fireworksboy

I just completed a stay of 4 nights - 2 rooms and used points to pay, my question is that I just got a ***t load of points credited to my PC account. The amount of points seems about the number I would've received if I had been charged $ for the rooms with bonuses. I called the hotel and they said they didn't charge me for the rooms, they used the points. It sounds pretty strange to earn points while spending them but maybe someone here can enlighten me. Thanks for any help!

no fly zone

Happens to me about 20% of the time (I've redeemed about 12 nights over the past three years in HI Exp, HI and once at a Crown Plaza. There doesn't appear to be a rhyme or reason. I treat it as a pleasant surprise (Heck, it put me over 60K for plat this year!) Anyone know why it happens sometimes?

RCC

Like you said treat it as a pleasant surprise .....I can only hope this happens to me!

Ric

holbropa

I used four reward night stays at various Holiday Inn's this fall...I received points for all of the stays. I too was pleasantly surprised.

I think I've heard that the reason why you earn points is that InterContinental Hotels sets a rate that they will reimburse the hotel for your stay. So, the hotel you stay at may have an agreement with InterContinental that it costs them $50.00 when a reward night is used at their hotel. Thus, they get reimbursed from InterContinental for that much. As a result, that's how you sometimes earn the points. I could be mistaken though with this theory.

fireworksboy

I will but I'm still worried that they may have charged my credit card that I gave them for incidentals. I haven't called the credit card bank yet.

Cygnus X-1

Yes it happens. Didn't for HIE Mississauga.

Shhhhhh!

RCC

Just pray they dont find out...you all are lucky...I can only pray (not expect) for the same...going to NYC....gonna pay with pc points for 2 nights at an IC....lets home I get points for the stay too! I will post details on this note.

Ric

holbropa

I've read from some posts from other forums that people will sometimes just charge one item to their room when they are using points for a free stay. They say that when doing that they usually get points for the stay.

RCC

Thanks for the tip....just gave me the idea of what to do!

Ric

SMF UA 1K

Ric,

I do not believe that buying something at the hotel is going to help you one way or another. I agree with no fly zone above that this seems to happen about 20% of the time, and there is no rhyme nor reason for it.

Last summer, I used 9 award nights for three stays in NYC, Philly and Boston. I was credited with 1975 points for the two-night Philly stay, and exactly 2000 points for the five-night stay at The Barclay IC in NYC (all points are just base points and excluding of bonuses). The stay in Boston, and a subsequent award stay in DC did not result in any points getting earned.

In none of those stays did I purchase anything at the hotel, so whether or not I got the points had nothing to do with me buying anything. In fact, I had a 6-night award stay down in Sydney in October of last year, and one day I made two phone calls from the room. I was credited with 20 PC points, plus 10 more as my bonus. In that case, "buying" something did not help me get the points.

I think what happens, and this has been alluded to above by holbropa, is that each hotel bills a certain amount of money back to IC's corporate office for reimbursement for each award stay. Depending on how each individual hotel does that process will determine whether or not you see PC points.

What I don't understand is how a certain price is determined. The HIEX in downtown Philly must have billed almost $100 per night. I've had an award stay at the HIEX in Ashland, OR net me the equivalent of $115 per night, while the HIEX in Queens only netted me the equivalent of about $55 per night.

This has only happened to me on stays in the US however -- never outside.

Having said all that, I certainly hope IC doesn't catch on anytime soon. I love seeing points earned on award stays!

RCC

SMF...I agree, that purchasing a dinner etc. does not necessarily increase your chances for gaining points that you really should not have...but its cool, I will charge something to the room & see what comes about...I will post here of details when I do...I will know late march or so....hopefully I will get what we all so badly want!

Ric

Tall Bloke

So does it depend on who owns / operates the Hotel on IC behalf, and often this information is displayed someone obscurely in the reception area

fireworksboy

From the Starwood Lurker over at SPG, they reimburse the hotels for award stays at the average nightly rate of guests at the hotel at the time. I'm not suggesting that PC does it the same way but it seems like a good way to handle it.

piotr

Holbropa is correct. Hotels are reimbursed for reward night stays and sometimes add the rate to your bill even though they shouldn't. This results in you getting points for your stays on the rate. Regardless you should also get points for any incindentals charged to your room. Also any points that are awarded to your account it is Priority Club policy not to remove them for any reason. So even if the hotels mess up they have to eat it.

Snoopyo

In my award stay at IC Chicago, they forgot to remove the rate from the bill so I saw it. I wanted to make sure I am not charged for it and pointed out to the checkout staff so they removed it. When it posted, I was expecting points for the incidentals but it was 0 nights and 0 points.