Wyndham to buy La Quinta
#16
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 373
Just redeemed 11,000 points for a night in Florida where the rate was $144 a night. Not a bad value redemption, and I've probably redeemed north of 100,000 points with them since I've been a member. I really don't like Wyndham's reward program at all. I'm LQ Elite now, so I assume they might give me Wyndham Diamond when everything's merged, however it's still not really a positive to me. LQ's rewards program is way better.
I've looked for Points + Cash rates, but I think they may have gotten rid of them recently. I can usually get $10 in value for every 1,000 points, so I didn't end up using that feature much anyway. If you are still seeing them places, let us know.
I am a fan of the LaQuinta Returns program. Its a hidden gem. Two great benefits are upgrades never expire and the points and cash deal provides the best redemption value in the industry. $15 gets you an upgrade point redemption to the next highest level. Customer service is excellent and USA based. Their newer properties with interior corridors are on part with Hampton and Courtyard. Will miss this program.
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,927
Having said that, the LQ I stay at most often has no rooms to upgrade to (all the basic rooms are already huge, and so it basically means I get the goodie bag, that's it.
And in the areas I stay in the most, the LQ properties that are decent are 16k a night. Only an un-upgraded always-trashily-reviewed LQ (which I won't bother to even try) is 11k. I know that's no true everywhere, but my point is it depends where you travel as to whether 11k works for you, and it depends on the properties you stay at as to whether LQ Elite is anything more than a goodie bag.
For understandable reasons, I've gotten upgraded at Super 8 (even before WR had status, just as a repeat guest I guess) way more than at LQ (simply because some LQs only have one room style in the whole hotel).
#18
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 373
Since LQ Elite is now available for just doing 7 stays a year (and for me that means 7 nights, since all of my LQ stays to date have been 1-night stays), I'd be surprised if WyndhamRewards matched that to anything beyond Platinum.
Having said that, the LQ I stay at most often has no rooms to upgrade to (all the basic rooms are already huge, and so it basically means I get the goodie bag, that's it.
And in the areas I stay in the most, the LQ properties that are decent are 16k a night. Only an un-upgraded always-trashily-reviewed LQ (which I won't bother to even try) is 11k. I know that's no true everywhere, but my point is it depends where you travel as to whether 11k works for you, and it depends on the properties you stay at as to whether LQ Elite is anything more than a goodie bag.
For understandable reasons, I've gotten upgraded at Super 8 (even before WR had status, just as a repeat guest I guess) way more than at LQ (simply because some LQs only have one room style in the whole hotel).
Having said that, the LQ I stay at most often has no rooms to upgrade to (all the basic rooms are already huge, and so it basically means I get the goodie bag, that's it.
And in the areas I stay in the most, the LQ properties that are decent are 16k a night. Only an un-upgraded always-trashily-reviewed LQ (which I won't bother to even try) is 11k. I know that's no true everywhere, but my point is it depends where you travel as to whether 11k works for you, and it depends on the properties you stay at as to whether LQ Elite is anything more than a goodie bag.
For understandable reasons, I've gotten upgraded at Super 8 (even before WR had status, just as a repeat guest I guess) way more than at LQ (simply because some LQs only have one room style in the whole hotel).
As far as what level of Wyndham rewards they match us to, I'm hoping they'll at least review total # of nights for 2017, and other factors such as total years achieving LQ Elite. I made it for the two prior years when the bar was still 25 nights minimum, so I'm hoping (but not expecting) that kind of stuff to be taken into consideration.
#19
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: VPS
Programs: IHG Diamond, Delta PM, Hilton Gold, Accor Gold, Marriott Silver
Posts: 7,210
I'm currently sitting on an 11K a night reservation for La Verkin, Utah. It's 20 minutes from the main part of Zion NP, 20 minutes the other way to the Kolob Canyons unit of the NP, and is fairly recently opened. Reviews put it as better than the 18K a night LQ near the gate to Zion main, and given the stories about how crowded that part of the park is getting, we actually see it being an advantage to be closer to the far less used Kolob unit.
Like a number of hotel programs, there are some sweet award spots if you've got specific travel patterns and are willing to dig a bit.
Like a number of hotel programs, there are some sweet award spots if you've got specific travel patterns and are willing to dig a bit.
#20
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2000
Location: RDU
Programs: AA LT Gold, DL SM, HY Disc, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 12,502
I started moving some stays over to LQ last summer, and have been very pleased. My first stay was an emergency (IRROPS), the rest have been planned. I now include nicer LQs (e.g. those with 4.0+ on TripAdvisor, and which have decent exterior photos) in with HIX on my low end stays. LQ comped me their elite status which just means more points, but I figure I'll get one free night a year out of them.
I don't care about breakfast, but I do care about having a newer property with less mustiness for my allergies.
My favorite so far is one I just stayed at this weekend, Durham NC University 15/501. The elite status helped, as they gave me top floor next to the elevator, and I think the room might have been slightly upgraded. A comfortable recliner, a large desk, microwave, and a good mini-fridge that even had a thermometer digital display built into it.
I don't care about breakfast, but I do care about having a newer property with less mustiness for my allergies.
My favorite so far is one I just stayed at this weekend, Durham NC University 15/501. The elite status helped, as they gave me top floor next to the elevator, and I think the room might have been slightly upgraded. A comfortable recliner, a large desk, microwave, and a good mini-fridge that even had a thermometer digital display built into it.
