Which Hotel Affinity Program is Best?
 

I am a new lawyer who travels a ton in my practice. Continental http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif comped me silver elite status for 2000, even though I didn't fly once on Continental last year. Thus far I'm 8/8 on upgrades. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif I am on pace to at least earn silver next year, maybe gold.

Because I am a Continental Elite member, I have gotten a "Fast track" offer from Hilton for their VIP status, which I'm certain I can make.

I travel enough so that these points can really rack up. I am curious if other programs might match the "fast track" offer. I tend to think they would. Problem is that I need to pick one to join and then concentrate on that.

So, Veteran Flyertalkers, please help me.
Which Hotel Affinity program is best for me?
I am leaning towards Hilton, because I have about 12,000 miles each on 4 other airlines that I will never fly again (TWA, DELTA, UNITED) that I can reverse into Hilton points. Plus it seems like Hilton has more decent business hotels at which one can earn points now that Embassy Suites and Doubletree are in the loop.

Please help!!! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/confused.gif

NNot HHonors!

BoSoxFan45, Congrats on your new status as Lawyer and Silver Elite.....I never was refused an upgrade as Silver and I get upgraded to South America on $600 fares on CO w/out miles and confirmed at the time of booking (few know the secret) so I am a smart traveler http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif I would HIGHLY suggest Starwood Preferred Guest as your Hotel Partner..... For one, I am Platinum and have been for 15 months and already requalified for next year, and they give me automatic suite upgrades at most hotels, even the Hawaii hotels on low,low rates....never paid over 250 for a room with Starwood and I have a balance of 130,000 points (enought for 10 free nights at any St. Regis in Italy which are Expensive places). They have the EXCLUSIVE "W" hotel chain that is, in my opinion, the most outstanding hotel on the market. Also, they have a very generous point program and they only take 10 stays for Gold and 25 for Platinum...STAYS NOT NIGHTS and they have a lot of hotels that are low level hotels that are high in service that take few points for free nights. (A little more to say). Westin and Sheraton have awesome "Club levels" and "Westin guest office rooms" that are private,offer a nice lounge with good food, and private floor access. At Starwood they have your preferences on profile and the hotel LOOKS at them ACTUALLY and handle u with the respect a person deserves. So, basically,( if u don't know already), I think Starwood is the best on the market so u got my opionion,probably more than u wanted though. Happy hunting and Don't u love CO first class service? NW first sucks but I am MEM based and they are more convenient. Ciao

[This message has been edited by NW,CO,TW only (edited 06-05-2000).]

Thanks for the help.
I agree that CO is the best. I am MSP based, so I use NW more often, but not if I can help it.

Is there a possibility Starwood would match a "fast-track" offer?

Any advice from anyone else?



[This message has been edited by BoSoxFan45 (edited 06-06-2000).]

Can't hurt to call the SPG toll-free CS number and ask if they will match it. I agree that SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest) is a better program.

Never say never, especially if you're travelling a lot! You could get bumped to one of those airlines with a cancellation, or you may find down the road that some fares just may be cheaper on them. You should also have a back-up just in case your preferred carrier has a problem.

Three choices:
1. Starwood
2. Starwood
3. Starwood

You can get comped to Gold simply by getting the Sheraton Optima card which is free and the best credit card on the market (transfer to any airline and 5000-mile bonus every 20K points.

After 25 stays or 50 nights you will become Platinum which is truly sublime.

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Transfer to any airline? Really? I current use American Express Memebership Rewards and you can transfer to most airlines, but not necessarily all. I assume that the points from the CC go into the Starwood program, and from there you can transfer them to most airlines.

How is the transfer rate? Generally I think hotel points are worth much more than when they are transferred to airline miles, since you often lose a lot in the transfer. With Amex I get a one-to-one transfer ratio wiht most airlines.

(BTW, sorry for the off-topic remarks).

And I agree Starwood is great. I've also been pleased with Hyatt but find their number of locations lacking. I'm a Marriott Silver (bottom-level) and have never received any special recognition from Marriotts.

Not any airline but any of Starwood's 26 airline partners. I think Diners Card has more airline partners.

Check out ValueConsumer.com for more info and link.


