I'm curious- when they gave you the "one time exception" (it's amazing how many companies will do this when the rules,as published, support the customer's, and not their, position), did the rep you spoke with give any reasoning behind having this information excluded from both the T&Cs and the excluded rate codes...if it really was not intended to count?
Cheers.
There was no reason given. Just consistent insistence that Award stays don't count. I just kept pressing to have them point out where it was stated (anywhere, HHonors terms, promotion terms, excluded rates, etc) that award stays didn't count. I was very specifically pointing out that the wording of the T&C did not differentiate award vs paid stays, it just said stays:
Members who register for “Free Night After Four Stays or Ten nights” must stay a total of four stays or ten nights at participating hotels between April 6, 2010 and June 30, 2010. The ten nights need not be consecutive.
The closest I ever got to an explanation was:
I apologize concerning the confusion over the wording in the terms and conditions for this offer. Reward stays/complementary nights would not be eligible to receive additional free nights and this is generally assumed.
I don't buy "generally assumed" as a valid reason, especially since during the Q1 promo it apparently wasn't "generally assumed" since it was specifically called out as an exclusion.....