IsleOfMan

About half-way through October I'll hit Diamond (for the first time since 2010) through stays I'm about 50/50 between 1-night stays in a particular location and intentional mattress hopping... I'll hit Diamond with 30 stays and 33 nights. I'll have 6-8 more stays in 2014 including 2 already reserved at Hilton properties that I can shift if need be.

I'm looking for a second program to augment HHonors for stays in 2015 where my total nights will probably jump to ~60. I would really like to utilize my 6-8 stays remaining in 2014 (most or all in Nov/Dec) to work through an elite challenge as well and go into 2015 with HHonors Diamond AND another mid/top-tier program.

Marriott makes the most sense in terms of properties where I travel and at the price-points I usually try to stick to (under $125/night except in more expensive markets like SFO, NYC, etc). They also have the most difficult status qualification requirements (I'd likely only re-qualify for Silver after 2015 because of no stay-based qualification option). That said, it looks like I could actually make Platinum on a challenge pretty easily (9 stays in 90 days) and I like that status is active DURING the challenge. The other downside is that the low/mid-level properties don't seem to be all that inspiring or different from similarly priced/positioned HHonors properties.

SPG and Hyatt would both be tough to re-qualify for top-tier after 2015 because of the higher price of most properties, though funneling every stay where there's a Hyatt Place or Aloft/4-Points MIGHT make it possible. Mid-tier in either would be pretty easy, though it doesn't seem to get you much especially with Hyatt. SPG Gold challenge would be tough for me to complete (but do-able) just because of the lower number of properties, especially at their lower-end brands. The SPG Platinum of Hyatt Diamond challenge wouldn't be do-able as I cap any given month at 5-nights unless there is unexpected emergency travel required. I do like Hyatt Place and think I would like Aloft as well, so a change of pace would be nice even if it is only at mid-tier status.

IHG just scares me based on the number of Holiday Inn Expresses I'd likely have to spend time in. There's no way I could complete their 40 Nights + 4 Brands fast-track and I'm not sure the 10 Nights + 3 Brands fast track would be worth their weak mid-level status.

Club Carlson also scares me... I've never had a particularly good experience at any Radisson or Country Inn & Suites and I wouldn't be spending much time in locations where there are Radisson Blu properties. I also can't seem to find any info on status matches or challenges.

Is there anything I'm missing? Right now I'm leaning towards trying to do a Marriott Platinum Challenge and time it to end so I maintain Platinum through 2015 and 2016, even though I know I won't be able to re-qualify at even Gold after that (luckily is seems you can re-challenge after 12 months).

Thoughts?

craigthemif

Hyatt Diamond is well worth doing the Challenge, although you won't see many benefits at Hyatt Places. But if you manage to stay at a few Hyatt Regency or Grand Hyatts, you'll really notice the status benefits.

You should note with the Marriott challenge that AFAIK you can only challenge for 1 level above your current status with them, so you need at least Silver before requesting a Gold challenge. And you'll never manage to requalify with your stay pattern.

SPG Gold is more than acceptable as a mid level status. I find it easy to do Best Rate Guarantees for most, if not all, of my stays with SPG, which at 2,000 Starpoints a stay is better (particularly for 1 night stays) than most promotions in the hotel loyalty game...

IHG and Carlson have lousy status benefits and you rightly should avoid them...

That said, I find it somewhat funny that so many people aim for maximum status, only immediately to switch to another chain to try to get status there as well. Why not just enjoy your HH Diamond? You can always status match/challenge in 2015 depending on what opportunities arise in your travel requirements...

Kacee

I echo this comment.

I'm in the midst of a Diamond challenge and am so impressed with Hyatt service and status recognition and benefits.

They will be getting the bulk of my stays next year.

Need

I probably will do it just before my next stay at a Hyatt property. Hyatt Diamond is matched to M-Life Diamond too at Vegas. Most of the hotels at Vegas I want to stay at is with M-Life anyway.

tonei

IHG offers top-tier status with a cheap credit card (which also provides a free night every year), so there's really no reason to earn status with them the hard way. Club Carlson likewise offers mid-tier status and a decent number of points every year with their personal and business credit cards.

IsleOfMan

Well, I've earned my HHonors Diamond status this year that will carry through all of next year. I'll have enough stays next year to retain HHonors Diamond AND some level of status in a second and maybe even third program. I would like the flexibility of choosing from multiple programs and I'm also slowly getting burned out on the Hampton/HGI properties I frequent. Also, my treatment as Gold in 2014 hasn't been all that different from Diamond back in 2007-2010, so staying HHonors Gold after 2015 to boost stays elsewhere in 2015 in preparation for 2016 is a distinct possibility as well.

If Marriott challenges are only for one-tire up, that would make it either a no-go or at-least delay the start as I'd have to earn Silver the hard-way first (which would be more difficult than the Gold Challenge itself). That, combined with not being able to re-qualify might make that a non-starter. Do they not offer the challenge directly to Gold/Platinum to those with top-tier status in other programs since they don't do direct matches?

This leaves me thinking SPG as possibly my best option, but without any benefit from a challenge. I wouldn't be able to hit the Platinum challenge requirements and I'd make Gold on stays quicker than the nights required for the challenge... the only benefit I can see would be if Gold/Platinum status is active DURING the challenge, which would ease the pain while actually qualifying on stays.

