How to select the best hotel loyalty program?
Jan 24, 2012, 3:40 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Heading over to the Australian and Hawaiian internationals
Programs: All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine.
Posts: 2
How to select the best hotel loyalty program?
This is my first time surfing into unchartered hotel waters. Is there a tutorial area here to learn about which hotel programs offer which perks, free stays, upgrades and the like?
Jan 24, 2012, 5:11 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: SFO
Programs: AA ExPlat,EX-UA 1K, Hyatt Diamond, SPG Plat,
Posts: 12,212
To start with you might want to read some of hotel programs here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hyatt-gold-passport-418/
Need to ask the right questions, where do you want to stay? what kind of programs are you in etc.
Good Luck and enjoy!
Jan 24, 2012, 6:01 pm
#4
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 107
Jan 24, 2012, 6:33 pm
#5
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: DFW
Posts: 1,145
When I first started reading here, i literally sat and read for a good 3-4 weeks, but that was for everything, not just hotels. May seem time consuming, but if you enjoy it and want to use all the information to its full potential, it is definitely worth it. Good luck.
Jan 24, 2012, 11:57 pm
#6
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: MEL
Programs: QF CL
Posts: 689
I think the OP was seeking information from an educated audience rather than admonishment. As a fellow newbie can I say that there is a ton of hugely useful information in this community, so persevere, spend some time familiarizing yourself, and welcome.
Jan 25, 2012, 12:36 am
#7
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: California, SMF
Programs: UA, AA, AS, DL, BA, HA, WN, SPG-PL, Hyatt-Dia, HH-Dia, Marr-Pl, US Mint/VR(retired)
Posts: 945
Welcome to Flyertalk !
Check out the MANY bloggers at the Boarding Area, Million Mile Secrets, Noob Traveler, etc... and subscribe to them via e-mail, facebook, etc... Many of them have a search function on their home page to get you to all of their posts on a particular program.
You might also look into the Chicago Seminars.
Good Luck !
Check out the MANY bloggers at the Boarding Area, Million Mile Secrets, Noob Traveler, etc... and subscribe to them via e-mail, facebook, etc... Many of them have a search function on their home page to get you to all of their posts on a particular program.
You might also look into the Chicago Seminars.
Good Luck !
Jan 25, 2012, 5:45 am
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Heading over to the Australian and Hawaiian internationals
Programs: All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine.
Posts: 2
Thanks for the feedback everyone. The suggestions and citicism are a help. Thanks for the welcome, I am new, so I unknowingly go ahead of myself.
I'll go write "I dont know." on the black board now and do the work.
[Off-topic link deleted by moderator.]
Jokingly,
Spicoli
I'll go write "I dont know." on the black board now and do the work.
[Off-topic link deleted by moderator.]
Jokingly,
Spicoli
Last edited by Ocn Vw 1K; Jan 25, 2012 at 9:10 am Reason: Pls. see note above.
Jan 25, 2012, 9:16 am
#9
Senior Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: UA Plat/2MM [23-yr. 1K, now emeritus] clawing way back to WN-A List; MR LT Titanium; HY Whateverist.
Posts: 12,396
JeffSpicoli, welcome to FlyerTalk!
Your thread was wisely moved to this forum. One specific suggestion would be to browse the organization of the hotel forums. You'll find one on each major program, and a forum on the smaller ones. Most all the larger-program hotel forums have threads which compare that program -- or some of its key features -- to some others.
But for specifics, you'll want to know your travel patterns and likes and dislikes -- and whether a particular program's properties are available where you're likely to stay and to your liking. No use building up elite status and points in a program in which you're not crazy about the hotels you're not as likely to stay in because there are few choices where most travel takes you.
Now that your thread has been moved to TravelBuzz, I'll give this a more specific thread title. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator.
Your thread was wisely moved to this forum. One specific suggestion would be to browse the organization of the hotel forums. You'll find one on each major program, and a forum on the smaller ones. Most all the larger-program hotel forums have threads which compare that program -- or some of its key features -- to some others.
