Hotels (Reward Programs)

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Current Frequent Flyer Miles and Hotel Points Expiry Extensions

See also: COVID-19 Updates for our most up-to-date tracking. 

Things have evolved quite a bit since March 2020 when the coronavirus lockdowns hit the travel industry. As time went on, airline and hotel program made adjustments to stay afloat. They also tried to make things more generous for customers, while trying to juggle their balance sheet.

Many people would argue that airlines would get government bailouts anyway, so all they really need to do is sit back and relax. Whether true or not, today’s post focuses on extensions given to member account balances. Several of those extensions have now expired, while some programs made some more permanent changes to their expiry policies.

Marriott Bonvoy – Off-Peak Rates, 50% Extra Credit and More!

Marriott Bonvoy is offering several initiatives to get its business going. If you are a fan of Marriott of have an upcoming stay with them, you may want to check out what additional options you have. Below are some exciting offers to watch for!

Off-Peak Rates

Marriott Bonvoy is offering a promotion for off-peak rates for bookings made before June 15, 2020 and June 30, 2020 for stays through July 31, 2020 at approximately 5,500 of their hotels. The idea is that during the stay period when the booking window is open, no hotel participating in Marriott Bonvoy will be priced at peak pricing.

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Recap of Miles and Points Temporary Extensions

Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, airline and hotel loyalty programs have paused/extended expiry policies to their miles and points. Today’s post is a current snapshot of the state of these programs. 

Please note that we ongoingly update our COVID-19 updates page as well for most up-to-date information. 

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Positive Videos from Airlines and Hotels!

Keep in mind that we a frequently updated COVID-19 page. 

With so much negativity surrounding the news, I would like to share some positive airline and hotel company YouTube videos. We posted a list a few weeks ago, so you can see the previous videos on that list. Today’s list are more recent videos since then.

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Positive Messages from Airlines, Hotels and Train!

Airlines and hotels have been putting together some positive videos together on YouTube, so I wanted to give them a shout out for putting these videos together. The videos range from: Thank you message Giving passengers assurance message (e.g. being…

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Hotel Elite Status and Points Expiry Extensions

IHG is the latest hotel chain to extend its elite statuses and expiry policy, which rounds out the majority of the major hotel chains. Note that we also have an ongoingly updated page found on our menu bar.

Below is a current recap of the elite status and points expiry extensions offer by some of the major hotel chains.

Best Western

A Marriott Hotel Retrofitted into a Hospital Ward

I continued to closely follow hotels being put to use during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are many stories about hotels being “major victims” due to the pandemic. There are reports about the Canadian hotel industry laying off 80% (approximately 250,000 employees). The idea is that some of these jobs can be saved.

I do not believe that the government should be forcing a hotel to help out with the pandemic, but if they voluntarily do so, why not? My thought is that if a hotel is willing to re-purpose (make all necessary safety adjustments) its venue temporarily, the benefits are endless (including saving jobs, alleviating the hospitals, etc.).

Hotels Offer Free Showers and Breakfast to Truck Drivers

Not quite what I was trying to lobby in my previous post, but this might be even better.

Free Breakfast and Shower

Three hotels in Saskatchewan are being highlights in an article. The Holiday Inn Express & Suites North Battleford, the Western Star and Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Regina East Gate have been offering truck drivers passing by a free shower and breakfast (or even supper) at the hotels.