What's your hotel loyalty path?

[Flashback]

Over the past 8 years or so I've had on and off allegiances to Accor, SPG and Hilton and having done a hard slog to wind up at HH Diamond I sat back and looked at the overall perspective and wondered - is hotel status really worth it?

As a SFSC $/£ is king and after having had very lacklustre experiences (in regards to general hotel look/feel and what exactly the benefits were) I decided to re-evaluate my path. To be honest I've never really been one to care too much about status putting it in the nice to have basket. It is something that has occasionally blinded me and I look back thinking about some of the choices made and wondered why oh why would I have chosen such things?

In any case - I wanted to put this here as a point of discussion for people to think about what is important to them when it comes to a hotel?

Since I have moved to London I find I tend to travel a lot more. Coming from Perth that's no surprise really as it's quite pricey to get anywhere - or at least it was 5 years ago before I moved here. Since then there has been a rapid increase of LCC options to the likes of Air Asia X, Scoot, Jetstar, etc. with much more competitive pricing.

Originally I bought into the whole 'status' thing (for hotels especially) and kept chasing the goals out there, but never found it overly fulfilling.

Disclaimer: Keep in mind that airline status for me is slightly different. Being based in the UK and crediting to BA puts me in good stead to very cheaply renew BA Silver (OWS) each year for circa £1000 and that's without going to very much effort. Most of my travel here is in J - but is strategically done, it's not done as a matter of principle. By doing this I hear you say - well you get lounge access, selected seating etc. anyway. Yes, that's true ; but it's when I decide to burn my miles on short haul whY hops in Europe that it really provides the benefit for me. Seat selection, being able to have a nibble in the lounge before take off etc. makes the minor outlay on travel I'd do anyway worth keeping airline status.

But I digress.....

In the past 12 months or so as I've wound down my use of HH Diamond I started re-evaluating exactly what it was I wanted from my hotel stays. What it came down to for me (and Mrs Flashback - who shares a similar view... loves the airline perks, but couldn't really care less about the hotel ones) was the following key points:

1. A bed to sleep in for the night (or 2)
2. Not having a huge buffet breakfast on offer "for free" every day, it encourages over eating - either having a simple / reasonably priced in restaurant option, or with the guidance of Wikitravel / TripAdvisor seeking out local places to enjoy instead. Even a lot of Hilton buffets I've had have been quite average, so I find a lot of value is placed on something that's not really that great.
3. Good location (often chain hotels are not, especially when you're outside of the major 'wow' cities; e.g. the IHG options in New Delhi weren't great)
4. It doesn't have to be 'luxury' - as long as it's comfortable that's all I really need. I know some people feel otherwise, but I don't!

Any facilities such as a pool, gym, etc. are a bonus but I found that I seldom used them anyway as when travelling I'm either too tired from having been out all day, getting exercise as part of my touring or swimming in the ocean etc. where suitable. A lot of hotels in Europe (IHG, Hilton, Accor etc) don't have pools generally anyway so that makes the decision for me even easier.

So what have I done this year? Well I've relied more heavily on Hotels.com as a booking agent. I do always crosscheck the rates vs other sites and they're usually on-par, sometimes cheaper. Rarely more expensive. What is great about them is their Welcome Rewards program where essentially for each stay you receive a 10% rebate; which then adds up and averages for every 10 stays providing you with a credit to use towards a free night. When you add to that the use of cashback sites, where often a 10-12% rebate is offered on top of that - you're looking at close to 20% off the ticket price. Nice.

What I've found is that this has opened me up to a much wider variety of hotels and instead of sticking to a cookie cutter corporate hotel it allows me to experience something a little more unique. Some have been great, some have been not so - however the same can also be said for a lot of the chain hotels I've stayed at.

When I look at my total hotel spend over a year now it has substantially reduced, I've not felt 'tied' to any one particular chain (I do still have 250k hotel points I need to use - just not had any recent desire to do so!!) and I've thoroughly enjoyed my new path that I have taken.

So my question to you is - do you feel tied to any particular chain (and why?) or do you go for a best of breed (or both?).

 

[Revolio]

I have similarities with you Flashback. I travel 155 nights plus per year. No corporate tab payer; so I have to be efficient. As an early retiree, I have 'sale' down to a fine art - I can book months/years in advance and loosely schedule around cheap flights and stays. When with my (solicitor) wife it's usually 5 star; solo is 3, 3.5, 4 or 4.5. I have Accor Platinum and AHL Black (eating @ 50% off helps) and the third tier is Lastminute Mysteries. Everything else, Shangri-La's GC, the Hilton joke has fallen by the wayside. Like you, breakfast is dangerous - coffee and muffin at a local café is heaps. Gyms help, but I can get by without them. Pools rarely get used.


The more I travel the more some constants become obvious. The higher the star rating, the higher the complexity of excuse. Well-rehearsed and scripted. The higher the star rating, the higher the level of robot-like behaviour and response.

