For years, I’ve said I’m happy to be a free agent. Not being loyal to any travel company lets me book whatever fits our travel needs for each trip. Over time, I’ve realized that I’m not as much of a free agent as I’d like to think.
For the last three years, we’ve had Marriott Bonvoy Platinum status, and while I’ve never stayed for a Marriott hotel because of the status benefits, I’ll include their hotels in my searches. Honestly, the only perk we’ve gotten from status was special parking spaces at a Courtyard by Marriott in Texas.
We also have several hotel co-brand credit cards which offer free night certificates and I’m always trying to figure out a way to burn those, lest I let them go to waste.
Finally, if I’m free to pick a hotel, I’ll spend way too much time comparing properties looking at location, amenities, reviews, etc. No longer can I simply look at an area, find a place close to why we’re going and make a reservation. Times were so much easier back then.
This brings me to my point. What must it be like to have top-tier loyalty status and never doubt where you’ll stay? Or if you’re staying in a big city, it must be nice to compare hotels based on which one will most likely provide a suite upgrade and has the best breakfast.
I’m jealous of people who have hotel status that means something, like World of Hyatt’s Globalist status. When I read their reviews, they’re full of mentions about upgrades to suites, club lounge access, complimentary breakfasts consisting of more than just powdered eggs and multiple starches and hotel staff proactively offering a late checkout.
None of these things are necessary, but having them doesn’t suck either. I can be happy in the entry-level room with a king-size bed and we can go to Starbucks for coffee in the morning. If I wanted those extras, I could book a club level room as we did in Kauai, or I could use a Hyatt Privé agent (which gives many of the same perks received by Globalists.)
I know that it’s possible to buy up to the level of service provided to top-tier hotel loyalty members, it would be nice to know that I’d receive those benefits on every stay.
I also know we don’t stay at hotels enough for any program to give us top-tier status. I’d have to devote every one of our stays to a single brand to come close. Even that plan would depend on finding a chain that’s everywhere we travel and possibly augmenting our stay credits with a co-brand credit card.
Since we don’t stay at hotels that much over a year, I’m OK receiving the standard treatment except for the rare occasions when we’re feeling a little bit extra and pay to be treated like we’re someone important.
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8 comments
Do you not have any friends who are Globalists? Hyatt specifically allows people to transfer points to another person for the purpose of redemptions so you could transfer points to person A who would make a Guest Of Honor booking in your name and you should get all of the benefits of their status. Of course this only works on award bookings but it still beats nothing. If you don’t have any friends you can call on for this, you have my email and I’ll be glad to help.
Thanks for the offer. I know about GoH bookings with Hyatt, but I’ve always felt strange asking someone to make a reservation for me. As I said, there are ways to get similar benefits and it’s so rare that we’re staying at a property where it would make a difference.
If the only perk you’ve received was “special parking spaces at a Courtyard” something is very wrong. First off, having status earns you more points for a stay. And at check-in at a Courtyard you can choose more extra points or, for every day of your stay, a food and beverage credit. I would value these perks much more than a closer parking space and they’re really pretty automatic, unlike other Binvoy perks you might have to fight for.
Many of our Marriott stays are with credit card free-night certificates or points, so we don’t earn anything extra because of status. At US Courtyard hotels, I believe the bonus is 500 Bonvoy points, so it’s up to you to determine if $2.50 or a closer parking spot in 100-degree heat is worth more.
Hi Joeheg,
Sorry for the confusion. I wasn’t trying to compare value, just questioning your statement that you received no perks other than a closer parking space. You most definitely should have.
No worries. Sometimes when I’m trying to be sarcastic, it doesn’t register as such.
For me the only thing that I want included for status is breakfast. Hilton used to include a nice breakfast, but last year they went to X dollar credit, that clearly does not cover most of the cost of their hotel’s breakfasts. Since many chain’s top tiers include a complete breakfast, it is better to be an independent agent. Marriott Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Diamond, and so on. I rather do what you do, and just get status with a CC (for the free night), and deal with paying for breakfast. I refuse to give any program thousand of dollar of revenue for minimal benefits. I am looking at you, Marriott and IHG. Also, many of the braggers that have top status, achieved that status on other people’s money. Being an independent agent is a real benefit as there are many places in this world that have no chain hotels. As I said, breakfast is my most important benefit, not getting suites.
I am envious of Hyatt Globalists, though I can’t justify ever attaining that status. I do know that I’ve been enjoying Marriott Titanium status these past several years with numerous suite and junior suite upgrades. Then again, Marriott offers a benefit we’ve become accustomed to as well – streaming apps installed in their TVs. I always find myself feeling like something is missing when I book away with them. So my coming experiments with Hyatt as an Explorist should be interesting, especially since I receive decent recognition as a Marriott Lifetime Platinum Elite.