Best Hotel Program

[Pumbaa]

I'm interested to hear everyone's views on this. I used to be loyal to Priority Club specifically the Intercontinental group of hotels. I purchased the Priority Privilege program along with the Gold Ambassador membership each year. With that combination, I received 2 x BOGO vouchers, 2 x 25% Off vouchers, 2 x $50 room service vouchers, half price dining, free room upgrade, free movie and free water and fresh fruit. Thats a whole lot of value for around $400 a year.

Then I discovered the cash and points cancelling trick that allowed you to buy 10 000 priority club points for $60. At that time the most expensive Intercontinental reservations was 40 000 points and hence $240. An absolute bargain when the top properties in USA and Europe average $400 a night! When combined with the Gold Ambassador program you get free water, free fruit and sometimes a room upgrade.

I was a happy camper, until gradually over the last 2 years theres been heaps of "enhancements". Specifically, the most expensive redemptions are now 50 000 points and 10 000 priority club points cost $70. I also noticed that room upgrades are not as generous as they used to be. When I first joined the program I got upgraded to very nice suite rooms when I purchased the lowest suite with my BOGO voucher. Now you cannot use the BOGO on any suite room!?

OK, enough of my rambling about Priority Club rewards. I think I've found the better program to loyal too. It is Starwood Preferred Guest! I just finished my Platinum challenge and have enjoyed the status greatly during my last trip. Free internet, free breakfast and free room upgrade is so valuable!

But thats not where it ends, SPG points are some of the most valuable in the industry. They can be converted to AA and US Airway points at a 1:1 conversion! Whats even better is when you transfer 20 000 points, you receive a 5000 bonus. An excellent way to top up your accounts!

The have regular promos throughout the year where you can get 2x or 3x points. Plus they have beatthetimer.com and starpicks.com which allow you to get special discounts on rooms when you book closer to the date.

My recent holiday yielded me 40 000 SPG points, which I can convert to 50 000 AA points. Thats nearly 3 x domestic/NZ J tickets one way, or 12 500 points shy of a Per-USA trip in J! Granted the hotels stays did cost a total of $5000, 3 domestic J tickets are approximately the same price!

Anyway enough of my rambling, I'm interested to hear everyone else's thoughts!

 

[Newk]

Thanks for this. I am working away at understanding the hotel programs. I am Hilton Gold courtesy of a Virgin grant. And I have the opportunity coming up to be SPG gold because of a credit card promotion.
So I cannot help your question
But i'll learn from the other answers

 

[Tannin]

The answer is, there is no answer. It's a mixture of personal choice and practicality. For example, there's no use joining Hilton if you never stay at a Hilton property (if, say, they are never where you travel).

Having said that I have numerous hotel programs and statuses. In general, the higher the 'prestige' of the brand, the better the upper tiers of the program are treated. For example, Hilton Gold members are treated well (free room upgrades without exceptions, often access to executive lounges with free food & drinks). By comparison Best Western, A Club, and IHG upper tiers are pointless for privileges IN hotel (generally, always some exceptions if they know you're sending a lot of $$ their way) but good for increasing point balances.

FT forums discuss this in great detail and it's incredibly easy to get high or top tier status for the less prestigious programs for nothing with a bit of research (seriously). Literally all of my status has come this way.

 

[Newk]

The answer is, there is no answer. It's a mixture of personal choice and practicality. For example, there's no use joining Hilton if you never stay at a Hilton property (if, say, they are never where you travel).


FT forums discuss this in great detail and it's incredibly easy to get high or top tier status for the less prestigious programs for nothing with a bit of research (seriously). Literally all of my status has come this way.

LOL...ANOTHER time sink

 

[Moopere]

Its Hilton HHonors for me. I love Hilton properties so thats a bonus, but a major reason is that Gold status is achievable with my general yearly movements and I've never yet been declined a free breakfast. I tend to be a slow starter in the mornings, so ambling down for an in-house breaky really suits me. $35-70 a day saved right there depending on whether I'm travelling alone or not.

SPG is a fine program though, no doubt about it. If I had a chance of reaching SPG Platinum I think I'd switch as Plat with them looks to be a better deal than Plat with HH. Alas, 50 nights or 25 stays is beyond me at the moment. HH has an additional bonus for those, like me, who sometimes struggle a bit to re qualify ... you can reach your desired level through spend ... 60,000 base points will re-qualify me as HH Gold, thats US$6,000. If I don't quite reach 36 nights by years end I can book my last few stays as suites and hit the base points.

