Apologise for the delay. We did our best to arrange a time, but due to Michelle Bozoki’s (Vice President of Marketing at Marriott International, Canada) busy schedule, we were unable to interview her over the phone. Instead, she provided us with an email response to the questions so that there would not be a longer delay in getting back to everyone.
Marriott just launched their new Fall MegaBonus promotion on September 1st, 2016. For the first time, Marriott is allowing its members to choose how they earn their rewards points with the new Choose Your Path initiative. Members can choose to either earn up to 10,000 bonus points for every 10 stays or 5,000 bonus points after their second stay. With this new program, members can earn up to 50,000 points which can be can be redeemed for frequent flyer miles, concerts, sporting events and more.
Hyatt has added hotels in Ottawa and Edmonton, so I thought that I’d give a rundown of the loyalty program. First of all, Hyatt is a hotel chain that offers a variety of brands including: Park Hyatt, Andaz, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt hotels, Hyatt Centric, Hyatt Place, Hyatt House, Hyatt Zilara, Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Residence Club.
I was previously asked what are the best hotel elite benefits. I believe that this is a strongly personal question, because it is based on personal preferences, as well as specific travels. In other words, depending on where you want to go, you may want to take advantage of a different benefit. I would not get too caught up on very specific benefits, it is always better to remain flexible and open minded to what’s available, along with customizing to specific needs.
Hyatt’s Andaz is coming to Ottawa, located in the Byward Market! It will be the first Andaz in Canada as well. On Saturday, August 20, 2016 from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM, you can join us for a pre-opening tour. The official opening is on August 23, 2016.
A few updates to the hotel elite status programs means that this list is due for an update from last time. Some of the updates include: adding Le Club AccorHotels, changes to Best Western Rewards elite program, Delta Hotel and Resorts merger with Marriott, changes to the IHG Rewards Club program and changes to Wyndham Rewards.
I was recently asked on TV what my favourite loyalty program was. I realize that I did not give a direct answer. In my About Us section, I do list a few current favourite programs, such as Aeroplan, American Express Membership Rewards, Best Western Rewards, RBC Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest.
The American Express Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card (Canadian version) has been slightly upgraded. Originally, there was a $50 annual fee for supplementary cardholders, which now waives its first year fee. Not an earth-shattering move, but it should make it a no-brainer to at least add the supplementary cardholder at least for the first year.
Marriott Rewards is one of the few hotel chains remaining that is paired up with a co-branded Canadian credit card. As a result, you can earn Marriott Rewards points without needing to stay at Marriott hotels. If you sign up for the Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Visa, you can either earn 30,000 or 50,000 sign up bonus points, depending on which link you use. The question that I am often asked is what can I do with those points?
We previously wrote an update that 22 of the former Delta Hotels have integrated with Marriott. Now, there is full integration, which also means the discontinuation of Delta Hotels’ former recognition program.