Hi

My father has recently started a new job and this requires frequent travel. I spent this afternoon booking his hotels over the next few weeks. For the next two weeks, his home will either be a Holiday Inn or Best Western somewhere in Ontario.

Of course he is signed up for both hotel loyalty programs, and it is configured to credit his AP account, as opposed to the hotel's loyalty program.

What do most frequent travellers do? Do you set up your hotels to credit your AP account, or do you leave your AP account to your air travel only, and then collect points in the hotel loyalty program?

In other words, should we diversify or throw all eggs in one basket?

Thanks for your input.

It is not just a question of earning Aeroplan miles in the end, but also earning status for additional benefits. If your father is going to stay at hotels an awful lot over the coming year -- and into the future -- he should also consider earning status in hotel programs and earning points in these so you can benefit from free nights. Given how cheap air fares have become, the real heavy cost of a vacation can be the hotel roons. So I would counsel earning hotel program points and status for the first year just to see what patterns emerge, and how much is earned in both points and status credits. And remember, hotel points from both HI and BW can be converted into Aeroplan miles, so earning points is really a more flexible option.

With Priority Club [Holiday Inns] he might consider paying $50 up front for Gold status. This will increase the points earned and get him the occasional upgrade and other benefit at these hotels. And remember to register him for all the bonuses in that program. Starting mid-May there are several promos he should be signed up for to build up the account. Go to that forum and check out the "sticky" dealing with bonuses. I do suggest changing his default to points from miles though. [Same with BW which often offers conversion bonuses from time to time, so if he still wants Aeroplan miles, he will get more by earning them this way.]

Priority Club (Holiday Inns) have a pretty nice promotion starting in May which would allow your father to reach Platinum level pretty quickly and rack up a lot of points for free nights. By Staying 15 nights (not necessarily in one stay), he would get 80,000 bonus points! That's enough for 8 free nights at a Holiday Inn Express or almost 3 free nights at most Intercontinentals!

The bonus therad in the Priority Club forum is here
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=412211

both very good advice!

i also noticed some of the promos both hotel chains offer. i've already booked him for 2 stays on his mastercard, which gives him a voucher for one free night anywhere in the future. and he is registered for the HI double points promo as well.

shareholder, you mentioned that you can convert the hotel points into AP points at later date.

generally speaking, how does one do that? i know it's possible, i've just never investigated how.