#hotel loyalty program

Many people wonder whether hotel loyalty programs are truly worth joining. If you only stay in hotels occasionally, you might not see much value in them. However, for frequent travelers, these programs offer more than just extra comfort and convenience—they can help you save money and elevate your entire travel experience. From free nights and room upgrades to dining discounts, the benefits of hotel loyalty programs go far beyond the surface.

Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express Will Give Anniversary Free Hotel Night

When the Chase Marriott Premier Visa Credit Card closed its doors in Canada, I was devastated because I lost my free anniversary night at Marriott properties across the globe. This was one of my reasons to keep paying $120 on this card each year.

However, due to the Marriott and SPG merger, I was hoping the SPG Amex credit card will offer the free night once the merger completes. And it looks like that’s what is going to happen starting August, 2018.

I received a letter from American Express Canada mentioning that once the SPG and Marriott rewards program combine in August, there are some changes coming to the SPG Amex Card. Here are some of them:

- Earn rate will be 5 points per dollar spent at eligible Marriott + SPG properties

- 2 points per dollar on everything else

- Free annual night every year (Cannot exceed 35,000 points redemption value)

-  Silver Elite Status

And some more benefits. To earn Silver Elite Status, you would generally be required to stay 10 nights per year. But you will be given this elite status just for having the SPG Amex card.

I made up my mind before that I would cancel the Starwood Amex card if it does not provide free nights after the merger. But I don’t need to cancel it anymore, as I got what I wanted.

It makes sense for me to keep this card, paying $120 per year, just for the free night. Depending on where I redeem the free night, I can easily extract $150 to $400 per night or possibly more based on the Marriott/Sheraton property location and time.

The SPG Amex card does not provide any other mentionable benefits, such as travel insurances, no foreign currency fee, or concierge services. But only the free night and Silver Elite Status are enough for me to hold on to this card.

3 Things You Need to Know

What Will Happen to My SPG & Marriott Rewards Points?

The new rewards program (which does not have a name yet) will combine Marriott Rewards, Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and SPG into a single program. SPG members will have to merge accounts with Marriott in August and will receive 1:3 new points. Marriott and Ritz-Carlton members don’t need to do anything.

What is the New Program Earn Rate?

Ten points per dollar spent at all brands except certain brands (Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites and Element) where you will earn 5 points. Elite members will earn bonus points that could go as high as 75%.

The Canadian Starwood Preferred Guest Card from American Express will earn 3 new points per dollar spent for everyday purchases. There will possibly be some changes coming to this card to reflect the new program.

How Many Points Do I Need for a Free Night?

Currently 3,000 SPG points or 7,500 Marriott points are required to get a Category 1 free night. The new points requirement to get a free night will be 7,500 (Cat 1) and 85,000 (Cat 8).

Intercontinental Bora Bora Goes Up

IHG, or Intercontinental Hotel Group, has around 5000 properties around the globe and almost 10% of IHG properties will face a price increase this year. In Canada, 34 hotels will go through price adjustments.

Almost 500 hotels will increase in price by points and 192 are going down. These changes are effective as of Jan 16, 2018. Top tier hotels like the InterContinental Bora Bora, Hong Kong, and many others, will go up 60,000 to 70,000 points a night. Worse yet, these top tier hotels were just 50,000 points a night 2 years ago. So these are massive devaluations in the course of 2 years.

Although 192 hotels will go down in price by 5000 points, not a single property is going down to IHG’s lowest category of 10,000 points a night. In Canada, 34 hotels are changing value in points. 21 properties are going up and 13 are going down. To see the full list, go to the IHG Rewards Night page https://www.ihg.com/rewardsclub/content/us/en/reward-nights

This is one of the IHG’s worst devaluations ever and they haven’t notified their members in advance. I have some IHG points and I was hoping to visit upscale Intercontinental locations in Bora Bora and Asia in the future. But with this devaluation looks like it may not make sense and I better use my points for IHG PointBreaks.

Working With Hotels Doesn’t Have To Be Difficult

Are you overwhelmed when it comes to choosing a hotel room for your vacation? With so many choices, how do you know you have found the perfect one? Relax, we’ve got it covered. The following article will offer suggestions how to find the perfect hotel for your adventures.

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Tips For Hotels That Any Novice Can Use

You know where you are headed. You have booked your plane tickets. It is now time to book that hotel room. Do you wonder how to secure the right hotel for the right price? Begin by reading the following article. These tips will help you find the right one.

Before making reservations at a hotel, check the online review sites. Online review websites will allow you to see previous guests’…