Hotel points and am I a jerk for not doing any points program?

I thought about it and we stayed/will stay in a hotel about a dozen nights this year. Next year will be more like 20 because we have a Disney trip planned on top of our regular shorter getaways.

I never signed up for any rewards programs. We mix it up but I tend to go for places like Hampton Inn bc I know what to expect and I love free breakfast.

I definitely go by price and reviews as well, so it's not like I'm being loyal to a brand just based on, well, loyalty to a brand.

I wonder what kind of points/value I would have accrued by sticking with one brand family. Would I have paid more in the first place because I was trying to "get more points" i.e. not taken better deals on individual trips? I wonder if the savings gets lost like that.

Thoughts?

Re: Hotel points and am I a jerk for not doing any points program?

Honestly, I don't think it's that big of a deal. The points take FOREVER to accrue in most cases.

DH has a lot of marriott points because he lived in a Marriott for about 9 months. Becuase of that we've kind of stuck with MArriott. he knows and likes them and back in the day we'd get good perks. it also adds to our war chest of points which we'll one day use for a week's vacation somewhere. But think of it. he lived there..5 nights a week for 9 months...that's what it took for us to get a free week out of it.

We just went to NC. My family was staying at a country inn, we could have styaed at the marriott across the street but we stayed with them. Marriott of course would have been more $$. However, driving down needing someplace to stay, I autmatically looked at Marriott brands. I've probably given up better deals and may have spent more money than the points are worth. I'm a brand loyalist though and will pay more money for a brand i like in many cases.

I always join any and all rewards programs but I feel unless you travel VERY frequently, you're not missing out on much.

I fly several times a year and almost always use JetBlue. YEARS of this and I am only now getting close to an award flight.

The only time I think it really works well is when you have a credit card with that brand, or when let's say you know you'll be doing a few short stays over a short period of time, like Best Western has something where if you do 2 stays within a certain amount of time you get a free night.

Anyway, in years of travel, the only reard program that i found has been worth a damn is Sandals/Beaches because no matter how many points you have, you can trade them in for $$ off your vacation.

Message edited 8/2/2012 6:19:23 PM.

Re: Hotel points and am I a jerk for not doing any points program?

Hmm, we have Marriott rewards, and are platinum members and honestly it only takes a few stays to earn enough points for a 20,000 a night hotel. Many hotels are less though. We just stayed at a Marriott branded hotel that was 7,500 points for redemption. There is something wrong if your husband stayed 45 nights in a Marriott and you only have enough points for a week's stay. Although, there are many factors that play into that, the price of the initial hotel, the level of the redemption hotel, the promotions, your staus (silver, platinum) etc.

Anyway, if you are paying out of your own pocket for leisure trips, I don't think it's worth it to stay brand loyal just for the reward points.

Re: Hotel points and am I a jerk for not doing any points program?

We have a Starwood Amex card. We use the points for free hotels all the time. We love the card. You can also use the points for flights and stuff like that.

Re: Hotel points and am I a jerk for not doing any points program?

Re: Hotel points and am I a jerk for not doing any points program?

Message edited 8/3/2012 9:37:08 AM.

Hotel points and am I a jerk for not doing any points program?

I travel for work and we stay mostly at marriots. Was able to get us few nights in Aruba, 2 nights in LA, 2 nights in Chicago and I still have free nights available.
I haven't stayed all that much and feel like I have earned back quite a few free nights. I do pay attention to special promos and have earned free nights that way too.

Re: Hotel points and am I a jerk for not doing any points program?

Re: Hotel points and am I a jerk for not doing any points program?

I join every travel rewards program I can as long as they're free.

You never know what kind of benefit you are going to get as a member - room upgrades, etc. It only takes a minute to sign up.

I do have a lot of points just kind of out there that may never accrue to anything but I've reaped both big and small benefits from being in programs like this.

Edited because I didn't really answer your question: Brand loyalty is a factor for me, but it's just one of many. I just booked a hotel in Pittsburgh and when deciding between a Marriott and a Hampton I chose the Marriott because I have a decent point amount with them and I anticipate a freebie soon. However, if the Hamptons inn was a lot cheaper or there was some other compelling reason to go with it, I would have happily chosen it. I would not pay a lot extra only for the purpose of point accumulation.

So no, I don't think you're a jerk.

Message edited 8/3/2012 11:08:22 AM.

Re: Hotel points and am I a jerk for not doing any points program?

I travel alot for work - maybe 20 wks a year but that may just be 2 or 3 nights as well. I am a member of HIE and Hampton. Those are the most popular brands in the areas I go. I sign up for every promotion they offer, double points etc. It adds up fast - I have used points numerous times to book rooms for us.

I would suggest it b/c it's free and you can transfer the points to airlines as well.

I laugh when I get welcomed upon check in - reminds me of Up in The Air. I think you should sign up just to take have them.

Re: Hotel points and am I a jerk for not doing any points program?

We use our Hilton credit card for all our purchases including DH's work travel. Since getting that card (we only stay in Hiltons), we have gotten so many hotel nights free, I can't even count. We spent an entire week free in Hawaii. We are getting THREE suites in Orlando at the Homeland Suites for free this December. We spent a week in Vegas at the Hilton Grand Vacation club. I think it's totally worth it if you use the card. We have the Hilton Amex card.