I would love to do Hyatt but the property portfolio is more limited than SPG (though fairly comparable at the lower-end) and I wouldn't be able to meet the Diamond challenge requirement. I might be able to make Diamond without a challenge on stays in 2015, but SPG would be marginally easier to do so. The last thing I'd want to do is come up 2-3 stays short of Diamond at the end of the year because there just weren't enough sub-$125 properties in the cities I visit... this is still a risk with SPG too, just not as big of one AND SPG Gold looks like it would be a better fall-back than Hyatt Platinum in that close-but-no-cigar situation.

Other thoughts?

I'm not looking to add any more credit cards, it's just not on the table. I'd be willing to upgrade my existing HHonors AMEX to Surpass in 2016 if it were necessary to keep gold, but that probably wouldn't be necessary and I'm forced to put all business charges on a company-issued card that offers no rewards (to me at least).

Miesque

I agree with this as well on both points and Hyatt is where I ended up for a second program after reviewing the other plans and their properties/footprint.

lcohen999

I re-qualified early this year (June) so I thought I would try Marriott. More about checking out the grass on the other side than anything else.

While I have never been treated badly at any Marriott property, for the amount of night/stays they require I have never been overly impressed with them either (in compared to Hilton). Plus I have found more run down Courtyards (lobby's not withstanding) than HIs.

It was a good way of checking things out. Since I have completed my challenge, it is nice to have the flexibility of where to say for points and benefits.

However, overall I was not as impressed as I hoped to be with Marriott's program. (small free coffee for Platinum, I had a great chuckle at that one)

IsleOfMan

This is part of the desire to have a foot in SPG, Hyatt, or both. I'm getting a little burnt out on HI/HGI which represents probably 60-70% of my stays this year. I don't think Marriott would really offer me any greener grass, but SPG (Aloft) and Hyatt (Place) would where available. I'd almost consider going HHonors Diamong + SPG Gold + Hyatt Platinum, but splitting my second-program earnings 2-ways seems like it would make it harder to build up meaningful points levels for redemption (though Hyatt does look to have one of the better returns on points).

My preference would be HHonors Diamond + Hyatt Diamond, but I think their footprint and higher average cost/night would keep me from making Diamond.

HHonors Diamond + SPG Platinum seems like it might be attainable, I'm just bummed there's no workable challenge to help me along the way (unless status is available DURING the challenge, which I would leverage JUST to have status while qualifying on stays the regular way). Since a challenge won't help me, I'd need to wait until Jan. 1 to start earning towards SPG Gold as I won't be able to do the 10 stays necessary within this calendar year.

I'm not seeing any other workable options... even only re-qulifying for HHonors Gold wouldn't make it any easier to hit Hyatt Diamond since footprint and $/night is the bottleneck for me with Hyatt.

lcohen999

If SPG had the portfolio that Hilton has, I would agree

I end up in too many small towns with 2 Hampton Inns and a Sheraton an hours drive away

IsleOfMan

I would agree for the most part, but I think it might be do-able as a second program IF I can get into an Aloft, Four Points, or reasonably priced Sheraton EVERY TIME one is available. It won't be easy but it COULD work and I should know within the first 6 months if hitting Platinum is in the cards... if not, Gold would be good enough for a secondary program anyway and I can just stop there after 10 stays unless a better/cheaper property pops up along the way.

sdsearch

I dont' see how using any other program would be complimenting HHonors Diamond. HHonors Diamond will be upset that you used another program!

(Ie, look up complement vs compliment.)

IsleOfMan

Surely it couldn't have been a typo...

100,000miler

I see no value in HH Diamond. I have been there for 5 or more years and in comparison to SPG it is SH*T. Believe it or not I am actually getting matching status with BW which is a big step down but also so much cheaper. Hyatt looks good to me too. but can be quite costly at most properties.

sdsearch

Don't get all excited about the BW status match, the reason they give it out so easily is because it means so little.

You may want to look into Marriott. Even if the "list price" at Marriott properties looks higher, you may be able to get a lot lower. Marriott has a Best Rate Guarantee (called Look No Further) which gives 25% off of the third-party rate you find, but since it's not a totally free night, they don't mind giving you that every day of your stay, or every stay of the year (if you can find a BRG claim for every stay of the year).

I am currently staying at a FS Marriott that starts at $110ish advance purchase or $140ish cancellable, for $75ish a night, 3 nights a week, for 8 weeks back-to-back (except for two one-week breaks), every single night an LNF rate. And if the ability to LNF that one goes away, there's a nice Fairfield down the highway which goes for $95ish advance or $120ish cancellable which I can also get for $75ish any time I want with LNF.

Now, at this very moment, these are the only two or three Marriott family properties in the area I most frequently stay in, out of a dozen or two total, that I can get these rates at. (But I haven't yet checked every obscure third-party hotel site there is, since these two or three properties are enough for me right now.) But still, there's a chance that you can get much better rates at some Marriott family properties than at some other major hotel programs simply because of how much better their BRG program works.

Here's are a couple threads about Marriott's LNF in case you want to learn more:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marri...rsion-brg.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marri...successes.html

(My every-week stays are related to work but not reimbursed by work -- specifically, they're "commute reduction" stays -- and on these stays my personal budget is no more than $90ish/night just about ever and preferable closer to $75ish average, before taxes. I'm in an area where Hilton is out of my price range even with MVP, IHG only has a Candlewood Suites in my price range, SPG is out out of my price range, Hyatt is out of my price range, Club Carlson is out of my price range, and without Mariott LNF it'd be almost all Choice/BW/WynhdhamRewards for me. But because of Marriott LNF, I'm albe to keep up annual Marriott Platinum status and am working toward lifetime Gold or even lifetime Platinum status there!)