Originally Posted by BigLar
Yes and no.
Your situation is a bit different from most here, since it seems that 100% of your travel is leisure.
And most of us here would not redeem hotel miles for, say, a Hampton Inn in Peoria.
But just like with airline miles, where the big target is premium-class seating overseas, the big payoff for hotel points is high-end properties overseas. Think the Renaissance Chancery or Maarriott County Hall in London, the Hilton Arc de Triumphe in Paris, the Cavalieri in Rome. These places provide an extremely pampering experience and typically cost several hundred dollars/night. Plus, having a very nice place to stay for several days or a week is worth a lot to me, as opposed to 6 or 8 hours in an aluminum tube.
Don't get me wrong, I've done the transatlantic First Class thing several times already, and am planning another one soon. But it's all over in a few hours, whereas the hotel is yours for days.
And, if you have top-tier status (which is another Holy Grail for us), the additional perks could easily represent an additional hundred bucks or so a day.
Each of us has their own "sweet spot", but for me hotel points is where it's at. Regarding the prices (vis-a-vis Priceline), I'm typically in a given place for a long time, and I negotiate a rate not much more that PL -- and I get the premium goodies, too, along with the overseas property access.
YMMV.
A very intelligent reply! Gives me another perspective. Proves what's been said here many times when a newbie asks what program is best...it varies with the individual!
Yes, for me I too would like to achieve the Holy Grail of Diamond Status. However, it's just not gonna happen! I'm not gonna make 20+ visits a year.
But no, I wouldn't waste my points on a stay at a Hampton Inn in Peoria. But then, *wood charges substantially more points for their resort in Port Douglas, Queensland, so no hot deals here!
I tried to work with *wood. Booked SIN at their internet rate, so I could get an upgrade. Sorry, "nothing available." Meanwhile, I was stuck in a hotel that was a bit off the beaten path....and no upgrade! Next time, I go for the location! Fool me once, shame on me....fool me twice, shame on me!!!
I agree with the 6-8 hours in a tube, although it is actually more like 15 hours in a tube to Australia. The 15 hours confined in a tube (about half are awake) are substantially more important than 4-6 awake hours in a hotel. And I can leave the hotel if I don't like the food or service. Can't do the same with the airplane.
With UA I get 6 SWU's a year, 8 CR-! Regional upgrades, and 4 500 mile upgrades for every 10K miles I fly. That, plus a few miles, just about guarantees that I'll never see the Economy cabin.