Jeff Low knows all about the allure of rewards programs -- free room nights for the traveler and a robust distribution system for the hotels. As an executive with Expedia, he identified with road warriors who often sought points even when they had to sacrifice price or location.
We all get rewards points at the big chain hotels like Starwood and—as of recently—the Ritz-Carlton. But why not at small, independent hotels? Stash has created a network of boutique properties where you can earn points for free nights. Now that's something we can all use more of.
As a road warrior, I certainly understand the concept of this program: offer high quality, unique service to a population of people who are sick of cookie cutter hotels and also give them the power of earning points that can be used for a show-stopping personal vacation.
But what if you’re also the kind of person for whom travel is about experiencing new and different things? Always staying in big chain hotels because they’re the ones that offer rewards points can detract significantly from the travel experience when every single chain hotel looks essentially the same.
Stash is a hotel rewards program geared towards travelers who prefer to stay at independently-run hotels in the United States. This means travelers can book the unique hotels they love, while still earning rewards points.
So what do you do if you prefer non-chain hotels -- historic inns, urban boutique hot spots, one-of-a-kind resorts? For you, there's now Stash Hotel Rewards, which lets you earn points toward free stays at any of 100 independent high-end hotels in the U.S., many of them Conde Nast Traveler Gold List and Hot List properties.
Tired of the same old loyalty chains? After just six months in business, Stash Hotel Rewards, the loyalty program that draws together independent and boutique properties has reached 100 total properties in 74 cities.
Stash Rewards, a loyalty program for independent hotels, is celebrating surpassing the 100 mark in its collection of properties by giving away 100,000 points.
In May, boutique hotels got their first-ever reward program, Stash Hotel Rewards. Members earn points at 81 locations across North America. Stay three nights at Hotel Fifty, in Portland, Ore., for instance, and get a fourth free (from $98).
While there’s nothing wrong with existing hotel frequent stay programs that reward you for your loyalty, you might not exactly be pining to stay in a Hilton, Marriott or Hyatt on your next vacation in Colorado, Los Angeles or Florida. That’s where Stash Hotel Rewards comes in. Founded by ex Expedia guy Jeff Low, along with e-commerce cohorts from Zillow, Amazon and Microsoft, Stash has compiled a network of independent hotels that give out points that can be redeemed for future stays.
Sure, a one-of-a-kind, boutique property might entice travelers looking for a quick departure off the beaten path, but latching onto repeat guests with the big brand loyalty programs looming is as difficult as driving rate in the recession. Enter Stash Hotel Rewards. The independent hotel loyalty program is helping to level the playing field by recruiting member hotels and travelers to its flexible frequent-guest program.
Hotel loyalty programs is a buzzy-buzz topic nowadays, and one that's setting itself apart from the Marriott and Hyatt pack is Stash Hotel Rewards. What makes Stash stand out is that it isn't doling out points for mega chains. Instead, the loyalty program targets independent boutique hotels.
Today, Stash Hotel Rewards, Low’s independent hotel loyalty program that launched in May, boasts more than 80 hotel members. It includes six of Denihan’s Affinia properties in Chicago and New York. The program, which allows for greater flexibility than traditional hotel frequent-guest programs, is catching on. Individual travelers are drawn to the ease of redemption (no blackout dates), while hoteliers are attracted to the dynamic pricing on the redemption side, allowing them to manage what rooms can be paid for in points just as they would manage any other channel.
As rewards programs have become an increasingly integral part of travel, independent hoteliers have found it harder to compete with the big chains and their programs, particularly for frequent business travelers. To help level the playing field, Jeff Low, a former executive at Expedia, has developed Stash Hotel Rewards, a program for nonbranded properties or small brands, such as Affinia, which is one of its first members.
The Shores Resort and Spa is one of 81 independent properties in 63 cities that has signed up for a new online hotel loyalty program. Guests now can earn points for every dollar they spend on lodging for a future stay, similar to the program offered by chains and travel websites, such as Expedia and Travelocity. The service, known as Stash Hotel Rewards, started in May. The properties include boutiques, as well as spas and resorts. All properties have ratings of three stars and above, based on the program's assessment of the hotel's services, amenities, reputation and location.
