A reader (Kathy Kass) has successfully received a status match to Priority Club. She used a few simple steps to request the status match and is now a Priority Club Platinum Elite status.
In the past I’ve posted successes with a status match or challenge to other programs including:
- Fast Track to Hilton Honors Diamond
- Starwood Preferred Status Match To Gold
- Continental Status Match To Platinum
Six Easy Steps To Status Match Or Challenge
- Determine the target program where you would like to a status match or challenge
- Evaluate status levels and determine what is a reasonable request for the program to match
- Call the hotel’s loyalty program number and ask what options they have for you to accelerate status
- Be sure to tell the loyalty program why you are interested in their program
- Provide evidence of your equivalent loyalty status
- Fulfill any other requirements they have to complete the status match or challenge
Kathy called up Priority Club, submitted her Hyatt status statement, and her status upgrade was immediately matched to Platinum while she was on the phone. She is now able to experience the following benefits while staying at Priority Club hotels.
Priority Club Platinum Elite
- All Gold elite benefits plus:
- Complimentary room upgrades (subject to availability)
- Guaranteed room availability (72 hours in advance)**
- 50% bonus in base points
- Exclusive toll-free Platinum Elite customer service number (may not be available in all regions)
- Re-qualify by staying 50 or more nights or earning 60,000 points
- All Club benefits plus:
- Priority Check-inâ„¢ ensuring your room and key are ready upon your arrival
- 10% bonus on base points
- Exclusive toll-free Gold Elite customer service number (may not be available in all regions)
- Re-qualify by staying 15-49 nights or earning 20,000 points
- Extended check-out (may not be available in all regions)
- Weekday newspaper (may not be available in all regions)
- Transfer points between member accounts
- Re-qualify by staying up to 14 nights
Bottom Line
Priority Club is a great program for earning and burning. They have some truly amazing hotels in their chains, like the InterContinental Bora Bora Thalasso. By following a few simple steps to request a status match, Kathy was able to increase her point earning by 50% and experience all of the other benefits associated with Platinum status.
About The Weekly Flyer
The Weekly Flyer writes about travel from a business traveler perspective. He travels the world every week accumulating points and miles along the way.
Sign up for Email || Twitter || Facebook |
Hotel Offers || Airline Offers || Bank Offers || Cash Back Offers
For me, PC is last on my checklist of hotel programs b/c elite benefits aren’t fully given on award stays like they are with SPG, Hyatt, and Hilton. These 3 chains all offer at least breakfast or club access on award stays, at least for this SPG Plat, Hyatt Dia, and Hilton Gold.
For example, I stayed at the IC-HK recently, and had to pay $100-110 USD to upgrade to a Club room.
@David – Complimentary breakfast and award stay upgrades is the major downside of the PC program. I’ve stayed twice on award stays at a Royal Ambassador but was only upgraded on 1 stay.
If that is a big factor for you, consider Marriott elite membership or Hilton. Most Starwood hotels don’t have lounges. As a MR Gold or Platinum you’ll have club lounge access and most Marriott’s have an ok breakfast spread in the lounge. Hilton’s hotels, offer a complimentary breakfast and at resorts like Hilton Moorea or Hilton Seychelles, these breakfast costs can add up.
Priority Club ‘guaranteed room availability’ is completely bogus. As an 8 year Platinum member at PC, I have tried to use this several times and always was given some loophole or excuse as to how they can get out of it. This is the same excuse they use when they get around the ‘no blackout dates’ for reward nights. They say it is a ‘special event’ which interestingly enough I got a PC agent to admit on the phone could refer to a whole holiday season. I tried both the reward night and guaranteed availability thing at a hotel in NYC during the Christmas shopping season and was told that both categories didn’t apply during any weekend from after Thanksgiving until after Christmas because it was a ‘special’ time. Same thing with one of the hotels in the Florida Keys only this time they used local fishing tournaments as the ‘special events’ that prevented them for honoring the guaranteed availability and no blackout guarantee. I was also told I could not use either during the Holidays at Disneyland. Which basically makes the guarantees useless unless you are going to an area nobody else wants to go to. For this reason, I split my stays between 2 rewards programs instead of going full PC.
Also, Weekly Flyer … I have stayed at some SPG properties which offered some of the best club lounge breakfasts and h’ordeves I have had on the road. In fact, SPG used to give free beer and wine out at their club lounges. (Sheraton Petaluma did free local wine tasting, Sheraton Hauppague does an elaborate dinner spread and Sheraton Edison does a great spread as well) Although now you have to pay for the drinks and I have noticed the hot entrees diminishing. Oddly enough, the SPG Luxury Collection usually don’t have club lounges. When using Waldorff Astoria (Hilton) or Ritz Carlton (Marriott) I was told that even as a top tier member, I’d have to pay $100 for access to the club lounge at Waldorff and $125 for the lounge at the Ritz. Liquor was included but I couldn’t make myself pay that much for club lounge because the luxury partners don’t accept all of the rewards criteria for Marriott/Hilton membership.