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"It is not doing the things we like to do, but liking the things we have to do, that makes life blessed." - Goethe

Thanks for the advice. Starwood made this choice easier for me. I called to ask if they would match the Hilton challenge, and they said that they couldn't for Platinum, but that they would just comp me Gold then and there, which they did http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

So far I am very happy with Starwood.

Thanks for your help.

Regarding the above comment:

"I current use American Express Memebership Rewards and you can transfer to most airlines, but not necessarily all. I assume that the points from the CC go into the Starwood program, and from there you can transfer them to most airlines."

It's actually not that simple and MR is NOT Starpoints, which allows 20k pts to 25k miles! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

See related threads using "search" under Amex:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forumcgi/fo...r=69&SUBMIT=Go

Never is a very long time. I would wait on transferring my mileage out of those other airlines. Monitor expiration so you do not loose them, but you would be surprised how things in life change. Travel patterns, mergers, moving, job changes, program changes, etc all are very real events.

Choice of hotel programs is not to be taken lightly, but again, you can consentrate on one but do forget the value of a back up. Also the one you get your points in is the one you "must" spend them in.

Miles on the three airlines he mentioned (TWA, Delta, and United) never expire, ranles! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

I agree that you shouldn't transfer them out.

Re. transferring miles out of an airline that you no longer like or no longer can utilize- how do you transfer these miles? I was not aware that miles could be transferred from an airline's FF program.

Hold on a second - I think you're all making a mistake on the advice. When someone wants to know which is the best program - be it airline or hotel - the next question is to ask what are the benefits that person is looking for the most and the fastest. If miles, there's certainly a best choice of programs, if awards, what type of awards. Yes, Starwodd is an excellent program, but if you are seeking a free hotel stay in Hawaii, you may find other programs are better ROI. In fact, there are programs that are better for small single and two-night stays here in the U.S., better programs for "vacation" use and yet others better for a variety of hotel service benefits. Again, Starwood is a very good program, but like all programs it has it's weaknesses, the question is - what do you want out of the program, then I may be able to give you some additional advice.....

True, true.

Dear BoSoxFan:

Congrats on the "new lawyer". I was once a new lawyer. Not that I'm an "old lawyer" now... just more experienced http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I am both SPG Platinum and HH Gold, although this "bout" of HH Gold has been comped. A lot of what I found lacking with HH has been "improved" such as point accrual on various rate types, etc, but I have never received any appreciably upgraded room or other special service as a HH Gold, and I have been one during 2 different time periods.
HH, however, is a good "back up" to SPG and at least they will keep you as a silver in your low activity years (or should anyway)


SPG on the other hand seems to have the best customer service around. Even though I can't receive additional miles with stays (as I could under the old Westin program), and had to live through a myriad of bugs in the new program last year, their customer service dept has always tried to remedy problems, including having a special dept. to work out "issues" after disastrous hotel stays. Although my "suite upgrade" rate seems to be below average when listening to some of the other Starwood posts, I do usually receive some sort of upgraded accomodation. Finally, with your travels, you should make SPG platinum and then you will get a "concierge" who you can call, even if a corp travel dept makes your reservations, who can contact your hotel prior to arrival with any special needs, upgrade request if available, and so on.

I am also a member of Holiday Inn (Priority Club), who refused to comp me even their lowest level of status. However, as they have decent affordable accomodations in a few places I go, I just let the points trickle in. Eventually I will have a free night in a motel somewhere.

You will also find soon enough that other hotel chains may comp you some status because of your CO.

#1 Location. Where are you going does that hotel chain have a property in that city you are in? Quantity speaks a lot. Sheraton is huge in Africa and Europe. Total hotels in 6 chains 700 Hotels, Marriott 7 chains/brands 2,000 hotels and the largest is Hilton with over 2000 hotels in 6 brands.
#2 What do need or want upgrades,suites, free breakfast concierge floor etc.
#3 Redemption levels, where will you be using your free nights and how many points does your chain require. Study the program books and search which one you thinks gives maximum value. Beleive me point accumulation is a game, play it right and hello free nights. Some chains also offer off peak for lower levels a great deal at times.

With the recent changes in their program, I have to give the nod to Marriott.

Starwood is great if you are staying in locations whose population is 50,000 or more. They will almost always have properties there (in the US). However, if you are going to be staying out in the hinterlands, then you should go with Hilton or Marriott. They have far more properties and will give you 'status credit' for staying at any of their lesser properties.

