Hotels.com welcome rewards
Oct 5, 2015, 9:03 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 9
Hotels.com welcome rewards
I am not sure if there is already a thread for this rewards program, I am sorry if it already exists
I am a frequent traveler and have been very loyal to hotels.com rewards program but off late got carried away with a lot of people talking about the elite statuses from different hotel groups and got enrolled into starwood and Marriott reward points. I am a platinum guest in both the hotels now. For the first time I tried using the points I accumulated but was very disappointed with both the programs. Why I think hotels.com is better than any program...
1) In both of the hotel chains I was surprised to see that I can't use points for booking higher category rooms like suites. It is only allowing me to redeem basic rooms. While in hotels.com I can use my free night against any category of room. It is simple
2) Both the chains have suite category rooms in only high end properties. Their budget properties doesn't have suites. So the question of upgrades (even though I am a platinum guest) is very rare unless you end up in those high end hotels because of no options. I can always book a suite room in any property with hotels.com and just pay it using my free nights. So much more convenient if I want any upgrades.
3) SPG doesn't allow me to use the points when I am booking more than one room. That is ridiculous. Marriott allows me to do so, that way I felt Marriott was better. With hotels.com absolutely no issues at all how many rooms I book. I can always redeem my free night.
4) I live in India, the only way I can earn points is by staying in the hotels. No tie ups with credit cards or airlines etc. I felt it is a lot more easier to earn a free night through hotels.com
5) The only disadvantage I found with hotels.com is that I can't earn points for the other expenditure I incur at the hotel like food etc.
6) With customer centric approach becoming more and more important, I really see no difference between how I am treated as a platinum member Vs how I am treated if I book through hotels.com
I am planning to get back to hotels.com before ditching both SPG and Marriott rewards. I just wanted to take opinion of you people who are much more experienced in reward programs if I am doing the right thing. I can't think of one advantage that SPG and Marriott have got over hotels.com. Please advise.
I am a frequent traveler and have been very loyal to hotels.com rewards program but off late got carried away with a lot of people talking about the elite statuses from different hotel groups and got enrolled into starwood and Marriott reward points. I am a platinum guest in both the hotels now. For the first time I tried using the points I accumulated but was very disappointed with both the programs. Why I think hotels.com is better than any program...
1) In both of the hotel chains I was surprised to see that I can't use points for booking higher category rooms like suites. It is only allowing me to redeem basic rooms. While in hotels.com I can use my free night against any category of room. It is simple
2) Both the chains have suite category rooms in only high end properties. Their budget properties doesn't have suites. So the question of upgrades (even though I am a platinum guest) is very rare unless you end up in those high end hotels because of no options. I can always book a suite room in any property with hotels.com and just pay it using my free nights. So much more convenient if I want any upgrades.
3) SPG doesn't allow me to use the points when I am booking more than one room. That is ridiculous. Marriott allows me to do so, that way I felt Marriott was better. With hotels.com absolutely no issues at all how many rooms I book. I can always redeem my free night.
4) I live in India, the only way I can earn points is by staying in the hotels. No tie ups with credit cards or airlines etc. I felt it is a lot more easier to earn a free night through hotels.com
5) The only disadvantage I found with hotels.com is that I can't earn points for the other expenditure I incur at the hotel like food etc.
6) With customer centric approach becoming more and more important, I really see no difference between how I am treated as a platinum member Vs how I am treated if I book through hotels.com
I am planning to get back to hotels.com before ditching both SPG and Marriott rewards. I just wanted to take opinion of you people who are much more experienced in reward programs if I am doing the right thing. I can't think of one advantage that SPG and Marriott have got over hotels.com. Please advise.
Nov 7, 2015, 10:37 pm
#2
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Kuwait
Programs: GF Black
Posts: 350
Thanks for your cross examination of hotels.com rewards program and other programs such as Marriott, Hilton and SPG.
Yet I think that you have missed one of the most advantages for being elite tier in SPG/Marriott/Hilton/IHG in comparison to non-franchise related loyalty programs such as hotels.com. This feature is the elite member recognition and associated treatment and welcome amenities and possible upgrades.
Before/after the recent changes to these programs, elite member can receive the following treats:
- Breakfast (Hilton).
