“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 running a promotion where I can get 2500 bonus points with every stay after my first stay, and Hilton offers Diamond status to someone who has 28 stays or 60 nights.  So I am trying to maximize benefits at both chains”.

“Why?”  he asked.  “Is it the “thrill” of going for these promotions or are you running low on points?”  Hmmm….I had to think about that one.  I don’t particularly find it thrilling to earn the maximum bonus during a promotion, but at the same time if I didn’t try to earn the maximum then I would feel like I let a resource go to waste. (Maybe I am obsessive-compulsive along these lines?)  I don’t really need the points, I have almost a half-million in my Marriott account – and this is AFTER booking several stays with points in the last few months.  So WHY am I doing this again?

The Hilton thing is a different story.  I requested Hilton match my Platinum status at Marriott earlier this year.  The reply I received did NOT make me joyous.  “We can give you Gold status for now, and if you stay 21 nights in the next 90 days we will give you Diamond status”.  OK, since I was just a lowly silver member, I was happy with the bump to Gold, but 21 nights in 90 days when all it takes normally is 60 nights (28 if your stays are only 1 night) in 365 days!  Their offer for Diamond status seemed like a penalty because of the 90 day time limit.  So to maximize the number of stays for Diamond status doing it the normal way, I need to have some time in between nights at the same hotel. 

I really would like to attain Diamond status at Hilton to compare the benefits with Marriott.  Due to Marriott’s Roll-over promotions, I have already earned Platinum status until 2012, so why not try elsewhere.  And just another 75 nights total at Marriott and I will have attained LIFETIME PLATINUM!!!  LOVE IT!! 

So this trip I am spending the first night in a Fairfield Inn (Marriott), which will count as my first stay during the promotion period.  The next night I will be in the Hilton Garden Inn to get a stay there.  The next night is the SpringHill Suites (Marriott) to get my 2^nd stay for the promotion – and the extra 2500 bonus points.  The next night will be at the Courtyard by Marriott – which I really hate but hey – another 2500 bonus points.  The last night will be back at the Hilton Garden Inn for my 2^nd stay.

Am I crazy?????   Probably.  All this LUGGING of LUGGAGE will probably throw my back into a tizzy  – which will serve as a good excuse to get a massage when I come home.

Sorry sweetie, you married a crazy person!!

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 money and closed the window I said to my husband jokingly “they are making ME wait????  Don’t they know who I am???”  He said “sorry honey, you don’t have platinum status here”. 

So then I started thinking, what if Starbucks had a loyalty program such that one could earn platinum status?   Grocery store chains offer a “club” where members receive discounted prices on certain items.  Members of the club don’t have to do anything special (except give away personal information) in order to receive membership and discounts.  At hotels and airlines, one may stay or fly a certain amount to receive the benefits of the various status tiers.  Why not apply these concepts to coffee, or anything else for that matter?  In places where there is a Peet’s or Dunkin Donuts right across the street, how could Starbucks win the business going to their competitors?  Here’s my proposal.

Starbucks club members would swipe their membership card every time they purchase something.  This account would accumulate “STAR BUCKS” which can be redeemed for free items.  Accumulating a certain amount of “STAR BUCKS” within a year would qualify for PLATINUM Starbucks status.  The perks of platinum status could include bonuses on their STAR BUCKS earnings (say 25%), a separate queue so they are served faster, and free upgrades to the next size (pay for a grande, receive a venti).  There could be intermediate status tiers like Gold or Silver, each one luring the loyal customer to try to achieve the next level of status.  Who is happy with silver when for a few more lattes they can be Gold?  And who is happy being Gold when Platinum is just around the corner? 

There you have it.  A country who isn’t addicted enough to coffee now can have a program which will not only feed the caffeine addiction, but also the addiction to status.  Starbucks, are you listening????

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 for the number of nights to attain VIP status; and the “false VIPs” - those who would not have attained the status if it weren’t for the promotions.  And then there’s the “Super VIPs” – those who greatly exceed the minimum requirements for status.  If everyone is now a VIP, are the rewards for spending half your life in a hotel diminished?

