anyone have any experience with this program? comments?? the holiday inn express i've been staying at is switching over. does anyone know how many airline points you can earn?

I have stayed at this chain several times but it has now been a while. Always satisfied with the properties I visited. Sorry I do not recall the airline points awarded with the stays.

Other FTs know? I guess you could call any property and get the latest info.
Happy travels
LWW

I have been in LQ for a little over a year. I have never tried anything with airline points. The only thing I use points for is for gift certificates. They have a fairly good selection of certificates you can purchase with points, both for dining and for shopping. In fact, it takes care of about half my Christmas shopping.

Most hotels are decent, but there are a few around that are bad. The LQ on Lee Road in Orlando springs to mind immediately, it was so bad.

I've found their reward program to be quite good. (although recently they've raised the redemption levels for some hotels.) I've managed to earn points quite easily. These points can be used to redeem airline miles, gift certificates and free nights. You can also choose to earn airline miles instead of points at check in. (just inform the desk clerk that you would like to earn miles instead and present your frequent flyer card.) Most of their hotels are above average, and the front desk staff are usually friendly. One other thing about this program is that you are able to upgrade your points with cash at most hotels if you don't have enough points in your account for that hotel level. For instance, if you only had 6000 points, (enough for tier A) but wanted to stay in a more expensive laquinta tier hotel, (tier B(8000) or tier C(11000)) you could get a tier B for 6000 points + $15 or a tier C for 6000 points + $30 or tier C for 8000 points + $15. I hope I didn't confuse anybody.

Their website doesn't make this clear, but if you look at their Terms & Conditions you can see which airlines they partner with:

"All standard Delta SkyRewards and SkyMiles program rules and conditions apply. Please allow 6-8 weeks for your WorldPerks miles to post to your account. Participation in WorldPerks is subject to the terms and conditions of the WorldPerks Program.
All Midwest Miles Program rules apply.
All OnePass terms and conditions apply.

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Members can receive 0.5 Rapid Rewards credits for each eligible stay or redeem Returns points for Rapid Rewards credits. Guests must be members of Returns to receive Rapid Rewards credits. All Rapid Rewards rules and regulations apply. Eligible rates to receive credits per stay in the Returns program are RACK, PROMO, FTLQ and AAA. Members must select at time of checkin to earn 0.5 credits per stay OR Returns points for that stay."

Ok, so that explains how much Southwest you earn right there. For the rest of the story, I guess you have to visit each of those airline's sites. For example, at aa.com if you go AAdvatnage -> Parners & Milesage Programs -> Hotels, then click La Quinta, you get to a page where it says:

"Members of the Returns Program can now earn 250 AAdvantage miles per stay at any La Quinta hotel. For more information or to become a Returns Program member, visit www.LQ.com online."

Note that this is different the HI Express, in that you earn per stay, rather than per dollar spent. If you want to earn per dollar spent (because you're doing long stays and/or staying in expensive locations), you'll have to earn points and then later convert to miles. (Unfortunately, it looks like you have to sign up for LaQuinta Returns before you can see the conversion rates. But it's free, so you might as well sign up now if you're pretty sure you'll be staying there in the future.)

Thanks for this very cogent and consise report on this program. I would have never understood the finer points without your review. You have influenced my proclivity to stay with La Quinta.
Thanks
747LWW

I just discovered as I was trying to book a LQ property that if there is no activity on your account for 12 months-they cancel the account and you lose any points you has accumulated.Quite harsh I believe and I will not think about this program again.

It is definitely stricter then most other programs, especially since the T&C's state that there has to be "stay activity" in the past 12 months. I have never tested it, but I have always thought that meant exactly that, a night in a hotel, not redeeming points or anything else.

At least they do disclose it in the T&C's. If you know it is there, one night a year seems to be fairly easy, especially if you are protecting massive points. But probably not the best program for people who only stay at an LQ once every couple of years.

WOW! Rather harsh IMHO.

Ouch! A reason to use them ONLY for short stays where you'll take the airline miles rather than points (in which case there points to lose if they choose to delete you, and nothing to be lost if you want to "test" how long they really take to delete you !).

It has been a week since a post on this thread, but I felt a need to comment on La Quinta. I have been a member for eight years now, and I have to say that someone at LQ HQ pretty much gutted their Returns Club program.

LQ does have uniformly good properties. I have never been surprised in a negative way anywhere that I have stayed. In fact, there is one town where I would rather stay at the LQ Inn and Suites than the Marriott! But what used to be a good reward program, and even recognized as such by the Freddies, has depreciated significantly.

For example, once, there was an associated Master Card. Points transferred quickly and easily. Combined with a moderate number of nights per year, points built up quickly. The old system utilized certificates for free nights, which came in the mail like clockwork and were easy to redeem. Today, the card is gone, the certificates are gone, and the program seems difficult.

True, there were no airline rewards, no restaurant rewards, etc. But the program was sweet and neat for those who wanted room rewards that were easy to redeem at good properties. That was precisely what I want; now the program is more complex and, as noted above, sometimes harsh as well.

So, I concur with the comments above. You will find La Quinta properties to be consistently good. I still take advantage of that fact, but much less frequently than I did during the better days of LQ's Returns Club. Stay with them for the room, not the program. And if you get something from the program, consider that a bonus.

Has anyone received swa credit for someone else's account? Or do they check that the names match?

A most informative post from a vetern of the LQ program! Thanks for sharing your experiences and present understanding of the properties and program they offer. In my particular case, as a possible new member, I take your last statement very seriously. LQ was never on my most preferred list and I used it more for family outings than anything plus I never joined the frequent guest program. I still use LQ infrequently and I guess I will always remember your last statement. Perhaps I will join the program basis the opportunity to gain air miles but I will not use their program to accrue "points" within their system. Their quick kill provision is indeed horrific.

Another important "rule" in the LQ program is that you must redeem points within two years of earning them. I've been caught twice and lost points, this is really frustrating.

That being said, and if you can track when you earned points so that you redeem them before they "expire," the properties are quite good in nearly all locations. I especially like their bargain-for-Manhattan NYC property on 32nd St. Several of the properties (Flagstaff, Austin Airport, and Ontario come to mind) are real high-quality values.

I only once had a negative experience at a La Quinta, in Santa Fe. The breakfast area was clogged with people and I asked the "attendant" where I could find a place to sit. She gave me a dirty look and pointed at the floor! When I checked out and complained about this rude/creepy behavior, the front desk clerk comped the stay.