Originally Posted by
BigBopper
Quite possibly irs because they've traveled relatively heavily long enough to see how brands have devalued their loyalty programs and realized the return isn't worth the hassle. If there's a room, airline class, etc that you have your heart set on, pay for it.
I was a handful of stays away from requalifying for Hilton diamond. The math simply doesn't make sense to have done mattress run to requalify. Most of my stays are business. Having mid-tier status at multiple brands with more convenient locations to my clients makes more sense. When I travel for leisure, I'll book a suite if I need.
Same thing with the airlines. I'm going to be short of EXP on AA. Not worth the spend, time or effort to chase it. The rewards jusy aren't worth it.
Comparing the value proposition of hotels vs airlines is very apple to oranges. As an example, I do not get a lot out of being Titanium on Marriott over incrementally more points when I stay, the occasional upgrade, which seems to be more prevalent on short leisure stays where I'm almost always staying at a full-service hotel rather then business related stays which are usually based on proximity/convenience which means a lot of Fairfield, Springhill, Residence and such where even if upgraded its usually not a huge difference from the room booked. At the airline there is a definite difference in the level of service during travel, particularly during IRROPS that I receive as an AA EXP vs times when I was AA no-status or AA-Gold.