“I t has come to our attention that you recently obtained a membership in our Leaders Club program through an offer that was intended for a special population. As you were not a legitimate recipient of this offer and accessed it through unintended means, your Leaders Club membership has been terminated as of 01 March 2017. If you believe you received this message in error, please contact us” is what Drolma-la — who is a reader of The Gate — received from Eleni Bastas, who is the senior director of loyalty program management and marketing at Leaders Club.
This news was initially covered in this article written by Kathy Kass of Will Run For Miles.
Complimentary Leaders Club Memberships Revoked — And With Good Reason
“This offer is supposed to be targeted towards people who have a Diners Club card. However, free membership in Leaders Club is not unprecedented, as evidenced by this offer from May of 2016” is what I wrote in this article last month. “Keep in mind that there may be a possibility that you might initially succeed in taking advantage of this offer — only to later have the offer rescinded if you do not qualify.”
Included as part of that free Leaders Club membership are the following benefits:
- Complimentary daily breakfast for two
- Complimentary Internet access
- Welcome gifts
- Room upgrade opportunities
- Reward credits for free nights — one free night with every five stays
- Offers and rates for members only — a savings of up to 500 United States dollars per year
Summary
At times, I struggle with reporting on offers such as this one primarily because of what happened in this case — but I figured that at least the worst that could happen was that there was no cost to join; and the best that could happen was that you would benefit from a complimentary membership in a frequent guest loyalty program which normally costs $150.00 annually.
The main requirement in order to qualify for that membership was quite clear: you had to have a Diners Club card.
As with the expiration of miles and points, the revocation of elite level status — even if the person was never entitled to it — can cast a negative pall of sorts on the frequent travel loyalty program to the person on the receiving end. For example, people affected by the revocation of free membership in Leaders Club may hesitate — or avoid altogether — to participate in similar promotions which may be offered by Leading Hotels of the World in the future…
…but one might argue that even though honoring these complimentary memberships to run their courses might have little negative effect on Leading Hotels of the World, Leaders Club could be diluted with people who did not qualify for membership in the first place.
Allowing the complimentary memberships to run their courses might have been perceived as a gesture of good will by Leading Hotels of the World — but the possibility of retaining customers and helping to increase business at its hotel and resort properties worldwide once those complimentary memberships expire is probably minimal at best, in my opinion.
If you are seeking a way to access a year of complimentary membership in Leaders Club, there is still a way to do so — but you will need a Mastercard, according to this article written by Melinda Danielsen of Magic of Miles.
Source: The Leading Hotels of the World.
