We’ve seen re-launches of several hotel programs during the pandemic. Smaller programs like GHA Discovery and Shangri-La Circle are brand new. GHA, which has around 500 hotels but is adding several hundred more, was just a benefits program – but now offers cash rebates to spend at their properties (‘Discovery Dollars’). I really wish I had more opportunities to stay with both chains.
IHG Rewards has branded as IHG One Rewards – the one meant to signal that they’ve now ‘unified’ their brands, with all new elite benefits that even apply at Kimpton and Intercontinental hotel properties.
At the Freddie Awards in New Orleans on April 21 the most under the radar programs cross three regions of the world – up and coming programs delivering the most value but voted on by fewer than 10% of those casting ballots – were World of Hyatt (Americas), GHA Discovery (Europe and Africa) and Shangri-La Circle (Middle East, Asia and Oceania).
In the Americas, Marriott won program of the year – a category they’ve dominated over the years.
- They have a huge footprint, so they’re everywhere you want to be
- They have outstanding aspirational luxury properties
- With the exception of a few of their best hotels, award availability is very good
- And they have arguably the best published benefits of any large hotel program, certainly better than Hilton’s.
The problem with Marriott is consistency. Too many hotels fail to deliver promised benefits at the property level, or skirt rules on breakfast. And Marriott’s customer service isn’t helpful, often making up excuses to justify whatever a hotel does rather than advocating for members.
Marriott certainly wins my award for most frustrating program. But that’s a function of the disconnect between the programs promises and on-property reality.
In contrast, Hilton rarely disappoints because it promises so little.
- No guaranteed late checkout
- No advance suite upgrades
- Not even suite upgrades, hotels are allowed to upgrade to suites but are under no obligation to do so, if there are empty entry-level suites and a top elite doesn’t get it at check-in the hotel has done nothing wrong under the terms of the program.
Conrad Bora Bora
Hilton no longer even promises breakfast in the U.S., offering an on-property food and beverage credit instead – flexible for those who wouldn’t do hotel breakfast anyway (or that’s expensing it) but in an amount too low to cover the cost of breakfast at many hotels, think of it as a discount that might encourage even more spending at the hotel.
IHG’s new program is an unquestionable improvement,
- Free breakfast for top tier Diamond members that spells out what a hot breakfast is (it’s not even merely continental)
- Confirmed suites out of revenue inventory, bookable within 14 days of arrival (but only on post-paid rates, no awards or prepaid rates)
- Club lounge access as a benefit choice
Intercontinental Tahiti
The IHG One Rewards program still lacks guaranteed late check-out, but I’d now take their program over Hilton’s and confirmed suites start as an option after staying just 20 nights. So for a member slogging it out for 20 nights in a Holiday Inn Express, and splurging on a paid Intercontinental or Kimptom resort vacation, this is an incredible opportunity – and not just for top tier elites.
Marriott isn’t very rewarding for entry level elites. Neither is Hyatt. But they’re the best programs for road warriors, probably, Marriott because of its ubiquity and occasionally living up to its promises and Hyatt for consistently delivering at a higher level than any other program but without the presence in smaller cities and towns.
IHG and Hilton are better for lower tier elites, since the primarily Hilton benefit – that food and beverage credit, or club lounge access – applies to Gold members and IHG offers compelling benefits at 20 nights.
If you’re going to reach 60 nights (through a combination of hotel stays and credit card spend, potentially) and the footprint works for you then Hyatt is the overall winner.
- The breakfast benefit is spelled out, full buffet or a hot entree’, plus coffee and juice not either-or.
- Open standard suites aren’t just available (and promised!) at check-in, they’re confirmable in advance with earned suite upgrade certificates, a 60-night Globalist earns 4 a year and a lifetime Globalist who requalifies earns 8. At 70, 80, 90, and 100 nights an additional confirmed suite is available as a choice benefit and each one is valid for up to 7 nights.
- Not only is 4 p.m. late check-out guaranteed at non-resort properties I do not recall the last time this wasn’t pro-actively offered at a hotel.