#21
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Charleston, SC, USA
Programs: Avis Pref+, Hyatt Explorist, Marriott Life Gold, Honors Silver, IHG Plat via MC.
Posts: 6,786
I could get 247 Aeropesos for them on points.com, which would be better than nothing if they can't go into my Wyndham account before expiring.
#22
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: VPS
Programs: IHG Diamond, Delta PM, Hilton Gold, Accor Gold, Marriott Silver
Posts: 7,210
If you've got a twitter account, link it to your LQ rewards account, do a monthly tweet with #LQReturns in the body of the message and that should still get you 50 points and count as account activity that will bump your expiration date out another year.
#23
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,927
I too would like to know this, and also WHEN the conversion will take place. I have 1500 LQ points from last September's National Coffee Day. So I expect their expiry date to be March 2019, but Award Wallet says June 15, 2018.
I could get 247 Aeropesos for them on points.com, which would be better than nothing if they can't go into my Wyndham account before expiring.
I could get 247 Aeropesos for them on points.com, which would be better than nothing if they can't go into my Wyndham account before expiring.
OTOH, 1500 LQ points is very little (1/8 to 1/10 of a free night), and (if it were to transfer 1:1) 1500 WR points is very little (1/10 of a free night). So I don't see why it's worth worrying about. (The more critical question is: If Award Wallet is wrong about this, are they wrong about anything else too where it might matter more?)
#24
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Charleston, SC, USA
Programs: Avis Pref+, Hyatt Explorist, Marriott Life Gold, Honors Silver, IHG Plat via MC.
Posts: 6,786
Award Wallet probably believes the Sep. 2017 transaction is "non-qualifying" because it lists a "last activity date" of Dec. 2016.
Assuming 1:1 conversion, my small chunk of 1500 points could end up making a difference in my WR of 43,500 vs. 45,000 (another Go Free Night.) Or put me over the top for an Aeroplan award. I suppose I could grab the Aeropesos, but it would be nice to have a straight answer from Wyndham for people with enough LQ points to "worry about!"
Assuming 1:1 conversion, my small chunk of 1500 points could end up making a difference in my WR of 43,500 vs. 45,000 (another Go Free Night.) Or put me over the top for an Aeroplan award. I suppose I could grab the Aeropesos, but it would be nice to have a straight answer from Wyndham for people with enough LQ points to "worry about!"
#25
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,927
Award Wallet probably believes the Sep. 2017 transaction is "non-qualifying" because it lists a "last activity date" of Dec. 2016.
Assuming 1:1 conversion, my small chunk of 1500 points could end up making a difference in my WR of 43,500 vs. 45,000 (another Go Free Night.) Or put me over the top for an Aeroplan award. I suppose I could grab the Aeropesos, but it would be nice to have a straight answer from Wyndham for people with enough LQ points to "worry about!"
Assuming 1:1 conversion, my small chunk of 1500 points could end up making a difference in my WR of 43,500 vs. 45,000 (another Go Free Night.) Or put me over the top for an Aeroplan award. I suppose I could grab the Aeropesos, but it would be nice to have a straight answer from Wyndham for people with enough LQ points to "worry about!"
I would think a straight answer today from LQ about when your points are due to expire is going to be a lot easier than a straight answer today from either Wyndham or La Quinta about the merger. They probably either don't know yet what the conversion will be or when the programs will actually merge, or if anyone there does know they're probably legally prohibited from disclosing it yet.
#27
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,927
Some newer news:
La Quinta Holdings Inc. Stockholders Approve Acquisition by Wyndham (CNBC)
La Quinta seeks consistency as Wyndham merger draws near (Hotel Management)
La Quinta Holdings Inc. Stockholders Approve Acquisition by Wyndham (CNBC)
La Quinta seeks consistency as Wyndham merger draws near (Hotel Management)
#29
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,927
There are also two versions of La Quinta breakfasts out there, the hardboiled eggs and no (other) "hot" items version, and some hotels that have replaced that with a "hot" items version (but got "faker" eggs in the process; I prefer hardboiled eggs to powdered eggs myself, but some people just want "hot" food no matter how bad it is. But whichever standard is still way better than the Days Inn lack of breakfast standard.
There are exterior corridors in higher-up WR brands than Days Inn, for example Baymont Inn. (The Baymont Inn I'm familiar with is a conversion from an exterior-corridor Holiday Inn Express, and didn't change much in the conversion other than the signage. I stayed there both when it was an HIX and after it became a Baymont.)
So if it's any brand that some La Qunita properties might converted to, I'd say more likely Baymont than Days Inn. (Plus, there are some interior-corridor Days Inns. So corridors don't seem to be a main distinguishing factor between brands at WyndhamRewards.)
But in any case, it's likely to be done on a case-by-case basis, so 1 hotel out of the whole program might become X and 1 hotel out of the whole program might become Y, but that wouldn't be a "rule", just one-off decisions.
Last edited by sdsearch; May 21, 2018 at 6:15 pm
#30
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Charleston, SC, USA
Programs: Avis Pref+, Hyatt Explorist, Marriott Life Gold, Honors Silver, IHG Plat via MC.
Posts: 6,786