Low’s Stash Rewards launched in May with 65 properties and is adding about 10 properties a month. Stash works by letting hoteliers decide when to offer roomnights into the system “We don’t mandate certain fixed pricing,” Low said. “What we do is allow hotels to offset nearly all the costs of the program by putting their rooms into the program for redemption.”
The service, called Stash Hotel Rewards, started in May and has signed up 79 hotels in 63 cities, including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington. The hotels include boutiques, spas and resorts and are all properties with ratings of three stars and above.
Once the domain of the large hotel companies, variations on the loyalty club concept are sprouting up across the industry, from smaller hotel groups to the online travel agencies, and even consortia created solely for the purpose of accruing points redeemable for free nights.
Like earning loyalty points for your lodging, but hate staying in cookie-cutter chain hotels? If so, check out Stash Hotel Rewards, a free service that’s like Hilton HHonors or Marriott Rewards for independent boutique hotels. The site, which launched in May, offers five points for every dollar spent at participating hotels.
Low founded Stash in May, bringing together 73 independent U.S. hotels — including Denver’s Hotel Teatro — in a program where guests can earn points by staying at any of them and use those for free nights at any of the participating hotels. Without such perks, independent hotels are at a disadvantage, especially in the eyes of savings-oriented consumers, he said.
Stash Hotel Rewards, the loyalty program for independent boutique hotels, marks its one-month birthday. It's got several reasons to celebrate, mainly because Stash has added eight hotels and five cities to its roster of participating properties.
Stash Hotel Rewards is a unique type of loyalty program that launched on May 20 with 65 independent hotels in over 50 cities. The program expects to feature more than 200 hotels by the end of the year. Stash Hotel Rewards members can earn and redeem points at participating properties in key travel cities in the U.S., such as San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Seattle. Visit http://www.stashrewards.com to learn more about Stash Hotel Rewards. We spoke with Jeff Low, founder and CEO of Stash Hotel Rewards, about the new program.
FlyerTalk is all about the discussion of miles and points. However, there are FlyerTalk members who prefer to stay at independent hotels where they may have a unique experience at each property. The only problem is that staying at such hotels did not earn points, usually because there was no frequent guest loyalty program……until now. Introducing a new loyalty scheme for US independent hotels that was launched recently called Stash Hotel Rewards, in which membership is complimentary.
One pro of such a program is that you'd be able to stay in a one-of-a-kind hotel that's more in tune with the area you're visiting, rather than a cookie-cutter property that you'd find in any city. Plus, it's always nice to throw money toward an independent business rather than some big conglomerate.
Hardly a week goes by without a group of former-Expedia/Microsoft folk coming together to launch a new travel startup – this time it’s the turn of Stash Hotel Rewards. Stash is an online hotel loyalty reward scheme for guests that use independent hotels, rather than chains. Stash is an online hotel loyalty reward scheme for guests that use independent hotels, rather than chains.
If you travel all the time, you want something back," says Jeff Low, founder and CEO of the young Stash Hotel Rewards, which launched Spring 2010. Properties range from the Hotel Griffon in San Francisco to the Sedona Rouge in Arizona to The Restoration on King in Charleston, South Carolina. Low realized that a major incentive for frequent travelers was the ability to quantify the "loyalty value" that they had accrued.
Watch out hotel chains, there's a new player in town vying for business travelers who are tired of the same-old corporate hotel experience. A group of independent hotels are banding together through the new start-up Stash Hotel Rewards, modeled after popular loyalty rewards programs like Marriott Rewards and Hilton HHonors.
A group that includes the creator of Expedia's loyalty program yesterday launched Stash Hotel Rewards, a loyalty program for upscale, independent hotels that lets you accumulate points and redeem them without blackout dates. The program launches with an initial 65 hotels in 50 cities. Like the big chains' loyalty programs, Stash is free to join. The 65 hotels listed are diverse and include everything from historic hotels to hip, boutique gems.
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