But for specifics, you'll want to know your travel patterns and likes and dislikes -- and whether a particular program's properties are available where you're likely to stay and to your liking. No use building up elite status and points in a program in which you're not crazy about the hotels you're not as likely to stay in because there are few choices where most travel takes you.
Now that your thread has been moved to TravelBuzz, I'll give this a more specific thread title. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator.
Jan 25, 2012, 10:17 am
#10
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Gold 1MM, AS MVP, UA Silver, WN A-List, Marriott LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 52,575
Each of the big programs has its strengths and weaknesses. Each has a different type of marquee award and a different "ideal" earning scenario. Your paid stay pattern and reward type desires will likely lead you to a natural answer.
Paid stay pattern includes everything - brand/service level, whether your corp rate includes breakfast, your frequent locations, whether you tend to do 1-nighters or weeklong stays, whether you tend to stay at urban hotels or resorts, use of extended-stay brands, and other factors.
With lots of non-stay paths to elite status and points in some programs, you may also choose a backup program. I stay fairly active in at least 3 programs (sometimes 4) in order to maximize coverage when it's time to redeem awards.
Paid stay pattern includes everything - brand/service level, whether your corp rate includes breakfast, your frequent locations, whether you tend to do 1-nighters or weeklong stays, whether you tend to stay at urban hotels or resorts, use of extended-stay brands, and other factors.
With lots of non-stay paths to elite status and points in some programs, you may also choose a backup program. I stay fairly active in at least 3 programs (sometimes 4) in order to maximize coverage when it's time to redeem awards.
Jan 25, 2012, 1:20 pm
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: south of WAS DC
Posts: 10,131
the programs also have buried advantages. i do the starwood program.
1.a mile (point)or 2 for every dollar spent.
2. a point for every dollar spent on the starwood amex card
3. points are transferable at 1 point = 1.2 miles to most frequent flyer programs.
i have at various times transfered some 4-500000 miles for award seats. award seats are more valuable than hotels.(when you are paying your own bills, there are hotels for better value than the chains)
i still have about a million miles in my starwood acct. that is enough for over 10 biz saver class tatl tickets.
i also get a starwood gold card for charging over $60k or some such every year.
it is harder to compare the hotel programs because they are not very straight foreward in their structure.
also depends on where you will be traveling. hilton and starwood both have lousy coverage of europe. only in a few big cities.
1.a mile (point)or 2 for every dollar spent.
2. a point for every dollar spent on the starwood amex card
3. points are transferable at 1 point = 1.2 miles to most frequent flyer programs.
i have at various times transfered some 4-500000 miles for award seats. award seats are more valuable than hotels.(when you are paying your own bills, there are hotels for better value than the chains)
i still have about a million miles in my starwood acct. that is enough for over 10 biz saver class tatl tickets.
i also get a starwood gold card for charging over $60k or some such every year.
it is harder to compare the hotel programs because they are not very straight foreward in their structure.
also depends on where you will be traveling. hilton and starwood both have lousy coverage of europe. only in a few big cities.
Jan 25, 2012, 2:54 pm
#12
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: US-CP, UA, Marriott Rewards, HHonors, Avis,
Posts: 4,549
Before spending too much time drooling over perks, the OP may want to have a long, realistic look at where he is likely to stay to earn those points (or if the bulk of the points will come from credit card spend), and where he would want to redeem those points. Look at it from both a location perspective, and a budget perspective.
GHA (Global Hotels Alliance, http://www.gha.com) has some lovely"experience perks" like free wine tastings, walking tours (like foodie tours or chocolate tours, not the boring beaten path tours), chef's table dinners and so forth. That's on top of room upgrades, To me, those seem like the "best" perks around-- free or cheap stuff that really adds a lot to my trip. But with their small portfolio of brands and limited presence in the US, I'm not likely to ever actually enjoy those perks.
Truly the "best" program is one you actually get a lot of use out of, and since higher status usually gives more abundant benefits, the best program is also the one in which you hold (or can reach) the higher status. Once you determine where your hotel points will come from (USA, Europe, credit card, budget hotel, luxury hotel, I'm paying, work is paying, etc) you should have eliminated at least some of the major programs. Then you can compare the rest to eachother and see which you think will be most valuable to you.
