4. www.bart.la

5. What we want to do...
Travel luxurious with a limited budget:
✓Luxury hotels at a fraction of the price
✓Score as much extra’s as possible

6. Free Upgrades

8. Free breakfast with a view

10. What are the good hotels?
•Tripadvisor.com
•Google “Flyertalk.com + name of hotel”
•Read blogger reviews
•Inspiration: kiwicollection.com

11. Before you book...
•Don’t book too early! (if you do, use refundable rates)
•Best Rates 2-3 weeks before stay?
•Get a feel for the average rate (tripadvisor, rates
on dates before and after stay, monitor rates,
reviews...)

12. Hotel Chains
• IHG: InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Hotel Indigo
• Starwood: Le Meridien, Westin, Aloft, Four Points, Sheraton, St
Regis, W Hotels, The Luxury Collection
• Carlson: Radisson (blu), Park Plaza, Park Inn
• Hilton: Conrad, Waldorf Astoria, DoubleTree, Hilton Garden Inn
• Accor: Sofitel, Pullman, Mercure, Novotel, Ibis, M Gallery,
• Hyatt: Andaz, Grand Hyatt, Park Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Place
• Marriott: JW Marriott, Courtyard, Renaissance, Ritz-Carlton

13. Getting the best rates
•Aggregators
•Last Minute bookings apps
•Promotions/discount codes/etc...
•Best Rate Guarantee
•Error rates
•Alternatives

14. Aggregators
★Kayak.com/hotels
★Trivago.com
★HotelsCombined.com

15. Kayak.com/hotels
Sofitel €179

16. Trivago.com
Sofitel €122

17. HotelsCombined.com
Sofitel €117

18. Last Minute Booking Apps
★JustBook
★HotelTonight
★VeryLastRoom

19. JustBook
HotelsCombined €122
JustBook €87
After N24 coupon €67

20. JustBook
Use voucher N24 for
€20 discount
Earn 500 miles for first
booking + 2 miles per €

21. HotelTonight
HotelsCombined €262
HotelTonight €81
After BLAPERS coupon €61

22. HotelTonight
Use voucher BLAPERS
for €20 discount

23. VeryLastRoom
Trivago €85
VeryLastRoom €46
After $LAPERS coupon
€31

24. VeryLastRoom
Use voucher $LAPERS
for €15 discount

25. Promotions
Check facebook, twitter, newsletters...

26. Discount codes - IHG
Best Available Rate €71.20

27. IHG - Friends & Family
F&F rate €60.52

28. IHG - 35% off weekend stays (EAME)
35% off rate €57.85
http://bit.ly/ihg35

29. IHG - 2 for 1 (EAME)
2-for-1 rate €44.50
http://bit.ly/ihg2for1

30. IHG - 2 for 1 vs Best Available Rate

31. Discount Codes - Starwood
BeatTheTimer.com (EAME)

32. BeatTheTimer.com
St. Regis Doha €317
SPG.COM, HotelsCombined, Trivago

33. BeatTheTimer.com
St. Regis Doha €208
instead of €317

34. BeatTheTimer.com
SET code 387696
St Regis
Rome
€485
vs
€275

35. BeatTheTimer.com
ST Regis Rome €302 (incl tax)
vs
Trivago €462

36. Discount Codes - Starwood
Overview of all active promo codes
http://bit.ly/FTSPG

37. Discount Codes - Starwood
St Regis
Doha
€317
vs
€208
vs
€186
The grey area stuff... Corporate rate codes
http://bit.ly/mrpickles

38. Discount Codes - Carlson
Family & Friends rate
Radisson.com/familyandfriends

39. Discount Codes - Carlson
Promotional Code: CARLSONF
Radisson Amsterdam €199 vs €80

40. Discount Codes - Carlson
You need a friend...

41. Discount Codes - Carlson
Carlson Family & Friends rate
Terms & Conditions
• Employee name required, but rarely asked for
• Make a Carlson ‘friend‘ on LinkedIn or Facebook
• Check Flyertalk.com for individual hotel ‘behavior‘
http://bit.ly/FTcarlson
• F&F rate not always available

