Loyalty Schemes for the Budget & Luxury Traveller

If you are like me, you like to get a bit more bang for your buck and to be honest if I can save money on my accommodation while travelling it means I can buy more shoes.

One way of saving some money on accommodation is to sign up to a hotel loyalty scheme where you can earn free nights however this year hotel loyalty schemes have been squeezed and it means you now need to use more points to gain a free night of accommodation.

So I have found loyalty schemes for the Budget & Luxury Traveller which I think offer you greater opportunities to get free nights.

For the Budget Traveller

Hotels.com – Welcome Rewards

Now while this isn’t a hotel branded Reward program, the Hotels.com Welcome Rewards scheme is a great loyalty program for every type of traveller as it offers 85,000 properties via their website which includes budget hostels to some very lovely luxury hotels.

To get a free night it’s pretty simple, you book ten nights’ accommodation through the website and your 11th night is free; you can redeem your free night on any date at any eligible hotel.

Now don’t go thinking that you can stay in a hostel for ten nights and then book a lovely room at Claridges; in your dreams my lovely! It takes an average of the ten nights accommodation that you have stayed in and that is the value of the room you can book for your 11th free night.

Hotels.com now has a phone app so you can keep a track of your progress and also book accommodation via the app – great if you are backpacking and on the move!

It’s free to join and you can sign up here for the Hotels.com Welcome Club

For the Luxury Traveller

Small Luxury Hotels of the World – The Club

Small Luxury Hotels of the World offer a fabulous range of small independent hotels in more than 70 countries; the hotels will get the old feet itching!

St. James Hotel and Club in London

The Club Membership has three different levels – Special, Loved and Honoured (how cute are these names!) and even from your first stay at one of their hotels you start to gain great benefits.

The Special Member will be offered a free complimentary upgrade (subject to availability) on their first stay and access to exclusive rates.

The Loved Member has the same benefits as the Special Member but this is where it’s starting to get really good – you get complimentary breakfast for two (this can cost up to £30pp at most 5* hotels) and say hello to late check out.

The Honoured Member gets all the above benefits plus Early Check in and then here is the bang for your buck – the free reward night! You will receive a complimentary 1 night stay after every 5 stays and there is no limit to the number of complimentary nights you can earn; yes you read that right – NO LIMIT!!

Obviously there are some terms and conditions which you can find on the SLH website however looking through them they aren’t that bad and I can happily say that I am now a member; now just need to book my first night.

It’s free to join and you can sign up here for The Club

IHG – IHG Rewards Club

This is my favourite reward programme and it’s through this programme that I have gained numerous free nights due to my customer loyalty to the IHG brand.

The hotel chain includes the budget friendly Holiday Inn Express Hotels through to the luxurious Intercontinental Hotels and with over 4,600 hotels around the world you will find somewhere to place your head for the night; you won’t end up spending the night in a Manger.

Intercontinental Hotel Dieu Marseille in France

This year the Priority Club was rebranded to the IHG Rewards Club and one of the benefits that they will start to offer to all members is free Wi-Fi as you find a number of luxury hotels still charge for the pleasure.

In addition to the IHG Rewards Club, there is the Ambassador Club for travellers who like to stay at the Intercontinental Hotel Chain however there is a small cost involved. The benefits are great and include a free night, special offers, complimentary room upgrades, late check out and a nice little welcome gift.