’s tasks require a minimum 3 nights including one weekend stay at a Holiday Inn. Loyalty Traveler – Our IHG Set Your Sights tasks for 50000 points Jan 1-Apr 30, 2015
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Loyalty Traveler – IHG mobile app and bonus points breakfast package for Into the Nights. This post has the link for finding bonus points and breakfast package rates for hotels where they may not appear in a regular search. Some hotels offer 5,000 points for as low as $10 more than Best Flexible Rate.
IHG link to find hotel package rates for Bonus Points with Breakfast. Offers are generally 1,000 bonus points + breakfast; 5,000 bonus points; 5,000 bonus points + breakfast. These are often a good deal for a one-night stay to buy 5,000 points at a discount (rate is generally $20 to $40 more) if you need breakfast for the hotel stay.
Marriott Rewards Promotions
Loyalty Traveler – Marriott Rewards free WiFi worldwide begins January 15, 2015 (December 10, 2014)
Free Night offer for New Members of Marriott Rewards, Earn one free category 1-5 hotel night certificate after two stays within 90 days of enrollment. This offer is reported stackable with MegaBonus free night offer. Loyalty Traveler post: New Marriott Rewards members earn one category 5 free night certificate after two stays in 120 days (Feb 6, 2014). Category 5 hotels include several hotels around the world that will run $300+ per night.
Loyalty Traveler – Marriott MegaBonus offers for Feb 1 to April 30, 2015 (Dec 19, 2014)
Spring MegaBonus February 1 to April 30, 2015 targeted offers:
- Earn 3,000 points on every paid stay that includes a Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday — up to 24,000 bonus points (maxes out after 9 stays over weekend day)
- Earn 3,000 points on every paid stay, starting with your second stay, up to 24,000 bonus points (maxes out after 9 stays)
- Earn 2,500 points on every paid stay, starting with your second stay, up to 25,000 bonus points (maxes out after 11 stays)
- Earn 2,000 points on every paid stay, starting with your second stay, up to 24,000 bonus points (maxes out after 13 stays)
- Earn 10,000 points after 10 paid nights plus 2,000 points with every additional night, up to 24,000 bonus points (maxes out after 17 nights)
- Earn 25,000 points after 20 paid nights plus 2,000 points after every additional night, up to 35,000 bonus points (maxes out after 25 nights)
- Earn 15,000 points after 15 paid nights plus 2,000 points with every additional night, up to 35,000 bonus points (maxes out after 25 nights)
- Earn 25,000 points after 15 paid nights plus 2,000 points after every additional night, up to 45,000 bonus points (maxes out after 25 nights)
Ritz-Carlton Rewards
Double Elite Nights for Ritz-Carlton stays in 2015.
Loyalty Traveler – Ritz-Carlton Rewards double elite nights in 2015 for Ritz-Carlton hotel stays (Jan 15, 2015).
Starwood Preferred Guest
SPG Double Play January 5 – April 15, 2015 earn double points on 2-night stays and 1,000 bonus points after every five nights, up to 4,000 bonus points for 20 nights.
Loyalty Traveler – SPG Double Play Jan 5 to April 15, 2015 is double weak (December 30, 2014).
Starwood News: Best Rate Guarantee changed to a 20% discount on lower rate for approved claims or 2,000 bonus Starpoints and match lower rate.
Loyalty Traveler – Starwood Best Rate Guarantee now cuts 20% off lower rate (Jan 6, 2015)
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I am keeping up the Q4 2014 promotion to allow readers to see the SPG promotions trend of hotel spend based offers from 2014 to 2015.
Expired Promotion: SPG More For You double and triple points promotion for stays of two or more nights from September 15 to December 15, 2014. SPG More for You promotion registration is required by October 31.
Earn double points (total 4 points/$1) for weekdays and triple points (total 6 points/$1) for stays that include a weekend night. The definition of weekends depends on what region of the world you are staying.
Loyalty Traveler – My opinion on weak SPG More for You Double and Triple Points promotion Sep 15 to Dec 15, 2014 (Sep 8)
Wyndham Rewards
2015 Bonus Points for stays 2-6 from October 15, 2014 to January 30, 2015 for a maximum 10,075 bonus points after six stays.
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Loyalty Traveler Research and recent info:
Global Airline Passenger Traffic Data 2014 (Dec 12, 2014) Europe and Asia have more airline traffic than North America.