While it is great for business to have members attaining and retaining VIP status, the question arises about the “quality” and availability of these benefits to the “true VIPs”.  If room upgrades are offered to all VIPs on a first-come, first-served basis, then the likelihood of the upgrade diminishes as more VIPs are contending for the upgrade.  Because the number of upgraded rooms is fixed, it is simple math and statistics to prove this point.  If VIPs are granted access to the executive lounge, the more VIPs in the lounge, the less chance you will find a seat, the more chance that your favorite food/drink will be unavailable.  Some hotels offer special parking for VIP’s, the same logic applies.  Other VIP benefits like bonus points are not subject to physical limitations so the number of VIPs receiving the benefit does not diminish the availability for another VIP.

So what’s fair?  Would it be fair to somehow distinguish between the “true” and “false” VIPs and tailor the benefits to each?  Personally I dont think so.  If I was given Platinum status as a gift having not earned it based on the traditional rules (which has happened – see Status Matching article), I would not want to received diminished benefits because it was a gift.

What might be a more fair approach is to reward the “Super VIPs” with something additional.   For example, Marriott Platinum status requires 75 nights paid per calendar year.  What about the person who pays and stays for 150 nights?  Is it fair that this person receives additional benefits above and beyond traditional Platinum?  Personally I think so.  The revenue generated from such a traveler would warrant some additional benefits.  Now we can raise the question as to whether or not this person is a “true Super VIP” – did they attain this status through promotions?  When you reach this level I dont think it matters – the majority of your nights would have to be paid.

The problem that I see (based on my research for the loyalty article) is that hotel chains do nothing to reward the “Super VIP” customer.  Once you attain the top tier status, there is no additional incentive to continue to stay.  There is a possibility that with these promotions, the “true VIPs” might stay the minimum number of nights to retain their status and spend additional nights at other chains to build status elsewhere.   I would expect this to be the case especially if they perceive that their current benefits have been diminished.  On the other forum I mentioned, there have been several posts from those who had already attained the top tier status asking if they should try to start building status at other hotel chains. 

In some cases the VIP benefits are enough to keep a customer loyal to one chain, but would a “Super VIP” tier do more to encourage those who stay an insane number of nights to stay at one chain? 

So my questions to you:

If you were to stay 200 nights in hotels in a given year such that you could earn top tier status at multiple chains:

   How would having a “Super VIP” tier impact your decision to stay with one chain?  Would you be    more likely to stick with one chain?  Or would this not impact your decision?

   What minimum nights would you expect for this Super tier?

   What additional benefits would you like to see for this Super tier?

I am looking forward to your feedback…….TravelPrincess

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, Hilton, and Marriott properties.  I would have liked to include Hyatt in this analysis, but since it has been over a year since my last stay I will leave that off the list for now.  I had been used to the Marriott system of receiving 10 points for every dollar spent.  My first stay at a Starwood hotel took me a bit by surprise when I looked at the points I earned.   I spent $2700 (including taxes) for 15 nights and I received about 6700 points.  This would have been about 25,000 points with Marriott or Hilton not including bonuses.  So this prompted me to look into the redemption of points, which then prompted me to compare these 3 programs so that I can make some informed decisions about where to place my loyalty in 2010.  I hope my research can also benefit others.

Overall Look at the Brands

Marriott has over 3000 hotels world-wide with their 10 brands which include:  Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Courtyard, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, Marriott Conference Centers, TownePlace Suites, SpringHill Suites, and Marriott Vacation Club.  In November 2009, Marriott also announced another brand called the Autograph Collection, which is their partnership with independent hotels where Marriott Rewards members can earn and redeem points.

Hilton has over 3300 hotels world-wide with 9 brands which include:  Hilton, Conrad, DoubleTree, Embassy Suites, Hampton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Grand Vacations, Homewood Suites, and the Waldorf-Astoria Collection.

Starwood has 960 hotels world-wide with 9 brands which include:  Le Meridien, aloft, element, Westin, Sheraton, Fourpoints, St. Regis, W, and The Luxury Collection.

Attaining Status

The first thing I considered when comparing these programs was the cost of attaining status.  Each program requires a certain number of nights or stays or points to attain Silver, Gold, Platinum/Diamond status.  Hilton is the only chain that allows status to be earned based on points earned, so for the purpose of comparison I just looked at nights/stays.    

For Hilton, the first tier requires only 4 stays or 10 nights.  A stay is defined as the number of consecutive nights at the same property regardless of checkin/out activity.  Since a stay can be 1 consecutive night, Silver status can be earned in as little as 4 nights.  If you assign a cost per night of $100 on average, Silver status can be earned with a minimum of $400.  Gold status can be earned with a minimum cost of $1600, and Platinum with a minimum of $2800.