So cost-effective rules the roost. High volume is possible by aiming to get all transport and accommodation at the lowest possible price. Travel keeps the mind young; engagement keeps it sharp. Diversity of engagement keeps the mind tuned. Brain health governs the universe.


Despite my retirement I almost exclusively travel in a suit. Suit = "thank you, sir". Casual = "thanks, mate". I prefer the former.......

 

[Revolio]

(better add I am almost exclusively talking about Oz/Nz. desire to travel long distances fades year by year)

 

[drron]

I still remain loyal to SPG.But then in 2017 I will achieve Lifetime Plat.That will probably coincide though with a decrease in travel but I will have a choice.
Even though we will probably then spread the love around there will be some SPG hotels that will definitely have us staying-eg the SGS in Bangkok.Their treatment of elites is great and makes the whole loyalty thing worthwhile.

 

[RooFlyer]

I gave up chasing hotel status a couple of years ago. I have a preference for Accor, as they often meet my amenity/price needs but if the hotel isn't located conveniently, its out.

When choosing a hotel on international leisure travel, its mainly price and location that I choose on.

 

[Flashback]

I gave up chasing hotel status a couple of years ago. I have a preference for Accor, as they often meet my amenity/price needs but if the hotel isn't located conveniently, its out.

When choosing a hotel on international leisure travel, its mainly price and location that I choose on.

I think it's largely to do with where you're travelling too. I've found especially when straying from main cities e.g. travelling around India, Morocco, Thailand, Laos, Regional Spain, a lot of "non commercialised Europe" etc. there's a lack of chain hotels anyway.

 

[Anna]

What RooFlyer said.

Although I tend to check Sofitel/Accor first, because they keep renewing my platinum and I'm sure I don't meet the required stay levels

 

[Flashback]

So for your non-chain stays, do you try and channel it through something like Hotels.com Welcome Rewards, Expedia+ or HotelClub etc. so that you're getting something back? Or does the accommodation you decide on take direct bookings only?

For me Hotels.com WR works well and makes me happy to still be getting some form of 'loyalty' out of it, when joe public would otherwise be booking direct and getting nothing.

 

[leadman]

I actually treasure my Hotel status more than my airline status! I reached Marriott Pt lifetime some time back and would not swap it for any airline status. I've always felt the flight is just the means to get to the next city/job and as I get older (and grumpier according to my daughter) the method of getting there really drives me mad; airports (crowds, hustle & bustle, time wasted), the act of catching the flight etc. are becoming a great turn-off. (Terminal 2F CGD two weeks ago was a nightmare, like the MCG on a bad day!)

But the hotel to me is different, the peace and quite, locations, do what you want etc. Early in my travelling life I was taught that you should stay in places that are roughly equivalent to your "home" lifestyle. So I really detest staying in the "dollhouse" rooms of some of the Accor type (Mercure, Ibis etc) hotels. (Would you ever buy some of that furniture in those rooms!!!!). I know you have to stay there sometimes due to varying factors but I prefer not too.

The other thing I have found is the loyalty in the Hotel system is better than the airlines. Recently I have had offers from two other hotel chains with status matching (unfortunately not lifetime!!!!) and you are certainly made welcome. My opening visits there were fantastic! They are after your business and will chase it unlike what I have found with airlines. (I have had a three year running discussion with QF on loyalty!!!)


Give me hotel status over airline status any day........

 

[amaroo]

Hotels are a large part of the experience for us - never made sense flying F somewhere only to then drop the bags in a third rate dump.

Location, service, comfort and facilities are the key factors in attracting our hotel $$$.

Consequently, we've never bothered with hotel status mainly due to the fact that most of the hotels we like to stay don't offer a mass loyalty scheme e.g. Four Seasons, Peninsula, Mandarin Oriental. Hotel loyalty benefits are easily accessible without status .... much like the airlines when you fly J or above.

I will join a scheme if I can reap a benefit e.g. a stay at Park Hyatt Tokyo delivered two free nights at Park Hyatt Sydney, and joining SPG delivered free wifi in Athens at Grande Bretagne earlier this year and will do so again later this year in Venice at The Gritti Palace.

Flying up the front on the cheap - means more money on lux experiences at the destination .... lucky points are easy to harvest!

 

[get me outta here]

I used to travel to the US frequently for work and my colleagues were in Marriott, so I joined too. Pretty much every year, I had enough Marriott points for a few nights at the Marriott Sydney Harbour which was most welcome.

 

[Isochronous]

How does one use cash back sites to get money back on top of hotels.com points? I would like to know more about this.

 

[Flashback]

How does one use cash back sites to get money back on top of hotels.com points? I would like to know more about this.

In the UK we have TopCashback and QuidCo. Payout goes into a UK bank account (but also PayPal is an option). You may need a UK postal address to sign up though?