 

[Moopere]

there's no use joining Hilton if you never stay at a Hilton property (if, say, they are never where you travel).

Haha! I travel to where there are hiltons teehee

 

[TonyHancock]

Hilton is my current preference. The free internet, breakfast and Exec lounge access is not a bad deal at all for a Diamond member.

 

[Isochronous]

I'm interested to hear everyone's views on this. I used to be loyal to Priority Club specifically the Intercontinental group of hotels. I purchased the Priority Privilege program along with the Gold Ambassador membership each year. With that combination, I received 2 x BOGO vouchers, 2 x 25% Off vouchers, 2 x $50 room service vouchers, half price dining, free room upgrade, free movie and free water and fresh fruit. Thats a whole lot of value for around $400 a year.

Then I discovered the cash and points cancelling trick that allowed you to buy 10 000 priority club points for $60. At that time the most expensive Intercontinental reservations was 40 000 points and hence $240. An absolute bargain when the top properties in USA and Europe average $400 a night! When combined with the Gold Ambassador program you get free water, free fruit and sometimes a room upgrade.

I was a happy camper, until gradually over the last 2 years theres been heaps of "enhancements". Specifically, the most expensive redemptions are now 50 000 points and 10 000 priority club points cost $70. I also noticed that room upgrades are not as generous as they used to be. When I first joined the program I got upgraded to very nice suite rooms when I purchased the lowest suite with my BOGO voucher. Now you cannot use the BOGO on any suite room!?

OK, enough of my rambling about Priority Club rewards. I think I've found the better program to loyal too. It is Starwood Preferred Guest! I just finished my Platinum challenge and have enjoyed the status greatly during my last trip. Free internet, free breakfast and free room upgrade is so valuable!

But thats not where it ends, SPG points are some of the most valuable in the industry. They can be converted to AA and US Airway points at a 1:1 conversion! Whats even better is when you transfer 20 000 points, you receive a 5000 bonus. An excellent way to top up your accounts!

The have regular promos throughout the year where you can get 2x or 3x points. Plus they have beatthetimer.com and starpicks.com which allow you to get special discounts on rooms when you book closer to the date.

My recent holiday yielded me 40 000 SPG points, which I can convert to 50 000 AA points. Thats nearly 3 x domestic/NZ J tickets one way, or 12 500 points shy of a Per-USA trip in J! Granted the hotels stays did cost a total of $5000, 3 domestic J tickets are approximately the same price!

Anyway enough of my rambling, I'm interested to hear everyone else's thoughts!

Thanks for telling me about starpicks and beatthetimer, I'd not heard of those before!

BEatthetime currently only has properties in Continental Europe and the Middle East listed. Has anybody found anything in Asia or the US there?

 

[Mal]

I am top tier with accor, priority club and rydges. (All earnt).

Used to be gold with Hilton same with spg. But these days can't be faffed paying the rates that both have. Most of my stays are how with priority club and others when more convenient.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using AustFreqFly

 

[Mardi]

I'm a newbie to hotel programs but I've joined SPG, Priority Club, HHonors and Club Carlson and the only one that ever has a hotel anywhere near where I want to stay is PC.

 

[mella2007]

It's Hilton for me these days. If no Hilton in the area then it's Accor (and only a Sofitel or Novotel if I'm desperate) I am PC Gold also never stay there (which will drop soon)
Personally love the free Internet, lounge access and upgrades Hilton gives me, plus the points can be used for some good options.

 

[Berlin]

It all depends on where and how often you travel... I'm Starwood Gold due to my AMEX charge card which is sometimes useful when traveling and in most properties gets honored in some way or another, had some really nice upgrades around the world with that- rooms I would never ever pay for in cash: a beautiful Ocean view balcony suite at the Westin in Key West comes to mind for which I spent only around 250 bucks, watching the sunset turned this otherwise pretty coughpy and boring destination into quite a nice memory. Here in Australia, I find Hilton very useful but I simply never ever get to a level high enough to give you any real benefits. That's where I have discovered Hyatt, their membership only asks for 5 stays a year to reach the tier above base which gives you upgraded rooms (anywhere but in bloody Canberra in my experience) and a complimentary 2pm check out. Traveling lots to the US, I also find Hyatt to have some of the nicest properties both in the high up (I love their new Andaz brand- all that Starwood's W pretends to be but never fulfills!) and in the mid level categories.
IHG never really worked for me at all, far too often I had booked on their website what I thought was a normal rate and then later was told that "you don't get points on these special internet rates, Sir!". Well- I always get points for whatever cheap rate I book on the hotel's website (not talking about third parties here) in any of the other hotel chains and am certainly not booking a more expensive rate for some IHG points- nah!

