New Gold Status?
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,978
What's been leaked is that it will be truer status, so it will have nothing do with the old Gold status except for the word "status". But how many levels there will be, what the qualifications requirements will be, and what the benefits will be, nothing's been leaked that I know of.
Please adorn your cynic hat. What they said was that this new elite status would be coming in 2016. And December 30, 2016 is still "in 2016" .
Last edited by sdsearch; Jan 19, 2016 at 1:17 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,978
WyndhamRewards' most obvious competitors (given the more "budget" space they operate in) would be Best Western Rewards and Choice Privileges, neither of which are known for any clear or obvious in-hotel benefits. Best Western may have a "check-in gift" at higher elite levels, but it's hit or miss in practice. Choice doesn't even attempt that.
In both of those, the main elite benefits are the earning of extra points on paid stays (how many extra depending on your elite tier).
(Plus at Choice there's a longer booking window for awards depending on tier status, but that's peculiar to Choice because it restricts everyone somehow as to how far out they can book awards. No other program I know of does that.)
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Southern USA
Programs: Wyndham
Posts: 107
I would enjoy a " no early check in fee" I work at night and oftentimes show up very early in my day of reservation. Hotels are all across the board on this - from free if room available to $25 dollars flat. super8 advised me the other day that there was a rate available for early check ins but that under no circumstances would before 1 o'clock be considered. Anyway the 10 stays and a free night was ok - like you said though no reason to be in a rush as their competitors don't have much to offer as an alternative.
#6
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 18
I have the Barclay Wyndham card and points enough for several nights at Wyndham locations but have not stayed at one in a while now. One of the biggest reasons is lack of status and or lack of places nice enough stay at when I travel.
I am by no means a "status guy" who requires recognition because I chose to grace the hotel lol, but the status perks with points earning, points rebates, higher floors and or nicer rooms is appreciated. I currently am Spire with IHG, Diamond with Hyatt, and Diamond with Hilton. With those three I will try to plan my stays there until my status expires just due to the perks I mention and extra points earning potential. With Wyndham I'm nothing, not even Gold I do not believe.
Wyndham could get more stays from me with a similar program with real perks that would drive me to stay there over the others. Even when my status inevitably lowers at the others the lower status is still more than Wyndham. They would do well to do something to compete and set themselves up to stand out from Choice and BW.
I am by no means a "status guy" who requires recognition because I chose to grace the hotel lol, but the status perks with points earning, points rebates, higher floors and or nicer rooms is appreciated. I currently am Spire with IHG, Diamond with Hyatt, and Diamond with Hilton. With those three I will try to plan my stays there until my status expires just due to the perks I mention and extra points earning potential. With Wyndham I'm nothing, not even Gold I do not believe.
Wyndham could get more stays from me with a similar program with real perks that would drive me to stay there over the others. Even when my status inevitably lowers at the others the lower status is still more than Wyndham. They would do well to do something to compete and set themselves up to stand out from Choice and BW.
#7
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,042
#8
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 18
My travel will not remain at high levels, I will retain status at a couple places but I will fall off the Dimond level at least I suspect.
#9
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: ATL
Programs: DL DM, Hyatt LT DM, Wyndham DM, Hertz PC, HH Gold, SPG Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,038
I figure that will continue with the "Gold Status" free nights and any other 'status' will not be much. I use them a LOT, like 100-150 nights a year and don't really see them offering anything that special. I wish they did.
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,978
Actually, there is a hint. I got an email recently from WR, which listed how many "qualifying nights" I've had this year. So while there's nothing that those qualifying nights count towards as of yet, that implies that sometime this year they'll announce what they count toward.
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,978
Well, probably not quite nothing, but perhaps something close to it.
Several competing hotel programs have status that doesn't gives you much dependable other than elite bonus points on your stays or maybe a bottle of water at check-in.
So I can see a WR status program where you get MM% extra points on stays after X nights in a year (that year or the previous year), or NN% extra points on stays after Y nights in a year.
If you were going to stay enough to qualify anyhow, it'd certainly be better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, but also not worth "working towards" for most people.
Several competing hotel programs have status that doesn't gives you much dependable other than elite bonus points on your stays or maybe a bottle of water at check-in.
So I can see a WR status program where you get MM% extra points on stays after X nights in a year (that year or the previous year), or NN% extra points on stays after Y nights in a year.
If you were going to stay enough to qualify anyhow, it'd certainly be better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, but also not worth "working towards" for most people.