At the crossroads, and my priorities and strategies for 2015 - hotels

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm doing a self-assessment of what I have on elite status, points and miles; as also my strategies for 2015. I'd really value your inputs on my take to the various programs. I'm covering hotel loyalty in this post, and you can check out the previous post on airline statuses, here.

Status 

My biggest scores in the last couple of years have all been through promos:

• IHG Platinum through one of their exclusive signups
• HHonors Gold using the Visa Infinite Card credentials
• SPG Gold after just one stay in Asia Pacific and paying with a World MasterCard
• Marriott Rewards Silver through a promo which was recently upgraded to Gold. 

and so I don't expect these to last much longer.
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Expecting my HHonors Gold status to lapse after 2014, I squeezed out some benefits on my last award stay with them at the Hilton Jaipur by maxing the redemption value at 5k points a night. However (and surprisingly) they've renewed my HHonors Gold membership in spite of not meeting any of the requirements. 

I've had SPG Gold through this promotion (which BTW continues to be valid, if you haven't checked it out yet) since August 2013, and it will take me through February 2015. Unfortunately, this is a single-use offer per SPG account, so no renewals there.

I managed quite a few stays with Marriott in 2014, earning myself a fair number of bonus points and a free night certificate. The Gold status is thanks to the Taste of Gold promotion that I was offered. I've kicked off on this and completed 2 of the required 6 stays, but I don't see myself finishing of 4 more stays by the end of January 2015.

What I look for

Except when I'm traveling for personal reasons, I'm not too fussed about my hotel or room (though like everyone else, I'd like a great hotel and a great room!). Having said that, I appreciate the following benefits that status brings with each stay:

• lounge access, particularly for a quick evening drink
• complimentary breakfast
• room upgrades (though I've started to feel differently about these lately).

When I travel with family, the lounge access is of great value, as it can go a long way to save costs on breakfast and supper/dinner. If I miss out on status renewal, this is what I'll miss the most.

Strategy

Unlike with airline miles, which I've redeemed quite often for award tickets, I've hardly ever made award stays (though in all honesty, I've booked a ton of them and cancelled them!). In effect, I've been hoarding hotel loyalty points. This has been necessary in the absence of hotel co-branded credit cards in India, which would have allowed me to earn more points. Nonetheless, my main strategy this year is to use those points for award redemptions for personal travel. This is more critical now than ever, with many hotel chains devaluing their points.

In terms of elite status, I mentioned earlier that I've been renewed HHonors Gold, so that's good. SPG Gold won't last beyond February 2015, and I'm not sure about IHG Platinum. However, I'm keen to retain some kind of status with Marriott, particularly because I consider them as having what's possibly the best rewards program (earn and burn basis) in India.

Let's see what 2015 has in store for me...