Loyalty Traveler March 2016 Hotel Promotions Guide

March 2016 holds some good offers for hotel travel with Marriott MegaBonus, IHG Rewards Club Accelerate, Choice Privileges 8,000 points after two stays. These can be low cost promotions for easy free hotel nights.

Personally, I am still looking for a Marriott to start that promotion. Either there are no Marriott brand hotels present (Vilnius LT) or the hotels are high priced like 150 EUR for Courtyard Amsterdam Airport.

Checked my IHG Rewards Club Accelerate progress with two months to go. I am one Holiday Inn stay from completing the big bonus-qualifying task for a total 45,000 IHG Rewards Club points.

I completed 4 of 5 tasks with one $39 USD Holiday Inn Leiden hotel stay in the Netherlands and one Points and Cash 40,000 points + $70 reward night at The Venetian Las Vegas for a Saturday night family celebration of my mother’s 80th birthday.

All in all, I will have stayed three hotel nights at IHG to earn 45,000 points with the Accelerate promotion, spent $200, got a $330 room night in Las Vegas for points and $70 and I still net around 10,000 IHG points overall after earning the promotion bonuses.

We might work on wife’s IHG Rewards Club Accelerate promotion if more travel nights are needed by April 30.

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 bought the Fairmont, Raffles, Swissotel chain in late 2015.

Accor Hotels Brand Profile – Loyalty Traveler

Accor Hotels offers numerous promotions by global region and country that can be found on their website. I don’t cover many promotions from Le Club Accorhotels since it has such a small footprint in the USA. My primary hotel stay strategy is earn points in USA and spend points for most international hotel travel. I pass by lots of nice looking Accor Hotels in Pullman and Mercure brands and I have seen some not so nice looking Ibis hotels in my European travels.

Normal earn rate for Le Club Accorhotels is 10 EUR = 25 points for all brands, except Ibis and Adagio earn 50% rate. 500 bonus points is equivalent to spending an extra 200 EUR for the stay.

2000 points = 40 EUR as a fixed rate value in Le Club Accorhotels that can be used to pay for Accor hotel stays.

 

Best Western Rewards

Hotel Brands:

1. Best Western
2. Best Western Plus
3. Best Western Premier
4. BW Premier Collection (as close to luxury as BW gets. Five of 14 are in Sweden, so I might see one soon in my travels).

Primary spring 2016 promotion for  Best Western Rewards:

• February 8 to May 8, 2016: Receive a $25 Best Western Travel Card after two stays.
• Loyalty Traveler – Best Western $25 Travel Card every 2 stays Feb 8-May 8 (Feb 4, 2016).

Best Western Bonus Offers is a page with hotel specific bonus points promotions like double points.

 

Choice Privileges

Hotel Brands:

1. Comfort Inn
2. Comfort Suites
3. Quality Inn
4. Sleep Inn
5. Clarion Hotels
6. Cambria Suites
7. Ascend Hotel Collection
8. MainStay Suites
9. Suburban Extended Stay
10. Econo Lodge
11. Rodeway Inn
12. Partner hotel chain: Preferred Hotels & Resorts (reward nights available using Choice Privileges points; no earning).
13. Partner hotel chain: Nordic Choice Hotels (reward nights available using Choice Privileges points; no earning).

Global Promotion: Earn 8,000 points every two stays March 3 – May 5, 2016

Loyalty Traveler – Choice Privileges Stay Twice Earn 8,000 points Mar 3 to May 5, 2016 (March 3, 2016).

Loyalty Traveler – New Choice Privileges Points Expiration Policy: inactive accounts forfeit all points Aug 1, 2017 (New policy effective February 1, 2016)  

Choice Privileges Program Guide

Choice Privileges 2016 changes:

1. All Choice Hotels brands now earn 10 points per USD. Previously the economy brands EconoLodge and Rodeway Inn, and extended stay brands MainStay Suites and Suburban earned only 5 points per USD.
2. Points do not expire as long as there is member account activity every 18 months.
3. FlexRewards: lower the reward rate at over 1,500 hotels globally for either weekdays or weekends, depending on specific hotel’s busier period.
4. Weeknight Extras: Stays including a Sunday through Thursday night stays earn a bonus, like 500 bonus Choice Privileges points.