Marriott will comp you to Silver for getting their VISA card. Also, Gold level in Marriott's new program gets you access to all their concierge lounges (free breakfast and sometimes free drinks). Note that 'status credit' at Marriott is given for nights, not stays. That way you can earn more credit for longer stays like vacations.

Points accumulation are similar for both programs, but I think that Marriott has better rewards. Six free nights at the best Hilton properties will cost 195,000 points. For 200,000 points at Marriott, you get 7 nights at any of their properties worldwide (including some timeshares), 2 free airline tickets to get there and a rental car for 3-4 days. Quite a difference!

Lastly, for me, the quality and consistency of the properties and service within Marriott (especially the Marriott and Renaissance brands) are the best part. I don't like checking in at 11pm and dealing with a snarly desk clerk and then ending up with a crummy room when I am a regular customer with a chain. I'm not saying Marriott is perfect, but I have had far fewer bad experiences with them than others. Perhaps when Starwood and Hilton have a few years to meld in all their new brands and do training for the new brands, they will increase their consistency and quality. For me now, Marriott gets a big 'thumbs up' in consistency of service and product.

[This message has been edited by BillMorrow (edited 06-07-2000).]

I appreciate everyone's attention to this topic.
FYI- regarding the poster who wanted to knwo how to transfer unused airline miles- HHonors lets you transfer 1 airline mile for 2 HHonors points.

Regarding where I travel for Business- it is 95% domestic, and all over the country. The cases I am working on now require me to go to Chicago, St. Louis, and San Francisco.

When I vacation, I would like to go to NYC, Boston, the Carribean, Skiing, and maybe Europe.

I am interested in 2 things. First, I want a comfortable, clean, nice, pleasant, convenient place to stay when I travel for business. When I travel, I want to be treated like a human being, and with courtesy. Upgrades would be wonderful. Staying in a room for a week gets a bit tiresome, so the nicer your surroundings, the better. Free vacation travel would also be great.

Anyway, I'm not a pro at this. My goals as a traveller are to travel is as much comfort as possible all the time without paying exorbinant prices, and earning a free trip for myself and my wife each year to someplace nice. That would be a nice fringe benefit.

Stay at all three after 6 months figure out which one has given you the most in quality and points. An advantage of some are good to only what you want. Currently Sheraton has a nice promotion stay 5 nights get a free Friday. Marriott is giving double if you use their Visa. Hilton has a poor promotion now which is 2000 points for every 2000 you spend. Like I said study their programs.

At first I thought milesus suggestion was poor because you would miss getting the best tier you could get since the nights would be split between several programs. But maybe not.

Since there are only six months left in the year and I believe every elite hotel program operates on a calender year schedule, you might not make a beneficial level of status with any program, depending on your travel plans. So if you're not going to reach at least mid tier (where IMO you begin to get actual benefits) you could cross your nights between the three big programs and see which hotels you feel are in general are nice.

Marriott is my personal choice because they have a huge number of locations spread everywhere, and things are generally extremely consistent. But the new Silver (formerly gold) tier of their program has given me nothing.

One minor point to add to BillMorrow post is that HH offer a VIP (silver and above) reward of 100K for 6 nights in certain premium hotels worldwide and Hawaii. There is also a offer that includes the air tickets, but I can't remember how many points you need - I think it is a bit more than the marriott however.

Milesrus. HH also has the United points for flying bonus, 4000 points for each four stays in a quarter, and various bonus airline miles deals at the moment, as well as the 2000usd spends bonus.

IMHO With the addition of all the extra Hilton properties, the changes to the earning ability i.e. any rate earns, and the double dipping, I think HH is hard to beat.

The last posts are an excellent idea. I would see which program fits your needs best, and then ring them at the end of the year and say 'if I move all my hotel stays to you, what will you give me?'. If you have some history with the program, you will probably be better received rather than phoning 'cold'.

After checking the HH web site, I realize that my response was only 95% correct – Sorry !

VIP awards are;
100K for 6 nights in Hawaii, 280K with 2 return US air tickets, 340 K with interisland as well.

100K for 6 nights at selected golf resorts, 225K with 2 return US air tickets, 300K with 2 return US-Hawaii air tickets, 350K with 2 return US-Hawaii and interisland.

100K for 6 nights in any Hilton hotel worldwide excluding premium category, 350K with 2 return air tickets from US, 150K for 6 nights in any Premium Hilton worldwide, 400K with 2 return air tickets.