42. Discount Codes - Carlson
CARLSONF rate is flexible!!!
Cancel by 4:00 PM hotel time
day of arrival = no penalty

43. Discount Codes - Carlson
Club Carlson 2 for 1 and 4 for 2
(EAME)
www.clubcarlson.com/2for1
Requires Club Carlson Gold Status

44. Discount Codes - Hilton
Hilton Brussels - Best Available Rate
€94 (non refundable)

45. Discount Codes - Hilton
Little League 15% off
PGLL01

46. Discount Codes - Hilton
Little League 15% off
€93 (but refundable!)

47. Discount Codes - Hilton
Corporate Benefits Employee Offer 30% off
PR13CB

48. Discount Codes - Hilton
Corporate Benefits Employee Offer 30% off
€67 (non refundable)

49. Discount Codes - Hilton
Public Sector 40% Off (Europe)
PR11PN

50. Discount Codes - Hilton
Public Sector 40% Off
€83 (non refundable)
but includes breakfast

51. Best Rate Guarantee
•IHG: first night free + matching lower rate
•Starwood: 10% off lower rate or 2,000 bonus points
•Carlson: 25% off lower rate
•Hilton: $50 gift card (USA/Canada/Mexico) or $50 off hotel folio at
checkout (international)
•Accor: 10% off lower rate
•Hyatt: 20% off lower rate
•Marriott: 25% off lower rate

52. Best Rate Guarantee
•All hotels require booking (except Starwood & Hyatt)
prior to submitting claim
•Claim must be submitted within 24h timeframe of
actual booking
•Room description and booking conditions need to
match
•Make sure to read the T&C in detail
More info: http://bit.ly/LTBPG

53. Hotel Error Rates
Naladhu Maldives - GHA ‘Flash’ Sale

55. Error Rate

58. Hotel Error Rates
•Monitor error rates via http://bit.ly/errorrates
•Don’t call or email the hotel / OTA until deal is over!
•You win some, you lose some

59. Alternatives
AIRBNB & CouchSurfing
€19 Airbnb credit via
http://bit.ly/airbnb19

60. HOTEL LOYALTY

61. Why?
•Elite status perks:
✓Early check-in / late check-out
✓Room/Suite upgrades
✓Welcome Gift
✓Club Lounge Access
✓Free Breakfast / Wifi
✓Free minibar
✓more points!
✓...
•Collect hotel points:
✓Free nights
✓Room/Suite upgrades
✓Airline miles
✓...

62. Hotel Loyalty Programs
•IHG Rewards Club (ex-PriorityClub)
•Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG)
•Club Carlson
•Hilton HHonors
•Le Club Accorhotels
•Hyatt Gold Passport
•Marriott Rewards
•...

63. Hotel Loyalty Programs
Flyertalk.com MilePoint.com

64. Hotel Loyalty Programs
What are the current bonuses?
FrequentFlyerBonuses.com LoyaltyLobby.com

65. IHG Rewards Club

66. IHG Rewards Club
Redeem points for free nights
10K to 50K

67. IHG Rewards Club
Gold & Platinum Elite levels

68. IHG Rewards Club
Fast track to Gold & Platinum

69. IHG Rewards Club
Look for rooms rates
with Bonus Points
packages:
Count as status points!
Make sure to compare rates
with and without points, only
cheap points make sense

70. IHG Rewards Club
Status match
• Best Western Rewards
• Hilton HHonors
• Hyatt Gold Passport
• Marriott Rewards
• SPG
Remark: You can only status match once per account!

71. IHG Rewards Club
Status match
Le Club AccorHotels Platinum
Langham 1865 Voyager, etc...
Best Western Rewards Diamond
IHG Rewards Club Platinum

72. IHG Rewards Club
Status match
Free Le Club AccorHotels Platinum status
http://bit.ly/platinumfree
IHG Status match info
http://bit.ly/ihgstatus
General Status match info
http://statusmatcher.com

73. IHG Rewards Club
PointBreaks: Only 5000 points for free night!
List selected hotels released every 2 months

74. IHG Rewards Club
You can buy 5K points for $35! (10K for $70)
Cash + Points trick
Make dummy booking: points + $70
Cancel booking = 10K points for $70