Average rates for most and least expensive hotel chain brands in Q3 2014 (Dec 8, 2014)
Difficulty of getting IHG Best Price Guarantee claim approval for international hotels
Which Hotel Programs count award stays for elite membership?
Hyatt and Starwood brands average room rates compared (based on 2014 Q-1 average rates by brand)
Average Hotel Rates for Hilton and Marriott brands
Use Google Flights to find low cost routes around Europe
Finding low airfare routes with Skyscanner
Norwegian Air USA to Europe under $500 round trip August-September 2014 (July 24, 2014) Norwegian Air $89 checked bag fee OAK-Stockholm comes with assigned seat and meals
InterContinental Chicago O’Hare rebranded to Loews Chicago O’Hare and YouFirst Benefits (July 25, 2014)
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Below are brand profiles, continuing promotions among major hotel chains and some past promotion offers from 2014. There are some good discount rates to be found below.
Accor Hotels – Le Club Accorhotels
Hotel Brands: Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure, Suite Novotel, The Sebel, Ibis, Ibis Styles, Adagio, Thalassa Sea & Spa.
Accor Hotels Brand Profile – Loyalty Traveler
Accor Hotels offers numerous promotions by global region and country that can be found on their website.
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Best Western Hotels – Best Western Rewards
Hotel Brands: Best Western, Best Western Plus, Best Western Premier
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Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group – Club Carlson
Hotel brands: Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson Red, Park Plaza, Park Inn, Country Inn & Suites, Quorvus Collection.
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Club Carlson Gold elites 2-for-1 and 4-for-2 rates in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Loyalty Traveler post May 29.
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10,000 bonus points per stay packages at six Radisson Hotels in USA.
MegaPoints 10,000 points per night at six Radisson Hotels in USA (Feb 20, 2014). This offer is a good deal on a rate $20 more than BAR. There is no main promotion page and no dates provided for the duration of this offer at six hotels:
New York City Radisson Martinique on Broadway and Radisson JFK Airport
Orlando Radisson Resort Orlando – Celebration and Radisson Hotel Orlando – Lake Buena Vista and Radisson Hotel Orlando – UCF Area
San Francisco Radisson Hotel Fisherman’s Wharf
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Club Carlson Hotel Brands Profile by Loyalty Traveler (Jan 8, 2014).
Club Carlson Hotel Loyalty Program Basics by Loyalty Traveler (Jan 8, 2014)
Analysis of Club Carlson award category increases at 114 hotels on March 15, 2014 (Feb 24, 2014)
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Choice Hotels – Choice Privileges
Hotel Brands: Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, Ascend Hotel Collection, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn.
Choice Hotel BRG free night claim
Choice Hotels free night with approved Best Rate Guarantee. Here is a post on my experience claiming a successful Best Rate Guarantee with one free night (Feb 28, 2014).
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Hilton Worldwide – Hilton HHonors
Hilton hotel brands: Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf-Astoria Collection, Conrad Hotels, DoubleTree, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, Home2 Suites.
Hilton HHonors Double Points November 1 – January 31, 2015. Double points begins with your second stay.
Loyalty Traveler – Register for Hilton HHonors Double Up Double Points Nov 1 to Jan 31, 2015
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Hilton HHonors Loyalty Traveler Guide (July 16, 2014)
Loyalty Traveler post: Loyalty Traveler Hilton HHonors Points and Money Rewards table (July 16, 2014) – Hilton does not post a table for Points and Money Rewards on its website.
Loyalty Traveler post: Warning: Do Not Trust HHonors Rewards Pricing Tool (July 3, 2014)
Loyalty Traveler post: Hilton HHonors 39 award category changes and 56 new hotels (July 3, 2014)
Loyalty Traveler post: Marriott beats Hilton for category 1 and 2 hotels in USA (July 7, 2014)
Loyalty Traveler post: Hilton HHonors Seasonal Reward Rates clarified (Jan 24, 2014).
Loyalty Traveler post: Tutorial: Finding HHonors Points & Money and Standard Rewards (Jan 28, 2014).
Loyalty Traveler table: Hilton HHonors Points & Money Rewards table (there is no table on the Hilton HHonors site showing the cost of Points & Money Rewards by hotel category. I created this one.)