Loyalty Traveler – Choice Privileges 2016 program changes (Feb 17, 2016).

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)

Loyalty Traveler – Choice Privileges expands Points Plus Cash rewards for Preferred Hotels & Resorts partner rewards requiring 10,000 points per night + cash copay. Buy up to 250,000 points per year with Choice Privileges Points Plus Cash (March 2, 2016)

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.

Nordic Choice Club is the loyalty program for Nordic Choice Hotels in Scandinavia and Baltic region. Choice Privileges members in North America can redeem points for Nordic Choice Hotels, however, earning points requires membership in Nordic Choice Club. Nordic Choice Club has more hotels than any other hotel chain in the region and partners with Sokos in Finland to provide over 230 hotels in Nordic Europe for earning loyalty points.

Loyalty Traveler – Nordic Choice Club Guide for North Americans

Choice Hotels 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 Loyalty Traveler – Choice Hotel BRG free night claim (Feb 28, 2014).

 

Club Carlson Promotions

Hotel brands:

1. Radisson Blu
2. Radisson
3. Radisson Red
4. Park Plaza
5. Park Inn
6. Country Inn & Suites
7. Quorvus Collection

Loyalty Traveler – Buy Club Carlson points with 25% bonus by March 15, 2016. This offer drops the rate to buy points from $7.00 per 1,000 to $5.60 per 1,000 points. Maximum purchase is 50,000 points for $280.

Loyalty Traveler – Club Carlson 3rd night free rate Europe for stays to March 31, 2016. (Feb 5, 2016)

Loyalty Traveler – Club Carlson 5,000 bonus points for stays at two brands Jan 18–Mar 31, 2016 (Jan 19, 2016)

Targeted Club Carlson Promotions for Winter/Spring 2016

Loyalty Traveler – Club Carlson elite member 20,000 points after 7 nights Jan 11-Mar 31, 2016  (Jan 11, 2016)

Club Carlson Gold/Concierge elite member discount rates

Gold elites 2-for-1 and 4-for-2 rates in Europe, Middle East and Africa (May 2014). This is a deal I have used several times for big savings in European cities over the past three years. Most recently in Uppsala, Sweden.

• Loyalty Traveler – My Club Carlson 2-for-1 Sweden deal where 2 nights cost less than one (Oct 25, 2015).
• Loyalty Traveler – Radisson Blu Uppsala Club Carlson Gold elite 2-for-1 stay (Dec 15, 2015).

http://www.clubcarlson.com/2for1

Radisson Hotel MegaPoints rate for 10,000 bonus points per night allows Club Carlson members to potentially pick up 10,000 bonus points for as little as $20 more per night. My post lists all the participating Radisson Hotels for this offer. I used the MegaPoints rate at Radisson Vancouver Airport on April 18 to earn over 20,000 points when stacked with triple points promotion on a $132 rate.

Loyalty Traveler – List of Radisson hotels with Club Carlson MegaPoints rate for 10,000 bonus points.

Expired Promotion: Double Elite Nights worldwide from November 2 through December 31, 2015. Loyalty Traveler – Club Carlson Double Elite Nights Nov 2-Dec 31, 2015. This post is for reference when late 2016 rolls around for Club Carlson elites.

Club Carlson Program News

Reward Alert: Club Carlson announced on April 3, 2015 the elimination of the Club Carlson Visa member free reward night on reward stays of 2 or more nights. Members had until May 31, 2015 to book reservations for stays from June 1 and later using the free night benefit. The new benefit changes to one free night in the USA with $10,000 in Club Carlson Visa card spend. Big blow to probably the best value loyalty benefit in the hotel industry for the past couple of years. This remains here on the deals page since many members have reservations into late 2016. I have four reward nights in Stockholm July 2016 for 100,000 Club Carlson points. Those room nights cost 280,000 points now.