GHA (Global Hotels Alliance, http://www.gha.com) has some lovely"experience perks" like free wine tastings, walking tours (like foodie tours or chocolate tours, not the boring beaten path tours), chef's table dinners and so forth. That's on top of room upgrades, To me, those seem like the "best" perks around-- free or cheap stuff that really adds a lot to my trip. But with their small portfolio of brands and limited presence in the US, I'm not likely to ever actually enjoy those perks.
Truly the "best" program is one you actually get a lot of use out of, and since higher status usually gives more abundant benefits, the best program is also the one in which you hold (or can reach) the higher status. Once you determine where your hotel points will come from (USA, Europe, credit card, budget hotel, luxury hotel, I'm paying, work is paying, etc) you should have eliminated at least some of the major programs. Then you can compare the rest to eachother and see which you think will be most valuable to you.
Jan 25, 2012, 3:09 pm
#13
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Santa Cruz, CA USA
Programs: AA, UA, WN, HH, Marriott
Posts: 7,290
The truth is that FlyerTalk is a really bad place for someone new to the game to start and learn. The information, for the most part, is posted in chronological order and focuses on details that come up that usually represent refinements and subtleties of the program.
Much better places to learn, when one is just starting, are the websites of the individual programs or some modest length books that start at the beginning and develop ideas in a logical order.
Jumping in and reading FT is like trying to take a graduate math course when you haven't had high school algebra.
Much better places to learn, when one is just starting, are the websites of the individual programs or some modest length books that start at the beginning and develop ideas in a logical order.
Jumping in and reading FT is like trying to take a graduate math course when you haven't had high school algebra.
Jan 25, 2012, 3:28 pm
#14
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
For me personally suite upgrades are pretty much worthless as is the free internet and breakfast for top tier so I value my hotel stays very differently. And since I pay all my stays out of my own pocket rather than an expense account it means that I don't actually carry status with the hotel programs. I stay in great places all over the world and I spend a LOT less than I would if I was loyal to one program, to the point that I can actually afford to buy the award stays I want in nearly every case. Doesn't mean it is right for you, but it is an option worth considering, depending on how you answer the initial queries I put out there.
Jan 25, 2012, 6:49 pm
#15
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: USA - HNL, SEA, DEN, ORD, MCO, and all points inbetween
Programs: Way too many!
Posts: 1,188
Ask yourself what is important to you - and where are you going?
Lots of good points earlier.
Let me share what I have learned in over 30 years of heavy travel.
First, five important questions to ask yourself;
1. What do you want to do with your points? Hotel nights? Packages? Gifts?
2. Where are you going to travel? USA? Europe?
3. Is it YOUR money or COMPANY funds? Who's paying? Is $/night important?
4. Is point longevity important? i.e., do you plan on saving points for YEARS?
5. Are you loyal? Can you stick with one chain or do you want to hop around?
This will help guide you. Then look at the programs and decide whom has the best.
If, for example, it's YOUR dime, and what's important to you is saving money while gaining FREE NIGHTS, well then you need to look at what will give you the most bang for your buck. When, for example, Choice Hotels runs a "Stay 2 get 1 FREE" you simply can't beat that if your goal is to gain quick free nights and spend very little.
Or, if, for example, you want to bank points for decades, Marriott is a good pick for "Longevity". Their points never seem to expire. I logged a huge number of points in the late 80's and early 90's and did not cash them in until last year. They were STILL pretty darn valuable.
Do you like LUXURY? Is it a company dime and they are willing to pay for your "Luxury"? Or is it your dime and you happen to be in a position financially where money is no object? Then you may wish to look at Fairmont, or another upscale chain.
If staying ANYWHERE you may roam (US and Overseas) you may need to compromise if you want consistent points. Again, Choice has good brand penetration both in the US and overseas, however, they are not an "Upscale" chain. Comfortable and clean? Yes, but not a 4 star experience. And they are quirky. i.e., try and find a Choice Hotel on the Hawaiian Islands. You'll search for a while! But I have a pad in Hawaii so it's not important to me to have them there. Mainland US and Europe and Canada? Lots and lots of them.
