15000 Flat-Rate Redemptions?
 

There's gotta be a catch, right?

I saw the post on TPG. I'm really intrigued. The wyndham credit card earns 2x points. So it wouldn't be that hard to get a lot of top tier rooms, you would need to spend $7,500. I'm not a hotel snob so I hope their new program is the way they describe it. I remember wyndham from their best rate guarantee days.

Too little info
 

I spoke to a supervisor at Wyndham Rewards...yeah it looks like 15K for all.

That being said we discussed the current credit card sign up. They said they may "grandfather" those people who get the card before May11 into the old program...meaning that if they want to get a room at a Super 8 for 5500 they can for the first year of holding the card. Those details are not worked out yet.

Wyndham was a 45,000 point offer right now. I wonder if I should apply now or wait to see if they have a better offer when they revamp the program. I hope they keep the credit earning rate at 2x.

I went ahead and applied tonight. I have had the card before...cancelled it Sept 2014 when they changed the award charts again, especially since it impacted our stay at Koloa Landing. We were saving for 3 nights at 30K a night. When they changed to 50k I said I was done with Wyndham!

Now that they have changed to 15K I went ahead and bit the bullet. I can find 3 nights for $69 bucks sometime in the future!

I asked if there are any other hotel specific exclusions (the above two are brand specific) will post a reply when I receive one. Also asked if new card members will have the old award chart grand fathered in for one full year after their approval date.

Sure there is. This change raises the rates more often than it lowers them, at least based on the data I have. It makes Wyndham Rewards points less valuable on average.

http://blog.wandr.me/wp-content/uplo...-per-night.jpg

The 14k and 16k rooms I exclude because the numbers are close enough, both in points required and number of nights/searches for each in my data set. Looking at the other results, however, shows at least 3,200 hotels increasing in redemption cost while only 425 are reduced. The change actually reduces the average cents/point valuation of a Wyndham Rewards point from 0.5610 cents to 0.4773 cents, a cut of ~17%. The median point value drops from 0.5946 to 0.4666 cents.

As long as you only redeem at one of the handful of properties which was a 50k night maybe this is great news. But, on average, I see it as a tough sell.

n.b. The link above is to my blog or to one which I am a regular contributor. FT rules require that I disclose that in the post.

Great analysis, SMB!

You're clearly right in that most properties are actually being devalued with this new system and that people who redeem for the best properties are getting steals. It seems to me that Wyndham is hoping that many of it's customers are unable or too ignorant to book the nicest properties, which are few and far between.

Plus, because the only way to earn Wyndham rewards is through paid stays or credit card signups, this is the enticement that will "bring back" the travel hackers who DO know how to redeem the rewards for the best properties, without risking those same hackers being able to take advantage of the system too far. Worst case scenario? Whyndham loses money on a 3 night stay at a nice property, and then that person is trapped into either doing paid stays to accrue points, using the credit card, or simply quitting.

We will also be having the "go get 'em" which guarantees members earn at least 1,000 points per stay (points points per dollar or 1,000 points, whichever is more). So members will earn points much faster.

There will also be the "go fast" option where members can redeem 3,000 points and some cash.

Wyndham,

I really like the sound of your new award chart, but I'm skeptical that properties that were previously 30k/night will now be able to be redeemed for half that.

Will all current Wyndham properties be participating?

Will there only be a certain amount of rooms available for award redemption, thus allowing the top properties to severely restrict award redemptions?

Also, I heard changes may be coming to the Wyndham-branded credit card card, including a "best bonus offer yet." Can you clarify?

Yup, great news for earning if you typically spend less than $100/night. But if my typical redemption is 5500 points and my typical spend is $65/night I still lose on this deal. It would take 11 stays at 650 points each to have enough for a 5500 point redemption. Those 11 stays will now earn the same customer 11,000 points but leave them 4,000 short of an award night.


On the plus side, the 20/40/60 night bonuses are also better for the cheap stay customer with the fixed rate.

If one often spends more on a room the 1,000/night floor doesn't help and the 15,000 fixed bonus is actually a cut, not an increase.

Without any numbers available for the cash portion of the booking this is so a particularly compelling argument. Maybe it will be awesome, but I choose to have data before making such decisions, not just marketing copy.

Hi danielv22,

More than 7,500 Wyndham Rewards properties will participate in the new program! As of now, the newly acquired Dolce properties are not in the program but they will be participating later this year. Planet Hollywood also does not participate.

The go free award will allow you to redeem a free night at any of our participating hotels worldwide – any standard room (up to max. occupancy), at any participating property, down to last room available, with no blackout dates.

We will follow up with more information on the credit card shortly.

Hi sargenet,

Just to clarify, Wyndham Rewards Visa Credit Card holders will be given access to the old loyalty program redemption categories for a specific period of time after the new program launches on May 11. Full details and instructions will be communicated in the coming weeks via email to all cardholders.

Is there a way to search hotels by category for an entire state ?

I would like to find the nicest Wyndham's in Florida to redeem the 15K per night at.

Thanks

Can we see a list of participating properties...............I was wondering if the Wyndham Garden Fort Myers Beach will be participating.

Thanks

Hi flyer4512 - Yes! All of our Wyndham Rewards properties will be participating in the go free award! The only exception is the newly acquired Dolce who who will be added later this year.