How To Get The Best From Your Hotel
Many people who stay in a hotel on a fairly regular basis like to enjoy the perks and fringe benefits of being a regular customer - room upgrades, extra check in and out facilities and much more.
But to really get the best from your choice of hotel if you are away from home regularly you need to think about starting to earn some long term rewards for your loyalty.
The two most popular options are to earn Air Miles or collect loyalty points, and it's important to think about which one would be of the most use to you before you make your choice.
Air Miles enable you to save towards free flights at some point in the future, among other benefits.
If you travel often and are likely to accumulate Air Miles on a frequent basis this could be the best choice for you.
Consider how likely it is that you will be able to book a holiday and get a discount flight before you opt for this scheme.
Free flights are very alluring, but you might be able to find a cheaper alternative anyway, in which case your Air Miles will be wasted.
Loyalty points earned from each hotel stay are a little more complex, as the rewards for collecting them vary widely with each hotel chain.
However it is this feature that makes them more attractive to many people, as they are far more versatile.
A good hotel loyalty scheme will often allow you to swap the accrued points on your credit card for Air Miles at a later date anyway if you wish to change your mind, but you may find that once you discover the benefits of saving them towards extra hotel perks, you won't want to change.
Perhaps the best advantage of hotel loyalty points is that they can be saved up to provide you with a free hotel stay.
This represents a good reward for your loyalty, and if you travel on business regularly the points will soon mount up.
Many business travellers then use the points to enjoy a free leisure stay on a weekend away.
You can also exchange them for extra perks during your regular stays, such as using any swimming pool or gym facilities for free.
This can make all the difference to a regular stay.
You may also be able to benefit from different levels of reward memberships; the more loyal you are to a specific chain and the more you visit the more benefits you will enjoy as a result.
In short, take a look at all the possible rewards and how you could make use of them before you decide whether to go for Air Miles or loyalty points - and then sit back and enjoy the perks.
But to really get the best from your choice of hotel if you are away from home regularly you need to think about starting to earn some long term rewards for your loyalty.
The two most popular options are to earn Air Miles or collect loyalty points, and it's important to think about which one would be of the most use to you before you make your choice.
Air Miles enable you to save towards free flights at some point in the future, among other benefits.
If you travel often and are likely to accumulate Air Miles on a frequent basis this could be the best choice for you.
Consider how likely it is that you will be able to book a holiday and get a discount flight before you opt for this scheme.
Free flights are very alluring, but you might be able to find a cheaper alternative anyway, in which case your Air Miles will be wasted.
Loyalty points earned from each hotel stay are a little more complex, as the rewards for collecting them vary widely with each hotel chain.
However it is this feature that makes them more attractive to many people, as they are far more versatile.
A good hotel loyalty scheme will often allow you to swap the accrued points on your credit card for Air Miles at a later date anyway if you wish to change your mind, but you may find that once you discover the benefits of saving them towards extra hotel perks, you won't want to change.
Perhaps the best advantage of hotel loyalty points is that they can be saved up to provide you with a free hotel stay.
This represents a good reward for your loyalty, and if you travel on business regularly the points will soon mount up.
Many business travellers then use the points to enjoy a free leisure stay on a weekend away.
You can also exchange them for extra perks during your regular stays, such as using any swimming pool or gym facilities for free.
This can make all the difference to a regular stay.
You may also be able to benefit from different levels of reward memberships; the more loyal you are to a specific chain and the more you visit the more benefits you will enjoy as a result.
In short, take a look at all the possible rewards and how you could make use of them before you decide whether to go for Air Miles or loyalty points - and then sit back and enjoy the perks.