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Hyatt Hotels – Hyatt Gold Passport
Hotel Brands: Hyatt Regency, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Place, Hyatt House, Park Hyatt, Andaz
Hyatt Gold Passport Earn up to 3,000 Hyatt bonus points for every three Las Vegas Mlife nights to Dec 31 2014 (August 10, 2014)
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Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall Montego Bay, Jamaica Grand Opening 50% off rate
Book by October 31, 2014 for stays through December 1, 2015.
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Loyalty Traveler Guide to Hyatt Gold Passport – Overview
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Guide to Hyatt Gold Passport Airline Partners
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Hyatt beats Starwood in USA for category 1 and 2 hotel awards
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Hyatt Gold Passport introduces Points + Cash Rewards Jan 7, 2014.
The main problem is Points + Cash availability is not an online function. You have to call Hyatt to book Points + Cash reward stays. Anecdotal reports suggest availability is very good.
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InterContinental Hotels Group – IHG Rewards Club
Hotel Brands – InterContinental Hotels, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites, Hualux (China), Even.
Loyalty Traveler overview of IHG Rewards Club (Jan 6, 2014) – IHG Rewards Club in 2014: History, Award Nights and Elite Status
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IHG Into the Nights (Expired Promotion)
I am leaving up links this month to my articles on IHG Into the Nights since this was the major promotion I concentrated on for hotel stays during the last two months of 2014. Kelley and I picked up four free nights good for any IHG hotel worldwide in 2015. The promotion was a hassle with unclear terms and changing tasks, yet we persevered and earned four free nights after six paid nights and about $650 in spend, the last stay being December 30, 2014.
Promotion Expired: IHG Fall promotion for 50,000 bonus points or 10,000 bonus miles September 4 to December 31, 2014. Register for the “Into the Nights” promotion at www.ihg.com/freenights. Once registered, members receive their tailored set of offers and begin earning IHG® Rewards Club bonus points or bonus airline miles when they stay at any IHG®-branded hotel between.
Loyalty Traveler – My IHG Rewards Club Into the Nights offer (September 5, 2014)
Loyalty Traveler – IHG Into the Nights Clusterf#*k (October 20, 2014)
Loyalty Traveler – Dealing with IHG Into the Nights Fiasco. I was one of the members deeply impacted by IHG Rewards Club Into the Nights changes in October 2014. (October 26, 2014)
Loyalty Traveler – IHG Into the Nights fiasco deconstructed (October 29, 2014)
Loyalty Traveler – Completed my IHG Into the Nights in 2 nights for $235? (December 8, 2014)
Loyalty Traveler – My IHG Into the Nights tasks posted for 2 free nights (December 11, 2014)
Loyalty Traveler – Closing out IHG Into the Nights before Set Your Sights on 2015 (January 2, 2015)
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IHG PointBreaks November 24-February 28, 2015 are one of the best deals in hotel loyalty with every hotel 5,000 points per night. Loyalty Traveler – IHG PointBreaks Nov 24 to Feb 28, 2015 by State and Country.
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Marriott International – Marriott Rewards
Marriott hotel brands: Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites, TownePlace Suites, Residence Inn, Courtyard by Marriott, Autograph Collection, Ritz-Carlton, Marriott Vacation Clubs
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Expired Promotion: Marriott Rewards MegaBonus targeted offers Sep 15-Jan 15, 2015 Loyalty Traveler post August 13, 2014
- Version 1: Earn double points with every paid stay, starting with your second stay, up to 25,000 bonus points.
- Version 2: Earn 2,500 bonus points on every stay, starting with your second paid stay, up to 25,000 bonus points.
- Version 3: Earn 25,000 bonus points after 12 paid nights, plus an additional 5,000 points after 18 paid nights, up to 30,000 bonus points.
- Version 4: Earn 25,000 bonus points after 15 paid nights, plus an additional 15,000 points after 20 paid nights, up to 40,000 bonus points.
- Version 5: Earn 35,000 bonus points after 20 paid nights, plus and additional 15,000 after 25 nights, up to 50,000 bonus points.
- Version 6: Earn 35,000 bonus points after 20 paid nights, plus an additional 2,000 for every additional paid night, up to 55,000 bonus points.
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Marriott Rewards Refer-a-Friend for up to 50,000 points (August 1, 2014)
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Atlantis Resort Bahamas joins Marriott Autograph Collection (July 7, 2014)
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Marriott PointSavers hotels has about 60 hotels in USA and UK offering reward nights at one category discount. A category 5 hotel at 25,000 points per night is only 20,000 points with PointSavers award. These award discount rates also apply to 5th night free.