75. IHG Rewards Club
InterContinental Kiev for 5K points (€26)
vs
€328 cash!

76. IHG Rewards Club
Sign-up for all bonus codes!

77. IHG Rewards Club
9500 extra points for 1 stay!

78. IHG Rewards Club
Active promo codes: > 20,000 points!
• Book Direct – 2619 (2000 Bonus Points, up to 4 stays)
• 5000 point Platinum – 4777 (5000 Bonus points)
• New member bonus – 4648 (1500 Bonus points)
• Elite Member Next Stay Bonus – 2785 (3000 Bonus Points)
• Elite Member Next Stay Bonus (2nd!) – 3825 (3000 Bonus Points)
• Next Stay Bonus – 7641 (1500 Bonus Points)
• Welcome Back Bonus – 2656 (1500 Bonus Points)
• 1000 Bonus Points for 60 Days – 4709 (1000 Bonus Points per stay)
• Anniversary Bonus for 90 Days – 4644 (1000 Bonus Points per stay)
• Quiz (1400 Bonus Points) Survey (1000 Bonus Points)

79. IHG Rewards Club
The Big Win
https://win.ihg.com

80. IHG Rewards Club
Earn 50,000 points in 4 nights, 3 stays!

81. IHG Rewards Club
InterContinental Ambassador Status

82. InterContinental Ambassador Status
http://bit.ly/ichotelmap

83. ✓ Guaranteed room upgrade
✓ Guaranteed late check-out (4 pm)
✓ Free movie – Complimentary Pay-TV film per stay
✓ Fresh fruit and mineral water
✓ Welcome gift upon arrival
✓ IHG Rewards Club Gold status
✓ 5K bonus points at sign-up
✓ Complimentary weekend night
InterContinental Ambassador Status

84. IHG Rewards Club
InterContinental Ambassador Status
Cost: $200 / $150 renewal

85. IHG Rewards Club
InterContinental ROYAL Ambassador Status
• Guaranteed two level room upgrade
• Complimentary mini-bar
• Guaranteed early check-in (8 am)
• Complimentary IHG Rewards Club Platinum level
• 1000 Bonus Points per stay
by invitation only (~60 nights)

86. Club Carlson

87. Club Carlson
Redeem points for free nights 9K to 50K

88. Club Carlson
Redeem points + cash for free nights 5K to 15K

89. Club Carlson
Silver, Gold and Concierge Status

90. Club Carlson 2 for 1 and 4 for 2
(EAME)
www.clubcarlson.com/2for1
Requires Club Carlson Gold Status
Club Carlson

91. Club Carlson
Status Match (Gold)
1. Take a screenshot from your Hilton, Hyatt, IHG
Rewards Club, Marriott, or Starwood online account
statement showing your status.
2. Email to goldpointsplus@carlson.com and include
a copy of the screen shot + your Club Carlson
account number
Remark: Status Expired? No worries, just match again! :)

92. Club Carlson
Gold as Shareholder Benefit
Buy 200 Rezidor Hotel Group shares
(+- €800)

93. RECAP

94. IC Paris Le Grand - Royal Suite
Rack Rate €4000

95. Paid: €0

96. •Priority Club Free Nights: Stay 2 get 1 Free
•Mattress Run
•Used free nights at most expensive IHG Hotels:
✓CP NYC New Year’s Eve (2 nights = €800)
✓IC London Park Lane (2 nights = €1404)
•InterContinental Ambassador Status
How?

97. St. Regis Bangkok - Caroline Astor Suite
Lowest Rate €380 - Average €700

98. Paid: €176

99. How?
•Used aggregator: HotelsCombined.com
•Ebookers.com: Suites cheaper than standard rooms

100. London 2012 Olympic Games

101. Hotel Indigo London Tower Hill €115

102. •Booked Sunday Aug 14th 2011 (50 weeks in advance)
•Points + Cash ‘trick’
•25K Priority Club Points = $150
•Booked 9 nights, normally +€5000
•Made last minute changes without any penalties!
How?

103. IC Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa
Lowest rate €650

109. Paid: €140

110. How?
•Mistake points rate 30k ipv 50K
•Points + Cash ‘trick’
•30K Priority Club Points = $180
•Free breakfast, 2 level upgrade and free internet
thanks to Royal Ambassador status