Getting a Handle On The 2013 First Quarter Hotel Promos

Things are in full swing for the first hotel promotions of 2013.  Once again, the important take away here is to register for all the promos even if you don’t think you’ll patronize a specific chain during the promo period.  Plans change frequently and it’s free to register.  So, take a few moments to register when the time comes.

I already wrote about Starwood’s Power Up promo that starts January 15th.  Not overly thrilling, but a decent value.

There’s a discussion on Milepoint about the new Marriott promo.  So far, it seems everyone is getting an offer that earns you 1 free night after every 2 stays.  Starting February 1st, you can earn up to 3 free nights, but they are only good at category 4 properties and below.  In the past Marriott has offered different promos to different members, so it’s still possible you may get something else.

View From The Wing is reporting that registration is open for Hilton’s promo.  They’re offering either double points or miles on all stays through the end of the March, and the promo starts the earliest of all the above on January 7th.  Fans of the Hilton program enjoy the flexibility of the existing Double Dip options.  So, doubling that up is good for loyal members of the HHonors program, but not specifically motivating for me.  Besides, when I tried to register, the system told me I wasn’t eligible to register online, directing me to a customer care number.  I don’t need too may hurdles to avoid directing business their way.

Since Hyatt wasn’t very active with promotions last year I’m not holding my breath that they’ll have an announcement soon.  Hyatt usually has a reasonable amount of time in between announcement and the start of a promo, so I doubt we’ll see anything until February or March.

I’m still earning double points through the StarMegaDO4 promo, so that will have to do for now.  But, we’re I to consider switching my stays to one of the other promos, I would most likely rank them in the order I reported on them above.

I value Starpoints the highest, so the opportunity to stockpile them is most appealing to me.  Since I have a lot of work travel, having to use up a free night (like the ones earned in the Marriott promo) during a specific time period is not overly appealing.  Nor are most of the category 4 and lower Marriott properties.  Lastly, I’d say Hilton’s offer of double points is probably the weakest of the 3 promos listed above, especially because there are a whole slew of properties not participating.

As a final reminder, it’s still best to sign up for all the promos just in case your travel takes you somewhere where you can capitalize on bonuses.