- Globalists can even gift their status for a stay when redeeming points for someone else.
- And points can be redeemed not just for standard suites, but for premium suites too, and the rates are often quite good (contra Marriott and Hilton).
Alila Marea Encinitas
If there’s a drawback to Hyatt, it’s that while the program is generous with rebates for base members, elite bonuses are the most limited of the chains. As a result Marriott and IHG become more rewarding for actual on-property spend.
Hyatt won the award for being the most under the radar and, effectively, underappreciated program. They’re not under the radar to blog readers. If you know, you know. But for the mass consumer market, Marriott offers the best mix of footprint and benefits, even if there’s so often a gap between program promises and reality.
I’m top tier with Hilton, IHG, Hyatt. Without a doubt Hyatt is my favorite program. From room upgrades to free breakfast, coupled with a generous late check out they have set the bar. Hilton is consistently the worse and IHG with the recent program enhancements will give Hyatt a bit of competition. I’m a big Kimpton fan and applaud the improvements.
I’m headed to Europe next week with stays booked with all three programs and look forward to the compare.
I am Marriott LT Titanium, Hyatt Globalist and Hilton Diamond. My biggest love-hate relationship is . . . get ready for it . . . Hyatt. Yes, Hyatt in general treats me very well but their program has many issues. First, Explorist won’t get you free breakfast, and I was never upgraded to a suite when I was Explorist because that is not in the Ts & Cs. Second, Globalist at 60 nights is hard unless you are a road warrier or always staying in major cities. Just as one example (there are many), we had kids going to school in Ithaca, New York for nine years. Total number of Marriotts within an hour’s drive = 11. Total number of Hiltons within an hour’s drive = 15. Total number of Hyatts within an hours drive = 0. If I expand that to 75 minutes away (which picks up Syracuse), those numbers go way higher for Marriott and Hilton but stay at zero for Hyatt., Third, SLH hotels can be great (I’ve stayed at several) and I wouldn’t mind trying HRC, but my Globalist status means nothing at either. Fourth, suite upgrade awards can be tricky since I’m finding that hotels are really playing games with what is a “standard” suite and what is a “premium” suite–some hotels have no standard suites but plenty of premium suites, and others list their only standard suite as a “junior” suite which is essentially just a larger room (while again having many premium suites). I obviously care enough about Hyatt to earn Globalist status and I could run through the same exercise with Marriott and Hilton, but I truly believe no hotel program has a monopoly on virtue.
IMHO all are fine – just accept reality and move along. Personally I’m on a trip now to I eland and Sweden. Used a free night Hilton certificate at the Konsulate (Curio Collection) in Reykjavik. Upgraded me to a suite without even asking and had a free drink in afternoon (no lounge). Now in Stockholm at Hilton Slussen (5 nights on points). Upgraded to room w a great view of Gamla Stan and lounge is open w free drinks in afternoon plus snacks. Both had complimentary buffet breakfast (included omelet station in Stockholm).
I realize international properties typically treat you better but I have no problem w burning points/certificates or paying for a room at Holiday Inn Express, Fairfield Inn, Hampton or HyattPlace. All about what you expect. Sure I like some higher end hotels but retired now, all travel is on my dime and plan accordingly. Also lifetime on most or otherwise locked in so never have to chase nights.
@ Gary. There you go! Much better content than the past social issues you’ve mentioned. Back to the basics, it works.
Hyatt has been the best program, but has really started to fade for me. Suite upgrade certificates are expiring for me because all the hotels that I visit have zero available when I book. The majority of Regency Clubs are closed. Top it off whiles in the middle of the pandemic where we are on so e of the worst waves, Hyatt has increased the number of re-qualifying nights from 55 to now 60 this year.
Hyatt has gone from unsung hero to at par with Marriott or maybe even a little behind. Marriott has been offering me free full breakfast, open lounges and even double qualifying nights as incentive .
All the hotel programs have been penalizing customers to make up for lost revenue by reducing services, restaurants lounges all the while increasing rates. I think now is probably the time where elite status is probably the least valuable.
@ Gary — DCS must be asleep.