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Loyalty Traveler post: Marriott beats Hilton for category 1 and 2 hotels in USA (July 7, 2014)
Loyalty Traveler post – Marriott Rewards Hotel + Air Package Rewards for United and other airlines (Feb 5, 2014)
Loyalty Traveler post – Tutorial: Marriott’s Cash + Points Rewards with 5th Night Free (Jan 28, 2014)
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Marriott Points & Miles Deals – http://www.marriott.com/specials/mesSearchResults.mi
There are hundreds of discount rates, package deals and points and miles bonus offers at Marriott hotels worldwide. My advice is to check the Marriott specials site and search your destination city for special offers at marriott brand hotels.
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Loyalty Traveler post – Marriott MegaBonus 16 days hiatus and why Category 4 Certificates have less value in 2014 (Jan 15, 2014).
Loyalty Traveler post – Marriott International hotel numbers by brand 12-31-13
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Starwood Hotels – Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG)
Starwood brands: Westin, Sheraton, Four Points, Aloft, Element, Luxury Collection, St. Regis, W Hotels, Le Meridien
Expired Fall 2014 Promotions
SPG More For You double and triple points promotion for stays of two or more nights from September 15 to December 15, 2014. SPG More for You promotion registration is required by October 31.
Earn double points (total 4 points/$1) for weekdays and triple points (total 6 points/$1) for stays that include one weekend night. The definition of weekends depends on what region of the world you are staying.
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Loyalty Traveler post: Tutorial: SPG Browse Dates and Rates Feature (Jan 30, 2014)
Loyalty Traveler Guide to SPG Airline Partners, Transfers and Airline Direct Deposit program (July 1, 2014)
Starwood Preferred Guest Cash and Points Awards Guide
Hyatt beats Starwood in USA for category 1 and 2 hotel awards (July 3, 2014)
SPG 2014 Hotel Category Reassignment:
Loyalty Traveler post:Analysis of SPG Hotels outside USA rising in award category March 4, 2014
Loyalty Traveler post: 139 hotels down in Starwood Hotels award category reassignment March 4, 2014
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Starwood Hotels Birth Year rate can be a great savings at some hotels. Pay a set rate for the first night of your hotel stay and get the second and for select hotels third night at the nightly rate of your birth year. For example, born in 1975, then the room rate is $75. At some hotels this will be the lowest rate possible and can save a $100 to $300 on a hotel stay.
http://americas.starwoodoffers.com/payyourbirthyear
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Starwood Preferred Guest And Caesars Total Rewards Partnership
SPG has teamed up with Caesars Entertainment to reward points to each other’s members. This deal allows members to earn SPG points at Caesars properties. Redemption rates are generally poor using SPG points for Caesars Hotels.
Loyalty Traveler posts on SPG and Caesars partnership:
Caesars and Starwood Preferred Guest partner for points earning (Jan 21, 2014)
Redemption Value analysis using SPG points for Caesars award stays in Las Vegas (Jan 21, 2014).
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Wyndham Hotel Group – Wyndham Rewards
Wyndham Hotel Brands: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Wyndham Grand, Wyndham Garden, Tryp by Wyndham, Wingate by Wyndham, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham, Microtel Inn & Suites, Dream Hotels, Night Hotels, Planet Hollywood, Ramada Worldwide, Baymont Inn & Suites, Days Inn, Super 8, Howard Johnson, Travelodge, Knights Inn.
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Earn 1,500 United Airlines Mileage Plus miles per stay at a Wyndham Hotel & Resort October 15 to January 16, 2015, beginning with your second stay. This bonus may be earned three times on your 2nd to 4th stays for 4,500 bonus miles. You can earn bonus miles for up to three rooms per stay.
Wyndham Rewards has another 10th Anniversary promotion.
Earn 1,000 points per night on stays of 2 or more nights, up to 10,000 bonus points per stay at a Wyndham Hotel November 1 to January 13, 2015.
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Wyndham Rewards points-to-miles exchange rate was cut by half for hotel points transfer to frequent flyer program miles on January 31, 2014 without any prior member notice. Loyalty Traveler post: Gone with the Wyndham Rewards: points-to-miles rate cut by half Jan 31, 2014 (Feb 1, 2014).
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Ric Garrido of Monterey, California is writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler.
Loyalty Traveler shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests.
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