Not sure which forum to put this in, but I had a question. Is there any Hotel top tier status, like Hilton Platinum or Marriot or Hyatt Platinum that gives *on-site benefits without a hotel stay. For instance, is there any status that gives me access to Hilton pools or exercise rooms without actually having to buy a hotel room there?

I live in downtown Seattle and would love to just have that access throughout the week.

Thanks!

Are you able to get close to top-tier status with any program soon? Some require that you achieve it with stays. Some will give it to you with credit card earning.

So basically you're looking to use the gym for free without actually staying there?

You got it. I'm not even sure if top status would allow you to use the hotel gym. Usually you have to have a room key to access that area.

Are you anywhere near even reaching top tier anywhere? I'd be willing to bet you could just buy a cheap gym or pool membership for much less than how much it would cost to achieve top tier somewhere.

Also, as far as I know there is no published benefit for any program that lets you use anything at the hotel without being a guest.

For the Westin close to me, they sell an "Executive Membership", which is basically 2 free nights a year, spa discounts, and access to the pool and fitness area, but I think it's something that is location specific, not all of SPG properties. It's like $500 a year though I think.

Costco.com has 24 months at 24 hour fitness for $320:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...rodid=11663697

Works out to just under $14/mo, and since any member can get up to 4, you don't need a Costco membership of your own...


Cheers

Hilton Gold offers free internet without staying at the hotel.

I actually think the OP's question is a very interesting one. Of course it doesn't make sense to do a lot of mattress runs to get access to a few treadmills, but I think one of the hotel systems could certainly eke out a competitive advantage by giving some non-stay rights to their top elites. The difficult part for them is not giving too much away. For example, if you give rights to the lounges, a Hilton Diamond Elite living near the Arch de Triumpe could probably never have to pay for another meal. However, maybe up to 10 non-stay lounge visits per year for an elite would be nice.

As to the gym, I bet an elite would be able to convince the front desk to make an exception fairly often if it is a one-time thing on the road. I had an hour to kill in Florida once and walked into a Starwood or Hilton limited service hotel with a small, but nice, gym, told them I was an elite and asked if they didn't mind me using their gym for an hour. A key card was in my hand before I could even fish my elite card or id out of my wallet. I would, however, recommend the hotel loyalty programs formalize this. Up to x visits?

Pool, gym, or food is what I'm thinking.

I know of some hotels that sell membership to their pool/gym.