Hilton/Hyatt/Marriott? Look at where they are and see how their points programs stack up. Starwood/Stash/IPrefer and many others have some options on hotels. Stash and iPrefer offer luxury but a random assortment of hotels grouped together, sort of like Best Western (but more upscale), lots of independents working together but you gain points with one brand club.
I've got a friend whom stays at Hampton Inns. He plans his weeks and months of travel so that he will always wind up at a Hampton. He then banks his Hilton rewards and goes on nice trips with his wife to upscale Hilton properties for vacations. That's all that is important to him.
So set your priorities, look at the potential candidates, review their programs, and try picking a few.
When I started in business in the 80's, Holiday Inn was the bomb. They had a great rewards program, were inexpensive enough for most companies (we were all on an expense account in those days) to swallow, and they were EVERYWHERE.
I then migrated to Sheraton (now Starwood). I stayed with Sheraton for a long time, and then migrated to Marriott. From there to Hilton, and then Choice (because of the stay 2 get 1 free). I'm a company owner now and cash flow and expense management are VERY important to me.
Have fun!
WELCOME TO FLYERTALK!
Let me share what I have learned in over 30 years of heavy travel.
First, five important questions to ask yourself;
1. What do you want to do with your points? Hotel nights? Packages? Gifts?
2. Where are you going to travel? USA? Europe?
3. Is it YOUR money or COMPANY funds? Who's paying? Is $/night important?
4. Is point longevity important? i.e., do you plan on saving points for YEARS?
5. Are you loyal? Can you stick with one chain or do you want to hop around?
This will help guide you. Then look at the programs and decide whom has the best.
If, for example, it's YOUR dime, and what's important to you is saving money while gaining FREE NIGHTS, well then you need to look at what will give you the most bang for your buck. When, for example, Choice Hotels runs a "Stay 2 get 1 FREE" you simply can't beat that if your goal is to gain quick free nights and spend very little.
Or, if, for example, you want to bank points for decades, Marriott is a good pick for "Longevity". Their points never seem to expire. I logged a huge number of points in the late 80's and early 90's and did not cash them in until last year. They were STILL pretty darn valuable.
Do you like LUXURY? Is it a company dime and they are willing to pay for your "Luxury"? Or is it your dime and you happen to be in a position financially where money is no object? Then you may wish to look at Fairmont, or another upscale chain.
If staying ANYWHERE you may roam (US and Overseas) you may need to compromise if you want consistent points. Again, Choice has good brand penetration both in the US and overseas, however, they are not an "Upscale" chain. Comfortable and clean? Yes, but not a 4 star experience. And they are quirky. i.e., try and find a Choice Hotel on the Hawaiian Islands. You'll search for a while! But I have a pad in Hawaii so it's not important to me to have them there. Mainland US and Europe and Canada? Lots and lots of them.
Hilton/Hyatt/Marriott? Look at where they are and see how their points programs stack up. Starwood/Stash/IPrefer and many others have some options on hotels. Stash and iPrefer offer luxury but a random assortment of hotels grouped together, sort of like Best Western (but more upscale), lots of independents working together but you gain points with one brand club.
I've got a friend whom stays at Hampton Inns. He plans his weeks and months of travel so that he will always wind up at a Hampton. He then banks his Hilton rewards and goes on nice trips with his wife to upscale Hilton properties for vacations. That's all that is important to him.
So set your priorities, look at the potential candidates, review their programs, and try picking a few.
When I started in business in the 80's, Holiday Inn was the bomb. They had a great rewards program, were inexpensive enough for most companies (we were all on an expense account in those days) to swallow, and they were EVERYWHERE.
I then migrated to Sheraton (now Starwood). I stayed with Sheraton for a long time, and then migrated to Marriott. From there to Hilton, and then Choice (because of the stay 2 get 1 free). I'm a company owner now and cash flow and expense management are VERY important to me.
Have fun!
WELCOME TO FLYERTALK!