Starwood does not offer a Silver status tier, yet its Gold tier is half of the requirement of Marriott’s, and it’s also lower than Hilton’s.  Gold status at Starwood will cost a minimum of $1000 and Platinum status will cost a minimum of $2500.

Contrast that to Marriott which has lofty requirements for elite status.  Stays are not considered for qualification, only nights are considered.  The Silver status requires 10 nights which in our scenario would cost $1000.  Marriott’s Gold level is equivalent to many other programs top level.  This level requires 50 nights or $5000.  Platinum requires 75 nights – $7500.

Top Tier Benefits

For this area I looked at the benefits received by those who hold the top tier:  Platinum or Diamond.  All three chains offered very similar benefits.  One of the positive’s for Hilton is that they offer an option for Free High Speed Internet in lieu of the amenity/points option.  This is one area that Marriott Rewards members are clamoring about.  In some Marriott hotels the fee to use the Internet service can be as high as $15/day in the US and $20/day or more internationally.  In some places the fee will be discounted if you buy a weekly or monthly package, but mostly it’s a daily rate that expires at noon the next day, so most of the time you don’t even get the full 24 hours of access.

Starwood does not claim to give free internet on their website, but my experience has been that in some cases Platinum members will receive free HS Internet.  One time at a Sheraton, I was given an ID/PSWD to access for free because of my Platinum status.  Another time at a Westin, I complained about the lack of services for Platinum members and they gave me the Internet service for free.

Earning Points

Hilton Honors members receive 10 points for every dollar spent at all their brands.  Members can also “double dip” and receive airline miles as well.  Diamond members receive a 50% bonus on base points and can elect to receive a fixed bonus at check in ranging from 250 to 2000 points depending on the brand.   Gold members receive a 25% bonus on base points and the option for a fixed bonus per stay.  Silver members receive a 15% bonus on base points and no option for a fixed bonus per stay.

Marriott Rewards members receive 10 points for every dollar at all brands except Residence Inn and Towneplace Suites, where they receive 5 points for every dollar.    Platinum members receive 50% bonus on base points and the option of a fixed bonus or amenity when they check in.  The fixed bonus points range from 200 points at all brands except full service brands, and 500 points at full service brands.  Gold members receive a 25% bonus on base points and Silver members receive 20%.  Platinum is the only tier which receives the choice for a fixed bonus per stay.

Starwood Preferred Guest members receive 2 points for each dollar spent at all their brands.  Platinum and Gold members receive a 50% bonus on base points (hence their advertisement of 3 points per $), but only platinum members receive a choice of a fixed bonus of 250 to 500 points depending on brand.  Since SPG does not offer a silver option, there are no bonuses.

Some brands allow the earning of points on charges other than the room base rate, such as meals, room service, parking, etc..  For the purposes of this analysis, these factors were not considered.

Redeeming Points

Here’s where it gets interesting!  In the side-by-side comparison Hilton definitely requires more points for a free night in every category.  These point values listed are the ones Hilton announced in 3rd Quarter 2009 to take effect in January 2010.  Under Hilton’s soon-to-expire redemption plan, they had a category called “opportunity” for the lowest point value of 7500 for a free night, then the rest of the categories ranged from 1-6.  It seems that in the new plan they removed the “opportunity” category and this is the new category 1.  The old 1 is the new 2, etc…so the categories now go from 1 -7. 

The range in values is because the hotels offer the possibility for lower redemption rates.  The lower rates could be based on time of year or excess capacity, so I included them as the minimum number of points for a free night in that category.  Hilton calls them “point stretchers”, Marriott calls them “point savers”, and Starwood has lower rates outside of “peak season”.

I am not accounting for any differences between the brands for a specific category.  Some might say that Marriott’s category 6’s are better than Hilton’s, or vice versa, but diving into this area is beyond the scope of this analysis.

What I didn’t expect was that while SPG requires lower points at the lower categories, by the time you get up to the higher-end hotels, the point required basically match that of Marriott.  But since SPG only gives 2 points per $, it means a lot of stays and a lot of money to earn enough points to stay at the better Starwood hotels.  I did the analyses looking at this cost for both Category 1 and 7 hotels.

