Midpriced Giants Upgrade Clubs.
<FONT SIZE="+3"><B> Midpriced Giants Upgrade Clubs</B>
Linda Humphrey
More midpriced hotel chains are vying for business travelers' loyalty with full force, enticing road warriors with new amenity programs and cards that earn rewards from airline tickets to free nights to ice cream.
Companies offering new frequent guest club services include franchising giants Choice Hotels and HFS, as well as Sheraton.
Choice Hotels last month launched its Executive Traveller card in the Asia-Pacific region, which grants discounts of up to 25 percent worldwide. Designed to boost cross-selling within the Asian countries, the card will work for Americans as well, provided they are signed up by an Asian-based company or division.
Choice unveiled the card in Asia because "they respond much better to a loyalty program than Americans do," said Roy Murray, Choice vice president, international. "And there's an emerging middle-class market there." Most American business travelers don't want another card, Murray said, whereas in the Far East, cards are "still novel enough. To have a card that entitles you to a discount or something for free is a prestigious thing in Asia."
Card-carrying travelers also will earn further rewards in their home countries, such as a bottle of wine, a free night after 10 stays and other travel discounts.
Choice also plans to extend its year-old Qantas mileage program in Australia and New Zealand to all 72 Asian properties by November. Another 18 Choice hotels-which include the Clarion, Comfort, Sleep and Quality brands- currently are on tap for the region as well.
In Canada, the company kicked off a similar card last year called Choice Club; 42,000 members already have signed on, Murray said.
Howard Johnson International is set this month to launch its new Business Traveler Club, which earns members Continental Airlines tickets.
Each stay merits a Continental certificate for $25, $50 or $75 off, depending on the ticket price. One hundred nights within a year nets a round-trip ticket in the United States, Canada or Mexico; 150 nights earns two tickets.
Upwards of five stays will reap other prizes, such as upgrades on hotel rooms, Continental flights and Carnival Cruise Lines. Fifty nights earns a confirmed upgrade to first class on Continental, two free days on a five-day Alamo car rental or a second passenger free aboard a three-day Carnival cruise.
Guests will keep track of their own records, presenting previous hotel bills to collect their rewards, thereby keeping costs down "so we can put more into the reward structure," said Barry Parrish, vice president, sales and marketing. Guests also won't have to wait for the card or a computerized report to start earning rewards.
Presenting the card will secure a 10 percent corporate rate and an upgrade to an executive suite when available.
Howard Johnson is striving to become one of the few midpriced chains to offer airline miles, with plans to grant mileage in the works. "Some people don't think we have a 'flying' customer," said president Steven Philips. "But we do."
At ITT Sheraton, holders of the chain's new co-branded American Express credit card will be able to earn points in Sheraton's frequent stay program.
Cardholders can earn points in Sheraton's Club International ClubMiles programs and be upgraded to a gold membership status for one year. SCI gold members receive four points for every eligible dollar charged at participating hotels. Regular SCI members will receive three points for every dollar spent on the card at Sheraton properties. In addition, cardholders will receive a 1,000-point bonus with the first charge on the card, and one certificate a year offering half off regular or rack rates at participating hotels.
The no-fee card has an introductory interest rate of 8.9 percent for six months, and prime plus 9.9 percent thereafter.
Days Inn plans to revamp its Incredible Club Card, which currently grants 10 percent discounts but is "anything but incredible," said Joe Kane, who stepped up as Days president three months ago.
The new card will offer discounts with at least five additional vendors, such as movie theaters, video stores, ice cream parlors, fast food chains and car rental companies. Set for a January launch, the card-which will bear a new name and sell for about $3.99-also will encode members' addresses and room preferences, making reservations a snap, Kane said.
Known as a leisure chain for road-trippers, Days Inn actually pulls in 40 percent business travel in its 80 airport and 178 downtown properties. Kane's team has set out to equip its city properties with such business extras as coffee makers, dataports, small refrigerators, newspapers, turndown service, express checkin and a welcome snack-perhaps popcorn, soda and a Pop Tart for a quick breakfast. Plans also call for every hotel to feature an automated checkin machine by 1998, Kane said. The chain will unveil the amenity program, dubbed Business-to-Business, at its annual conference in September.
Mary Ann McNulty contributed to this story.