Difference between revisions of "Sonesta travel pass"

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(The Sonesta Credit Card)
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'''[//hhonors3.hilton.com/en/index.html Official Site]'''
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'''[//www.sonesta.com/travel-pass Official Site]'''
  
'''[//secure3.hilton.com/en/hh/customer/join/joinHHonors.htm Join]'''
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'''[//www.sonesta.com/travel-pass/sign-up Join]'''
  
 
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'''800-HONORS (446-6677)'''
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'''(855) 622-2160'''
  
 
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{{Image|ConradMaldives.jpg|full}}
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{{Image|SonestaBaltimore.jpg|full}}
{{Byline|text|Conrad Maldives}}
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{{Byline|text|Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Baltimore}}
 
 
{{Box|Covid Impacts}}
 
Due to the drop in travel, Hilton has made some temporary adjustments to their loyalty program.
 
<ul class="simplelist">
 
* Free night certificates earned until the end of the year will be valid for two years and can be used on ANY night of the week (not just weekends). Unexpired certificates from between March 11th and May 1st can also be used on any night of the week and are extended until August 31st, 2021.
 
 
 
* Your 2020 elite status will be automatically extended for 2021 (until March 31, 2021).
 
 
 
* The Hilton Surpass and Aspire card earn 12x points ({{Value|hilton|12}}%) on grocery spending in May, June and July. There is no cap, but Amex hasn't been immediately issuing points for people who are spending more than about $25,000 per month. In addition, restaurant charges count towards the Hilton Aspire Card's $250 resort credit (during June - August). This is an easy way to use any remaining credit on your card. 
 
 
 
* Points from credit cards (including bonus points) count as "base" points for Hilton lifetime status.
 
 
 
* Point expiration is on hold until the end of the end of the year. If your account is inactive, make sure to generate some activity by then.
 
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{{TOC}}
 
{{TOC}}
 
*[[#Quick Guide|Quick Guide]]
 
*[[#Quick Guide|Quick Guide]]
*[[#Hilton Brands|Hilton Brands]]
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*[[#Sonesta Hotel Brands|Sonesta Hotel Brands]]
*[[#Free Night Certificates|Free Night Certificates]]
 
 
*[[#Award Chart|Award Chart]]
 
*[[#Award Chart|Award Chart]]
*[[#Cash and Points Awards|Cash and Points Awards]]
 
 
*[[#Acquiring Points|Acquiring Points]]
 
*[[#Acquiring Points|Acquiring Points]]
 
*[[#Keeping your Points from Expiring|Points Expiration]]
 
*[[#Keeping your Points from Expiring|Points Expiration]]
 
*[[#Member Benefits|Member Benefits]]
 
*[[#Member Benefits|Member Benefits]]
*[[#Shortcuts to Hilton Gold Status|Shortcuts to Hilton Gold Status]]
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*[[#Shortcuts to Sonesta Elite Status|Shortcuts to Sonesta Elite Status]]
*[[#The Hilton Honors Credit Cards|Credit Cards]]
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*[[#The Sonesta Credit Card|Credit Card]]
 
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<ul class="bulletlist">
<li>Like most other hotel programs, you can earn enough points for several free nights from the signup bonuses on Hilton’s credit cards. There are four different cards that you can take advantage of. Because they come from Amex, you can only earn each signup bonus once per lifetime.</li>
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<li>In 2020, Sonesta dramatically increased the size of its program by converting hundreds of hotels that had belong to the Marriott and IHG program. They also bought the RLH group, which operates 900 hotels primarily under the Red Lion and Knights Inn brands, but these hotels haven't been incorporate into the loyalty program yet.</li>
 
 
<li>Hilton points have the lowest value of any of the most popular hotel loyalty programs. Points are worth around .4 - .5 cents each. A standard room, at a typical hotel, in a major city, requires 40-50,000 points per night, and their most expensive hotels require 95,000 points. {{Link|Hotel Point Values}}</li>  
 
  
<li>The number of points required for a specific hotel varies within a range, but is always capped at a value based on the hotel category.</li>  
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<li>While most Sonesta hotels are on the lower-end, the program has a number of nice resorts and fancy urban hotels.</li>  
  
<li>Unlike most other programs, you don't pay resort fees on award stays. For hotels with high fees, a points redemption is more valuable.</li>
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<li>The Sonesta credit card has a solid signup bonus and provides automatic elite status, but unlike many other hotel cards, doesn't offer a free night certificate.</li>  
  
<li>Hilton Gold elite status entitles you to free continental breakfast for two at most Hilton hotels that don’t already provide free breakfast (and snacks at those that do). You can get automatic Hilton Gold status with the Hilton Surpass, Hilton Business, or Amex Platinum cards, and even better Hilton Diamond status with the Hilton Aspire card.</li>  
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<li>You can't book Sonesta award nights through the reservation system. If a room is available, you need fill out an online form (or call) to book it with points.</li>  
  
<li>Cash and point awards are never a good value with Hilton. If you can get good value from your points, you should book with an all points redemption. If not, book with an all cash redemption.</li>
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<li>Sonesta offers nice benefits at the "Elite" level, including complementary club access (or continental breakfast), heavily discounted suites, and a $15 Sip'n snack credit.</li>
  
<li>Hilton requires very few points for Category 1 and Category 2 hotels. If you are staying in less expensive locations (mostly in international destinations), the Hilton program can be significantly more valuable.</li>
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<li>You usually don't need the credit card to get elite status, it is easy to get a status match.</li>
 
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Revision as of 01:28, 30 January 2021

