Going for the Gold (status) with Best Western Rewards

Do you belong to various loyalty programs but have rarely managed to accumulate enough miles or points to snag coveted elite status that rewards you with perks and special treatment?

Travel suppliers often come out with special promotions that can bring elite status within your grasp far more easily than doggedly piling up airline flights or hotel stays over a 12-month period. These offers are more common among airlines – but now a leading hotel loyalty program is doing the same – but for a very limited time.

Frequent flyers are likely familiar with airline “status match” offers – i.e., if you already hold elite status with one airline,  a competitor will give you equivalent status. Delta SkyMiles has an option called the Medallion Status Match Challenge for those with elite status in another airline’s program: Delta offers elite status for three months to give you a taste of the benefits – and then extends your status beyond that point if you fly a certain amount. Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines have recently targeted some of their members whose elite status lapsed with a similar offer.

And now Best Western Hotels & Resorts – which has 4,200 properties across 11 brands in more than 100 countries – is offering its own unique version: a “Fast Pass to Gold” status promotion for its Best Western Rewards program.

Designed for those who don’t already have elite status in another hotel loyalty program, Fast Pass to Gold is open to all Blue level (basic) Best Western Rewards members, even new members who sign up. Members must register for the Fast Pass to Gold promotion between February 1 and February 11, and then just complete at least one stay at any Best Western property worldwide by April 30 to be upgraded to Gold Elite level.

If you already hold elite status in another hotel program, it’s even easier to achieve equivalent status in Best Western Rewards with its Status Match – No Catch offer. With that option, you can get an elite status match in Best Western Rewards simply by filling out a form.

Gold status in Best Western Rewards normally requires a participant to accumulate seven stays totaling at least 10 nights, or 10,000 Rewards points in a calendar year, so getting Gold for one stay is a real deal. Gold members are eligible for room upgrades and a choice of a thank-you gift or points upon arrival. Points never expire and there are no blackout dates for award redemptions.

Disclosure: Thank you for reading TravelSkills! This post is sponsored by Best Western Hotels & Resorts. We will periodically create posts like this one from commercial partners about topics relevant to frequent travel.

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Chris McGinnis is the founder of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission.  You can reach Chris at chris@travelskills.com or on Twitter @cjmcginnis.