Hotel points/status when booking on third-party web sites
 

Do any major hotel chains still offer points/miles/status qualification for reservations made on third-party web sites (e.g., Expedia, Travelocity, etc)?

They all do. Just give your card number when you check in, or call the hotel/chain and have them enter it into your record, if the site didn't have a place to enter it when you booked. Expedia, etc., are like any other travel agent in this regard.

The concern in this regard is with "opaque" sites like Priceline, where you don't know what you'll get until you get it and pay less (perhaps a lot less) than the lowest published rate. There, you forfeit your right to get points/miles/etc., though there are many reports (search or scan the hotel forums) of people who got them nonetheless. That does not apply to the sites you mentioned, since the rates they offer are public - and may be no better than you could get from the hotel, or the chain, itself.

Except for when they are acting as a wholesaler such as with Expedia Special Rates. ;)

Personally, I would check your program's Terms and Conditions regarding this. Anything else is going to be YMMV. :)

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

Are you sure? According to the Terms and Conditions of Hilton HHonors, for example:

I know you won't get points if you book with hotels.com or the dining rewards web site.

I stayed at a downtown Marriott last week that I booked on priceline (of course, I wanted to stay at the airport Hilton, but them's the breaks). I did get credit for the stay and points for the outrageously expensive valet parking $23=230 points. I gave them my Marriott card when I checked in. I think it is just dependent on whoever checks you in. I never count on the points and am always pleasantly surprised if they post.

I have received credit from HHonors for additional charges (i.e. parking charged to the room) but not for the hotel stay when booking for Priceline.

Did the parking points 'trick' the HHonors computer into counting it as a stay for elite qualification purposes?

Here's how Expedia replied to an e-mailed question on this:

This is consistent with what Starwood Lurker posted above. It boils down to this: if you pay a published rate, you get miles/points. If you get a special rate, you may have to forego them. Limiting the "special rate" category to opaque sites in my earlier post was too narrow. Some special rates, which don't earn miles, are transparent.

I once got 5 nights' credit and a stay credit at a Hilton, after getting the room on Hotwire.

I put the parking and incidentals on a HHilton Amex card (set up on checkin). Got upgraded to the Executive Floor with all associated perks (I'm Gold).

It may have helped that the place was 60% empty.

Thanks, Efrem. With Starwood, a good rule of thumb is this:

If you pay someone else acting as a third party (Expedia, Travelocity, United, American, American Express, or a travel agent) up front before your stay rather than the hotel directly at check-out, you are probably booking an ineligible rate 99.99% of the time.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

I usually book through hotel programs preferred channels. The most compelling reason? The promotions that many hotel programs feature throughout the year.
If you watch closely and you travel frequently enough you would lose out on extraordinary opportunities if you book on third party or opaque sites.

If you look at the value proposition of the average hotel guest program without promotional time periods one might see the reason why a number prefer alternative booking channels. There simply isn’t much gold in them thar hills…….

What is the promise of an upgrade anyway in many hotels? A view when you are likely to be out of the room? A quiet room? Hopefully every room is quiet and clean. A pool view? A fax machine? At an InterContinental hotel on Priceline for 75 dollars I had free breakfast and a balcony water view high floor room a few years ago.Better then many booked direct through the so called preferred booking channels

Many upgrades are subjective and unless you are in a hostile management culture that is poisoned you can get any of these by simply asking or paying a few bucks more. Unless the hotel is sold out or unusually busy.
In fact on the rare occasions I do use Priceline or other such site I sometimes find myself more satisfied then when I pay through preferred booking channels. Hilton and Hyatt for example have never denied me an upgrade or complimentary breakfast ever as an elite member no matter how I book.A few have said ok its a one time exception or something like it.......

In fact on a Hyatt stay over this past year as a Diamond member in the former Westin Century Plaza now a Hyatt the complimentary Diamond breakfast was so skimpy a croissant and coffee that I wished I had booked on Priceline or other such site. Thankfully that was/is a rare exception. Points today are worth earning only when the program delivers and executes its benefits.If they are not doing so remember with the declining value of many point currencies they aren’t worth what they used to be so points aren't the end all they used to be.

It pays to do ones homework and be an educated program user. I used to throw my money round in the 80s & 90s on hotel whims.Today I invest my money and use my travel dollars wisely where the return is fair.
I urge you to do the same as it bests suits your needs
Cheers

From T&C: Stays that are booked via third party websites other than the websites of Hilton HHonors airline partners are not Eligible Stays irrespective of rate paid, for the purpose of earning points, miles or stay credit toward VIP tier status.

This statement is a "trick", I have booked at the airline partner site and had the points taken back during an audit 8 months later! No amount of documentation would change their mind, don't fall for it.

About 5 years ago, it was relatively common to earn some or all of EQN's, points, incidental points, and elite status perks on third-party-booked rates. Sometimes you could calculate the underlying rate the site paid the hotel based on the points you earned (this may or may not be equal to the minimum acceptable bid that would have been accepted).

But in the past 2-3 years, it seems that most chains have cleaned up their software to the point where it aligns with their published policies. I don't think I've had a "mistake in my favor" in at least that long.

Some properties will consciously offer you some of the elite status perks, but I don't see the EQN's or points posting like I used to.

I love the sales pitch by expedia! The reality is that no hotel company is going to give points on wholesale rates. Oh, by the way every hotel company has a best rate guarantee these days...not sure what "rates" Expedia is negotiating...but you can get the same "special rate" on any other website. Of course, this only applies to major chains like Starwood, Hilton, Hyatt etc. I am sure that Expedia can bully the indepedent hotels into "special rates"