• Loyalty Traveler – Club Carlson Visa eliminates bonus award night benefit June 1, 2015 (April 6)
• 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)

 

Hilton HHonors Promotions

Hilton Worldwide Brands

1. Hilton Hotels & Resorts
2. DoubleTree by Hilton
3. Embassy Suites
4. Hilton Garden Inn
5. Hampton Inn
6. Waldorf-Astoria
7. Conrad
8. Homewood Suites
9. Home2 Suites
10. Curio Collection
11. Canopy
12. Tru
13. Hilton Grand Vacation

Hilton HHonors Jan 1 – April 30, 2016 Global Promotion

• Loyalty Traveler – Hilton HHonors Double Points or Miles Jan 1 to Apr 30, 2016

In February 2016, I wrote some posts looking at HHonors category 1 and category 2 hotels around the globe.

Loyalty Traveler – Where 53 HHonors category 1 hotels in 2016 are located

Loyalty Traveler – Hilton HHonors category 2 hotels USA and Americas 2016 list

Loyalty Traveler – Hilton HHonors category 2 hotels in Asia

Loyalty Traveler – Hilton HHonors 28 category 2 hotels in Europe, Middle East and Africa

HHonors News:

Loyalty Traveler – First Canopy by Hilton hotel Reykjavik, Iceland opens early 2016

Hilton HHonors announced in January 2015 it will only run two global promotions per year and focus on targeted member promotions.

Hilton news: Hilton purchased Parc 55 San Francisco in February, along with four other hotels in Florida for $1.76 billion using the proceeds from the sale of Waldorf Astoria New York to Chinese investors.

Loyalty Traveler – Parc 55 San Francisco Hilton Hotel part of Hilton $1.76 billion purchase of five hotels

Hilton free internet access

Loyalty Traveler – Hilton Free Wi-Fi for all HHonors members begins August 2015 (March 2, 2015)

@Play – Hilton HHonors lined up with Live Nation to bring concert tickets as an option for your points.

Loyalty Traveler – Hilton and LiveNation band together for five years (Jan 16, 2015)

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.)

 

Hyatt Gold Passport promotions

Hyatt Hotel Brands

1. Hyatt Regency
2. Grand Hyatt
3. Park Hyatt
4. Andaz
5. Hyatt House
6. Hyatt Place
7. Hyatt Centric
8. Unbound Collection
9. Hyatt Ziva All-inclusive
10. Hyatt Zilara All-inclusive
11. Hyatt Residences

No global promotion announced since end of September 30, 2015 promotion. Hyatt Gold Passport seems to be the first major hotel loyalty program that has shifted to the often heard loyalty executive manager pledge “to move hotel loyalty beyond points”.

Hyatt Hotels News – Hyatt launches new hotel marketing brand Unbound Collection (March 2, 2016).

Hyatt Gold Passport Change: Hyatt announces Diamond Suite Upgrades actually expire on their expiration date (Jan 22, 2016).

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.

Really Big Deal: Hyatt Guest of Honor Diamond elite benefit

Hyatt introduced new benefits for Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond members on March 1, 2015. Hyatt’s Guest of Honor benefit allows guests staying on a reservation booked with a Diamond member’s points to receive the Diamond member benefits for the hotel stay. This means I can book my parents into a Hyatt Hotel using my points and they will receive Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond benefits like late check-out, room upgrade and free breakfast.

Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond members also receive two United Airlines one-time Club Passes annually.

Loyalty Traveler – Hyatt New Diamond Benefits (February 18, 2015)

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)

Hyatt Mobile app promotion page and download links 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.

Loyalty Traveler – Mobile apps for hotel discounts and bonus points: Hyatt, Club Carlson, Expedia, TravelPony (Oct 5, 2014)

Hyatt Gold Passport Program

• Loyalty Traveler Guide to Hyatt Gold Passport – Overview
• Guide to Hyatt Gold Passport Airline Partners
• Guide to Hyatt and Las Vegas M life benefits
• Hyatt beats Starwood in USA for category 1 and 2 hotel awards

Hyatt Gold Passport introduced Points + Cash Rewards Jan 7, 2014.

Loyalty Traveler post Jan 7.

