Stop Ignoring Hotel Loyalty Programs
As of late, I’ve been blogging a lot about the airlines: fee increases, bankruptcy updates, loyalty program restrictions, and more fee increases. Obviously, the airlines are arguably the most important component of travel - since the first thing most of us do is book a flight.
The second thing we usually do is book a hotel room. So why isn’t there more discussion surrounding hotel loyalty programs? Travelfli’s goals are not only to make managing and redeeming airline loyalty program miles easier, but also to help unlock the true potential of the other programs you belong to, such as hotels.
And while airlines have continued imposing restrictive changes to their programs, hotels have quietly added features that make their programs more attractive and versatile.
Here’s the latest scoop from some of the top hotel loyalty programs:
Starwood
Moments by Starwood Preferred Guest lets members use points to bid on exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime experiences, including red-carpet movie premieres, closed rehearsals with top musicians, private dinners with celebrated chefs, rounds of golf with PGA Tour pros and other events.
Wyndham
The Wyndham Rewards program is highlighting a feature that allows members to redeem points for air travel without the added blackout dates and other restrictions the airlines have in their own programs.
Marriott
The Redeem for Anything program allows Silver, gold or Platinum elite members to create their own personalized rewards and redeem points for anything. They have plenty of options to get you started if you can’t think of a way you’d like to redeem your points: flying or sailing lessons, custom made golf clubs, a Ferrari, 10,000 room makeover. Otherwise, fill out a request form for ANYTHING you want, and Marriott will grant your wish!
Hilton
HHonnors members can earn both Hilton HHonors points and airline miles for the same stay with over 50 participating airlines and 3,000 participating Hotels in their “Double Dipping” program. You can choose your own double dipping earning style from three choices: HHonors Points and Variable Miles, HHonors Points and Fixed Miles, or HHonors Points and HHonors Points.
All of the major hotel loyalty programs also have relationships with the airlines that will allow you to trade points for frequent flyer miles. Hotel loyalty programs can be just as useful and valuable as airline and credit card programs if you can utilize them effectively. Half the battle is just knowing what your options are. The other half is actually putting those hotel points to use.
