Category Archives for Hotels.
Marriott has officially launched a new name for its loyalty program today. There’s no more Marriott Rewards, Ritz-Carlton Rewards, or Starwood Preferred Guest. There’s now only Bonvoy.
We knew what Rewards meant. That’s all about earn and burn. Preferred Guest was all about how a loyal member is treated. Bonvoy literally has no meaning. It is not a word.
Up to 25% off points redemptions for New York hotel stays at 5 IHG Rewards Club properties if you book and stay by April 30.
Earlier I wrote about Hilton’s new highest priced award. Up until this week no hotel cost more than 95,000 points per night. That’s been the maximum since Hilton increased some of their most expensive hotels like the Conrad Koh Samui in Thailand (all stand-alone villas) from 50,000 to 95,000 during high season in 2013.
When they eliminated award charts 2 years ago we were told that hotels wouldn’t get more expensive, that the top rates in place would apply but pricing might go down.
Now with the opening of the Waldorf Astoria in the Maldives we’re seeing standard awards there pricing at 120,000 points per night.
The new Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi is open and bookable on points. And it prices at 120,000 points per night for a standard room.
We don’t yet see hotels like the Conrad Maldives, Conrad Bora Bora, or Conrad Koh Samui pricing at over 95,000 points per night. But Hilton is no longer anchored to a 95,000 point maximum. At least that is how it appears at first blush. I’ve reached out to Hilton, hoping to learn that this is some sort of mistake.
When Marriott announced their award category changes that go into effect March 5, I noted that 346 hotels would cost more points and 37 would cost fewer.
I initially wrote that you could use points advance to lock in reservations now at the current rate even if you don’t have the points, and redeem later (after March 5 when prices go up). Several readers pointed out to me that Marriott implied in their announcement that this wasn’t the case. However I’ve re-confirmed this still works.
Hyatt has announced changes to hotel award category assignments that will go into effect March 18 at 11:01 p.m. Central time. A total of 259 hotels change category, about a third of Hyatt’s portfolio, but this is balanced with an equal number going up (130) and down (129).
You can book future stays at hotels going up in award price and lock in their current price up until March 18. If you have a future stay at a hotel that’s going down in price, Hyatt will refund the points difference to you automatically. They’ll be doing a sweep starting March 19.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
When Marriott launched its new program back in August they re-adjusted the redemption categories hotels were assigned to, after having done the same thing just months earlier. Moreover they ‘pre-announced’ about 60 hotels that would become more expensive in 2019 with the introduction of a new higher category 8.
Now they’ve announced 2019 category changes which go into effect March 5. Here’s what the changes look like and how to lock in lower pricing now.
The best thing about the property is that it’s often available less expensively than other full service properties in the area. Indeed searching for a room later in the month it was pricing at $171. The second best thing is the club lounge which features a large outdoor seating area.
Hilton’s basic program is the least rewarding for spending at hotels and elite benefits are weak. They do not promise Diamonds upgrades to suites even if they’re empty, and they do not promise late check-out requests will be honored. Where Hilton Honors is useful is for the occasional guest who can get status just by having a credit card. There’s some chance this could change since they’re testing a confirmed suite upgrade benefit with some Diamonds, my hunch is if they launch it that holding a credit card alone won’t be enough to have this benefit. One of the most irritating things about Hilton Honors is its lack of transparency. They eliminated their award charts. Here’s what they published just a couple of years ago: Five years ago they effectively killed charts when they introduced…
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
