lsquare

I don’t get why some parking and dining will count. So it’s a case by case basis and that I’ll have to ask at the hotel? What if I’m not spending the night and just dining at the restaurant? Or how about getting the dining charges added to my room?

Neric

From what I've figured out, if the $$ goes to the hotel as profit then it counts for base points. Some restaurants claim if you write down your WoH number on the receipt you will get base points, but there have been some exceptions noted (this is for NOT charging to a room). It seems to be best to charge to your room. I've got a long term plan to get lifetime globalist, so I've been analyzing my stays to understand base points. For restaurants the tip won't count for base points for instance on the stays I've examined.

MarkOK

There is a website in the system where it indicates if the restaurant and/or spa spending counts at full service hotels -- I know there is a link in one of these threads. I don't think there is a website for parking though. In general, if the facilities in question are owned by the hotel, they count, but there are many many exceptions it seems. If the facilities are owned and operated by third parties that simply contract with the hotel for room billing, they almost always don't count. I don't think I usually get credit at most places I've stayed at for self parking.

Really, it's a mess about who counts what (i.e. PH NYC doesn't count spend in their lobby restaurant, last I checked and was there). The hotel should know what counts and what doesn't, but it can be odd how dumbfounded front desk employees are about these sort of questions. On restaurants, many/most places only include pretax/pretip/nonalcholic charges; some will include alcohol (though seems rather rare in my travels in the US), very few will include tip/tax.

As for credit for non-stay charges (or not billed to room), I've found this to be very very difficult. Restaurant staff seem aware of how to charge you points for your meal, but not credit the spend/award points. If you try to do this, you have to be very careful explaining that you want to earn and not spend, and then prepare to have a very long and difficult process getting the right person to figure out how to do this.

I've calculated how much faster I could expect to get lifetime status from increasing ancilliary food charges and it was like a big nothing. However, the value of the points earned on food (especially during promos) can be like taking 20-30% off the bill, so I make sure to always charge to the room and it gives me an excuse to not go out and seek food when I am feeling lazy (or really busy with work).

lsquare

Mind sharing what your long term plan is?

Neric

I'm middle aged, have 20 years till I retire or so - so spend enough each year to hit 1 million by time I retire Not a complex plan, mostly a google spreadsheet tracking it - and being aware of spending targets each year.

MarkOK

I do the exact same thing. Excel spreadsheet tracks all my points, and lifetime status, and I calculate simply how many basepoints/year I need to reach Lifetime by 50. With WoH, seems very reasonable as long as I don't take a big cut in travel (I need to average ~70K basepoints a year, which has been my average for the last couple of years). (btw, sorry to sidetrack again, but with AA I won't reach 1 Million miles until I am 90 at my current pace).

skj

Then why do you keep doing it ?

MarkOK

Really, it just amazes me how hotel 'loyalty' programs can be so awarding even to a mostly casual/discretionary traveler like me, but airline 'loyalty' programs are so utterly worthless unless you are flown for work constantly or for some aweful reason you choose to spend tens of thousands of $$ to spend hundreds of hours in a metal tube to go places (you really wouldn't have time to 'be' at places being in the air that often). Maybe some day I will figure out why the FTers are always so excited in the airline forums while the hotel forums are comparatively rather ho-hum. I suppose my point is that in the grand scheme of travel programs, the ability to shoot for WoH lifetime and still have life to enjoy seems pretty awesome