Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies - Earning Hotel Reward Points from Indirect Bookings

Hi Everyone
Can anyone tell me what, if any hotel loyalty programs will still credit you with points if you book indirectly, such as through an online travel agency like Orbitz or Priceline? For example, my friend has an Accor membership and says he gets points, but i have heard from other people that this is not the case.
Typically with airlines regardless of how you book, the points you will earn are made clear in the booking process. I find this is not the case with hotels.
Can anyone help me clear up this ambiguity?
Thanks
Jane^

Welcome to FT, janesmith!

It depends on the program. For example, Starwood (the one I'm most familier with) will credit you for non-pre-paid bookings made anywhere (except bookings for Asia-Pacific properties for some reason). But I'm pretty sure that others only credit you if you book directly through them.

Hi Everyone
Can anyone tell me what, if any hotel loyalty programs will still credit you with points if you book indirectly, such as through an online travel agency like Orbitz or Priceline? For example, my friend has an Accor membership and says he gets points, but i have heard from other people that this is not the case.
Typically with airlines regardless of how you book, the points you will earn are made clear in the booking process. I find this is not the case with hotels.
Can anyone help me clear up this ambiguity?
Thanks
Jane^

Hyatt allows booking via any website or over the phone if you pay an "eligible" rate, e.g. a published senior, AAA, government, best available rate. Wholesale and private rates do not earn credit; hotels.com and priceline.com are specifically disallowed. I think Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity should normally be safe.

Typically it's the pay-in-advance rates that aren't eligible. If you book a regular room rate through one of the agency sites, you should be able to give your rewards ID at checkin.

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Fairmont gives stay credit for most rates booked on third party sites.

If you get a hotel confirmation number, you might be able to associate your reservation to your hotel rewards account via their website, after making the reservation via another website. I think I've done that for HHonors.

Welcome to FT, janesmith!

It depends on the program. For example, Starwood (the one I'm most familier with) will credit you for non-pre-paid bookings made anywhere (except bookings for Asia-Pacific properties for some reason). But I'm pretty sure that others only credit you if you book directly through them.

My experience is that it can vary from property to property, for some loyalty programs. In one case, it was the front desk clerk who enrolled me in the program (on a Priceline NYOP stay). And whenever I stay at that property, and a few others of the same brand, I get points even when on a PL NYOP booking. Other properties in the chain refuse, saying that PL bookings are ineligible. I simply go with the flow, and offer up my loyalty card when checking in, as a sort of introduction, but without any expectation of getting anything. Sometimes I'm surprised.

The technical difference is between wholesale and non-wholesale rates.

If you book an 'Expedia Special Rate' hotel for $100, Expedia will only have paid $50 for that room. They get this price by guaranteeing x nights per year to that property. The property isn't going to give you credit for $100 of spend because its only seeing $50, and certainly can't afford to give you any status benefits or points because of the massive cut taken by Expedia. You, as the customer, don't realise this of course because Expedia is charging you the same as the hotels own site.

A normal Expedia booking (ie non-Special Rate) only pays Expedia the standard 10% industry commission and will get you points. The hotel treats this the same as any travel agent / corporate travel agent booking.

Hyatt allows booking via any website or over the phone if you pay an "eligible" rate, e.g. a published senior, AAA, government, best available rate. Wholesale and private rates do not earn credit; hotels.com and priceline.com are specifically disallowed. I think Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity should normally be safe.

This is the point "Raffles" made, below, also.

What is unfortunate is that Priceline also sells retail rate bookings, but it's not clear to me that many front-desk clerks are sophisticated enough to realize the difference. A retail rate should always be eligible for loyalty points, regardless of the agent, IMO. Unfortunately, as "Explore" suggests, I think many just follow the rule that PL is always disallowed. This is why I don't use PL's retail engine for any bookings: it yields damaged goods (pardon the metaphor).