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Holiday Inn Resorts Credit Is a Bad Deal

By | Published August 30, 2012 10:29 am
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If the implied promise of any promotion is that of more value than you’d otherwise get, this offer from Holiday Inn Resorts might be dubbed a demotion.

Offer Details

Through November 30, travelers can earn a $50 resort credit after the first two consecutive nights at Holiday Inn Resorts in the Americas, plus an additional $25 credit for each subsequent night.

To receive the credits, you must book at the so-called Extra Credit rate (see below).

Deal or No Deal

Depending on the per-night cost, a $50 credit could amount to a respectable discount on your total hotel bill. But there’s that matter of the Extra Credit rate required to earn the rebate.

For a standard room in mid-September at the Daytona Beach Oceanfront, the Extra Credit rate is $134 per night, or $268 for two nights. The best available rate, on the other hand, is $99.41 per night, or $198.82 for two nights. So you’d be paying an extra $69.18 to earn a $50 credit. That’s right: Pay $69.18 to get $50.

At the Waikiki Beachcomber, the Extra Credit rate was $508 for two nights, versus $458 for two nights at the best available rate. So you’d be paying $50 more to get the $50 credit.

A wash? No. What would you rather have, a savings of $50 in cash, that can be used to purchase anything, or a $50 resort credit, that can only be used for stay-related spending?

There may be combinations of hotels and dates where the credit is worth more than the difference between the Extra Credit rate and the best available rate. If so, I couldn’t find them.

This is not just a bad deal, it’s a fundamentally dishonest deal, implying as it does that the promotion is a value-add. In fact, it’s a value-subtract.

As a former airline and hotel marketing manager, I’m embarrassed. As a consumer, I’m outraged.

Reader Reality Check

Have you ever overpaid to earn a discount or a bonus?

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