Hotel chains that award points & status for third party bookings?
Apr 1, 2018, 2:23 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: CO Plat (former), US Gold (former), Hilton Diamond, Marriott Silver (former)
Posts: 75
Hotel chains that award points & status for third party bookings?
Are there any hotel chains that award points and status via third party bookings? I know Hilton and Starwood no longer do.
Apr 1, 2018, 7:10 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,932
You thus need to look into status credit separately from award points, or else you may get the wrong answer.
So which of those (one or both) do Hilton and Starwood no longer do?
May 23, 2018, 5:40 pm
#4
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Programs: HH Diamond, Alaska MVP, Flying Blue Silver
Posts: 44
It varies for me. I've booked nights at Hilton hotels with third party, then call the hotel before check in to link it to my HH account. Sometimes I get the rewards, and other times they just give me my perks.
May 24, 2018, 7:17 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,032
There's a big difference between EARNING points and nights for elite status qualification - probably no chain does this - and chains that recognise you with some extra perks even though you didn't book direct.
There's also a big difference between the OTAs like Expedia / Priceline and corporate-style travel agencies that are available to the general public (i.e. FHR, etc.)
There's also a big difference between the OTAs like Expedia / Priceline and corporate-style travel agencies that are available to the general public (i.e. FHR, etc.)
May 25, 2018, 12:55 pm
#6
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Programs: HH Diamond, Alaska MVP, Flying Blue Silver
Posts: 44
There's a big difference between EARNING points and nights for elite status qualification - probably no chain does this - and chains that recognise you with some extra perks even though you didn't book direct.
There's also a big difference between the OTAs like Expedia / Priceline and corporate-style travel agencies that are available to the general public (i.e. FHR, etc.)
There's also a big difference between the OTAs like Expedia / Priceline and corporate-style travel agencies that are available to the general public (i.e. FHR, etc.)
Jun 12, 2018, 11:34 am
#7
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: St Petersburg, FL, USA
Posts: 2,253
I know for a fact that Hilton offers full hotel frequent guest program benefits through AAA.com, along with a few other hotel chains. Sometimes the rate is cheaper than Hilton.com, sometimes not. I usually use AAA, Priceline (regular and Express), ID90travel and compare them to the hotel chain's website and then see how much of a premium I need to pay to get points/stay credit. For me, I prefer cash in my pocket over a few percent in savings rebated in points.
On a related note, I was told by Holiday Inn (after an appeal to customer service) that even incidentals do not receive points if the room itself was booked through a third party. That seems a bit extreme.
On a related note, I was told by Holiday Inn (after an appeal to customer service) that even incidentals do not receive points if the room itself was booked through a third party. That seems a bit extreme.
Jun 14, 2018, 1:07 pm
#9
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: St Petersburg, FL, USA
Posts: 2,253
Here is Hilton's excuse to get you to pay a premium on their site:
"Certain types of prices will not qualify for the Best Price Guarantee if they have other restrictions or limitations on how they are displayed or booked. For example, prices do not qualify if they are on websites that don't disclose the brand or hotel until the reservation is made (like Hotwire and Priceline), or are on auction websites, or are for the hotel component of a package booking, or are for bookings that don't provide an immediate confirmation, or are not available to the general public (like member rates, negotiated rates and team member rates), or require a login, credit card number or a code to see, or if they are on websites that don't have the ability to book a reservation, or are for reservations that are not authorized to be transferred (like a guest "reselling" a confirmed reservation), or are on websites or Apps that are in an unsupported language, or are applicable to only a portion of your entire stay, or are for reservations made within 24 hours of the hotel's standard check-in time on your day of arrival."
Per their T&C, major chains will not price match AAA (member rates), ID90Travel (requires a login), or Priceline Express ("opaque", but you can determine the hotel with almost 100% accuracy). Except for award and overseas stays, I very rarely book directly from a major chain, because I can almost always save at least a double digit percentage below their rate using these three sites. When I was traveling for work, I was about maximizing points, regardless of rate (sorry, clients!). Now that I travel 100% for leisure, I am brand agnostic and saving cash greatly trumps accumulating points.
"Certain types of prices will not qualify for the Best Price Guarantee if they have other restrictions or limitations on how they are displayed or booked. For example, prices do not qualify if they are on websites that don't disclose the brand or hotel until the reservation is made (like Hotwire and Priceline), or are on auction websites, or are for the hotel component of a package booking, or are for bookings that don't provide an immediate confirmation, or are not available to the general public (like member rates, negotiated rates and team member rates), or require a login, credit card number or a code to see, or if they are on websites that don't have the ability to book a reservation, or are for reservations that are not authorized to be transferred (like a guest "reselling" a confirmed reservation), or are on websites or Apps that are in an unsupported language, or are applicable to only a portion of your entire stay, or are for reservations made within 24 hours of the hotel's standard check-in time on your day of arrival."
Per their T&C, major chains will not price match AAA (member rates), ID90Travel (requires a login), or Priceline Express ("opaque", but you can determine the hotel with almost 100% accuracy). Except for award and overseas stays, I very rarely book directly from a major chain, because I can almost always save at least a double digit percentage below their rate using these three sites. When I was traveling for work, I was about maximizing points, regardless of rate (sorry, clients!). Now that I travel 100% for leisure, I am brand agnostic and saving cash greatly trumps accumulating points.