Many hotel chains offer their own rewards programs, and some of them are fairly complicated as far as how points are earned and redeemed. If you are looking for a straight forward hotel reward program where you can choose to earn hotel points or airline miles, La Quinta Returns Member Rewards may be just the program for you.
La Quinta Returns Member Rewards are earned at 10 points per dollar spent. If you prefer to earn airline miles, La Quinta has partnered with American Airlines Advantage, Continental Airlines One Pass, Delta Sky Miles, MexicanaGo, and Southwest.com Rapid Rewards. For all of the airlines except the latter, you can earn 250 airline miles per night at La Quinta Inns. For Southwest.com Rapid Rewards, you can earn 600 points per stay.
Signing up for La Quinta Returns Member Rewards is quite simple; you are required to give basic information such as your name, address, e-mail address, and phone number .
Levels of Membership
When you sign up, you automatically qualify for Silver membership. Benefits for Silver include:
-Express check in;
-Late check out;
-Members only 800 number;
-Points never expire as long as you remain active (earn or redeem points at least once every 18 months);
-in addition to other benefits.
–Gold membership is earned after you have spent 10 nights at qualifying hotels within one calendar year. For each dollar spent, you earn 20% bonus points, 2 free room upgrades per year, and free fax, in addition to the silver membership benefits listed above.
–Elite membership is earned after 25 nights spent at qualifying hotels within one calendar year. For each dollar spent, you earn 30% bonus points, guaranteed availability when you reserve 48 hours prior to your stay, no blackout dates for free night certificates, automatic free room upgrade at check in based on availability, in addition to the silver membership benefits listed above.
Additional Ways to Earn Points
La Quinta points are earned solely by staying at the hotel unlike many other hotel reward programs that allow you to earn points through purchases with partners in addition to points for hotel stays.
Ways to Redeem Points
–Free night stay. Depending on the hotel, free nights are available for 6,000, 8,000, 11,000, 15,000, 18,000, and 24,000 points.
–Gift cards. The majority of $25 gift cards including Amazon, Applebee’s, Best Buy, Chili’s, Eddie Bauer, Foot Locker and Kohl’s, just to name a few, cost 7,500 points.
–Airline miles. Members can redeem 6,000 La Quinta Returns Members Rewards for 1,000 airline miles from American Airlines, Continental Airlines, and Delta Airlines.
–Free nights at resorts. Redeem 25,000 to 50,000 points for a free night’s stay at a variety of resorts in Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, New Mexico, Oregon, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas and Washington.
Are you a member of the La Quinta Returns Member Rewards Program? Do you like the simplicity of the program or would you like more options to earn and spend reward points?
My mother and I just stayed at a La Quinta in Palm Springs for a marketing conference. I was definitely surprised that it was such a large room. On top of that, they had great customer service. I would stay at a La Quinta again. So a members reward program is something I’d be interested in signing up for.
We stayed at a La Quinta when we went to Virginia Beach a few years ago. It was maybe 2 blocks from the beach and the rates were great.
La Quinta has always been a good hotel chain. For some reason we just stopped staying with them until about 3 years ago when attending a conference in Colorado Springs, (During the height of the economic crisis), I opted for a cheaper hotel offsite. The service, up to date furniture, flat screen TV, and comfortable beds was a pleasant surprise.
We typically stay in a condo, or extended stay hotel for longer trips, but for quick overnight, or on short business trips, I stay at La Quinta to build up points for free stays.
Wow. Just looked at booking a room in Austin at the Austin North location (7622 I-35 N). If I book it online with the AAA discount, it is $98.10. If I use points, it is 11,000 points, and $100. Basically, the points are worthless and it actually costs more to use the points. When I called LaQuinta, they said that that is just the way it is. I told them it did not make sense. The reservations person thought it was crazy, but the Returns person tried to give me an explaination that made sense. In what universe does that make sense? Give up the points AND pay more money? What good is the Rewards Program if it actually costs more for a room?
I have stayed a LQ for many years and was a loyal member of the returns program but recently the so-called reward program which is suppose to offer free nights when you earn a # of points has been changed. So when you go to redeem your points for example a rm will be 8000 points + $5 up to $35.00, or 15000 points + $5 up to $35 plus taxes. So basically its not really a free night when they make an additional $5-$35 or even more when you use the points. Its a scam. Due to this I will no longer be staying at La Quita Inns.
The La Quinta rewards program is equal to trying to step on your hat in a tornado. It is almost impossible to get a free night. If you finally after many moons of staying there, accumulate enough points, they will most likely not honor the points, because they only have so many rooms they allot for the free rewards night. They have to cover expenses. I have to cover expenses too. We have been loyal customers, but I think we can see the light.
Also watch out for them taking your points. We had been saving our points up and had enough for a nice so-called free stay, and the took the points from the account. I hadn’t stayed at a Holiday Inn for years, and there my points sat, waiting for me. Holiday Inn is back as a favorite, and I will never stay at La Quinta again.
In the past, most or all La Quinta’s honored the free nights. I am finding that currently (2015) most are not honoring them. I find that no matter where I want to stay a notice comes up informing me the free nights are not honored on the dates I select. I even tried multiple alternate date options at these hotels (basically every month throughout the year) & the dates still do not honor free nights. In all honesty, it would be better for the individual hotels to just state they do not honor free nights as they obviously do not. This would help eliminate those options when searching hotels in the area, if necessary, & seek out hotels that have a reward point option & honor the program.
The reason you are getting that message is for one of two reasons: 1) each hotel has only so many nights that they can have as “free nights” every night. or 2) if you have enough for one free night, but are staying multiple. It is giving you that message because you don’t have enough points to cover the whole stay. What you have to do is book your free night seperately from the rest of your stay. I know, its a pain in the ass, but thats how to make it work.
Never had a problem redeeming my points at any time or place, some hotels points are more than others, I.E. location location location I’m not sure that he or she has stayed enough to get the points little disgruntled I think
I have to disagree with a lots of comments. I personally think la quinta rewards program is one of the best I signed up for. The ELITE customer service line is outstanding. Anytime I had an issue with hotel they were able to take care of it for me. I used my free nights all over USA. I ran to unfriendly attitudes from hotel staff but never from LQ company itself.