 

[Danger]

Hilton certainly has huge coverage the world over but they've become too fond of 'enhancements' in the past 12 to 18 months for my liking. The big hit for me was the change in upgrade policy to a simple "preferred room". That's 100% at the hotel's discretion. 'Sir, at this Hilton we prefer rooms facing north and so that's the room type we've upgraded you to'. Gone is the space available guaranteed upgrade to executive rooms, for example. Even adding "Plus" or "Deluxe" to a room type seems to be common, simply to add another category 'up' that you can be 'upgraded' to where the only thing plus or deluxe about it is a higher floor, a second window or a pair of slippers. That said, the second top tier of Gold is about as common as a Starbucks in New York, given there are a number of ways to achieve it, quickly and cheaply.

I find the Priority Club program to be completely useless, save for the ability to purchase points.

For me, I'm a Hyatt man, principally because they have an outstanding property in Canberra where I'm at semi-regularly. Top tier (Diamond) provides the usual complimentary internet and full breakfast in hotels that do not have a lounge. And earlier this year they introduced a benefit I find particularly important a lot of the time: 4pm check-out. Unlike a lot of hotels and programs that add "* subject to availability", at Hyatt, the only footnote is it's not available at resort or casino properties. Everywhere else, it's a given. Full stop. The downside is Hyatt doesn't have nearly the worldwide spread of properties that Hilton (and, I think, Starwood) does and they've lost two of their hotels in Australia this year alone. So when I head to Europe next, I'm in Hiltons for about six out of eight cities, only because there are no Hyatts.

 

[userlame]

With the exception of HH (which allows you to earn HH points *and* QF points), I've been using my QF card for all my hotel stays - Am I doing this wrong? I thought it would be better to pool all my points?

 

[perthdaddy]

I started using Starwood properties (seriously) in 1997. Rapidly progressed to Gold, and then to Platinum in 2002. Beauty of Platinum is that you can buy the cheapest room in the hotel, and then 99% of the time get a suite upgrade (several times into the Presidential Suite as a "thank you"!
Upgrades apply around the world. Great to earn your Starwood points when on business, then use them for free nights when on holidays!
And just when I thought 2012 would be my last year with Platinum Status (trying to retire!), SPG introduce lifetime Gold and lifetime Platinum!
In February I was award lifetime Platinum so no longer have to "chase" the nights or the stays to re-qualify, but still get the free upgrades, the free wifi, the Executive Club access, etc,etc for life!
(and yep, for those of you who don't have it yet, it's just like Qantas WP! - I love them both!)
Starwood rocks!

 

[esquire]

I too think the Hyatt GoldPassport program is probably the best loyalty program - the hotels treat you very well as a diamond- as they know you have earnt it (no short cut for this level!) - but as you say the number of Hyatts in Australia isn't looking too good! Lucky I have 650K points to use still :shock:

I spent a few days every week for a coiuple of years at the Hyatt Canberra and have great memories - including the 100th stay presidential suite upgrade, with guest seating for 14, dining for 12, gym equipment, sauna, and a baby grand..... as well as a mini bar with a dozen champagnes and full size spirit bottles!

 

[Danger]

Here's a Loyalty Lobby article some may find interesting.

Hyatt

 

[drron]

Again it all comes down to each individuals preference and travel patterns.
I was HH diamond for 7 years and am just completing my 5th year of SPG Plat.For me SPG is the better program though when driving through the US I do love HGIs.However I have HH gold for the next 20 years and at HGIs that is basically as good as diamond.
SPG started in spectacular fashion.My first stay as plat was at the Westin Madrid.Upgraded to the Royal suite.\

As for cost usually 20% of my nights are at the SGS Bangkok.Always upgraded to a suite,fantastic breakfast,2 hours happy hour,4 items of laundry per day,free internet,fruit bowl changed every day and butler service if wanted.For which I pay with all taxes-$150 a night.
Also the only city I regularly stay in Australia is Sydney where SPG has 3 properties to Hilton's 1 and can always get a cheaper rate at one of the SPG properties.

My only regret-not status matching with SPG earlier so I would be closer to LTP.

 

[Danger]

Here's a Loyalty Lobby article some may find interesting.

Hyatt

Apologies. I posted the wrong link. This is the correct one.

Year End Hotel Elite Status Dilemma (Hilton, Hyatt, IHG/Priority Club, Marriott & Starwood) | LoyaltyLobby

 

[drross]

thanks. the Accor platinum promo is finished unfortunately