egoods

About a month ago I status matched my Choice Diamond to BW's Diamond, and I was blown away by how easy it was... I faxed my card in, and called the next day to check. They hadn't received the fax but simply asked "what status are you?" and instantly matched me on the spot... I was really surprised.

I've since stayed at two different BW properties and I'm fairly certain I won't stay again unless it's my only choice. No acknowledgment of status, no upgrades (I was actually laughed at one of the two times), it just doesn't seem worth it. Was it always like this or has there wide open match program caused it?

I think I'll be heading back to Choice, for my stays when the pickins are slim. They're far from perfect but at least I get a modicum of recognition and pretty consistent upgrades.

storewanderer

I traveled around with Choice Diamond and BW Platinum (matched from Hilton Gold) for a while and at Choice I never got anything but the bonus points and some odd acknowledgements from various front desk clerks. With BW, I got snack bags at a handfull of locations, and did get an upgrade at one location after asking for one. To be fair most Choice and BW locations I visited did not really have anything to upgrade me to...

With Hilton Gold which I still have, I am upgraded on almost every stay at Hilton flag properties (not so much at Hamptons or HGIs). Most of my stays are weekend 1-night stays.

I think Choice is a better program due to the better promotions, gift card redemption options being fairly priced, and the wide scope of hotels available in most markets. BW has really been pruning out the bad hotels and doesn't seem to be getting a lot of new ones to make up for that pruning.

sdsearch

How can you have another nutter-butter cookie if you haven't had one yet?

Ie, how can Best Western's Diamond program have been "totally devalued" if its on-property benefits were always fairly nonexistent? (Yes, it was always like this, especially in North American hotels. Some people report better experience at some BWs overseas.)

I've been staying at Best Western for over a decade, Diamond about half those years and Platinum the other half (plus following discussions here all that time), and it's not much changed over that decade. (A new check-in benefit appeared, of a welcome bag or 250 bonus points, but even that's been hit-or-miss.)

mnelson

At least in the US, BW Diamond has really just been about the points bonus (currently 30%), as far back as I remember. You might get upgrades once in a blue moon, but it's not really common or something I expect.

Overall I'm reasonably happy with them, but it depends on what you're looking for. I usually stay at BWs on the road for one night at a time, where I'd hardly have any use for a suite upgrade anyway. So I just need a nice room, which they usually provide. I think that part has gotten better over the past few years. Between unflagging some of the worst properties, and reorganizing the rest into three quality tiers, I find I can pretty consistently get a good room. Then it comes down to just a question of price and points value. Among the programs with widespread economy hotels, Wyndham offers better points value imo, but the quality of its properties (Days Inn, Ramada, Knights Inn, etc.) leaves more to be desired.

1P

I stay at BWs a lot as a Diamond in both the US and Europe. All I ever get is free bottles of water in the room, and maybe a snack,a free newspaper, and of course extra points. I don't expect anything else. Certainly not an upgrade. That never happens.

benberg2013

Doesnt it say about the benefits of platinum and diamond to receive "the best available room"?

sdsearch

1. That's theory. Then there's fact.

2. The nature of many Best Western properties is that there's no obvious "best available room". What that be corner room, or a room away from the elevator, or a room close to the breakfast, or what? Ie, if all the rooms (with a given bed type) are about the same, how should the hotel judge a "best available room"?

benberg2013

Do they not have suites or family rooms?

sdsearch

A lot of smaller BWs don't. Just different types of standard rooms.

Or perhaps they might have one suite, but rarely available since there's only one.

Yes, there are ones with "& Suites" in the name, that can have signifcant suites. And in those I have gotten upgraded to suites on less-busy nights (though I'm a repeat customer there, so dunno how much it has to do with my status versus how much with being a repeat customer at that specific hotel). But only a small fraction of BW's hotels are "& Suites" in the places I travel most often.

Suite Disposition

You know what benefits you are supposed to receive, so when you go to check-in if you haven't been offered an upgrade or a welcome amenity, politely ask.
We would all like the front desk clerks and management of the hotels we patronize to always acknowledge our status and give us what we are entitled to according to the loyalty programs.
Many times that doesn't happen.
If I haven't seen an upgrade on my reservation by the time I check-in I present my loyalty card, my credit card & ID and ask with a smile, "What room have I been upgraded to?"
As I am handed my room key, I ask, 'Are there other Diamond Select benefits that your location offers that I should be aware of?"
I have never had a problem with getting an upgrade and all of my benefits that I am entitled to.

rubbernyc

Yes...

Symmetre

My business travel takes me through many smaller communities where a BW is often the only game in town. So I became Diamond by default. I also have Hilton Gold because, given the choice, I'll stay at a Hampton Inn or a Garden Inn every time.

I can't say that the status match devalues Diamond, because I'm still not sure what Diamond has really brought me. Status recognition is, like many other things concerning BW, inconsistent. Unlike the OP, I have been upgraded when staying at some larger BW properties, but not often. So I guess it's brought me that. On the other hand, I've also cut stays short and walked out to find another hotel when the BW I had booked online turned out to be ... disappointing? That's also happened more than once, so I consider the upgrades a wash.

Extra points? I couldn't care less. I spend about 90 nights a year in hotels now. When my own vacation time comes, the last thing I want to do is head off to yet another Best Western.

nikitta28

What kind of upgrade are you expecting at a BW? These are just low-mid range hotels in mostly out of the way places. They don't have "suites" in the sense of the term.

kcaluwae

That wording has been changed to "Room Upgrade" and now there's small print as well:

kcaluwae

Just made it to Diamand, the Diamand advantages still mentioned the "best availabe room".

My expectations are high now for my upcoming stay in the tuscan. (SF).