 

IHG Rewards Club

IHG Rewards Club Hotel Brands

1. InterContinental Hotels
2. Crowne Plaza
3. Holiday Inn (Holiday Inn Resort and Holiday Inn Club Vacations)
4. Holiday Inn Express
5. Hotel Indigo
6. Staybridge Suites
7. Candlewood Suites
8. EVEN
9. HuaLuxe (China)
10. Kimpton Hotels (currently not part of IHG Rewards Club)

Current IHG Rewards Club Promotions

IHG Accelerate 2016 ( targeted member tasks)

• Loyalty Traveler – IHG Rewards Club Accelerate 2016 Jan 1-April 30 promotion open for registration

IHG PointBreaks to January 31, 2016

• Loyalty Traveler – IHG PointBreaks Oct 26-Jan 31 Full List

IHG Surprises MasterCard promo Nov 15-Feb 15

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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.

Loyalty Traveler – IHG Rewards Club adds elite tier at 75 nights, lowers qualification for Gold and Platinum and adds points expiration policy (April 13, 2015).

300 IHG hotels went up in points price for reward nights on May 1, many of those by 10,000 points, while 150 hotels dropped in price by 5,000 points.

Loyalty Traveler – 300 hotels up, 150 down in IHG Reward Night Points Changes May 1, 2015 (April 27)

Loyalty Traveler Overview of IHG Rewards Club (Jan 6, 2014) – IHG Rewards Club in 2014: History, Award Nights and Elite Status

 

Kimpton Hotels and Kimpton Karma Rewards

Kimpton Hotels was purchased by InterContinental Hotels Group in December 2014. There are currently no plans to merge Kimpton Karma Rewards with IHG Rewards Club. The two loyalty programs continue to function separately and IHG Rewards Club members receive no elite recognition at Kimpton Hotels. It remains to be seen how closely Kimpton Hotels will integrate with IHG loyalty programs.

Kimpton Karma Rewards Exclusive Offers provide some good discount hotel rates across the USA for bookings made in August.

Loyalty Traveler – Kimpton Karma Member Exclusive Rates offer good discounts (August 10, 2015)

Kimpton offers evening wine social, complimentary bicycle usage, pets stay free and now has introduced Nightcap Program for 17 hotels with more to join program in 2015.

Loyalty Traveler – Kimpton Hotels Nightcap Program free liquor social

Kimpton News – most of the San Francisco hotels dropped out of Kimpton Hotels in July 2015.

 

Marriott Rewards Promotions

Marriott International Brands

1. Marriott Hotels & Resorts
2. Renaissance Hotels
3. JW Marriott
4. Courtyard by Marriott
5. Residence Inn by Marriott
6. Fairfield Inn
7. TownePlace Suites
8. SpringHill Suites
9. Autograph Collection Hotels
10. Ritz-Carlton
11. Delta Hotels & Resorts
12. Gaylord Hotels
13. AC Hotels
14. Moxy
15. Protea Hotels (Africa)
16. Edition
17. Marriott Vacation Club
18. Marriott Executive Apartments
19. Bulgari (exclusive hotel brand does not participate in Marriott Rewards)

Marriott Spring 2016 MegaBonus

Loyalty Traveler – Marriott Rewards MegaBonus free night after two stays Feb 1-May 15 (one free night certificate per member limit).

Loyalty Traveler – Marriott Rewards Europe 1,000 bonus miles per stay (Stays Feb 1 – April 25, 2016).

Loyalty Traveler – Marriott Rewards 2,000 bonus points per Protea Hotel stay to May 30, 2016 (Feb 6, 2016).

Loyalty Traveler – Marriott Rewards New Music Fridays 10 free downloads (Feb 26, 2016) from Universal Music Group catalog. Free for Marriott Rewards members.

Marriott PointSavers hotels has about 35 hotels in USA, Caribbean 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.

Marriott Rewards News:

Marriott International buys Starwood Hotels (Nov 16, 2015)

Marriott Rewards counts reward nights on points and certificates for elite nights starting Nov 1, 2015

• Loyalty Traveler – New Marriott Cash + Points Guide and reward analysis
• Loyalty Traveler – Marriott International hotel brands room rate data 2015 Q3  (Oct 29, 2015)
• Loyalty Traveler – Marriott Rewards 100 Protea Hotels in Africa are mostly category 1 and 2 hotels

Marriott Rewards category changes effective March 19, 2015

Some 1,400 Marriott Rewards hotels, about 1 in 3 hotels worldwide, are changing category with 75% up in reward category and 25% down. Of those going up, nearly 90% are located in the USA.

