August 2015 Hotel Update

TRVLVIP is here to encourage a simple and yet strategic approach to travel promotions and efficient loyalty program earning and redemption opportunities. If you knew you could travel in luxury for less, it might discourage you from letting your vacation days expire unused and encourage you to get on out there. It’s a big world just waiting for you! With that in mind, we’ve highlighted some great hotel updates to inspire you.

Hilton HHonors

In July, HOTELSMag.com reported that Hilton ranked as the biggest hotel company in the world in 2014 with 4,322 hotels!

TripAdvisor recently announced its 2015 Certificate of Excellence winners and eleven brands and more than 75% of the entire Hilton portfolio of hotels were awarded. 843 properties received the Hall of Fame acknowledgement, recognizing hotels that have been awarded a Certificate of Excellence for five consecutive years. And 27% of Hilton Worldwide properties are ranked #1 on TripAdvisor in their markets. Well done, Hilton!

Here are TRVLVIP’s top five Hilton Perk and Tip highlights from the past month:

• Whether you earn Hilton HHonors Elite status by achieving the nights, stays or points required, by having the right credit card or even by completing a fast track offer, making it to Elite status will change the way you travel with Hilton!
• Hilton’s Win Back Promo rewards 50,000 points to targeted HHonors member who stay four nights within 90 days!
• Book your wonderful Caribbean getaway before September 26, and stay at least four nights at any of 18 resorts before September 30, 2015, to enjoy the fourth night free plus a $100 resort credit – and kids stay FREE!
• Hilton’s Double Your HHonors promotion continues with double points or double miles (with any of Hilton’s 60+ airline partners) for each eligible stay at ANY Hilton hotel or resort until August 31st. And Hilton introduced a lucrative triple point rate valid until January 30, 2016 – it’s a very good deal!
• The three Conrad and Waldorf Astoria 2015 promotions continue to rank among our favorite Perks!

Lots of other great Hilton HHonors Perks are on the site this month including discounts, resort credits, bonus points offers, new hotel promotions, free golf offers, and more! And don’t forget to check the special Hilton Hotel Deals website if you are planning a trip to Asia, India, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, The South Pacific, Australia or New Zealand.

Be sure to check out all of the current Hilton HHonors Perks and Tips!

Hyatt Gold Passport

On July 15, J.D. Power released its 2015 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study and recognized Hyatt Place as a segment winner in the upscale category. The study is based on responses from more than 62,000 guests in Canada and United States between May 2014 and May 2015.

Here are TRVLVIP’s top five Hyatt Perk and Tip highlights from the past month:

• The Sweet Dreams Sweet Rewards summer promotion continues to zoom along with a chance to earn up to 65,000 points through September 30, so don’t forget to register!
• Here is any easy way to earn points – Hyatt Gold Passport will reward you with 500 bonus points simply for booking your next stay with the Hyatt App or mobile site and completing your stay before September 30, 2015!
• Three may be your lucky number the next time you’re in Vegas! Enjoy up to 1,500 Hyatt Gold Passport bonus points every time you stay three nights at participating properties in Las Vegas through September 30, 2015, and discover great ways to earn and redeem points with reciprocal elite benefits with M life. It’s a sure way to make your next Vegas trip more luxurious!
• Hyatt Gold Passport members enjoy 15% savings on all room types in Hawaii, Phoenix, San Diego and Washington DC through March 31, 2016.
• Until August 31, 2015, Hyatt is offering a 30% bonus on the purchase of 5,000 or more Gold Passport points. Find out if and when a purchase of points makes sense.

And don’t forget about the Hyatt Guest of Honor program that allows Diamond members to share their benefits while gifting that special someone a free night!

Be sure to check out all of the current Hyatt Perks and Tips!

IHG Rewards Club

According to HOTELSMag.com, in 2014, IHG ranked third behind Hilton and Marriott as one of the biggest hotel companies in the world with 4,840 hotels!

This summer, IHG was thought to be a possible front-runner in the acquisition race for Starwood Hotels and Resorts. But the British Sunday Times recently reported that talks have stalled on the multibillion-pound deal due to regulatory hurdles. Except for the $430 million acquisition by IHG of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, the WSJ reported that the global hospitality market has not seen any large scale mergers for the past 20 years. IHG is reportedly looking at luxury chains Fairmont and Switzerland’s Mövenpick as possible acquisition targets.

IHG Rewards Club members are still not able to earn or redeem points for Kimpton stays or enjoy reciprocal Elite status benefits while Kimpton retains its Karma Rewards program. We will keep you informed if that changes in the future.

Here are TRVLVIP’s top five IHG Perk and Tip highlights from the past month:

• In July IHG introduced Spire, which is now the highest Elite status level in the IHG Rewards Club program. IHG also reduced the number of nights and stays required to achieve each elite status level and eliminated the fast track to elite offers to simplify the IHG Rewards Club program. We put together a great Tip about the IHG program highlighting all of the recent changes!
• You should already be registered and continuing to rack-up and share points with the Share Forever summer promotion. When registered, you will also enjoy a special add-on double points bonus through August 15!
• New 5,000 PointsBreaks hotels were updated in July. These 5,000 point awards will go fast so if interested book soon!
• Enjoy a well-deserved resort vacation with your family. When you complete a qualified stay of three or more nights at a Holiday Inn Club Vacations resort in 2015, you will enjoy 10,000 IHG Rewards Club points!
• Don’t forget about IHG’s Ambassador Program. It’s a great value with many luxurious benefits for anyone who stays at InterContinental Hotels & Resorts. Take a look, it’s worth it.