- Internet access (IHG/Hilton).
- Upgrade one room level.
- Welcome kit (fruits/water/drink).
- Club Lounge access (IHG Ambassador).
- Guaranteed room availability according to status and schedule.
thus, I think that these features are truly worth being loyal to some of them, over the provision of a free night, which in the eyes of any hotel marks you as part of the general mass, without any focused attention to your needs due to your loyalty to the their establishment.
Yet I think that you have missed one of the most advantages for being elite tier in SPG/Marriott/Hilton/IHG in comparison to non-franchise related loyalty programs such as hotels.com. This feature is the elite member recognition and associated treatment and welcome amenities and possible upgrades.
Before/after the recent changes to these programs, elite member can receive the following treats:
- Breakfast (Hilton).
- Internet access (IHG/Hilton).
- Upgrade one room level.
- Welcome kit (fruits/water/drink).
- Club Lounge access (IHG Ambassador).
- Guaranteed room availability according to status and schedule.
thus, I think that these features are truly worth being loyal to some of them, over the provision of a free night, which in the eyes of any hotel marks you as part of the general mass, without any focused attention to your needs due to your loyalty to the their establishment.
Nov 8, 2015, 6:23 pm
#3
Join Date: May 2009
Location: EDI
Programs: FB Plat, BA Bronze, Hotels.com
Posts: 400
I have to agree with sandeepreddy.
I'm a regular with hotels.com - this year I'll have around 70 stays. Never seen the attraction of any hotels programme - always found hotel programmes to be overpriced and requiring too many stays to get any real benefit.
I also don't travel regularly to any location with a hotel who have a great loyalty programme. The only place I regularly visit, Schiphol, I stay in the CitizenM and they look after me well without booking directly with them.
With hotels.com I get my 10-12% of each stay into a loyalty account and 10% cashback with each booking (Quidco, topcashback etc).
Hotels.com offer price matching like the main hotel chains.
And their Gold priority service are very efficient (and they are usually very good at cancelling non-refundable bookings). ^
I'm a regular with hotels.com - this year I'll have around 70 stays. Never seen the attraction of any hotels programme - always found hotel programmes to be overpriced and requiring too many stays to get any real benefit.
I also don't travel regularly to any location with a hotel who have a great loyalty programme. The only place I regularly visit, Schiphol, I stay in the CitizenM and they look after me well without booking directly with them.
With hotels.com I get my 10-12% of each stay into a loyalty account and 10% cashback with each booking (Quidco, topcashback etc).
Hotels.com offer price matching like the main hotel chains.
And their Gold priority service are very efficient (and they are usually very good at cancelling non-refundable bookings). ^
Dec 19, 2015, 8:45 am
#4
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 13
I always go for the hotels.com option because I don't like to limit myself to one particular chain. Strangely enough I often find it cheaper to book through hotels.com than booking directly through the hotel's website even before considering cashback and the hotels.com reward night. Does anyone know why that is? (I mostly travel for personal pleasure and hence I the pennies I am spending are my hard earned cash...).
Another thing I like about about hotels.com is that they allow to pay in your own currency and hence save you fx fees. Though bear in mind that in order to pay in your own currency, you would need to pay for the entire stay at the time of booking.
Another thing I like about about hotels.com is that they allow to pay in your own currency and hence save you fx fees. Though bear in mind that in order to pay in your own currency, you would need to pay for the entire stay at the time of booking.
Jun 10, 2017, 4:55 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Montreux CH
Programs: FB Platinum, M&M FTL, BA Blue
Posts: 11,609
There is currently an offer of an extra night's credit for free at hotels.com Rewards, so if you book, pay and consume one night you will get a second night's credit added to your account. I suspect that this is a targeted offer, because I have to click through the link in the email newsletter to book it. But it would help me requalify for Silver!
The details are a bit vague, except that bookings have to be made by 16th June for stays by 16th October. Can I click through and use the offer more than once? There is no indication that it is a one use only offer. And I wonder if this really will help me requalify for Silver.
The details are a bit vague, except that bookings have to be made by 16th June for stays by 16th October. Can I click through and use the offer more than once? There is no indication that it is a one use only offer. And I wonder if this really will help me requalify for Silver.