Which Hotel Privilege Offering Suits You Best?

[Deleted member 29185]

I'm wondering which hotel reward offering best suits the majority of AFFers.

Unfortunately, the poll option only gives a maximum of 10 responses, so I've included the top 10 (I hope), but please feel free to list a better choice in this thread and any explanations as to why you made your choice are also most welcome.

Here is a list to expand the 10 above-mentioned options....Have I missed many of any consequence? -

1. Best Western Rewards - Best Western Motels
2. Choice Hotels Privileges - Econo Lodge, Comfort Inns, Quality Inns, Clarion Inns, Sleep Inn, Cambria, Mainstay, Suburban, Rodeway and Ascend.
3. Club Carlson - Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn, Country Inns, Hotel Missoni.
4. Club CuSoon - Peppers, Mantra, Breakfree.
5. Fivestar - Hotels.com
6. Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) Discovery - Mirvac (including Quay Grand, The Como, Quey West, Sea Temple, Lindrum, Harbour Rocks, Mii Spa, Q Station, The Sebel, Citigate, Cairns Harbour Lights), Anantara, Doyle, First, Kempinski, Leela, Lungarno, Marco Polo, Mokara, Omni, Pan Pacific, Park Royal, Tivoli, Shaza.
7. Golden Circle - Shangri-La, Traders, Kerry Hotels.
8. Hilton Honors (HH) - Hilton, Conrad, Waldorf, Doubletree, Embassy, Garden Inn, Homewood, Home 2.
9. Hyatt Gold Passport - Hyatt group, Andaz.
10. Leaders Club Rewards - Individual 5/6 star hotels worldwide
11. Le Club Accor - Sofitel, Pullman, M Gallery, Mercure, Novotel, Adagio, Ibis, F1, Motel 6, Thalassa, Orbis.
12. Marriott Rewards - Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Autograph Collection, AC Hotels, Courtyard, Springhill Suites, Towneplace, Bulgari, Edition, Renaissance, Fairfield, Residence Inn, Execustay.
13. Optimum/1865 - Langham, Eaton, 88 Xintiandi.
14. Presidents Club - Fairmont Hotels
15. Priority Club Rewards (IHG) - Intercontinental, Crowne, Indigo, Holiday Inn, Staybridge, Candlewood.
16. Rydges Priority Guest Rewards - Rydges Hotels.
17. Senators Club - Stamford Hotels.
18. Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) - Le Meridian, Aloft, Four Points/Sheraton, Westin, Luxury Collection, W Hotels, St.Regis, Element.

 

[serfty]

HHonors - as status for me is easier to earn with them than with the other programs that may also provide guaranteed tangible benefits such as complimentary breakfast, lounge access & internet. These are also provided on HHonors reward stays.

Upgrade are nice, especially to suites, but I have the saying "You can't eat a view".

e.g. Platinum status with Priority Club is quite easy to gain, but the only guarantee is double base point earn.

 

[nonpop]

Langham 1865.

The challenge is there are not as many Langham hotels.

But they are always my first choice. Service is excellent and the very late check out to 6pm is always a very nice bonus. This means I can have a days worth of meetings then come back to the hotel and freshen up where required before my flight home or onward to next destination.

Each stay I get a bottle of reasonable drinking red, 2 bottles of sparking water, 2 bottles still water, plate of fruit and 9 time sout of 10 a room upgrade.
There slippers are also the best - they are big and 'plush' with a full closed toe (on occasion they seem to have cheap ones which is when I suspect they run out).

And on every 10th stay (not 10 per year, but just every 10th stay) I seem to get a 1+ guest voucher to the exec lounge for my stay.

On status renewal (which I think is 4 stays only per membership year) I get a suite upgrade voucher in the mail - valid for up to 3 nights from memory.
Each year they email me a survey which takes 2 mins to complete ... then they post me another suite upgade voucher.
We have had 100% success with using the vouchers back-to-back when we've had longer stays.

So the constant 'free' stuff is a true pleasure and I do feel like a valuable member.

I just wish there were more Langham hotels within AU vs just Melb (and AKL). But there is a good spread through Asia.

 

[Febs]

SPG for sure, primarily for the range and reach of properties. Everything from a basic Sheraton 4P to an amazing W or Westin. There seems to be one everywhere I stay, and often with good corporate rates. I also love the benefits, the lifetime status, the fact that they comped me the *one* year I didn't quite make it, the recognition (particularly in Asia) and the ability to use points.

I'm a SPG Plat, but also a Hyatt Diamond and Hilton Diamond. While I think all look after their top-tier members, I'll always choose SPG for the above reasons.

I will say though, that Hyatt will also have a special place in my heart for their generous lounge access policies. I booked two rooms at GH Melbourne recently for my Buck's night (well, the Melbourne component with my closest mates. It was a multi-state all-weekend Buck's ). They cost me very little in points, and I was allowed 3 people in each room (there were 6 of us). Because each was booked under my Diamond membership, both rooms (i.e. all 6 of us) had lounge access. Suffice to say I got my points worth on that trip... (and no, we weren't obnoxious. Not in the lounge or public parts of the hotel anyway ).

I think each have their benefits, and you need to weigh up what works for you. I use my points differently in each program too. Under SPG and Hilton, I maximise my points for longer holidays - e.g. with the exception of certain cities and hotels (e.g. W HK) I'll generally stay in a slightly lesser hotel for longer, like the Helmsley in New York for 5 nights, rather than a W for 3 (NY Ws are mostly rubbish anyway - I've stayed at a fair few of them). With Hyatt though, I save up my points for a few nights at a really special hotel, like Park Hyatt Shanghai, or Park Hyatt Sydney (which WOULD have been my wedding night hotel, had it not opened late. :\).

Cheers,
- Febs.

 

[drron]

SPG just works for me.Used to enjoy Hhonors but 4-5 years ago they went right off.Had HH diamond and SPG plat in 2008 and SPG won hands down-first stay as SPG diamond got the Royal Suite at the Westin Palace Madrid was a great start.