We encourage you to review the current IHG Perks, which include discounted award stays, summer discounts, bonus points offers at new hotels and more.

Be sure to check out all of the current IHG Rewards Club Perks and Tips!

Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Rewards

According to HOTELSMag.com, Marriott ranked second only behind Hilton in 2014 as one of the biggest hotel companies in the world with 4,175 hotels!

Marriott has been consistently ranked at the top with many awards this summer. Marriott Rewards was declared the Best 2015-2016 Hotel Rewards program for the third year in a row by U.S. News & World Report for its variety of lodging types and pricing, benefits and ease of earning free nights. And Marriott was the only hotel company to make it into the 24/7 Wall Street’s customer service hall of fame. Luckily, no hotels or airlines made it into the hall of shame!

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts were once again recognized by travelers for high guest satisfaction in the J.D. Power 2015 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study – with Ritz-Carlton Hotel ranked as the #1 luxury brand for the seventh year, the best ranking achieved to-date by any luxury brand! Way to go Ritz!

Here are TRVLVIP’s top five Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Perk and Tip highlights from the past month:

• We mentioned this one last month, but it’s worth highlighting again in light of Ritz’s recognition as a superior luxury brand. If you’ve ever wondered whether you should choose Marriott or Ritz-Carlton Rewards, it’s a good time to find out!
• Ritz continues to offer their 2015 double elite credit offer and the 40,000 points summer promotion extends only through the end of August! We suggest switching over to Ritz-Carlton Rewards if you have any plans to stay with Ritz this year because you will enjoy the current Ritz promotions while continuing to indulge in all of the great elite benefits when staying with Marriott. And you are able to switch between both programs at any time.
• Be on the lookout for Marriott PointSavers featured hotels and save up to 33% on your Ritz and Marriott award stays – and the fifth night is ALWAYS free when you use award nights! New hotels are added weekly.
• Remember the excellent reciprocal benefits of RewardsPlus – the industry pairing between Marriott and United.
• It’s a great idea to sign-up for eBreaks, Marriott’s published list of discounted properties sent each week by email for the following Thursday to Sunday weekend stays. The properties are normally in North America and the discount is typically around 20% or more.

Plenty of lucrative Perks continue to be highlighted on TRVLVIP with savings across the US and the world.

Be sure to check out all of the current Marriott and Ritz Perks and Tips!

Starwood Preferred Guest

Lots of news continues to swirl around Starwood this summer. Beginning with the resignation of ex-CEO Frits von Paasschen earlier this year, quite a bit of uncertainty has developed about the future of Starwood.

Starwood has made it clear it is exploring a full range of strategic and financial alternatives to increase shareholder value with no options off the table. Of course, this is sparking speculation about a possible sale, but it could also mean a spin-off of certain parts of the business.

Except for the $430 million acquisition by IHG of  Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, the WSJ reported that the global hospitality market has not seen any large scale mergers for the past 20 years. We wonder if Starwood may shake that up a bit. Starwood has only half the number of rooms of Marriott International and of Hilton Worldwide and while popular at the higher end, they have struggled in the middle market sector.

IHG was thought to be a possible front runner in the acquisition race, but the British Sunday Times recently reported that talks have stalled on the multibillion-pound deal due to regulatory hurdles.

It’s likely major changes to the SPG program aren’t coming any time soon. But if they do, you can count on TRVLVIP to keep you updated as we learn more.

Here are TRVLVIP’s top five Starwood Perk and Tip highlights from the past month:

• The Sheraton Free Weekend promotion began July 9 so be sure to sign-up. It’s reputed to be the richest Sheraton offer in the history of the SPG program! You’ll earn a free weekend night for every five Sheraton nights you stay between July 9 and Sept 30, 2015 – up to three nights total. And, perhaps best of all, you can use those free nights at even the most expensive, highest-tier Sheraton hotels all over the world!
• Don’t forget to register for the Make it Count promotion before August 15 to enjoy 1,000 bonus Starpoints for weekend stays through August 31, 2015!
• Starwood is rewarding Starwood Preferred Guest Amex credit card members 1,000 bonus Starpoints for just two eligible stays before August 30, 2015. We view this promotion as Starwood’s way of highlighting the additional card benefits that begin August 11, 2015. The annual fee will also increase from $65 to $95 at the same time.
• Through August 31, Starpoints convert into 20% more American Airlines miles! This is actually a great deal if you need more AAdvantage miles!
• And here is an easy one – register for SPG Keyless and enjoy 1,000 Starpoints!

Remember the industry pairings between Starwood and Uber, Emirates, Caesars, and Crossover Rewards with Delta – all of which provide great reciprocal benefits! And don’t miss SPG’s Hot Escapes! Each Wednesday Starwood offers discounts on stays at participating properties during the following six weeks and an additional 5% savings for SPG members!  And remember, when you book five or more award nights in a single reservation, the fifth night is ALWAYS free!

Over 30 current SPG Perks are highlighted on TRVLVIP this month including free night and bonus points offers, new hotel promotions, discounted award offers, a BIG wedding promo and more!

Be sure to check out all of the current Starwood Perks and Tips.

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We hope you enjoyed our monthly hotel summary! We’d love to have you follow us on Facebook and Twitter and to share TRVLVIP with friends and family who enjoy travel and desire more Luxury for their Loyalty!

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Happy Loyalty, Happy Travels!

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