Ziegenhorn

offerendum

Or many LHWs are also available via Virtuoso or FHR

grumbler

The only possible remaining benefit is the theoretical possibility of free nights but the devaluation is so complete that only an idiot would intentionally use LHW LC for that. I think that for people looking for upgrades and amenities, it is now FHR and Virtuoso. Or just being a valued repeat guest at good hotels (old school).

Kagehitokiri

seems to me 'an agency' could enter industry and work with hotels (not charging them fees) where both they and hotel actually encourage higher spend rather than discouraging it

r281

What value (if any) do people put on the below benefits which the top 1% of members get if they pay the 1500USD per year fee:

MEMBERS ONLY SAVINGS

• Members only sales
• Lowest available rate
• Insider experience offers
• Preview our newest hotels
• Exclusive member events
• Partner offers

ON-PROPERTY BENEFITS

• Upgrade priority at arrival (subject to availability; at hotel discretion; suites excluded)
• Daily continental breakfast for two
• Complimentary WiFi
• Guaranteed 4:00 P.M. late check-out
• Early check-in upon availability
• Premium Ground Transportation Budget

PROGRAM REWARDS

• Unlimited Pre-arrival upgrade requests (suites excluded; subject to hotel agreement and availability; hotels can defer decision to 3 days before arrival)
• Leaders Club points - earn toward free nights USD 1 = 1 point
• Annual renewal points bonus 10%
• No black-out dates for redemptions

offerendum

Nothing - it was discussed here many times. Useless program, every minute we spend with it is wasted time.

r281

Well I wouldn't say the value is zero for all of the benefits:

MEMBERS ONLY SAVINGS
Members only sales occasional saving; but patchy and short notice
Lowest available rate rarely seems to work; too many exclusions in the ts and cs & painful awkward and slow process
Insider experience offers zero value
Preview our newest hotels zero value
Exclusive member events zero value
Partner offers zero value - who are the partners?
ON-PROPERTY BENEFITS
Upgrade priority at arrival (subject to availability; at hotel discretion; suites excluded) 50usd per night value if it happens?
Daily continental breakfast for two 50usd per night if not included already?
Complimentary WiFi zero value as nearly always included
Guaranteed 4:00 P.M. late check-out good perk; 50usd per stay value? Same as amex fhr however
Early check-in upon availability zero value
Premium Ground Transportation Budget seems to be between 100-300usd per year value
PROGRAM REWARDS
Unlimited Pre-arrival upgrade requests (suites excluded; subject to hotel agreement and availability; hotels can defer decision to 3 days before arrival) Little bit of piece of mind if it works.
Leaders Club points - earn toward free nights USD 1 = 1 point roughly 7% cashback on the room rate excluding taxes; you still need to pay the taxes and fees of hotel as if it was the full rate when you redeem the points however
Annual renewal points bonus 10% Roughly an extra 0.7% cashback
No black-out dates for redemptions Unclear if useful

DUflyer

Except for the Sixt budget (which I didn't use last year), these are all things I typically get for free via other booking channels. Therefore the value is zero to me.

There are too many alternative booking channels and too many alternative hotels. My prediction is they will bring back value or go bust. My bet is on the latter. I haven't booked a single night with them since the change and do not plan to.

ABG

Indeed, I was suggesting how do you plan to direct future bookings Ziegenhorn vs changing hotels completely?
Booking with a different channel as offerendum suggested, or even booking directly with the property will show LHW your dis-satisfaction

DUflyer

How would they find out? I think we have to send them an email or even better a letter that we are deeply unhappy with how they treat their loyal members and will not book with them anymore, even if staying at member hotels.
They can change their program if they want, it's their right, but to not give us a pro-rata refund of our unlimited membership fees is completely unacceptable.

ABG

Ziegenhorn reported to be a top 1% client in Q3
If s/he went from top 1% to zero it would for sure pop on reports. At least from my understand with LHW staffers.

HH2019

Hello,
I had a free night certificate which expired yesterday. I just realized this a couple of days before expiration by 31. Jan. I booked over the phone before that date a stay with that certificate which was cancelled by LHW afterwards because the voucher would be valid at that time anymore. I asked for extension but this was declined, they changed T&C regarding this. I wanted to know if some had his/her certificate extended recently or what else could I do? And was someone successful regarding legal actions concerting the membership changes? In Germany in a forum someone mentioned that he had his lawyer write to LHW and they reimbursed membership costs partially. I feel very irritated that they wouldn't even extend by a week. I wrote now a mail to the management team but was hoping to find some info here.
Best

r281

Looks like they changed the terms and conditions in the last week or so.

Here is what it said before:
CANCELLATIONS AND NO-SHOWS OF STAYS USING COMPLIMENTARY NIGHT CERTIFICATESYou will forfeit your complimentary night certificate if you do not check into the hotel on the arrival date specified on your reservation confirmation or if you do not cancel the reservation within the hotel’s free cancellation date. It is your responsibility to be aware of hotel’s cancellation policies.

If you cancel a reservation for which you used a complimentary night certificate that you booked prior to September 26, 2018 for a stay after September 26, 2018, you will not receive a return of your complimentary night certificate. In lieu thereof, you will receive Leaders Club points that can be used towards a future redemption booking. The amount of points you receive will be calculated based on a one night stay at the Leaders Club average room rate at the specific member hotel at which the complimentary certificate was originally booked. It may take up to ten (10) days for the points to appear in your account.

OUTSTANDING STAY CREDITSIf on September 26, 2018 you have any existing stay credits but have not earned a sufficient number of stay credits to earn a complimentary night certificate, we will convert those stay credits to Leaders Club points based on the room rate you paid when you earned the stay credit, with a minimum of 1,250 points being awarded. For example, if you paid USD $1,000 per night for two nights at a Member Hotel (a total of USD $2,000) for which you earned a stay credit, you will be awarded 2,000 Leaders Club points and the stay credit will be voided.

https://web.archive.org/web/20181231000218/https://www.lhw.com/terms-and-conditions

behuman

LHW is a dying product, obviously not their (former) members, many of them are really excellent. Remember when MO, Kempinski and Orient Express (now Belmond) were part of them. What is remaining now? Swiss Deluxe hotels perhaps? Some overpriced places in Italy? Sad, but marketing and the internet changed all. Interestingly the Relais&Ch teaux survived and could keep their prestige and their product intact focused on food quality and uniqueness.

The only LHW property I regularly patronized lately has been taken over by a scaring middle eastern clientele (all doors open, guards for the ladies, the smell etc.....) where as a gay couple we felt increasingly uncomfortable

So just give up LC membership!

BTW: A former chairman of LHW I met last week just refurbished a boutique property (room rate CHF 160 to 180) on Lake Geneva in the lakeside village of Cully, just on the water. What a trend!

r281

The CEO just resigned it seems https://www.luxurytraveladvisor.com/people/leading-hotels-world-ltd-says-ted-teng-stepping-down
Wonder what happened.