Remember, you can transfer 1 airline mile for 2 HH points, therefore for 250K hilton points (125K airline) you are getting 2 return US to anywhere in the world (coach) tickets.


[This message has been edited by Tim_T (edited 06-08-2000).]

[This message has been edited by emerald (edited 09-20-2000).]

For my travel over the last ten years, Hilton is it. Period.

I cannot comment on other programs, but I can definitely tell you that if you are at the top of the Hilton food chain you will be well taken care of.

Case in point: I was the 10th person to do the Safari on points. 250k. Could do it again tomorrow.

Just my observation.

Over the years Hilton has seemed to work out as my number one and I love the double dipping, points AND miles. Now, with the addition of Promus the choices are even more expansive. The earning ability where all levels of properties are on even par for stays and nights works good and in those off-the-beaten path locations I have been impressed with Hampton properties, breakfast and all.

That is not to say that other properties are not worth staying. I like Hyatt and Marriott as well for the top-notch service.

As for mile to point exchanges, don't jump in because you end up transfering at a premium and lose air miles in the end. Like many have said, never say never. You never know where you will end up. I can remember the Montana days (no AA service) as one example.

If you are also a Hilton Grand Vacation Club owner, there are a lot of great HHonors rewards levels not available to others, such as the greatly reduced 'round the world trip.

For me, the simple fact that Marriott hotels do not have the nonsense about 800 numbers (charging after X minutes) that Hilton does is enough. Of course, everything else people outlined is true too. Consistency and pretty good customer service. I'm a happy Platinum member for three years now. They also have great weekend rates at Marriotts which is great for vacations, etc.

A minor correction to emerold's post. Starwood platinum can also be reached by nights. 50 nights/year get you there.

While I like Marriott's consistancy. Their high end properties do not come close to Starwood in turns of quality and quantity. On award travels with Starwood, it is not uncommon to get a suite at places like Westin St. Frances or the Royal Hawaiian.
With Marriott, you can forget which city you are at. It's always the same.

From what I understand, one major benefit of Starwood that none of the other programs has is their favorable conversion rate to miles on all major airlines. You can convert 20,000 Starpoints to 25,000 miles.

But really it's the suite upgrades that do it for me, along with the excellent Platinum customer service. I'd rather be treated well on all my stays than earn more free crappy stays.

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I agree. Starwood Pereffered Guest is the best so far from any other Hotel Programs.
I am also a member of HHONORS and Marriot.
I was a Sheraton Gold Member for one year before I get converted to SPG Gold when they Merged with Westin, W, and other Hotels.
I stayed in their properties From Dar es Salaam to Stockholm, From Zagreb to San Fransisco, No probelm getting upgraded to Club rooms even when I payed the low rates.

And excellent cutomer service too!
Unlike HHONORs.
I stayed at The Millenium Hilton in New York recently and it took serveral calls to their busy customer service to credit my account


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2 months ago I would have recommended two: Hyatt for big cities and Marriott to "fill in the gaps".

Since Hyatt has just devalued all of their outstanding points by about 30%, I can no longer recommend it as a first choice, even as a diamond member.

I have heard nothing but great things about Starwood, so perhaps a Starwood/Marriott focus might be better.

Hilton is worthless - between the dozens of rates, some which qualify for double points, some which don't, and the fact that they owe me 40,000 points and won't look into it, I wouldn't recommend that dog at all.

Marriott also gives you the opportunity to buy heavily discounted gift certificates, which is a super plus in my (check)book. They also have a guarantee that if you are elite and do not get the room you requested, they have to pay you big $$$. I have yet to try out this feature.

I'm Hilton Gold and Starwood Platinum. Before Starwood, I focused mainly on Hilton because Sheraton (in which I was a gold) didn't have enough properties that worked for me. The service I get with Starwood is awesome. I call the platinum concierges anytime, even in the middle of the night on my cell phone, just tell them my Starwood #, and whatever I need and they get it for me. Quick. And with a great attitude.

Hilton CS is open very limited hours, and they don't have a special line for Gold VIP's so you're just talking to any old rep (heck, it's not even an 800#!). I had a question for Hilton CS on Saturday, and I was just out of luck for 48 hours, by which time I had made other plans. I say all this notwithstanding the excellent service I've gotten from Adam Burke and his staff.