  Hotel StrategiesHotel Loyalty Program Reference Guide

(855) 622-2160

SonestaBaltimore.jpg

Quick Guide

  • In 2020, Sonesta dramatically increased the size of its program by converting hundreds of hotels that had belong to the Marriott and IHG program. They also bought the RLH group, which operates 900 hotels primarily under the Red Lion and Knights Inn brands, but these hotels haven't been incorporate into the loyalty program yet.
  • While most Sonesta hotels are on the lower-end, the program has a number of nice resorts and fancy urban hotels.
  • The Sonesta credit card has a solid signup bonus and provides automatic elite status, but unlike many other hotel cards, doesn't offer a free night certificate.
  • You can't book Sonesta award nights through the reservation system. If a room is available, you need fill out an online form (or call) to book it with points.
  • Sonesta offers nice benefits at the "Elite" level, including complementary club access (or continental breakfast), heavily discounted suites, and a $15 Sip'n snack credit.
  • You usually don't need the credit card to get elite status, it is easy to get a status match.

Sonesta Hotel Brands

Sonesta has recently purchased RLH Hotels, parent of the Hotel RL, Red Lion Hotels, Red Lion Inn and Suites, Signature Inn, GuestHouse, KnightsInn, Americas Best Value Inn, and Canadas Best Value Inn. These hotels have not been integrated into the Sonesta Travel Pass program yet, and it is still unclear whether they will be rebranded or not.

SonestaBrandsRoyal.png SonestaBrandsSonesta.png SonestaBrandsSelect.png SonestaBrandsES.png SonestaBrandsSimplySuites.png SonestaBrandsInca.png SonestaBrandsCruise.png

Award Chart

If there are “standard” rooms available, you can always book them with your points. Unlike the other hotel programs, you won't see point costs and can't book awards through the reservation system. If you see a room available, you either fill out an online form or call a customer service representative to book it as an award redemption. You can check the point costs for different hotels on this webpage.

Category Cost
1 10,000
2 12,500
3 15,000
4 17,500
5 20,000
6 22,500
7 25,000
8 27,500
9 30,000

Beyond this, there are two hotels in St. Maarten that require additional points. One is "Tier 10" and requires 40,000 points per night and one is "Tier 11" and requires 50,000 points.

Acquiring Points

Members earn 10 points per dollar on most stays. Stays at Sonesta Simply Suites only earn 5 points per dollar. There are no bonus points for elite members.

If you pay for your room with the Sonesta Credit Card, you'll earn an additional 3 points per dollar. But you are better off using a card that earns more valuable on travel purchase (unless you are going for the $7,500 bonus). Best Credit Cards for Travel Spending.

The easiest way to earn large amounts of points is by signing up for the Sonesta Credit Card. The normal signup bonus is 60,000 points ($1,000 spending requirement). Every year that you use the card for $7,500 of purchases, you'll earn an extra 30,000 points. If you use the card for exactly $7,500, you'd be earning 5 points per dollar (plus bonus points). Receive Hundreds of Thousands of Points by Signing Up for Credit Cards.

Keeping your Points from Expiring

If you don't earn or redeem points for 24 months, your points can expire. Don't trust their claim that their points "never expire", they are only referring to "active" account. Our Keep Your Points from Expiring article provides more details about strategies for keeping track of upcoming expiration dates and keeping your points alive.

Member Benefits

Award nights count towards earning elite status. Like most other programs, you won’t earn credit for nights booked through 3rd parties like Expedia.

Member (entry level)
    • Member rates. Usually 5% off.
    • Free upgraded Wi-Fi.
    • $5 Sip'n snack credit.
Preferred (6 nights)
Adds the following benefits:
    • 1 category room upgrade, upon availability.
    • Early check-in and late checkout. Up to 3 hours when available.
    • $10 Sip'n snack credit, instead of $5.
    • 10% discount on dining and resort amenities, operated by the hotel.
    • Guaranteed bed type.
Elite (12 stays)
Adds the following benefits:
    • Complimentary club lounge access (or continental breakfast at hotels without a lounge).
    • Discounted suite upgrade. 50% discount available at check-in.
    • Choice of welcome amenity.
    • $15 Sip'n snack credit, instead of $10.
    • 15% dining and resort discount, instead of 10%.
    • Free non-alcoholic beverage, valued at up to $15.

Shortcuts to Sonesta Elite Status

Sonesta will almost always match your status from other hotel programs. Instructions are available in their FAQ.

You also get automatic high-level status, along with a solid signup bonus, from their credit card. Due to the ease of getting a status match, we wouldn't recommend getting their credit card just for its status benefits, but if you have space for another Bank of America card and a semi-regular opportunity to use Sonesta points, it is easily worthwhile.

The Sonesta Credit Card

  • It is worth signing up for this card, just to collect the signup bonus. After subtracting the annual fee and the opportunity cost of using the card for $point of spending, the calculated net value for the initial year is $65000 (Expression error: Unrecognized word "point". cents per dollar spent). That's very attractive, but you can only be approved for four Bank of America cards every two years, so make sure to get the Premium Rewards, Alaska Airlines, and maybe the Amtrak cards first.
  • The card provides automatic Elite status. This provides some valuable benefits. On the other hand, it has typically been easy to get matched to Elite status, so you don't really need to get the card for this.
  • Every year you spend $7,500, you'll get 30,000 bonus points. If you decide to keep the card, it is worthwhile to spend enough to get this bonus.
  • Other than earning the annual bonus points, you shouldn't use this card for your spending. Even the points you earn on Sonesta purchases aren't as valuable as what you can earn from a good general-purpose rewards card.



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