Cost for a ‘Free” Night at Category 1

Since I am a numbers person, I decided to identify just how much is this free night costing.  So if you look at the minimum number of points required for a free night, the amount of base points earned per $, you get an idea of how many $ you need to spend.  I did this in the case of a non-elite or non-VIP member who does not receive bonus points, and from the perspective of the top-tier guest who receives bonus points.  I did not include the fixed bonuses or any other points that could be earned through purchases other than hotel nights.

Again, I was very surprised with the Starwood result here.  Even though you can get a free night with only 2000 points, at 2 points/$ base earnings, you have to stay 10 nights.  With Marriott, I am using the 10 points per $ because I am looking at minimum cost, but keep in mind that there are 2 brands where you will only receive 5 points per $.  At 10 points/$, the Marriott numbers stand out for having the lowest cost for the free night.  At 5 points/$, the Marriott numbers would be the worst.

Cost for a “Free” Night at Category 7

This analysis wasn’t such a big surprise.  In looking at the redemption rates it’s easy to see that Starwood requires the same number of points for redemption as Marriott, but you only earn 20% of the points you do at Marriott.  I expected the cost for the “Free” night in this category to look really ugly for Starwood.  And it does. 

At 10 points/$, Marriott wins in both situations where a top tier bonus is earned and where no bonus is earned.  At 5 point/$, double the number of nights and the cost – the Hilton numbers look the best.

Conclusion

To sum up the analysis:

1.  Starwood has the lowest cost to attain elite status, followed by Hilton, then Marriott.

2.  All 3 chains are comparable in the benefits offered to top tier members.

3.  Hilton gives the most points/$ with 10 at all brands, Marriott gives 10 at most brands, and Starwood gives the least at 2 points/$.

4.  Starwood has the lowest point redemption requirements at the lowest category hotels, but those values are on par with Marriott for the higher categories.  Hilton consistently requires the most points for redemption.

5.  Marriott has the lowest minimum cost for a free night at Category 1 hotels, followed by Hilton, then Starwood.

6.  The same result applies for a free night at a Category 7.

Based on this analysis, I will probably ditch my Starwood status and concentrate on Marriott and Hilton.  I do like how I have been treated at Starwood Hotels:  they matched my platinum status with Marriott so I received lounge access, room upgrades, bonus points, and overall VIP treatment.  I liked it so much that I spent 25 nights there in 2nd Half 2009, enough for Gold status.   But something is wrong when the Platinum amenity bonus is more than the base points earned for a night, and since I won’t be platinum next year I will miss out on that bonus.  I am counting on a strong travel year in 2010 so that I might attain top tier status at Hilton as well as Marriott.

I would love to hear your feedback on this article:  was it helpful?  Should I have included other comparison points?  All comments are welcomed and appreciated.

Copyright 2009 – TravelPrincessDiaries.com

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 at the Marriott, so I called Starwood Preferred Guest to inquire about their program.  I mentioned that I was a Platinum at Marriott and they offered (upon proof of my status) to give me the same status (also Platinum) at Starwood.  This status is only good until the end of this year, and after that I need to earn the status like everyone else.

So when I checked into the Meridien,  I was wisked away to the “special” floor for “special” guests, upgraded to a suite, given access to the executive lounge, and given a fruit basket in my room every couple of days.  My collegue with no status had a regular room, no lounge access, no fruit basket.

Not bad for making a phone call!!  So, if you are forced to stay in a different hotel chain for whatever reason, it is worth a call to see if they will match your status.  It could make all the difference in your comfort for that trip.

See you in the lounge!!

Travel Princess

With all the airlines cutting costs, every little thing the airlines do or don’t do is very noticeable.  Also, having flown over a million miles in my career doesn’t hurt either when it comes to noticing things.  Lately, I have had some outstanding flights right along side the disappointing ones.  So I started to ask myself, what is the key to an outstanding flight?  It turns out, it’s the flight attendants.

Sure the Captain and First officer need to get the plane to the destination on time and in one piece, and sure the gate agents can be pleasant and give you a better seat, but with online check-in now, I rarely have to deal with gate agents.  (It sure is nice when they give you an upgrade though).  And other than an occasional voice on the speaker, I never see the captain or first officer.

