b8b

Hi All,

I recently stayed at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, NV and signed up for their "I Prefer Global Guest Benefit Program" which apparently is global. I signed up because they offered an instant upgrade for doing so and I think it was 500 UA miles for the stay. Well, today I booked a room for my father there for a flight he had out the next day and used my "I Prefer" membership number. He was upgraded to a 1200 Sq. Ft. Suite!! Sounded incredible. I think it was just a fluke, or luck or something... this hotel used to be the Reno Hilton and I think there is a lot of availability as it is a huge hotel and Reno is still becoming a happening place. Oh yeah, and I booked the room for the Internet rate of $59!

B.

Matt-KC

The IPrefer membership includes at least a 1 level upgrade in room type (availability dependent of course). I have used it for the Hotel Phillips in KC twice and on both stays, was upgraded from the base room type to an executive room on the 18th floor (1806 & 1809 if I remember correctly...numbers run sequential rather than even/odd on opposite sides like many hotels). Room was very spacious and comfortable (especially since this property has some closet sized rooms). Membership also get's you free internet and a welcome "gift" at this property as well. Certainly worth it in this case since membership was free. You don't earn points like most frequent guest programs, but the upgrades and free internet are a decent trade off. I have not used it for properties other than this one so my experience is limited in that respect.

jazzhou

I just notice that my "Iprefer Global Guest Benefit Program" membership card has an expiration date of 12/07. When I tried to log in with my email address and password, my profile is still there. Since I didn't receive a new card, should I re-apply for membership?

perthite

Not sure, just looking at my card, thereis no sign of an expiry date on it!

CDNtravler

I misplaced my card and sent a note asking for it to be re-issued. Apparently, they created a new account and merged the old account into it. My original membership did indeed have a one year expiry on it, whereas my new card doesn't have one.

I think if I recall, they were providing inaugral members with free membership with the option of charging some type of fee in the future (hence the expiry) - however, they must have gone in a different direction (hence the no expiry cards).

jazzhou

Thanks for the replies. I did email IPrefer and received the following response.

Good Morning Jazzz,

Thank you for being an IPrefer Member!

I am happy to inform you that your membership number never expires and there is no fee to maintain status.
The expiration date was for printing purposes only and you can continue to use your membership card.

Should you need further assistance please don’t hesitate to contact me and have a wonderful day.

Kind regards,

Christina

I Prefer Administrator

www.IPrefer.com

crammer

Bumping this thread...

Does anyone have any more recent experience with I Prefer? I am attending a meeting in Santa Fe, and the El Dorado Hotel is convenient. Does joining their program immediately get you an upgrade and free internet?

Bishope2

Well, my wife and I stayed at the Ko'a Kea on Poipu Beach, Kauai in May for five nights. If it makes a difference, we received a double upgrade. Booked a partial ocean view and received an ocean front. I am an I Prefer member.

sara12588

I think the rate is reasonable in reno

controller1

I have recently used I Prefer at the Boston Harbor Hotel and received a wonderful suite and a fruit plate welcome gift.

I also recently used it at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, VA. I was upgraded to one of their timeshare apartment-like units overlooking the river. It was unbelieveable!

I Prefer ^

mongobot

Does anyone know if I Prefer benefits are contingent on booking through their website?

I am an I Prefer member but have a reservation through another booking agency for the Mauna Lani which is apparently a member of the Preferred Hotel Group.

sc flier

As best I have been able to tell, it is not supposed to require that you book through their site except for this benefit:

"Extra hotel amenities. Get a custom amenity - unique to each hotel - when you book on IPrefer.com"

I had mixed results recently when presenting my I Prefer number at check-in at four PH&G hotels in Italy and Spain. My stays were all booked through a PH&G website by a third-party who paid the bills. I have not yet received an I Prefer membership card. If I had been better prepared with a printed page of the benefits, I might have had better luck when presenting my membership number which I had printed directly from the I Prefer enrollment page.

There is an "Experience Survey" link on the I Prefer home page, and I intend to submit feedback on each property. Two hotels were excellent, one was very good, and one really botched things with a horrible room assignment in a non-renovated room directly above a construction site. However, none of the hotels really seemed to acknowledge that I was receiving any I Prefer benefits, and none presented the free internet perk which I very much would have liked. (Though one of the hotels included free internet for all reservations anyway.)

If you don't book it through iPrefer.com, then I'd suggest contacting the hotel in advance of arrival to have them add your membership number to your reservation.

mongobot

Thanks for the reply SC.

I'd used I Prefer only once before but booked using their site and got all of the extra amenities listed.

I've already contacted the Mauna Lani mentioning to them that I'm an I Prefer member. I've yet to get a reply :/

I'll be staying there over Thanksgiving and if there's interest, I'll report back on how the I Prefer benefits work out when I'm back.

mongobot

I'm currently at the Mauna Lani and was given a room upgrade which would seem to be on account of my I Prefer membership. Glad to have the upgrade and am enjoying the hotel.
In a couple weeks I'll be at the LeBua in BKK, also a member of I Prefer, so I'm looking forward to see how that property pans out.

fiona

We have booked Landmark in Bangkok. Will be interesting to see if we get anything. We have stayed there 4 times already but I've never noticed the I Prefer programme they are part of up till this time.