Home » Hotel Groups (Page 15)
Category Archives: Hotel Groups
Wow – Marriott honours soft landing again…
As they’ve revealed recently, Marriott was going to soft land Ambassador members who didn’t qualify in 2022 to Titanium Elite, whereas not extending it to any other elite levels. Well, looks like they are now reneging on that policy…
You can see the latest help article here, which says:
Members who did not re-achieve their existing Elite status in 2022 will be offered one tier below their current status through February 2024. These members will see their new status starting in March 2023 and can enjoy their existing status through February 2023.
Basically they are extending the soft landing policy to all members, which is good news.
Not to me though – I was Titanium Elite last year and accrued 60 nights which means I was going to be Platinum Elite this year anyway. Many of friends are in the same boat, and we all feel like idiots now 😛
The quirk of Marriott’s annual choice benefit stays
Marriott has something called Annual Choice Benefit, which offers members a gift when they reach the 50- and 75-night milestones in a calendar year. When you reach 75 nights, one of the gifts you can choose is a free night award worth up to 40,000 points.
There’s something interesting about the FNA though, as its expiry date used to be one year from date when you select it. As you have until January 7th to make your choice, it means that FNAs selected in January were one year longer in expiry.
However, the terms and conditions have changed in 2022:
The Free Night Award (with a redemption value of up to 40,000 Points) must be redeemed for a stay that occurs no later than December 31, 2023.
Which made me think that they’ve fixed the bug. Well obviously it’s not the case, as a friend’s friend has just picked the FNA and the expiry is still showing as the end of 2024:
It’s not a super useful quirkiness. However, one more year’s validity gives you more flexibility at least.
Warning: Marriott to remove redemption cap in 2023
(Writing this from a two-bedroom apartment in St Regis Shanghai Jing An.)
Marriott introduced Flexible Redemption Pricing in March 2022, and we have been getting used to how it works in the last nine months. However, there’s a snag that most people may have forgotten or overlooked.
When the new policy was introduced, the price cap of most hotels (i.e. the peak pricing from the old system) were respected, with the exception of a few properties that added a new premium. However, no caps are to be enforced for 2023 stays at any Marriott hotel.
Should we expect a huge increase across many hotels globally? Probably not, as the redemption rates have been adjusting themselves in the last nine months so that they already reflect what Marriott thinks it’s appropriate to charge you for now, more or less. Therefore I don’t think a big devaluation is due anytime soon.
However, there are hotels that represent outsize redemption value which makes them really popular, and they are the ones more likely at risk. For example, Courtyard Oxford City Centre used to be the best redemption option in the UK, starting from only 10,000 points per night.
When the dynamic pricing was introduced, its cap was raised to 20,000 points. For some 2023 dates however, the rate goes to as high as 21,000 points now:
It’s not a massive devaluation, but more are to come. If you have speculative travel plans for next year, and are not short of Marriott points, consider locking in some rooms now.
My review of W Hollywood
After a one-night transition at Courtyard Santa Monica I’m continuing my journey at the W Hollywood hotel. Although my friends recommend me to stay at the Beverley Hills / West Hollywood area, hotel rates there are extortionate and it’s hard to find reward availability, so I’m taking a compromise.
The W is very conveniently located on the Walk of Fame, and about 20 minutes walk to the Chinese Theatre. It’s built above a metro station, and with public transport you could visit places of interest like LACMA, Griffith Observatory and Beverley Hills rather easily.
If you arrive in car you’ll enter the hotel through its car park and back door. The logo is as flamboyant as the W brand usually implicates. The reception and lobby bar look very nice too.
My suite night award was declined… again! I’m upgraded to a corner room with Hollywood Hills view instead. However my room key suggests it’s located on the fourth floor, and I doubt I could anticipate any view from that height.
The room is just white and cold. I’m not saying it’s bad, but it’s totally the opposite of the standard W vibe which should be radiating passion and lust from every corner of the room.
The bed is unusually low, and comfortable enough. There is another… bed? on the windowsill which I assume is for kids.
As I suspected the room hardly has any view to sell, although higher floors (the hotel has 12 in total) should have a better chance of seeing the hill. The room doesn’t proof sound very well, but most of the time there aren’t many noises.
There’s no bathroom. The shower’s knob was stuck and I had to get someone to fix it.
They don’t have the most attentive cleaning team either. I had a coffee from the espresso machine, and neither was the paper cup replaced or capsule refilled the next day.