For the flights that were outstanding, the flight attendants made all the difference.  Think about it, the plane is the same, the meals are the same (if you get one), the movies are the same, the seats are the same…..it’s the service that is unique on every flight. The primary interface to the passengers is the flight attendants and their job is so important to customer satisfaction.  I’ve tried to identify some key characteristics of what I consider to be a great flight attendant:

1. They know your name.  Nothing beats personalized service.  The flight attendants in first/business class have a list of the passengers.  The great ones will greet you by name, and some of them will even thank you for your business. The average flight attendant with that list doesn’t bother to greet you by name. The ones that do make the passengers feel more welcome and attended to.
2. They are aware of your needs before you have to ask.  The flight attendant who sees that your drink is low and offers a refill, or sees that you are done with your meal and clears your tray so you can work, these are the ones concerned with providing the best service possible.  Nothing is worse than having to ring your call button for every little thing.
3. They apologize for problems and offer reparations, even when they don’t have to.  It seems on almost every flight these days, something is not working correctly.  Whether the reading light is out, the video monitor isn’t working, there is no audio, when you let the flight attendant know about such a problem, they should offer to give you something to make up for it.  The great flight attendants offer vouchers for discounts on future travel, or additional miles in your account.  The others offer a “thanks for letting us know”.
4. They remember to pick up service items, return your jacket, and check all the bins to make sure they are closed.  I know, this should be a no-brainer, but the past few flights of mine have been terrible along these lines.  In one case, the flight attendant failed to pick up my seat-mate’s glass for landing.  This is not only irresponsible, but highly dangerous.  In another recent case, the flight attendant failed to return jackets that he had taken to hang up for passengers.  Having to fight the crowd to get your jacket after parking at the gate is difficult.  In this last case, the flight attendant also failed to stow the video monitors, which could pose a head-banging hazard as passengers get up from their seats to deplane.
5. They like their job.  It’s very easy to tell the level of satisfaction of someone in their job.  The happy flight attendant is cheerful, energetic, and eager.  They are truly interested in the passenger and may engage in polite conversation. The unhappy flight attendant rarely smiles, gets the job done with a minimal amount of effort, and doesn’t do any more than they have to.

It is my opinion that the flight attendants hold almost all the power when it comes to passengers having a good or bad experience.  Granted, there are some passengers that will never be satisfied.  But even in this case, I think a great flight attendant will be able to soften even the hardest of passengers.

Oh the drama……

As I sit at the airport at the start of my journey to India, I reflect back on the events of this week and the number of gray hairs these events generated.  My journey is beginning 3 days later than planned, all because there were problems with my application for a visa.

First of all – why do US citizens need a visa for India?  The visa application required proof that I would be returning to the US – basically I had to book my tickets and show a return.  How many people currently living in the US would possibly want to defect to India?  Have they looked at the statistics?  On the dhs.gov site, I found numbers of those from India receiving permanent resident status over the last 10 years.  The numbers fluctuate from between 30,000 and 80,000 per year!!!  The only information I could find on Americans immigrating to India was those of Indian descent.

So imagine my surprise when my business visa application was rejected.  The agency didn’t like the letter my client wrote because it didn’t explicitly request a 5 year visa, it said I would likely be working with the company in India through 2014.  So when the letter was re-written, it requested a 5 year visa, but if that could not be granted, then a 1 year visa would suffice.  REJECTED…..  Finally – leaving the part out about the 1 year visa, my paperwork was accepted and the visa was granted.  Too bad it wasn’t in time for my original flight.

What made matters worse was the so-called “expeditor” who is supposed to have relationships with these agencies and help the visa application process.  The only thing expedited was my aggravation.  When I first checked my application status online, I saw where the application was not accepted.  I promptly called my travel agent, who called the expeditor, and we were told that it was still in process.  It took them until the next day to get the information that I had – the application was rejected.  So we re-issued the letter, re-applied, and the expeditor told us the visa was approved and gave us the fed-ex tracking number.  So I start packing, going to the store to pick up some last minute items, and 2 hours later we were told the application was rejected again.  Can you say “CLUELESS”???  How can these guys charge for expediting???

Anyway, the drama ended yesterday, 3 days after it should have, when fedex rang the doorbell and delivered my passport and visa.  Now with my ticket rebooked, I am on my way to that place where everyone I know who has been has gotten sick.  Cant wait….