Originally Posted by
Boraxo
Nice for you but not for me. I'm 0/2 on IC suite or club floor upgrades. Sorry but just a nicer room on a higher floor away from the elevator doesn't count. Ditto for HIX (which don't have suites).
We have gotten "the best room" in the hotel such as a 2 queen beds room in an HIE in the Bay Area that is as big as a suite just without the actual wall / door, even on Expedia booking no less. I had no idea that was "the best room" until the FD girl told me at check out next morning. I was just surprised by how large the room was. They even gave a little welcome basket with some snacks and candies plus 2 bottles of water.
Almost all properties we stayed at, give some form of recognition.
This year all stays are award stays, all got much better room. A suite at CP at ORD on a 5K point breaker. And the hotel even comped 5K pts because the TV set in the living room did not work after a big power outage in the area earlier in the day caused by wind storm. The TV set worked in bed room though.
Originally Posted by
Boraxo
IC properties in the US are pretty limited, and until this year I hadn't stayed in one for several years. Certainly it is quite valuable if you vacation in big cities, but I rarely do that anymore. A free night is not too useful when my norm is to stay for 3 nights and I then end up paying an inflated price for the other nights. That being said, I will grant that the free night is far more useful than the Cat 1-5 night that you get with the Chase Marriott card (which also features a higher annual fee).
You dont really need to stay at IC to get the best value. Some HI locations can be expensive even domestically. I dont see how a free night would force you to pay for an inflated price for the following 2 nights - you can even combine your free night with a priceline stay if you happen to use priceline and won an IHG property... You can also stay at whatever motels you so chose but enjoy one nicer accommodation for just $49 (when ignoring all the other benefits.)