@ Gene Here you go:
…self-anointed travel gurus…industry leading technology…not playing with a full deck…most valuable benefit of all…5th night free…all points are equal…elementary math.
G’day!
Fascinating! Thanks Gary!
I have Diamond (formerly Spire) with IHG, Ambassador with Marriott, and Globalist with IHG.
I want an alternative to Marriott because too many properties cheat the brand’s best customers and corporate clearly doesn’t care because they’ve known about these issues since the merger of the programs in 2018 but do nothing about it.
IHG is the best alternative but their brands are low-end. Most new or newly renovated Holiday Inn Express properties are nicer than Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza properties. Crowne Plaza is worse than Marriott’s Sheraton while Holiday Inn is on par with a Delta or Four Points by Sheraton. Kimpton and Intercontinental properties are few and far between.
Hyatt has the best benefits but their North America map is limited. Look at Detroit. Only a couple Hyatt Place properties and not one downtown or at the airport. By contrast, Marriott has three Westins in the Detroit market. It’s hard to get excited about 60 nights a year with Hyatt if 50 of those nights are dumpy Hyatt Place properties.
@Brutus – LOL! (but you’re about 3000 words short of his “average” verbose spiel)
LOL. Must be nice to be completely free of the “ravages” of intelligence!
Hi guys, it seems that you missed me and that is really touching. Well, you summoned me so I am here… with great news to share!
Here’s more “verbose” and, as usual, highly substantive spiel.
As of a couple of days ago I became a Lifetime Hilton Honors Diamond member! What does that mean? The following (in no particular order):
1 – I am forever off the hamster wheel of constant hotel loyalty chasing, even if Hilton should some day stop awarding the status through the incredible AMEX HH Aspire card. I can now choose to spend my money chasing status in programs other Hilton Honors and be assured to retain my HH Diamond status year after year. However I am not even tempted to do that because there is no program out there that comes close to being as rewarding and satisfying for me as Hilton Honors is. Hilton will continue to get my money almost exclusively…
2. I no longer have to worry about my Hilton Honors points ever expiring. That is right. Not that it really matters since I earn and then burn them nearly to the “ground” every year, but Hilton points are off the expiration clock forever for Lifetime Diamond members.
3. I am now member of what is de facto the program’s highest elite status. It is above Hilton Honors’ “standard” Diamond level that’s earned either through spend or through the incredible AMEX HH Aspire card, although I suspect that most who earn HH Diamond through spend also earn it through the unmatched AMEX HH Aspire card. It was once rumored that Hilton was considering creating an elite level above their ‘standard’ HH Diamond. Well, as with most things it does, Hilton Honors has just created such above-Diamond elite level efficiently and will no fanfare. It is called Lifetime Hilton Honors Diamond and I just became a member of it, after having been a ‘standard’ Diamond for 12 years straight AND reaching 2,000,000 base points following a 9-day at Hilton hotel in London — a monumental feat in and of itself.
4. As a member of Hilton Honors’ de facto highest elite level, I am assure a spot at the top of the waitlist for Hilton Honors’ new, exciting and highly innovative Global Automated Upgrades (GAU), including to suites, which work just like airline cabin upgrades, as the waitlist begins to clear 3 days before day of stay in the order: Lifetime HH Diamond > HH Diamond > HH Gold. Initial indications are that the automation of upgrades may have somewhat curtailed the role of hotels in process.
5. I am 100% sure that I know more about and am infinitely more qualified than any self-anointed “travel guru” to discuss the Hilton Honors hotel loyalty program, and I can tell you that the picture of the program that has been painting for years is pure bunk, ignorant, and diametrically opposite to reality.
Since I had not previously seen what a HH Diamond membership card looks like, I suspect that many here have not yet seen it either, so in the next post I will share a link to an image file [1] that shows my new “Black Card” — it is simply awesome looking!
G’day
HTML fix:
4. As a member of Hilton Honors’ de facto highest elite level, I am assure a spot at the top of the waitlist for Hilton Honors’ new, exciting and highly innovative Global Automated Upgrades (GAU), including to suites, which work just like airline cabin upgrades, as the waitlist begins to clear 3 days before day of stay in the order: Lifetime HH Diamond > HH Diamond > HH Gold. Initial indications are that the automation of upgrades may have somewhat curtailed the role of hotels in process.
5. I am 100% sure that I know more about and am infinitely more qualified than any self-anointed “travel guru” to discuss the Hilton Honors hotel loyalty program, and I can tell you that the picture of the program that has been painting for years is pure bunk, ignorant, and diametrically opposite to reality.
Since I had not previously seen what a HH Diamond membership card looks like, I suspect that many here have not yet seen it either, so in the next post I will share a link to an image file [1] that shows my new “Black Card” — it is simply awesome looking!
G’day
Ladies and gents:
Please meet the Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond membership card (the “Black Card”), which I suspect is carried by only relatively few of us at this point:
https://bit.ly/3MF4sQY
I will only point out something I highlighted on one of the images. I reached the Lifetime HH Diamond status at least one year ahead of schedule despite limited travel during the pandemic because since August 2021 and continuing until December 31, 2022, every single bonus point earned with any co-branded AMEX Hilton Honors credit card counts both as base and as redeemable points (double dipping taken to the extreme!). As a result, you will see that despite having done only 2 paid Hilton-hotel stays in 2022, I earned the 130,426 base points that put me over the 2,000,000 base points mark, with 79% of 130,426 points earned by shifting most of my dining costs (7x) to and putting all hotel spend (14x) on the incredible AMEX HH Aspire card…
…as if Hilton Honors had purposely decided to fast-track some members to the LF HH Diamond status!
G’day!
BTW, the linked images (when they appear from ‘moderation’) will show that I’ve currently been credited 41 nights. Since I said that I have done only 2 paid stays in 2022, it might suggest that I have averaged 20 nights/per stay. No. In 2022 I have done just 11 nights. The rest were “rolled over” from 2021.
@ Gary — As usual, you are right and DCS is wrong.
@ayenus: “@DCS shove your black card up your ass”
That’s rich considering what the moniker you chose to be known by rhymes with…
@Gene: “@ Gary — As usual, you are right and DCS is wrong.”
Of course, you’d think that, considering that your head is all or most of the time in a place that rhymes with the moniker of the commenter I just addressed…
Hyatt (but with a biz & personal credit card) because of Milestones.
Earn Globalist at cheapo Hyatt Place & redeem at Grands, Alila, SLH etc. Love how the free nights start stacking up before I even realize it, not so with any other program.
2nd is Marriott followed by Choice, getting lotsa mileage out of 2x Citi transfers (from 5x Custom Cash) for Preferred Hotel bookings
@DCS–first, congratulations on making LT Diamond and thanks for discussing your Singapore strategy on-line, which gave us both access to *A lounges for what ended up to be two years (I used some of your ideas and combined them with some of my own). However, would you entertain the idea that no one program is better all the time than any other program? Two examples of hotels directly on the beach: in December, I stayed at a Hilton for five nights directly on the beach for an incredible 3.5 cents per point compared with the cash rate, with an complimentary upgrade to oceanfront. Last month, I stayed in a different state at a Marriott directly on the beach that was a block away from a similar Hilton, except that the Marriott was much newer and generally got better reviews. The Marriott cost me 50,000 points (I booked before the changes) and my SNAs cleared to a corner oceanfront room on the top floor, while the Hilton would have cost 270,000 for five nights for an inferior experience (we did walk through it because I was curious). So, to use your expression of playing with a full deck, isn’t it better to have an inventory of multiple currencies to use at the most opportune time for that currency? I thought that is what this hobby was all about!
Also, why in the world did you “out” yourself online by revealing that much information about yourself publicly? Took 30 seconds and a Google search to find you, including educational background and current e-mail address. I try to be nice to everyone and won’t reveal anything further, but you kind of go after people with pitchforks (but never me, thank you) so perhaps it would be a good idea to be more careful? Just a thought.