In any case, if you'd like a referral let me know and I will PM the links.

 

[RooFlyer]

Hotels are a large part of the experience for us - never made sense flying F somewhere only to then drop the bags in a third rate dump.

<snip>!

I love that attitude . However for me, not travelling with family, I'm afraid I do sacrifice hotel quality for stretching the flying dollar or time away a bit longer. I take the attitude that one shouldn't spend any longer than needs be in the hotel so while not regressing to third rate dumps I am usually satisfied with a Novotel or Mercure standard hotel.

That said, regular readers of my Trip Reports will recognise that that's a blatant lie from time to time. The first night or 2 after a long haul flight I usually go 5 star ( for sleep and getting over the flight) and I've started a bit of a 'tradition' that the last few nights of a long trip away is similarly indulgent, to gird oneself for the rigours of the flight ahead .

 

[kpc]

I'm a Hilton loyalist....I like the perks as a Hilton Diamond....upgrades, executive lounge access, free wifi, and free breakfast. on work expensed trips, I get a daily per diem and hotel costs so having breakfast and (sometimes) dinner in the exec lounge means more money in my pocket...and the points earnt can be used for free stays when on leisure trips.

 

[amaroo]

I love that attitude

<snip>

That said, regular readers of my Trip Reports will recognise that that's a blatant lie from time to time. The first night or 2 after a long haul flight I usually go 5 star ( for sleep and getting over the flight) and I've started a bit of a 'tradition' that the last few nights of a long trip away is similarly indulgent, to gird oneself for the rigours of the flight ahead .

Completely agree.

Fortunately, in travel terms ... pleasure has replaced commuting Had my fair share of fourth rate establishments around the world - these days I'll happily spend a 10/1 ratio in favour of hotels over airfares.

Luckily airfares are cheap

 

[Deleted member 29185]

I couldn't give Accor or IHG the time of day really. I see benefit in neither schemes. As a predominantly domestic traveller (well predominant WRT hotel stays), Hilton is really the only other scheme to look at. Marriott, SPG, etc are too difficult to maintain in Australia (IMHO). I find Hilton is actually, often priced about right. When I stay in some regional towns, I find ordinary no chain motel accommodation is equal in cost, but provide no benefit. No status, no breakfast, no lounge, no upgrades, no points. The reality is, I have to stay somewhere and where the option exists, it seems foolish to ignore the benefits of Hilton status. In CNS, as an example, I can stay at Double Tree for less than I could stay at any of the Accor properties. Why would I do that? Also, as I'm frequently away from home, I like to give my family a bit of a treat from time to time. I can do that with Hilton, but can't at a Best Western! Of course it helps me a lot having now two Hilton properties in a town that I frequent a lot. If that were not the case, I guess my thoughts would be somewhat different.

 

[Bindibuys]

Love the timing of this thread as I am starting to look at accommodation choices for next holiday.
At present hubby is away usually 3 nights per week - domestic, so I just book anything within the budget via Qantas Hotels to get the points, seeing his work pays for the room.
I have signed up to Hilton,& IHG but their hotels will have to be in my travel budget and the right location to warrant booking their properties.
At least where we are traveling to, there should be choices. (DXB, TLV, AMM, PETRA, CAI, IST, DOH, HKG)

 

[Marsonline]

I'm loyal to whoever has the best promo, if they all meet my travel needs.

 

[anat0l]

I'm kind of off hotel loyalty. One good reason for this is simply that I don't do enough stays, vanilla or otherwise, to make any kind of status (even useful status, for that matter).

I still have IHG Gold, which will drop off fairly soon enough.

That said, I still book plenty of chain hotels. One thing about chain hotels is that in many cases, you can expect a certain standard of room, e.g. the bed will be so hard/soft, the room should be so clean, there should be water pressure and so on. I know that doesn't work all the time, but on balance it is more than taking a punt on non-chain hotels. And again, that's probably only generalising based on select cities.

In some places of course you have no choice because there are few to no chain hotels, or they are horrendously expensive.

Another reason to keep some form of "loyalty" in chain hotels is points which can be used for redeeming a night here or there in a pinch. Although that said I have 50k HHonors points and not much of an idea what to do with them. The 45k IHG points I have can be useful; artificially, it is possible to keep a cache of IHG points, even without staying somewhere, at very reasonable cost. I am warming to the idea at times with Starwood properties offering points in exchange for declining housekeeping (relatively lucrative), but sometimes this is limited because Starwood properties on average are quite expensive.

If I have to book a non-chain hotel (or really just to survey the city), I'll go to booking.com. I don't know why, but I've warmed to their search engine, although there is likely a better one out there. If I had to book something which doesn't attract normal chain rewards, I'd likely use HotelClub or Agoda via Velocity to at least extract something out of it, or Rocketmiles, but the latter is a bit testy due to a constrained list of hotels it offers.