But on a day to day basis, the service I get from Starwood is far beyond. And while Hilton almost always gives me an upgrade, and definitely club level if there is one, Starwood almost always gives me these huge suites with awesome amenities. And perhaps the biggest kicker is the rate thing. My stays at Starwood count toward status and promos regardless what they cost. At Hilton there are usually lower rates available that don't earn anything, which means I have to make up the difference to stay on that rate if I want to because it isn't ethical for me to bill my employer more so I can get status/promos. If Hilton would change this one policy, that would go a long way to bettering their program.

Nonetheless, I was really happy with a stay I had at a Hampton Inn recently, and they did give me a great suite, and I also had an awesome suite at the Hilton Waikaloa 2 weeks ago, and great service at both properties.. So it's not that I think Hilton is bad, and they do have some great promos like the 4 stays for 50,000 bonus point one last Fall. I think Hilton has a great lineup of properties, and that if they could match Starwood on customer service and upgrades, then they could win out overall.

As for Marriot, I used to stay with them long ago, largely at Residence Inns before those were included in the program. They canceled my Marriot account when I didn't stay there for a while. I signed up for a new one at a hotel, never received a card or anything from them in the mail. Did it again a year or two later, and did get a mailing but nothing more. I had a couple stays over the winter and I used the marriot number, but they never even sent me a statement. So I'm surprised how many people here love that program. But it must be pretty good to hear the way other FT'ers feel about, so my experience is probably an aberration. Maybe some day they'll comp me status and I'll give them another shot. But keeping top tier status in one program and mid in another is about all I can muster. I won't even requalify gold with Hilton this year at the rate I'm going.

Absolutely Steffo! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif Very similar situation here. And the seeming demise of Marriott customer service is "not just you," and very sad indeed! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

Tino and Steffo - Hilton has changed the policy of rates and points credit. All rates now qualify for both points and miles, apart from so very low 'special rates'. All the cheap bounce back etc rates DO qualify for double dipping.

Tino - If you read the Starwoods forum, there are plenty of bad things said about starwoods, as well as good.

You pay your money, and take your choice. I prefer Hilton. I don't have a problem with the customer services, perhaps because I use the UK, which is less busy. Adam and his staff can solve anything, and are a great asset, but I count myself lucky, as they are not 'offical' customer service.

The addition of the new hotels, and the changes to the program has allowed me to qualify this year for Diamond, and to rack up a lot of extra points. My status in other programs has reduced as a result.

Currently, I'm a Starwood Platinum, Hyatt Diamond, InterContinental 6CC Executive, and Marriott Platinum.

The best program of the above is InterContinental 6CC. It's isn't like most programs since it is a benefit program, more than a rewards program. You pay an entry fee to get into the basic level ($100 I believe), but if you stay so many nights you can move up to Executive or Ambassador status. I'm an Executive level member. The customer service is great. Any conflict is resolved on the spot with a General Manager or Manager on Duty. Guaranteed Early Check-In at 8:00 is a huge benefit for me, since I can get into my room right away after a long overseas flight to Europe from US. Plus, you can get upgraded to a Suite or Executive Level room if available. On the miles front, you get 1,000 in leiu of a rewards program. Overall, you are well recognized.

Of course the downside to IC is the lack of locations. But if you frequently travel to large international cities, they'll be there.

Hyatt Diamond is similar to InterContinental in that there are relatively few locations, but if they are where you need them, they're great.

Starwood has lots of locations, and great service. I often get upgraded to an Executive Level room, with an occasional suite upgrade.

I'm a Marriott Platinum member, but I'm not sure if this will last. I'm doing fewer hotel stays this year (more quick trips), and the 70 night qualification level is too high for the benefits. I've always been upgraded to an executive level floor. But if there is one program to drop, this is it. I'm considering trying to get status with Hilton after I get my status with Starwood, IC, and Hyatt, but I've only stayed in a Marriott a couple times this year.

I think the Marriott program is great, even more so now with the increased number of brands (Courtyard, Fairfield, etc.), but as my travel patterns change, my airlines and hotels must so too.

So I think at the end of this year I'll try to get Gold or (unlikely) Diamond in the Hilton program.

Just my opinions,
Tom

[This message has been edited by TampaTom (edited 06-14-2000).]