Knights Inn Drops From Wyndham Rewards

One day after IHG Rewards Club announced changes to their credit cards and loyalty programs, Wyndham Rewards is making a change of their own. The Knights Inn hotel chain will be sold to the parent company of Red Lion Hotels, giving Wyndham loyalists less hotel options for their points starting in May.

Starting May 1, Wyndham Rewards members will lose a hotel chain to redeem award nights. RLH Corporation, the parent company of Red Lion Hotels, will purchase the Knights Inn brand of hotels from Wyndham Hotel Group for $27 million.

As a result of the sale, over 350 Knights Inn hotels and 47 planned locations will drop from the Wyndham Rewards program. The company began notifying members via e-mail shortly after the deal was announced. The sale is expected to be finalized on May 2, 2018.

Effective immediately, travelers who hold reservations at Knights Inn hotels with check in on or before May 1, 2018 can still earn Wyndham Rewards points, as long as they check out before May 10. Any new reservations with check in after May 2 will not be eligible to earn Wyndham points.

Those who have award nights booked at Knights Inn may want to double check their reservations and rooms are still free. According to the Wyndham update: “Go free and go fast awards with check-in dates on or after May 2, 2018 should be honored, however, as of May 2, 2018, you may no longer book additional award nights.”

Although Knights Inn is often considered an “ultra-budget” hotel by FlyerTalkers, some held an affinity for them due to their participation in Wyndham Rewards and low prices. Unlike other programs, Wyndham hotels had a flat rate for all hotel rooms, regardless of quality or location. However, the chain was equally panned for their cost-cutting standards.

Executives for RLH Corporation noted the Knights Inn chain will participate in the company’s loyalty program, Hello Rewards. A timeline for the transition from one program to another has not been announced.

[Image: Wyndham]