Originally Posted by
damnyourefine
I would rather have received a $100 credit or points returned for a stay, similar to last years effort. This seems like a slap in the face gesture for their only tier with a spend requirement that now has reduced benefits.. here, spend more money with us on non-stay items!
Comments like this almost make me understand why hotel chains appear to hate their customers.
That being said, this is actually a rather clever promotion: it gives the customer a tangible gift at basically no cost to the chain (they're effectively giving away held inventory), while moving inventory off of their books and possibly getting some incremental revenue as well (anything over the $100). It's a win-win in a time when cash is tight and inventory is high.