Purchasing Status For Hotel Programs?
 

I have not been traveling much the last few years and so I do not currently hold status for any hotel chain. Starting in October it looks like I am going to start travelling a lot more than I have been.

I know there are several credit card offers that allow you to gain status for certain hotel chains. I may take Chase up on an email offer they sent me a month ago for Priority Club Rewards if it is still valid, but I really don't need any additional credit cards.

I see I can purchase Gold status for Priority Club directly from them for $50, but would only be good through 12/31/11, so it is not necessarily a good time to make that purchase.

I should be able to earn status fairly quickly if I end up being able to stay at just one or two chains, but I will be jumping around from city to city and may not have the option to try and put all my eggs in one or two baskets.

Are there any other hotel programs besides Priority Club that allow you to simply purchase status?

Club Carlson (Radisson, Park Inn...) has been giving away free silver status...

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/club-...promotion.html

http://www.clubcarlson.com/xing

Intercontinental allows you to purchase Ambassador status for $200 (and, I believe you get Priority Club gold as well).

Hyatt gives you Platinum status if you sign up for their Chase Hyatt Visa Card.

Hilton gives you Gold for their Hilton Surpass credit card (and you also get Priority Pass Basic for airport lounges).

Marriot has a promotion giving out Silver: http://thepointsguy.com/2011/03/free...silver-status/

Best Western and Choice hotel allows you to status match elite status from other programs (very simple form/email to fill out).

That's the ones off the top of my head.

Platinum AMEX gets you automatic gold in Starpoints as well.

If you get the Chase Priority Club Visa (preferably with the 80K emailed targeted offer) that will get you Platinum for a year because it's 60K points in the calendar year. Then buy Ambassador for $200. Then go on CC or eBay and get Royal Ambassador. Excellent, excellent hotel status.

Furthermore, it's easy, easy to earn the 60k points/year to get Plat with all the crazy promos PC runs. A recent single ($100) stay netted me 10k points. (Make sure to sign up for all the promos.)

Plus, Point Breaks are unparalleled. I'm getting ready for a four night stay at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia (Atlanta) with two rooms. They're upgrading both rooms to Executive Floor because I'm a Plat, which comes with free breakfast and lounge access. The whole stay for 4 people, 2 rooms for four nights came to $240 worth of points.

Hilton has a way to get Gold after 4 stays. No credit card required. Look in the Hilton forum for "MVP".

A status by the same name does not get you the same thing at every hotel program.

IMHO buying Gold for $50 at Priority Club is a waste of money, because (a) you don't get much with Gold, and (b) you have to start over "from scratch" on your progress to Platinum. And even Platinum only gets you perks at some hotels, far from all.

OTOH, HHonors Gold gets you so much you shouldn't have to worry about Diamond there: free breakfast, free internet (at least wired or wifi, not necessarily always your choice). (HHonors Silver, though, gets you very little.)

SPG Gold gets you very little, and even Platinum doesn't get you free breakfast at hotels without a club level. You do get free internet only as a Platinum, club level only as a Platinum.

Marriott Silver gets you very little. And no Marriott status gets you free breakfast at Courtyards (at least in the US) any more!

Of course, in most of these hotel families (SPG excepted) there's a simple way to get breafkast and free interent while working your way up to status: Only stay at those brands that give both to everyone (for example, Fairfield Inn at Marriott, Hampton Inn at HHonors, Holiday Inn Express at IHG, etc). In SPG, you can get free internet (but not free breakfast) at Four Points (SPG has no brand that gives free breakfast to everyone).

Chase Ritz Carlton card gives gold status at Marriott for 1 year.

Got the Aeroplat.. In addition to the gold membership, on 5 nights charged onto Aeroplat at Fairmont hotels, you get FPC Platinum..

For Canadians only if I'm not mistaken.

I second the Hilton program where they offer gold for 4 stays. I called them up couple of years ago when I needed to travel frequently and they offered that to me via some secret corporate code or something.

I'm pretty sure every corporation has this program, just call them up tell them who you work for and they'll fix you up. Else search the web and you'll find a code for some company.

Also US Air apparently gives you SPG Gold to random people. I got that this year on the mail. I didnt have any status at SPG or US. Maybe you can call US and ask for that.

Yes.. Aeroplat is Canadian..