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<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n[LHW Brands]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n LHW acts mostly as a marketing platform, so there\u2019s no strong branding within the group and many hotels are actually independent. It\u2019s also common to see LHW hotels affiliated with another hotel chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, the Hotel Adlon Kempinski in Berlin is also part of GHA Discovery<\/a> \u2013 actually all Kempinski hotels belong to GHA Discovery because of the deal, but the same isn\u2019t true for LHW. LHW also has a few Gran Melia hotels in Spain, which are part of the Melia group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In terms of geographical distribution, LHW is best represented in Europe, with especially strong footprint in Italy and Switzerland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [Membership Tiers and Benefits]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You used to have to pay $175 a year to enrol in the LHW program, but it has been made permanently free since mid 2021. LHW has three membership tiers: Club, Silver and Aurelian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Club<\/strong> \u2013 entry level<\/p>\n\n\n\n Silver<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 $5000 annual spend requirement<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aurelian<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 invitation only (top 1% spend)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Everyone can start enjoying Club benefits by signing up to the program for free. There\u2019s some value here, especially the free breakfast and room upgrade \u2013 the latter doesn\u2019t look great on paper, but some of my readers suggest it tends to be quite generous (including suite upgrade) in practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Silver status doesn\u2019t sounds exciting to be honest. Its top-level invitation tier Aurelian is exclusive to the heaviest spenders only which is quite similar to the Royal Ambassador status in InterContinental Ambassador<\/a>, but the benefits are weaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [Earn and Spend]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You earn 1 point for each USD spent on qualifying room rates for up to three rooms in the same reservation. Until recently it was only possible to earn points on direct LHW bookings, but it\u2019s now expanded to some other channels:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be careful that direct bookings with the hotel don\u2019t qualify for points accrual<\/strong>. This is one main difference with other hotel groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Points can be redeemed towards an award night, at the rate of 100 points = $8. Note that cash + points is not an option so you must have enough points to cover the entire cost, which can be an issue if you only have a small stash of points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Given its earning structure, you basically earn 8% cashback when making an LHW booking, which is just okay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [Summary]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The only time I stayed at an LHW hotel was at the Gran Melia Fenix Hotel in Madrid, where I booked using Melia points. It\u2019s unlikely I\u2019ll ever use LHW\u2019s website to make any booking, as the perks don\u2019t excite me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, a lot of people do think very highly of their hotels. Now that FHR \/ Virtuoso are also qualifying rates, you might as well bag some points when you book a relevant hotel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Leading Hotels of the World, or LHW, is a collection of 400 luxury hotels in over 80 countries in the world. Like other hotel groups LHW has a membership program which entitles you to additional benefits when you book directly with them. [LHW Brands] LHW acts mostly as a marketing platform, so there\u2019s no … Continue reading <\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n