[LuganoPirate]

VK, sorry I have to disagree with your statement about benefits on arrival with Accor plat being marginal. They are non-existent!!!

[NTarrant]

When I was a Platinum with Accor and the Favorite Guest (top tier)before I can count on one hand the number of gifts and suprisingly they mostly came from Ibis sites.

I agree with Rockhopper about the credit card getting higher status on Hilton. A colleague has Gold or Diamond for two years as he has a credit card, whilst I struggle to keep Gold with the increased stays!

[MartynSinclair]

50 nights a year or 25 stays a year gets you plat status with SPG. Once got no need for any of the others – benefits very very impressive…

[tangey1]

Accor platinum is regularly given away free. I got it recently via a web link.

Hilton gold, was free via Amex platinum in the uk, but no more. However there is a way to get it totally free, no stays required,

Starwoods gold and club Carlson gold are free with Amex platinum.

Intercontinental platinum is free in the uk with their £99 a year credit card.
Royal ambassador can be bought for £550.

Given the above, is it surprising that the benefits of the major hotel loyalty programmes are diminishing ?

[MartynSinclair]

Billybab99

So what aboout SPG plat – you must have something positive to say about something… I dont believe SPG Plat is buyable… but I am sure u are the one to prove me wrong :))

[tangey1]

I think both starwoods platinum and Hilton diamond are still valuable and neither is immediately attainable via back door/credit card methods. Starwoods also has their lifetime gold and platinum which again require real world loyalty.

[WorldTravellerUK]

Well, despite all they claim in their ‘upgraded’ benefits upcoming in July, infact IHG have, from Jan 1 2013 hit their best customers, Gold/Platinum etc, with a 50% devaluation in their tier level earnings as ‘elite’ bonus points, or bonus points earned in promotions such as stay 15 nights get 20k points, no longer count towards the following years tier level !. Nothing about That in their press releases about just how good they are rewarding loyalty !

Hotels dropping out of IHG Franchise everywhere, we have tried to book at a least 4 hotels this year we have previously used in Europe and they are all no longer in the IHG franchise!

[KeaneJohn]

One of my friends swears by hotels.com , You can book all chains, worldwide and you get 10% of the booking go towards a future stay at any hotel anywhere for the cash you have saved after you have done 10 nights. So pretty much a 10% discount and you get to choose where you stay.

Having been the victim of no hotel points or avios on a Hilton Hotel booked in conjunction with a BA flight on the BA website because it was a third party website I suspect I will go down this route next year.

[SwissExPat]

I have been Hilton diamond for 3 years and find the overall program quite good. But…..

I spent last week in London and stayed at 4 HIlton doubletree properties in central London. I was not upgraded in and of the properties. “We are full” was the reply. IN the Victoria property, they even allocated me a room in the old un-refurbished section!!!!

I gave the manager an absolute ear-full !

HIlton in Asia and MENA always seem to give me an excellent room.

Once in Waldorf Astoria in NYC, the hotel told me that there was no exec lounge “because we have usually 200 diamond members every night [there are 1200 rooms] and hence could not have a lounge to accommodate all”. This made me feel really special !!!!

However, I find the redemptions can be quite good BUT only when you use the points plus cash offers. I will be using one next Friday in Prague where we are staying for an extra night following a conference in another hotel. Cash for the room was close to Euro 200, but I used 16,000 points and Euro 39. Hence I could stay at the Hiton Old Town Prague for reasonable money [not E200] Though to treat ourselves on my Birthday!!!

[NTarrant]

I stayed a few months ago at the Doubletree Victoria and I too had an old room, in fact I think it was the same room I stayed in when it was a Holiday Inn!

What I was annoyed about was the fact that the room had been prepaid, an advance rate, but even though I said there would be no extras, they insisted they had a swipe of my credit card.

The breakfast was good though.

[MartynSinclair]

I have never had these problems with SPG. they have plenty of properties, upgrade if rooms available, although, for a late arrival/early departure, the benefit of an included breakfast, wifi = all other benefits are more value to me.

I did lose my Ambassador benefit recently, but have just had this reinstated, with even more enhanced benefits. Whether this can be sustained going forward, I do not know.

For the record, I am currently a mere 40 – 60 SPG night per year guest, but I do refer other guests (aircrew / passengers / colleagues) into SPG properties.

[AspirationalFlyer]

Regarding Accor platinum status, my experience is that it does facilitate good room upgrades but is otherwise weak.

In the last month I have stayed at the Pullman Munich (where I was given a room upgrade) and the Sofitel Abu Dhabi (where I was given an upgrade to an excellent suite). In both instances my platinum status was cited as the reason for the room upgrade and at the Sofitel I was thanked numerous times for my loyalty. At the Pullman Munich I was also given a complementary drinks voucher and a free jar of snacks but this is not great given my overall spend with this hotel chain! Also, the room upgrades are obviously discretionary and subject to availability.

Particularly annoying is when one has to pay for internet access in a “business hotel” when comparable hotel chain offer internet access for free for high status members (for example, Gold or Platinum status with Hilton).

[Cwyfan]

If you book through Hotels.com, your powers of persuasion will be tested at the desk for your rewards, but are usually available at Hilton.

I have even had two stays booked that way credited to my loyalty score by phoning ahead and asking for my number to be added to my reservation.!

Also go to Hotels.com through Quidco for even more discount.

[MarcusUK]

Accor and Hilton source where you purchased your hotel, and will not award points for their scheme if not booked through their site.

Quidco, and topcashback link you into the Hotel site, so you can then log in. However, bookings via hotels.com will not count, do not earn awards points or miles. They have been flatly refused last year at many Hotel Chains over several continents.

I know that Accor once through their system, alerts the hotel and also upgrades in the booking system, but if you arrive after booking via Hotels.com, the booking is often under them, rather than you.

Many Asian Hotel groups, no longer award Airline miles or points, unless booked directly with them.

[Swissdiver]

“Many Asian Hotel groups, no longer award Airline miles or points, unless booked directly with them.”
Interesting! I guess it makes sense, unfortunately. Why would they pay the third party and reward the traveller?

[Author]

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