How does Wyndham rank after SPG/Marriott Merger
Jan 6, 2019, 6:29 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Cullman, Alabama
Programs: Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold, IHG Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 648
How does Wyndham rank after SPG/Marriott Merger
I am wondering about staying at Wyndham hotels in 2019 since I have a good many Baymont and Laquinta hotels in the area I travel. While I prefer it be Hyatt, I don't have many Hyatt hotels where I travel. Since I am not happy with the Marriott/SPG Merger and feel Hilton just requires to many points for a free night at popular properties, I am looking for a new program where I can get the most for my money in terms of earning and spending.
What does everyone think about Wyndham properties (excluding timeshares)? I realize they do not have aspirational properties but I have a lot of Wyndham hotels in my area.
What does everyone think about Wyndham properties (excluding timeshares)? I realize they do not have aspirational properties but I have a lot of Wyndham hotels in my area.
Jan 6, 2019, 9:01 pm
#2
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 367
For the hotels...eh. I've never had a truly terrible Wyndham hotel (even with Days Inn/Super 8s) but you do have to check reviews ahead of time for most of the budget to mid-range properties. Their brand standards seem to be rather weak or not well-enforced, especially on the budget and mid-range tiers. While I check reviews of every hotel before I book, if you're a "book based on brand without checking reviews" person, there aren't a lot of brands in Wyndham's portfolio that have a decent amount of properties that I'd be comfortable doing that with. Even a Ramada or Microtel I'd still have to recommend checking reviews, and Super 8s, Days Inn, Howard Johnsons, and Travelodges definitely require checking reviews before booking. The other mid-range brands I don't have much experience with, though I'd probably personally book an Americinn without checking reviews if I had to - I've had good luck with that brand in the past.
Earning rewards is okay, though not amazing unless they're having a promotion. Wyndham's promotions seem to be a bit spotty, and without them the earning ratio is simply okay (you're looking at roughly $1500 in spend before tax for a free night unless you have a lot of sub-$100 stays.) It's also worth noting that Wyndham's promotions usually max out fairly quickly - 2-3 stays is the norm before you've earned all you can under a promotion. Status seems to be basically meaningless, as all of the higher-tier benefits are based on availability, and there often isn't anything terribly meaningful to upgrade to even at the highest status.
That said, redeeming points can lead to some good redemptions...if you're able to be selective in your redemptions. There's a lot of bad redemptions in Wyndham's system (now that Go Fast redemptions are based on cash, they're rarely worthwhile, and a Go Free redemption at most lower-end properties results in a very poor value since every Go Free redemption is 15,000 points.) That said, if you're okay with redeeming points in larger cities or during extremely expensive times, Go Free can result in some very good points value - I was able to redeem for some nights in midtown Manhattan that got me 2-3 cents per point in value!
In summary, if you're mainly paying out of pocket or trying to stretch a per diem dollar for your hotels and are willing to put in the legwork to check TripAdvisor and Google reviews for a decent hotel, Wyndham isn't a bad option. Most of their hotels are lower-end (and thus cheaper) than pretty much any other major hotel network, and their network is quite extensive. Their redemption potential also makes it a lucrative program compared to any of the other budget chains I can think of. That said, if you're expecting a hard and soft product even remotely comparable to SPG or Marriott, you're setting yourself up for some major disappointment. They're starting to build out a decent mid-tier hotel network with La Quinta and AmericInn (Baymont seems to be more hit-and-miss, as they have quite a few conversions from other chains) but even those would be a half-step below a Hampton in terms of amenities and quality.
Also, La Quinta's rewards program is still separate from the rest of Wyndham's. While this isn't a huge issue for points earning (they earn at roughly the same rate and points can be transferred between programs relatively easily,) status earning will still be separate until the program merges. (That said, you aren't exactly missing out on much there.)
Earning rewards is okay, though not amazing unless they're having a promotion. Wyndham's promotions seem to be a bit spotty, and without them the earning ratio is simply okay (you're looking at roughly $1500 in spend before tax for a free night unless you have a lot of sub-$100 stays.) It's also worth noting that Wyndham's promotions usually max out fairly quickly - 2-3 stays is the norm before you've earned all you can under a promotion. Status seems to be basically meaningless, as all of the higher-tier benefits are based on availability, and there often isn't anything terribly meaningful to upgrade to even at the highest status.
That said, redeeming points can lead to some good redemptions...if you're able to be selective in your redemptions. There's a lot of bad redemptions in Wyndham's system (now that Go Fast redemptions are based on cash, they're rarely worthwhile, and a Go Free redemption at most lower-end properties results in a very poor value since every Go Free redemption is 15,000 points.) That said, if you're okay with redeeming points in larger cities or during extremely expensive times, Go Free can result in some very good points value - I was able to redeem for some nights in midtown Manhattan that got me 2-3 cents per point in value!