The rooftop pool and viewing deck is named WET.
Facilities are great – there are chaise lounges, cabanas and even beds, take your pick! You need to pre-book (not sure if for free) in peak seasons, but it’s getting cold in November already so not a lot of guests are around.
View is awesome. To my disappoint they don’t have a jacuzzi – I should have enjoyed my time back in the Courtyard!
By the way, the hotel charges a $29 daily destination fee, a notorious U.S. custom that you have to put up with. It includes $29 credit to spend at the WET bar so feel free to order a drink here. Other potentially useful perks include tickets for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and Big Bus (red line only).
Titanium members get breakfast vouchers to use at the Daphne restaurant.
According to the voucher you must choose from a certain set menu. However you could also order anything from the “normal” menu instead, and have a $30 credit per person.
The eggs benedict and croissant are very good quality.
The hotel is located conveniently in Hollywood for tourists, and has a beautiful lobby, bar and swimming pool. The guest room may let you down though, but in general I keep my expectations low when staying at U.S. hotels.
IHG Q1 offer: 3,000 points for every two nights
IHG has revealed their Q1 offer (possibly targeted), and you can register now.
- Stay between January 1 and February 8
- Earn 3,000 bonus points for every two eligible nights
- Valid three times (i.e. maximum 9,000 bonus points)
As usual, an eligible night is a paid night that costs at least $30 booked via official IHG channels.
I received this offer via email, and the wording suggests it might be targeted. Anyway, don’t expect another global promotion from IHG until February 8.
Hurry! InterContinental Da Nang for 16,000 points
IHG’s IT has been playing up again recently. A couple of days ago InterContinental Bora Bora was up for grabs for only 16,000 points per night but when I learned about it it was too late.
InterContinental Da Nang, Vietnam is now running the same “flash sale”:
It appears that all reward nights are priced at only 16,000 points. You can find scattering dates in April and October, and scarcer availability in other months. For the last-minutes dates in December, the rate goes as low as 14,000 points.
I booked four nights to take advantage of my Chase benefit:
InterContinental Da Nang is generally regarded as one of the best InterContinental resorts in the world, and its nightly rate is usually $500+. Hurry up!!
My review of Courtyard Santa Monica
My US trip begins with Los Angeles and I’m gonna stay here for three nights. I’ve chosen Courtyard Santa Monica to spend my first night, reasons being:
- Santa Monica is an area recommended by my friends
- My flight arrives late, and Santa Monica is relatively close to the airport
- As it’s just a short transition before I head into the city, I don’t need a full-service hotel
It’s a quick 20-minute’s drive from the LAX-IT ride pick-up site. The hotel isn’t at the forefront of the waterside, but is only about 15 minutes to the beach and it’s easy to navigate on foot. Bus and metro can bring you to downtown LA and Beverley Hills easily.
The hotel has got a pretty big lobby and a business centre for browsing the Internet and printing.
I didn’t receive an upgrade this time. I could have used my suite night upgrade voucher for the Partial Sea View Suite, but redeeming it at a Courtyard seems to be a waste.
The room is simple but spacious. The corner sofa is a nice touch.
A Rest and Recharge kit is provided, containing a tea bag and some earplugs.
The Hampton Inn across the street appears to be a nicer property, as the exterior looks smarter and many rooms feature a balcony.
There is an outdoor swimming pool and jacuzzi. I didn’t get to try them out but they look decent enough.
Also a small gym.
There is a small Starbucks outlet inside the hotel which serves breakfast. I chose $10 as my welcome amenity and paid $13 in addition for this:
How stupid I am! I should have just accepted the points instead…
My 4pm late checkout was granted when I checked in, however the cleaner and manager still came to knock on my door twice knowing when I was going to depart. Anyway, if you are looking for just a room in Santa Monica, this hotel does its job.
IHG offering 3,000 birthday bonus points
I just celebrated my birthday in a quarantine hotel, for which I received a lot of spam commercial emails as usual. If I remember correctly, last year IHG offered me 1,000 straight points, but they are adding a twist this year.
I received an email inviting me to sign up to their birthday offer:
Once enrolled, I need to complete a paid weekend stay to earn 3,000 bonus points. A weekend stay is defined as a stay of minimum two nights, and at least one night is on Thursday, Friday or Saturday.
If your birthday just passed or is around the corner, try signing up to the offer here. It appears that many members that should be eligible failed to go through though, so I guess IHG still needs to sort out their IT.