One year at Boise how to capitalize the most?
 

This will be my first trip in three years, but I am scheduled to be in Boise three weeks a month for the next 1 year+

What would all of you savvy travelers do having this type of itinerary?
How would I maximize my accounts to get status again and should I?
My company has started booking all of the flights on their own website so I am more or less speaking about hotel rewards/rental cars at this point.

What would you all do?
Also if anybody has recommendations of things to do in Boise, let me know?

I don't know much about the Boise market specifically, but I have some general thoughts about how I would think about traveling to the same city frequently.

- Given your volume of travel, going for loyaly in one (or even multiple programs) makes a lot of sense. You should have no problem making top tier status which should get you bonus points, room upgrades, free breakfast, etc.

- I would then look at hotel options in Boise to see if one specific hotel or brand of hotels makes more logical sense than another. For example, if a Hilton-affiliated hotel is right next to your work site while the only Marriott is on the other side of town, that would be a big plus for Hilton in my book. Similarly, if the Marriott brand has 5 hotels in town and there is only one Hilton option, I'd favor Marriott because the chances of all of the Marriotts being sold out or charging very high rates during a particular week is less likely than the one Hilton option being sold out. In other words, try to let your convenience drive your loyalty rather than inconveniencing yourself for the sake of the rewards program.

- Particularly if two hotel programs seem similar, consider whether your other travel relationships match up with a particular hotel chain. For example, SPG has a Crossover rewards program where Delta flyers get some additional perks when they stay with SPG (and SPG elites get some recognition when flying Delta). Marriott and United have a similar relationship, etc.

- If you will/can pay for the hotels personally and then get reimbursed by your company, look into getting a credit card from whatever chain you think will become your primary chain. Most cards give you elite or quasi-elite status and also bonus points for spending at those hotels.

Thank you. That is a high quality answer. I have been out of the game for a while so this helps immensely.

and make sure you are near Boise on 8/21/17

Specifically on the hotel side it looks like there are a bunch of Hilton properties, a fair number of Marriott properties, and 1 Hyatt.

Recently Hilton and Hyatt promotions have been more valuable. It might be worth switching off between the two which could give you top tier status in both. Depending on your willingness / flexibility, you can also split your days or weeks between different properties in the same change to accumulate "stays" more quickly and reach top tier status.

I will point out in counter to the Delta/SPG thing, if you get Marriott Platinum you will receive United Silver. Likewise if you are United Gold or above, you qualify for Marriott elite status.

Spend some time looking at the earning rates of Marriott and Hilton as well - Marriott penalizes more for their small market brands (e.g., Courtyard / Residence Inn which earn half of full service Marriott's) vs. Hilton (which provides the full 10 points/dollar at Hampton but only on room rate).

If you do go Hilton, consider picking up the $95 Annual Fee AMEX Hilton Reserve or Citi Hilton Reserve, both of which give you Gold status from the start (though Gold isn't as valuable if you will be staying in Hampton Inn).

I hadn't realized that airlines and hotels shared status pathways. Is this relatively new? It actually will help a little because all of my status' are gone by now. This type of combo seems to be most valuable to board first and have room for checked baggage. Plus with the company policy on airfare now I cant even change my seat.

I guess with that information, It'd make sense to rocket to Marriott Platinum and get started with United since it is the main airline here. If you agree, what would be the quickest way?

I just found out that I still have Platinum Elite with IHG but it does not appear to be worth much.

Hilton gives 10 points/$ on Homewood Suites, and for that kind of travel pattern, I'd prefer something with a proper kitchen, especially if you're going to be there for all or some weekends.

Rumor mill says IHG is going to introduce new Spire benefits in 'November', which may or may not intersect with your future travel needs and desires. But worth monitoring in case they turn out to be something significant.

You might be able to leverage it into some sort of status match/ challenge with Marriott. Call Marriott Rewards (1 801 468 4000), tell them you are an IHG Platinum who is thinking of throwing a lot of upcoming nights towards Marriott and you were wondering if they could offer you any sort of fast track towards elite status.

If you're into craft beer at all, one of my favorite breweries, Payette, is in downtown Boise. It's a very cool space with a play area for dogs, frisbee golf, food trucks, hammocks, etc.

That sounds really neat considering I'm bringing along my dog for some of the time.

If you are bringing a dog, stay along the Boise River Greenway: "Springhill Suites Boise Park Center"....... or by Ann Morrison Park: "Residence Inn Boise Downtown/University" or "Town Place Suites Boise Downtown". If you are a runner either works, but I prefer the Springhill Suites by a long shot - the other two are fine, but nothing special.

CJS

Also FWIW, Springhill is the only one of the three to earn full (10MR/$1) points. The other two are 5/$1

If you are going to be staying that much then the most important thing is that you stay at the most comfortable property with the best staff/service (and location). It may be worth trying a few properties out first to see which one suits you the most.

I would also recommend contacting the hotel managers and explaining your situation to them. 3 weeks every month is a long time and a lot of money for them so see if they can arrange any special perks. One loyalty scheme may appear to give more perks but a competing property may offer more to you directly.

Excellent advice. You'll also have to find a place that allows dogs. Also consider renting an apt. for the year. Check Air B&B and VRBO. Send me a PM as I live in Boise and can answer some questions for you.