• Loyalty Traveler – Marriott Rewards March 19, 2015 hotel category changes are bad news.
• Loyalty Traveler – Checking out 52 Marriott brand hotels going down March 19, 2015 in reward night category
• Loyalty Traveler – Marriott Rewards category increases March 19, 2015 are 90% USA hotels
• Loyalty Traveler – 26 South Africa hotels joined Marriott Rewards February 23, 2015

Marriott announced its plans to double size in Europe by 2020 primarily through Moxy and Courtyard brands. Loyalty Traveler – Marriott to Moxy and Courtyard Europe

Marriott Rewards Points Expiration Policy Announced

Marriott introduced a policy that points expire after two years of inactivity beginning January 1, 2016. This means you will lose your points earned before January 1, 2014 if you do not have any Marriott Rewards activity in your account between then and next January 1.

Loyalty Traveler – Marriott Rewards points expire after two years of inactivity effective February 1, 2016

Loyalty Traveler – Marriott Rewards free WiFi worldwide begins January 15, 2015 (December 10, 2014)

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)

Marriott Points & Miles Deals – http://www.marriott.com/specials/mesSearchResults.mi

 

Ritz-Carlton Rewards

Ritz-Carlton Rewards members earn two elite nights credit for every stay at Ritz-Carlton properties during calendar year 2016.

2016 Ritz Carlton Rewards changes and offers.

NEW POINTS EXPIRATION POLICY

Starting February 1, 2016, members who do not have qualifying activity in the prior 24 months will forfeit all accumulated points. If you have not engaged in qualifying activity since January 31, 2014 you have until January 31, 2016 before the policy is enforced. Learn More.

2015 ANNUAL REWARDS HOTEL TIER/CATEGORY CHANGES

View the full list of hotel changes.

ANOTHER YEAR. ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY: RECEIVE CREDIT FOR TWICE THE NIGHTS

If you have yet to experience the benefits of Elite status or are looking to elevate your membership to the next level, 2016 could be your year. As a member of The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®, you will earn two Elite night credits for each night stay at participating Ritz-Carlton properties between January 1 and December 31, 2016.

 

Starwood Preferred Guest

Starwood Hotels Brands

1. Westin Hotels
2. Sheraton Hotels
3. Four Points by Sheraton
4. W Hotels
5. Luxury Collection
6. Tribute Portfolio
7. Le Meridien
8. Design Hotels
9. St. Regis
10. Element
11. Aloft

Take Two is SPG primary Winter/Spring 2016 global promotion

Loyalty Traveler – SPG Take Two Double Points Jan 11 to April 30, 2016, plus 250 points per night in a few places. Jan 16, 2016.

Loyalty Traveler – SPG 10,000 points for 25 nights by April 30. Jan 20, 2016.

Buy Discount Starpoints by April 15, 2016 at up to 25% off

Buy Starpoints for yourself or as a gift now through April 15, 2016, and get up to 25% off the regular price. Normal rate is $35 per 1,000 points.

• Get 10% off 5,000–9,500 Starpoints ($31.50 per 1,000 points)
• Get 15% off 10,000–14,500 Starpoints ($29.75 per 1,000 points)
• Get 20% off 15,000–19,500 Starpoints ($28.00 per 1,000 points)
• Get 25% off 20,000–30,000 Starpoints ($26.25 per 1,000 points)

SPG Special Rate: Pay Your Birth Year Rate (Pay fixed rate for first night and pay your birth year for nights 2 and 3.) Example, 1970 means $70 per night. Rate is adjusted at check-in.

Loyalty Traveler – When Starwood Birth Year Rate is a deal and an upgrade (May 9, 2015)

Hyatt and Starwood Hotels compared by brand room rates (Nov 5, 2015)

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)

Starwood Hotels added a new 10th hotel brand named Tribute Portfolio in 2015. Think Luxury Collection without the historical building setting. The idea is to have a Starwood brand for newer independent hotels to match Marriott Autograph Collection and Hilton Curio Collection. Luxury Collection hotels as a brand tend to be older restored buildings. We won’t know the scope of Tribute Portfolio until there are more properties to compare.

