![]() I’m certainly not going to switch away from SPG for an OTA loyalty program ( no matter what 1 August holds), but there will be times when I have to book off-chain properties. There’s also a 15% off hotel coupon for HSBC Premier Mastercard holders, should you need it as well. People have been posting numbers online I won’t link to them here but there’s very little stopping you from finding one if you wanted to (jiminy cricket, jiminy cricket!). Hotels which participate in the +VIP program will have a tag next to their name, as this sample search from Bangkok shows.įree +Gold Status for HSBC Premier Mastercard holdersĮxpedia +Gold status normally requires 15 nights OR S$10,000 of annual spending, but if you hold a HSBC Premier Mastercard, you can get complimentary +Gold status for 12 months simply by registering here.Įxpedia doesn’t have the most robust of verification procedures to ensure you’re actually a HSBC Premier Mastercard holder- the form simply requests the first 6 digits of your card. In other words, consider this a nice-to-have benefit if you qualify, and don’t expect great things. Some will take +Gold membership very seriously and may even go above and beyond to offer you unpublished benefits, others will have front desk staff who go “huh?” when you mention your status and give you the sum total of nothing. It’s certainly a welcome feature, although since all benefits are subject to availability I have no idea how it plays out in real life.Įxpedia Rewards has are no brand standards like those you’d find within a hotel chain, so I can imagine that the experience will vary dramatically from property. Expedia +Gold members earn Expedia points just like all other tiers, but they also receive complimentary room upgrades and early check-in/late check-out at selected +VIP Access hotels, subject to availability. That’s a simple way of distinguishing the two, but Expedia is trying to blur the lines with the recent(ish) introduction of the +Gold rewards tier. In the Masterclass presentation on hotels I distinguished between an OTA loyalty program and a hotel loyalty program as follows- OTA programs give you rebates but no recognition, hotel programs give you rebates and recognition. Expedia and Orbitz have their own programs too. For example, offers you 1 free night with every 10 nights booked through their site. OTAs do run their own loyalty programs, however. That’s understandable- since OTAs take up to 20-25% of the total stay value as commission, hotels want to incentivise people to book direct. One of the main drawbacks of booking a hotel through an OTA is that you don’t qualify for any elite benefits or points under the hotel’s own loyalty program.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |