Idine hotel experience anyone?
 

Last month, I went for trying an Idine stay @ 12 Skymiles/dollar (10 idine + AMEX double miles period).

After I returned I got a call from idine offering me a $50 dining credit if I completed a phone survey then and there. Not too shabby.
Ironically, the hotel ended up walking me, but they handled the billing and the the person who took the survey stated quite strongly that as far as they were concerned it is an iDine stay if I paid the participating hotel directly upon arrival, as was the case.
Anyone else have experience with the idine hotel program as it's kinda new? The downside is that it takes several weeks for a hotel stay to post. Idine has been kewl in the past about honoring its commitments, but I'm still slightly leery.

The iDine hotel program is SO new it doesn't even exist!

What I mean is, you are apparently talking about a feature only available to a SPECIFIC PARTNER version (Skymiles? Amex?) of iDine, in which they've presumably added hotels.

In my version (Executive Club Dining), there's no mention of hotels anywhere on the website, all you can search for is restaurants.

(There are many dozens of partner versions of iDine, one for each of the airlines it's partnered with, one for Diners Club, one for uPromise, etc, etc, and the features of each may be slightly different. So you can't always assume that something that works in your version of iDine works in other people's.)

Sorry to have confused you, Stefan!

The hotel scheme is, indeed, airline miles based.

What do you mean that the hotel "ended up walking" you? Was there some question as to whether this was an iDine stay or something?

fiat_owner

"Walking" meant that in spite of my confirmed reservation they had no room for me (plumbing problem). So, I was "checked in" as a guest with them, coded as room 999, handed a sealed letter to their affiliated hotel across town that my room charges had been settled and given $10 cab fare.

Actually, it is not just strictly a mileage based program with regard to the hotel stay. In fact, I just booked a hotel stay in Vegas and will earn a 5% cash back bonus after the stay.

Scrounger-

I am curioius about this program too. I'd be interested to know which IDINE hotel it was-care to share? Also, would be interested to know if anyone has been able to double-dip by getting IDINE miles and also points/miles available thru the hotel itself.

These are "boutique" hotels so I doubt they would give any sort of frequent guest credits. Even if they were part of a chain, one MUST book via Idine so it would clearly show as third-party.

Edited to provide:

Washington Jefferson in mid-town Manhattan (Wed/Thurs/Fri/ @ $129/night)

[This message has been edited by Points Scrounger (edited 07-23-2003).]

[This message has been edited by Points Scrounger (edited 07-23-2003).]

I had a hotels.com reservation there once, for two people, prepaid. We showed up, and a bunch of people with unhappy faces were mingling the "lobby". Gave me a bad feeling.

They actually tried to put us in a closet with a single bed. And I do mean a closet. It was like that scene in "Best of Show" sans the cleaning supplies.

We demanded a cash refund on the spot, and took off, found the Carter Hotel which was pretty darn scary, but at least we had a full size bed and a private bath.

So if this is the property that handled your walking so well, then good for you and them... maybe they've changed management, or just gotten better.

I think the I-Dine hotel stay program is currently only available for United Airlines:

http://hr.idine.com/united

It's available for Alaska Air and I suspect for most of the rest but I don't have time to look them up.

http://mileageplan.idine.com/site/homepage.jhtml

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"A day without Points/Miles is like a day without SUNSHINE"

CO as well.

Rut Dog:

Their "affiliated" hotel to which I was walked (or cab'ed) was considered "luxury" so I never a WJ room. However, the clerk did mention that the new place was a very significant upgrade so I guess what they had in mind for me at the WJ would have been a closet as well.
The other guests that I saw there were not quite as scary as you seem to have encountered. Perhaps they have cleaned up their act a bit, but it's still not all that swell of a place. I don't know as I'd do the WJ specifically again.

As for airlines, this was a Delta stay but I think all of the participating plans are available. IMHO, this scheme is not going to succeed in the long haul though.

I am a big Idines Delta Dining version) fan. Not only have I gotten my miles on schedule (they post once a month) but I have wound up trying some good restaurants that I wouldn't have otherwise known about.

I went two nights in a very good Orlando hotel in May. As Skydines was offering double miles for this hotel (10 per dollar instead of their usual 5), and the two Universal tickets were considered part of the room rental rate, I wound up with 2400 Skymiles for this visit.

One small disadvantage: If you live outside of the US/Canada their software does not allow you to enroll on line. You have to call them and pay the tab for an international phone call to enroll. Once you do, however, they will accept credit cards from anywhere in the world.