Now, in 2016 now has partner chain Design Hotels.

SLS Las Vegas becoming Starwood Tribute Portfolio and W Hotel (Nov 9, 2015)

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).

Loyalty Traveler – 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)

Loyalty Traveler – Starwood Preferred Guest Cash and Points Awards Guide

Hyatt beats Starwood in USA for category 1 and 2 hotel awards (July 3, 2014)

 

Wyndham Rewards

Wyndham Hotel Brands

1. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
2. Wyndham Grand
3. Wyndham Garden
4. Dolce Hotels & Resorts.
5. Tryp by Wyndham
6. Wingate by Wyndham
7. Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham
8. Microtel Inn & Suites
9. Ramada
10. Baymont Inn & Suites
11. Days Inn
12. Super 8
13. Howard Johnson
14. Travelodge
15. Knights Inn

Wyndham Rewards is short on promotions, but big on program changes.

Loyalty Traveler – New Wyndham Rewards elite status program coming in 2016 (Dec 28, 2015).

Wyndham Rewards GoFree and GoFast Rewards

More changes were made to GoFast Rewards in recent months, including increasing the maximum copay to $150 and adding the GoFast and GoFree option to Wyndham Vacation properties.

Loyalty Traveler – Value in Wyndham Rewards Bonus Points rates Feb 8, 2016.

Loyalty Traveler – Wyndham BRG claims earn 3,000 points Jan 18, 2016.

Loyalty Traveler – Wyndham Rewards GoFast $150 copay hotels in New York and other places Jan 1, 2016.

Loyalty Traveler – Wyndham Rewards Vacation Properties GoFast and GoFree reward nights Dec 28, 2015.

Wyndham Rewards made major changes to its hotel loyalty program in May 2015. The value of Wyndham Rewards points for hotel stays has greatly improved. I wrote a series of articles in May 2015 analyzing the changes.

Loyalty Traveler – Loyalty brilliance in the new era of Wyndham Rewards (May 12, 2015) – a look at how the changes in Wyndham Rewards make lower end hotels more desirable for points stays with new GoFast reward nights for 3,000 points + cash payment of $25 to $95 per night.

Loyalty Traveler – Wyndham Irvine SNA Airport high points value with Go Fast award stay (May 12, 2015)

Loyalty Traveler – Pick up a quick 9,000 Wyndham Rewards points for about $110 to $130 (May 14, 2015) – Wyndham Rewards members can buy 5,000 points for $55 in a calendar year. Wyndham Rewards also offers 3,000 bonus points on your first stay and a minimum 1,000 points earning for any hotel stay in the new program. Earning 9,000 points for about $110 to $130 is fairly easy and those 9,000 points can easily save over $200 on three GoFast reward nights.

Meet the New Wyndham Rewards (May 2015 loyalty program relaunch)

One of the biggest hotel loyalty program developments of the past month is the restructured Wyndham Rewards hotel  loyalty program. The two primary changes are all hotel reward nights are 15,000 points per night, regardless if the hotel is a $40 average rate Super 8 in the middle of nowhere or a $500 per night weekend room at the Wyndham Santa Monica on the beach in Los Angeles. More useful for hotel discount savings are the new GoFast reward nights, a cash and points reward for 3,000 points + $25 to $95 per night. The GoFast rewards can be high value for points with savings in the $20 to $30 per night range easy to find. For me, the value of Wyndham Rewards points has changed from an average of about $6 to $9 per 1,000 points in the old program to $20 to $30 per 1,000 points with the new rewards choices.

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Loyalty Traveler Airfare Deals

For current airfare deals, see Loyalty Traveler’s Airfare Deals page.

Airfare deals are low economy prices to travel to airports of the world. I try and only publish airfares that tend to be in the lowest 25% available during the year based on the typical price for airline routes. The best deals in air travel generally are gone within 24 hours in the constantly changing gamble of actually buying an airline ticket that is essentially nonrefundable.

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Ric Garrido of Monterey, California is writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler.