Book hotels with Qantas?

[patrickshi]

:?: anyone has booked hotel with Qantas? Qantas offers Australian and international accommodations but you can only earn FF points for domestic hotels (including NZ).

I checked the prices for several hotels. It seems sometimes they are even cheaper than wotif. Of course, with Wotif, you get a lot more choices.

For example, Metro Inn Edgecliff, on Qantas, from 07/10-10/10, the listed price for Standard Queen Room is $69 per night; Harbour Queen Room is 79 per night. The same rooms on Wotif for the same dates are $89 & $99. However, wotif has 8 room types. BTW, with Qantas, you can earn Earn 3 points per AUD spent.

Check out here:

Sydney, Australia - Hotel Accommodation, Search Results - Readyrooms on Qantas

Metro Inn Edgecliff - Wotif.com

 

[codash1099]

For domestic travel, I usually book hotels with QF. They are on occasions a bit more expensive than direct on-line booking, but the cheapest on line rates are usually more restrictive eg., no cancellation.

The other reason for using QF is that it is easier to make a claim for missing points. Using one of the Mercure hotels as an example, if I book direct, they refuse to meet a points request but I have no problem with Qantas bookings.

 

[JohnK]

Qantas offers Australian and international accommodations but you can only earn FF points for domestic hotels (including NZ).

Are you sure? According to the QF website you can earn FF points for stays in hotels outside Australia. Do these have to be booked with the hotel directly? What is the difference if they are booked with QF Holidays?

Earning Points - Hotels - Outside Australia

On a side note I have earned FF points for stays in Hiltons overseas but these are booked directly with Hilton.

 

[oz_mark]

:?: anyone has booked hotel with Qantas? Qantas offers Australian and international accommodations but you can only earn FF points for domestic hotels (including NZ).

Yes,used it once, but the hotel knew nothing about me when I arrived.

 

[serfty]

I have often earned Qantas FF points when booking through the Accor web sites. The facility to enter one's FF number etc is available when booking.

 

[oz_mark]

I have often earned Qantas FF points when booking through the Accor web sites. The facility to enter one's FF number etc is available when booking.

Interestingly, I never have got points from Accor.

 

[Flashback]

I concur... Accor can be *very* slack crediting points.

 

[JohnK]

Ahh yes Accor. I remember them.

I stayed at Mercure in Broome last March and they refused to credit FF points for my 1 night stay. Their excuse was that the rate was not eligible as it was booked on the internet. Rubbish. There was only one rate bookable in that hot tin shed.

I swore that I would never stay in an Accor hotel again. So what happens? I have booked into the All Seasons in Melbourne for 1 night in January and the Mercure in Brisbane for the FT AGM in February. I suspect that I will not be seeing FF points easily from Accor but this time I booked through QF Holidays and I would love to see how Accor try to get out of this one....

 

[serfty]

I have often earned Qantas FF points when booking through the Accor web sites. The facility to enter one's FF number etc is available when booking.

Interestingly, I never have got points from Accor.

Every one of these in the last few years has been an O/S stay. NZ, SIN & HKG.

I generally book on Advantage+ rates and these are generally ineligible for points, but they posted anyway.

My point was more to do with the OP's statement: "... but you can only earn FF points for domestic hotels ....

 

[Platy]

I booked a night in the RYDGES in Melbourne (Exhibition St) a couple of years ago over the phone with Qantas and despite QF NOT warning me that the rate was non FF earning, the hotel refused to honour FF points - it turned out that the rate that earned was $5 per night more - they also REFUSED to change the room rate (I was happy to pay the extra $5) to the one with the earn at the time of CHECK IN.

I took the issue up with hotel management and some young hotel manager refused to sort the matter out even after an exchange of letters.

As a consequence I NEVER EVER stay in a Rydges hotel. A senior manger in QF, however, did eventually offer some points as compensation on the basis that their staff had failed to notify me that the rate was a non FF one.

After that I have been very careful to ensure that any hotel booked online or over the phone is on a rate which will accrue points (or that the cheaper price justifies the lack of points earn).

The other thing to watch out for is for times when there are special offers on the QF site - triple points, etc - take a copy at the time of booking because hotels/QF don't always automatically honour these bonuses.

Also, I have found myself in situations of buck passing between the hotel and QF when points are missing. This happened to me with the MEDINA in Melbourne a few years ago - I used to stay there every fortnight and had amassed quite a backlog of bonus points which the manager there never ever successfully chased up.

Some online direct booking facilities like Hilton Honours will credit points once your details are in their system. Hilton also allows a choice to double dip (ie you get Hilton points AND Qf FF points). I say once you are successfully in the system - I had to fight tooth and claw to get a backlog of about 10,000 pts out of the Hilton when it transpired my QF number was already in their computer against someone else's name - the idiots on their call centre line could not get their stupid brains around the concept that an error at their end was causing the problem - that situation was only resolved because the manager at the local Cairns Hilton respected my monthly business at his hotel.

Personally, I find it ridiculous that hotel chains like Rydges, Accor etc can promote themselves as QF partners, but then be so very selective about giving out the FF points.

It is only a few years ago this concept of differing rates, some with and some without points earn, was introduced as far as I can work out. They are promoting a benefit to win your business and then not necessarily delivering that benefit. Crazy.

I also find it crazy that between QF and their so-called partners they fail so spectacularly to set up systems which will deliver points which have been fairly earned accurately, promptly and without the need for the customer to chase up such a high percentage of points.

Yet again, another degradation in the value of the QF FF system from the customer viewpoint that has sneaked into the system over the past few years:evil: :evil: :evil: .

 

[patrickshi]

Are you sure? According to the QF website you can earn FF points for stays in hotels outside Australia. Do these have to be booked with the hotel directly? What is the difference if they are booked with QF Holidays?

Earning Points - Hotels - Outside Australia

On a side note I have earned FF points for stays in Hiltons overseas but these are booked directly with Hilton.

The hotels listed on the page are FF Partner hotels and they have a direct relationship with Qantas FF program. However, those international hotels that you can book ONLINE with Qantas Holidays do not have a direct relationship with Qantas FF program. Qantas Holidays is a subsidiary company of Qantas and it does not have any control on Qantas FF program.

 

[Alanslegal]

around 18months ago, when booking hotels on the QF website, the website advised the FF earn rates next to each hotel on the list (say 3ff per $1 or in ineligble cases N/A) and next to it was a 'check' box so you couldn't really say 'no i didn't realise that the stay doesn't earn ff points etc' as it was very clear....... however.......

this doesn't appear anymore , other that a list of eligible hotel partners (and this makes is slightly more time consuming to sit through and read everything)

 

[patrickshi]

Yes,used it once, but the hotel knew nothing about me when I arrived.

Did you complain to Qantas Holidays? Customer experience is very important for their online team.

 

[patrickshi]

I have often earned Qantas FF points when booking through the Accor web sites. The facility to enter one's FF number etc is available when booking.

If you book domestic hotels online with Qantas Holidays, you can enter your FF number during the booking process. You can check this at:

Bookings - Hotels

 

[Platy]

Patrick, QF Holidays may indeed be a subsidiary company of QF, but it does not follow that they have no involvement/accountability over the FF Scheme insofar as it relates to their customers.

They are still part of the QF brand. They are still answerable to the QF senior executive team. They are also part of QF in the eyes of the customer.

There was a time when hotel bookings could be done with a phone call to QF at the same time as booking a flight - these bookings were, I understand, handled by Qf Holidays and always accrued points.

The Hotel bookings on the Internet are now done through Ready Rooms - are they part of Qf Holidays?????

The fundamental issues are that:
- many hotel so-called QF FF scheme partners no longer honour FF points on many tariffs
- it is a common complaint that points are frequently either not credited or are credited after a substantial delay
- this causes much angst among FF members
- QF are FULLY AWARE of this situation

Yes, QF customer service needs to know - but their General Managers (FF Scheme, Customer Service, Partner Relationship, etc) are fully already aware (myself and no doubt many others have told them personally).

So long as they get their money from selling the points to partners there is little incentive for QF to improve the system (at least until the Virgin system evolves on par), remember Qf wants to earn revenues from selling points to partner organisations, but not have the liability realised onto their books as points are redeemed.

Frequent travellers need to learn enough about the system, warts and all, to optimise their return, which partly explains the importance and success of boards such as this one.

 

[MelUser]

I have found the same issue with booking a Budget Hire Car. I have never received QFF points for booking a Budget Car (have booked about 6 times with them).

I suspect the answer would be that the BCD [discount] code (or whatever it is called) means that I am inelligible for points.

I now use Hertz and they seem to give QF points no matter what the BCD [discount] code which is entered.

 

[serfty]

A large company I worked for had a supplier arrangement with Budget that earned no QFF points. Several years ago they changed to Thrifty for a similar deal; this time points were to be earned. (On the base cost only).

 

[NM]

I no longer bother with QF FF points on hotel stays. I always try to stay at a hotel where I can earn points and status in the hotel's own program. I find it provides me far better value than the few FF points that would be earned if they do bother to post them if I happen to have booked a qualifying rate.

Over the past few years I have received good benefits from both HHonors and Priority Club using their own programs.

 

[JohnK]

The hotels listed on the page are FF Partner hotels and they have a direct relationship with Qantas FF program. However, those international hotels that you can book ONLINE with Qantas Holidays do not have a direct relationship with Qantas FF program. Qantas Holidays is a subsidiary company of Qantas and it does not have any control on Qantas FF program.

I can understand what you are saying but if I booked a Sofitel or Radisson overseas through QF Holidays I would expect FF points in my account for that stay. If not then I would be chasing up QF vigorously to credit the FF points. As far as I am concerned QF Holidays is part of Qantas and should not provide false advertising.

By the way QF have never refused me points for something I have booked using their website.

 

[serfty]

Website booking have generally been different.

FWIW, I have never received QFF points from Hotels for stays booked through Qantas holidays. You may earn directly from Qantas Holidays at a rate based on the total package cost but that's it.

ISTR, It was in the T&C's of the printed Brochure/Booklets they publish that the rates quoted do not earn. That's one of the reasons I have not used them this century.