You addressed the question at the wrong guy. You should address it at the forum host whose whole raison d’être seems to be to call winners and losers based on dubious standards of his own creation, this very post being Exhibit A.
Hilton works for me and I let it be known. Most of my posts regarding the program’s strengths are in response to attempts by one or other self anointed “travel guru” to tell me that my preferences or preferred program’s perks are inferior to those programs that they favor, especially when so-called “travel gurus” are totally clueless about whatever it is they are disparaging.
I agree that is all YMMV and leave it at that.
@ DCS — I a surprised the internet has enough terabytes for your ego.
@Gene – Can’t help it if my comments make you feel inadequate and small, but that’s just because you are.
@ DCS — You know nothing about me, so why don’t you stop making comments about me that imply that you do?
@Gene — Sounds like I hit a sensitive nerve that will keep hitting until you get lost.
I do not want to know anything about and I have repeatedly asked you to avoid addressing me because all you do is to launch insults without ever addressing the content of my comments.
Just go away and I won’t need to imply anything about you.
Hilton point redemptions are so insanely high they don’t even enter the conversation anymore. Take our free nights among family mbrs & done….
@ DCS — I’m not going anywhere, so, um no.
@Pam — You may be the only one who missed the recent massive devaluations of both Hyatt and Marriott awards…I thought you should know just in case the grass seems greener elsewhere from your current vantage point.
@Gene — Then your inferiority complex and self-loathing will get exacerbated for sure…
@Your ayenus:
Hint: flip the phone so that you can read text horizontally – y’know, so that the long axis of the phone is left-right rather than up-down. Most people did not need to use cuss words because they figured that out already…
@ DCS — Again, you do not know the people who post here, so stop hurling the insults at me and others. You can disagree with people’s comments, but personal attacks are not necessary.
@DCS
You read OMAT recently about the Hilton Credit Cards write up
A lot of commenters want you opinion about those card even if it’s not Hilton Aspire Card
Also how’s the Summer Promotion with Hilton treating you?
@DCS You read OMAT recently about the Hilton Credit Cards write up A lot of commenters want you opinion about those card even if it’s not Hilton Aspire Card
Also how’s the Summer Promotion with Hilton treating you?
@DCS–There is nothing else I am willing to say publicly other than taking my good intentions with a huge grain of salt is wrong. If you simply don’t care whether you are in effect sending people on a points-and-miles blog to sites with significant amounts of your personal information, then fine.
I guess I would have thought that the “best way to keep [your] public information off this forum” (your words) is for you to keep your public information off this forum. I will never understand why you feel like you need to bring up your background or accomplishments to “give weight to your comments” (again, your words) on a points-and-miles blog. I was always taught that good ideas stand on their own. Actually, I learned that from your employer.
You have to do what makes you feel comfortable, and I’m sure you will. There is nothing to debate. I won’t be bringing this up again.
@Brodie
What’s wrong with you?
Why is Hilton the worst?
@DSK, what I wrote about not being convinced of your purported “concern” or “good intentions” stands because when your wrote…
…the promised link to images of my new LF Diamond card membership had not yet posted. It is now after 1:30am or more than 8 hours after I promised the link and it still has not yet posted as it is awaiting approval by the forum host. Therefore, I am not at all sure of the “significant amounts of [my] personal information” that you are referring to.
There was a time when I posted links to documents stored either on my OneDrive or Google Drive that revealed my identity. I suspect that is when you were able to identify me because after someone pointed out that they’d identified me through one of those links, I decided to find a utility that anonymizes linked documents, which I have been using for about a year.
Importantly, you could not possibly have gotten the info on me within 30 seconds based on anything that I posted TODAY because the linked document had not yet posted!!! Moreover, I view my own recent linked documents and there is nothing that identifies me. There may be meta data that someone who is computer savvy can retrieve to identify me. If that is what you did then please email the info to Gary Leff and have him forward it to me. Or since you have found my email address, you can send the info to me directly.
In the past, I did post linked documents less securely and suffered no consequence because, I suspect, folks here were not interested in finding out my real identity, or they did identify me but kept it to themselves. What I am posting now is significantly more secure because it is stored on and distributed through a server whose explicit function is to anonymize documents so that the distributor is not identified.
