Yahoo Lifestyle Should you try a ‘mattress run’? What to know about the hotel-points hack.
As the year races to a close, some avid travelers are approaching the finish line of a very niche marathon.
Like fliers who hop on planes solely to meet thresholds for loyalty program status - known as “mileage runs” - some hotel loyalists who are close to staying a certain number of nights plan “mattress runs” to ensure privileges the following year.
“It’s not only the hardcore points-and-miles nerds like myself,” said Summer Hull, director of content at the Points Guy and a past mattress runner. “It also is just people who are frequent travelers and like to maximize their benefits.”
Hull and other points experts say the major hotel program that makes the most sense for mattress runs is Hyatt’s, because Hilton and Marriott both offer credit cards that come with elite status. To reach “Globalist” status with Hyatt, guests must stay 60 nights in Hyatt locations. Spending on Hyatt’s credit card can also count toward some nights. Perks include free nights, suite upgrades, free breakfast, late checkout and waived resort fees.
Flouting the rules of the program, some guests pay for a room but don’t show up, hoping to accrue the loyalty points anyway.
The potentially problematic practice is the topic of blog posts, social media conversations and one April Fools’ Day story. Hotel companies and experts warn that such attempts can backfire.
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Rules against gaming the system
Hilton says on its website that members must “be a registered, paying and staying guest” to earn credit toward elevated status. Hyatt warns that members “must actually check-in and complete the stay” to earn points. In a statement, the hotel company said it is “committed to the integrity and fairness of the World of Hyatt loyalty program.”
“We understand that World of Hyatt elite status is incredibly valuable to our members, and we encourage members who are a few nights short of their desired elite tier to take a staycation or visit those they care about to reach qualifying activity for the year,” the statement said.
Responding to questions about an alleged scam to sell elite status in China to people who did not stay at the hotels in question, the statement said Hyatt had identified and deactivated accounts that violated the loyalty program’s terms with “fraudulent behaviors.”
Gary Leff, author of the View From the Wing blog, said some individual hotels are glad to take payment for a room, regardless of whether someone uses it. But he said hotel brands - which don’t own most of their properties - have a different perspective. He has written about mattress runs over the years. And pulled off his own.
Leff said hotel chains don’t want to see their elite-tier membership numbers inflated by people who paid a bare minimum, in part because those people will earn valuable perks in the coming year and compete with big spenders for things like room upgrades.
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When should you do a mattress run?
The question of whether to book technically unnecessary nights comes down to the kind of algebra you thought you might not use after high school: If I spend X amount of money on Y rooms for Z nights, how much would the benefits be worth for the next year?
“You just need to do the math,” Hull said. “It all really comes down to what do you need to spend to close the gap and how much value you expect to get from it the following year.”
She said that last year she needed to reach 60 days and booked some cheap stays at a Hyatt near the Houston airport, close to where she lives. She said she checked in and made “some use of the room” by working there or using the pool, even though she didn’t need to stay in a hotel.
“The motivation was I needed to close the gap in status,” she said, describing the effort as “100 percent worth it.”
Nick Reyes, senior author at the blog Frequent Miler, travels with two small kids and said the possibility of upgrading to suites is “huge” for his family. He discovered in the summer that he was on track to end the year with 44 Hyatt nights and realized it might be worth pursuing top status; now he’s at 53 thanks in part to an unrelated miles treasure hunt that had him flying around the world. He’s now figuring out the best way to get to 60.
“The bottom line is that the math works out,” Reyes said.
He’s done the equation before, and structured his runs in different ways. They haven’t always been winners.
“I’ve always shown up to check in,” he said.
Sometimes he needed to leave earlier than expected, but he asked the hotel to keep his room just in case he had to return, which meant those days still counted toward his total. Once, though, he checked in early without plans to stay overnight, he said. There was no room available at the time, and despite the hotel’s assurance that it would check him in later, it didn’t.
“It cost me, because I paid for the room but didn’t end up getting the credit. I got charged as if it was a no-show,” Reyes said. “It’s a risky strategy that probably isn’t for the faint of heart or inexperienced.”
Leff said frequent travelers who are a couple of nights away from top status will typically take the steps to make up the difference, whether they try to find the cheapest possible nearby hotel or make one last splurge.
“You could imagine someone saying, ‘Oh, it’s a perfect excuse for a nice night somewhere,’” he said.
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