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Anantara Layan Phuket Resort
I have been a Hyatt Gold Passport member for over 7 years. Most of that time I’ve been platinum level, and in 2014 when Hyatt offered a “Diamond Status Challenge” I decided to take it. The timing was good as we happened to have a lot of Hyatt stays planed, and the challenge was successfully completed. I requalified in 2015, and both Susan and I have found a lot of value in maintaining my diamond level with Hyatt.
Because we value the perks, and hence the brand, we try to find Hyatt properties when we travel. The problem is that while Hyatt does have a global footprint, there are many locations where they do not have a property. This happened on a recent trip to Thailand and the particular area did not have a Hyatt hotel (there was a location on Phuket, but oddly with no availability). As great as Hyatt is, it makes sense to have another hotel program that you can book rooms at, and still earn some rewards.
Hyatt Regency Tamaya
If we had more time to travel, I might also try to maintain status in the Starwood Preferred Guest program. The hotels look fabulous and Preferred Guest is also generous. The reason we don’t also have Starwood status is that would require 50+ hotel stays in a year, Hyatt and Starwood, and that is beyond our schedule. This leads us into the other hotel program we use, “Hotels.com Rewards.” Many travel enthusiasts might scoff at this plan, but we get a lot of utility out of it.
There are 3 things I love about the hotels.com rewards program. It’s easy, it’s lucrative, and it’s broad. Sure it’s a little light on additional perks and benefits, but we have Hyatt if we want to be pampered.
It’s easy
The Hotels.com Rewards program can be signed up for in a few minutes. You can choose to keep a credit card on file or just enter it at purchase/reservation time. The Hotels.com software tracks your participation in the program (as well as rewards). The web software is very accurate and in 7 years I haven’t experienced one discrepancy or short fall. After 10 nights you earn a free night (averaging the costs of the 10 nights) and the credit is issued and available to use at will for a future stay. Make sure you book a hotel at the same or higher cost than the reward credit as any unused portion will be forfeited.
It’s lucrative
A great attribute of the Hotels.com Rewards is when you book a night you don’t have to actually be the guest staying. Frequently I’m asked to book nights for customers, employees and friends and when I use Hotels.com to do this I receive full credit in their program. Credits rack up pretty quickly and there always seems to be a redemption that is useful for our travel patterns.
It’s broad
It’s rare we can’t find a good property to book with using Hotels.com. All of the major and minor chains are listed and there is a great mix of independents as well. I recently had to book an associate in the Hotel Del Coronado in the San Diego area. I was restricted to that property on specific dates and Hotel Del Coronado’s rates were over $500 per night. Hotel.com quoted the exact rate, and I received Hotels.com Rewards credit when I booked the stay with them.
Some of the free nights we have been able to use with Hotels.com Rewards
Hotels.com Rewards actually has both silver and gold levels that be attained if you use the program enough, and I’ve had silver status for the last couple years. The status benefits are light and so far I have not found value in them. One of the potentially nicer benefits would be a higher que in customer service and in dispute resolution, but this just doesn’t happen when I book with Hotels.com. Stays with them go smooth, and that is a major advantage in and of itself.
In Summary
Hotels.com Rewards is a great program to earn free nights at hotels around the world. It’s easy, fast earning and the portfolio of available hotels for any given location is extensive. The program is hassle free and in 7 years of use there has not been one issue or discrepancy. This program should be a must for any serious traveler.