Do you see why I am skeptical of your “concern”, in addition to the fact that my official information is already quite public and all over the place by virtue of my profession?
You have done more harm than good by posting on this subject, and I suspect that you did it because you wish that I stop providing factual evidence to support my emails, or you simply got irritated by what you thought was my boasting about my new LF Diamond status.
I am done with this matter, which is not going to change anything because my info is already all over the place out there. You have identified me and have already confirmed that to be the case.
G’day
“…factual evidence to support my claims…”
@DCS, first of all, your posts are visible for a brief period before it hits the moderation queue. Second of all, you can anonymize all you want, but it is a small world, and I know a lot of people. I may not know you, or have seen your anonymized server uploads, but I know you proclaim to be an expert in radiology, moreover, you posted about attending a conference, and something about The Drake Hotel in Chicago. It happens that one of my childhood friends, who studies MRI, was also at a radiology conference in Chicago around the same time. I asked him whether he met anybody who was irrationally obsessed with Hilton Diamond status and he couldn’t say for sure, but he named a few suspects. Now I’m no Sherlock Holmes, but I have an inkling one of them is you. Do you want me to email you the rest of the story?
Cahn’t make this stuff up!
They are briefly visible to the poster only and not to everyone else.
Now we are getting into the “Twilight Zone”. If there is anyone here who is “irrationally obsessed”, then they would be folks like you doing precisely what you did when you tried to have your childhood friend identify me at one of the largest biomedical conferences in the world. Email me the rest of the story, whatever “story” you believe it is but it is simply nonsensical and unhinged: there is zero likelihood that your childhood or childish friend met me and recognized me based on my “irrational obsession” with Hilton because I do not talk about travel hobby outside of here. Moreover, there are no falsehoods out there to debunk!!! See? It’s you who are unhinged and “irrationally obsessed” with me to the point of engaging in stupid “sleuthing.” Next time save yourself the trouble and just contact me privately and we’ll become pen pals.
My purported “irrational obsession” with Hilton is simply a reflection of my thorough knowledge of the program that allows me to debunk the many misconceptions about the program that many sites, but especially this one, have promulgated for years. However, I have also debunked all kinds of claims:
— Hyatt/SPG point is the most valuable points currency of them all.
— Getting the 4th award night free is better than getting the 5th award night free.
— Masks/vaccines are ineffective against COVID.
— Etc, etc, etc.
Everyone prefers to drink the kool-aid? Fine by me. Just do not expect me to. If you said I was irrationally obsessed with debunking falsehoods that permeates the travel blogosphere echo chamber, you’d be closer to the truth…
G’day.
Ever since Marriott devaluation occurred which gutted the Travel Package awards I am no longer a devout follower of them. I still think promising a benefit and then taking it away is terrible behavior toward loyalists. And their product has also suffered somewhat since before the Pandemic. I have really enjoyed some independent properties and SLH lately.
Hmmm… I guess folks here will not get to see how a Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond membership card — the “Black Card” — looks like because almost 12 hours after I posted the link it is still being held in ‘moderation’. Not to worry; expect to see images of the “Black Card” on another site near you!
G’day!
Okay! The promised link to the LF HH Diamond membership card (the “Black Card”) has posted at long last (see: DCS says: May 22, 2022 at 4:59 pm).
View the “Black Card” and read what I said about it in my very first comment up-thread to understand why I did not bother to directly debunk any of the many bogus claims made by the forum host, including this one:
Thatis just pure bunk, right up there with BonVoy winning “program of the year” award at the Freddie’s.
@DSK: I just checked the linked document and not only is it encrypted, but it is stripped clean of all meta-data. It means that even if you invented the Blowfish encryption algorithm and can look inside the file, it won’t do you any good because it contains no information about me, as you claimed. Therefore, this:
was exactly what I suspected it to be: yet another stupid personal attack masquerading as good intentions or a “concern”…
G’day.
@ DCS. Please. If you want your comments read, experts suggest that a comment be between 100-300 words.
