So I am headed for Chicago-land for a 5 day business trip today.  This morning my husband and I were discussing my trip and he asked which hotel I was staying in.  “Well sweetie, that’s a tough question to answer because I am in a different hotel every night.” “But why, when you are working at the same place every day?” he asked.  The only truthful reply that I had was that I am obviously crazy! So now I had to explain my reason for putting myself through the inconvenience of packing up, checking out, checking in, and unpacking EVERY SINGLE DAY this week…..”Well Sweetie, Marriott is...

If you are a frequent traveler, you are well aware of the loyalty programs offered by hotel chains and airlines.  These programs give the traveler a goal to work toward so that they may earn certain perks at the hotel or airline, such as bonus points, free upgrades, etc.  If these programs are able to keep customers loyal in the travel industry, why not apply them to any industry?  A few days ago my husband and I went through the Starbucks drive thru for a coffee.  When I pulled up to the window to pay, I was told it would be a few minutes while my decaf finishes brewing.  After the guy took my...

A discussion has come up on another forum debating the issue of promotions to earn status.  Marriott offered a promotion to allow members to earn double night credit toward elite status for this year, AND roll-over any nights above their current status for credit in 2010 for status in 2011.  Starwood offered a similar promotion allowing members to choose to earn double nights for this year OR to apply the double nights to get a head start on status for next year.  These promotions have the possibility to create a divide amongst the “true VIPs” – those who actually stay and pay...

Introduction I know this economy is tough on the travel industry.  I am an exception because my travel has increased this year, and because of this I was able to earn Platinum status at Marriott very early which has allowed me to experiment with other hotel programs.  I found it very interesting that the points earned per stay vary widely between programs, but the points earned are relative to the points required for free stays.  Being a member of multiple programs, I had no idea how they stacked up against each other.  This is the reason for my research. This year I have stayed at Starwood,...

Do you have Gold or Platinum status with a particular hotel chain?  Chances are you might be able to leverage that at other chains and retain your platinum treatment! This year I had a business trip to India where the closest Marriott was a Courtyard in the city center.  My office was 14km outside the city, and if you have ever driven in a city in India, you know how long it can take to go a few kilometers.  The company’s preferred hotel was the Meridien, just outside the city and near the airport. When I learned of this trip I was quite disappointed to learn that it was not feasible to stay...