F our new elite level status benefits for Best Western Rewards members were recently announced and are in effect.
Qualified activity is required per calendar year to achieve or maintain elite level status; and only points earned on eligible stays will count towards elite level status qualification.
Before detailing the list of those benefits, the order of elite status levels of the Best Western Rewards frequent guest loyalty program — in which points never expire — are as follows, from the lowest tier to the highest tier:
- Blue
- Gold
- Platinum
- Diamond
- Diamond Select
Free Night Redemptions Count Towards Elite Level Status
Free nights redeemed now count towards achieving elite level status for the next year — just as other qualified nights — for all members of the Best Western Rewards frequent guest loyalty program.
Choice of Thank You Gift or Points Upon Arrival; and Room Upgrades
If you are a member of Best Western Rewards who has earned Gold elite level status, you are now eligible for room upgrades — as well as a choice of a welcome gift of either additional bonus points or a beverage and snacks when checking into the hotel or resort property.
Prior to eligibility of this benefit being extended to Gold members, it was only available to Best Western Rewards members who have earned Platinum, Diamond, or Diamond Select elite level status.
Keep in mind that specialty rooms or suites may not qualify for room upgrades.
Point Discount of Ten Percent on Free Night Redemptions
If you are a member of Best Western Rewards who has earned Platinum, Diamond, or Diamond Select elite level status, you are now eligible to receive a discount of ten percent off of the redemption of points for free nights only at hotel and resort properties in the United States and Canada in the form of a rebate back to your account for ten percent of the required redemption amount.
The rebate will be posted to your account within ten business days of the property requesting reimbursement from Best Western Rewards for the free night award.
Free Night Availability — Guaranteed
If you are a member of Best Western Rewards who has earned either Diamond or Diamond Select elite level status, you are guaranteed to have free night availability at the time when the reservation was booked — as long as there are rooms available at the hotel or resort property at which you are staying.
To be eligible, you must contact Best Western Rewards Elite Customer Service at 1-800-444-7646 to reserve in advance and clearly state that you are redeeming your points for a free night when booking the reservation.
Reservations for free nights booked through other channels are subject to available normal free-night inventory controls as designated by that hotel or resort property; and rooms are not guaranteed to be available at time of reservation.
The free night redemption guarantee is valid in the United States and Canada for Diamond or Diamond select members who have called customer service to request a free night booking and when there is room availability at the selected hotel. Advanced reservations are required; and any on-site redemption requests are subject to free-night inventory availability and may not be honored by the hotel or resort property.
Summary
Unfortunately — with the exception of the redemption of points for a free night counting towards elite level status — the announced benefits are only available to members of the Best Western Rewards frequent guest loyalty program who reside in the United States or Canada; and only good when staying at a hotel or resort property in the United States or Canada.
Expansion of these benefits worldwide would significantly propel Best Western Rewards towards better competing with the frequent guest loyalty programs of other lodging companies.
If you already have achieved elite level status in a different frequent guest loyalty program and want to take advantage of the aforementioned benefits, Best Western has an ongoing Status Match…No Catch offer which you may want to consider — and it is available free of charge.
Photograph ©2010 by Brian Cohen.