@Trippe — Then just don’t read my comments.
@DCS–
“it won’t do you any good because it contains no information about me, as you claimed.” NEVER call me a liar. EVER. You didn’t exactly get your B.A. and Ph.D. at Ivy League institutions, did you? I never said anything about meta-data. I never said the information was in a post from yesterday. Another thing I learned from your employer is before answering the question, you actually have to read the question.
I originally thought about e-mailing you (or even calling you since you phone number is out there) directly but I thought that would be creepy since I have never met you. I was thinking your answer would be either “I really don’t try and keep my identity private and if anyone wants to find me, that is fine so no need for concern”, or “OMG I didn’t realize that, and if you would e-mail me to tell me how you found me so quickly, I’d really appreciate it”. Instead, you called this a “stupid personal attack”. That is very wrong.
Please continue on. I will try not to engage with you again in the future. Thanks again for the Singapore analysis. G’bye.
@ DCS — The following is indeed fact:
“Getting the 4th award night free is better than getting the 5th award night free”. Always has been, always will be.
@DSK — I cannot read your mind. You seemed to imply that you got the info from something I’d just posted after I promised to provide a link. The lack of clarity was clear in my very first response (I am not sure what that is all about. The image I linked to about my LF Diamond status is anonymized (at least that is the site provider’s claim))). However, even then you still did not clarify what you were referring to until now after I confirm that there was no way you could have retrieved the info within the last year because there is none to retrieve, which makes your posting on the subject and your claims about being “concerned” for me utterly weird. They came a year too late!
Like millions of others I did not do a B.A. or Ph.D. at an Ivy League school but I have now taught at two of them. What is your point?
It is generally an ethical failing to broach the subject of other’s personal info on a forum like this, which is why nearly all sites have a policy about it. You found out a long time ago what I do and you know that my persona and claims here are not an act. Leave it that.
Wishing you well.
@ DCS — Care to share where this imaginary policy is posted?
“It is generally an ethical failing to broach the subject of other’s personal info on a forum like this, which is why nearly all sites have a policy about it. “
Maybe I’m the village idiot around here, or just a well-meaning noob trying to learn. But I’m stumped on this one:
“Getting the 4th award night free is better than getting the 5th award night free”.
How is that true? I guess it’s true if you’re only staying 4 nights. But if you are redeeming for a vacation stay that’s 5 nights or more, what’s the difference between a 4th night free and a 5th night free? A free night is a free night. What am I missing?
@Texan@heart – bingo, you don’t have to stay 5 nights to benefit.
@DCS “I confirm that there was no way you could have retrieved the info within the last year because there is none to retrieve” That’s not true either.
For the final time, G’bye.
Totally ridiculous. What exactly are you comparing to claim that getting the 4th night free is “better” than getting the 5th night free? As @Texas@Heart just stated, and I stated before, the benefits are identical:
1. They both get you 1 night free, and a free night is a free night.
2. They both save you exactly the number of points or cash that is equivalent the cost one award or revenue night.
Those two items fully define the one award night free benefit. What else is there? Just because you do not have to spend 5 nights to get the benefit is not an objective advantage at all. When I travel to the Maldives, e.g., considering how far I must travel, I’d rather spend 5 nights there than just 4 night! An advantage based on something that is inherently subjective, especially in this business, is no advantage at all because it is YMMV. But knowing you, who consider whatever you prefer as the “standard”, any deviation from your subjective preference is a downgrade, which is utterly ridiculous and clearly disqualifies you from continuing to call winners and losers as you constantly do.
You trouble grasping such a simple concept could be because the program that you rank at the top does not even offer the benefit…
G’day.
@DSK — LOL. According to you, a heavily encrypted file, stripped of all meta data, can still identify its creator. Yeah, right. You have a job at the Pentagon waiting for you!
Moreover, if someone is going to dig through the archives of this or other sites for my linked documents that were not encrypted and stripped of all meta data, then they are certifiably insane. In fact, they do not even need to do that. I will be happy to meet them and have lunch any day 😉