In summary, if you're mainly paying out of pocket or trying to stretch a per diem dollar for your hotels and are willing to put in the legwork to check TripAdvisor and Google reviews for a decent hotel, Wyndham isn't a bad option. Most of their hotels are lower-end (and thus cheaper) than pretty much any other major hotel network, and their network is quite extensive. Their redemption potential also makes it a lucrative program compared to any of the other budget chains I can think of. That said, if you're expecting a hard and soft product even remotely comparable to SPG or Marriott, you're setting yourself up for some major disappointment. They're starting to build out a decent mid-tier hotel network with La Quinta and AmericInn (Baymont seems to be more hit-and-miss, as they have quite a few conversions from other chains) but even those would be a half-step below a Hampton in terms of amenities and quality.
Also, La Quinta's rewards program is still separate from the rest of Wyndham's. While this isn't a huge issue for points earning (they earn at roughly the same rate and points can be transferred between programs relatively easily,) status earning will still be separate until the program merges. (That said, you aren't exactly missing out on much there.)
Jan 13, 2019, 8:04 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,933
Their biggest benefit right now is the flat 15k across-the-boar redemption rate.
However, there are rumors out there that it may going "multi-tier" soon. But no specifics yet.
Meanwhile, it's the only hotel program left that I know of with a "hard" expiration, at 4 years. Currently you can reset that by transferring to La Quinta, but once La Quinta is fully merged in, that won't be possible any more. Now, given that La Quinta doesn't have "hard" expiration, and given that competitor Choice gave up "hard" expiration a a couple years ago, I would hope that WyndhamRewards would give up "hard" expiration soon. But I'm not holding my breath.
However, there are rumors out there that it may going "multi-tier" soon. But no specifics yet.
Meanwhile, it's the only hotel program left that I know of with a "hard" expiration, at 4 years. Currently you can reset that by transferring to La Quinta, but once La Quinta is fully merged in, that won't be possible any more. Now, given that La Quinta doesn't have "hard" expiration, and given that competitor Choice gave up "hard" expiration a a couple years ago, I would hope that WyndhamRewards would give up "hard" expiration soon. But I'm not holding my breath.
Jan 15, 2019, 6:27 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Cullman, Alabama
Programs: Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold, IHG Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 648
Thank You. You are absolutely correct about reading reviews of Wyndham hotels before you stay at one. I am hopeful that the LaQuinta fold in will help the chain out and glad to see them building more Wyndham or Wingate hotels. I am not a fan of Most Super 8 or Microtel hotels as they tend sometimes to be in bad areas. There are highlights though in this program and the 15,000 points per night is one and I do love their promotions though they need to run more of them.
I just think if I can manage to stay some in 2019 in Wyndham properties under a promotion and earn some points, I know there are select hotels where 15,000 is a good deal because of the location of the hotel. I just cant see spending 60,70, 80,000 or more points per night at a nicer Hilton or Marriott even though they are nicerr as it takes a long time to earn those points.
I just think if I can manage to stay some in 2019 in Wyndham properties under a promotion and earn some points, I know there are select hotels where 15,000 is a good deal because of the location of the hotel. I just cant see spending 60,70, 80,000 or more points per night at a nicer Hilton or Marriott even though they are nicerr as it takes a long time to earn those points.
Jan 19, 2019, 4:24 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2000
Location: RDU
Programs: AA LT Gold, DL SM, HY Disc, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 12,507
I find LaQuinta to be a good backup chain IF you are diligent about researching the properties. I generally won't book any LQ without a "Top Rated Property" designation, and even then I might skip some of the ones with a TripAdvisor rating of only 4.0-4.2.
I got matched to Elite at the beginning of 2018 and got upgraded to a two room suite in about 2/3 of my 8-9 stays in 2019. Yeah, it's only really a $10-$15/night thing, but it's really the thought that counts. I was pleased with each property I stayed at, my favorites are Durham-University and Austin Airport.
I have a stay coming up near DFW where the cheapest non-Candlewood IHG I could get near the airport was $117+tax, and the LQ was $85 for a double-double, or $94 for a King. This is surprisingly typical.
The other thing is that most LQ still have same-day cancellation, while most IHG, Marriott, etc. have 24 or 48 hour cancellation. So using LQ when I fly Southwest gives me a lot of flexibility.
I got matched to Elite at the beginning of 2018 and got upgraded to a two room suite in about 2/3 of my 8-9 stays in 2019. Yeah, it's only really a $10-$15/night thing, but it's really the thought that counts. I was pleased with each property I stayed at, my favorites are Durham-University and Austin Airport.
I have a stay coming up near DFW where the cheapest non-Candlewood IHG I could get near the airport was $117+tax, and the LQ was $85 for a double-double, or $94 for a King. This is surprisingly typical.
The other thing is that most LQ still have same-day cancellation, while most IHG, Marriott, etc. have 24 or 48 hour cancellation. So using LQ when I fly Southwest gives me a lot of flexibility.