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Sheraton courts travelers
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March 4, 1998: 2:51 p.m. ET
Hotel frequency plan offers small but useful array of perks at elite level
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NEW YORK (BizTravel.com) - With more than 430 properties worldwide and over 250 hotels in the U.S. and Canada alone, ITT Sheraton Corp. has become the home away from home for many frequent business travelers.
One reason for customer loyalty to the chain is Sheraton's frequency plan, Sheraton Club International (SCI). Unveiled in 1986, SCI has an impressive list of members in some 200 countries.
Sheraton ClubMiles
All SCI members earn ClubMiles for spending money at any of Sheraton's three chains -- Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, The Luxury Collection and Four Points Hotels.
Members earn two ClubMiles per dollar on the room rate, food and beverage costs, telephone charges, laundry and valet services, and in-room movies. Registered guests can receive ClubMiles for as many as three rooms if all are registered in the member's name and all room charges are settled by the member on check-out. Banquet, hospitality and meeting room charges don't earn ClubMiles.
However, benefits for basic SCI members are somewhat mundane, with perks largely limited to Sheraton's "paperless" ExpressPass check-in/check-out service and complimentary weekday newspapers.
Sheraton does offer a unique benefit exclusively for SCI members -- "Nine-to-five," which allows guests to check in at more than 85 participating hotels and resorts in the U.S. and Canada as early as 9:00 a.m. on the day of arrival and check out as late as 5:00 p.m. on the day of departure.
Upper-level benefits
The SCI program really becomes interesting at the elite level. Gold membership benefits include earning an additional ClubMile per eligible dollar spent, room upgrades when available, guaranteed 4:00 p.m. check-out, access to a toll-free account information/award redemption number, and one ClubMile per dollar over $10 spent on food and beverage charges at participating ITT Sheraton dining outlets, even if the member isn't a registered guest.
Gold membership in SCI can be obtained in either of two ways. Guests can pay an enrollment fee of $50 to become Gold members, or stay at any participating ITT Sheraton hotel or resort four times during a 12-month period. Members who buy their way to Gold status and then qualify after four stays will receive an automatic room upgrade and have their $50 enrollment fee waived.
The result, of course, is that Sheraton's Gold-level membership is extremely easy to obtain. Depending on your point of view, this is either SCI's greatest asset or its biggest problem. While some guests like the ease of qualifying for elite-level benefits, others complain that the open enrollment policy defeats the purpose of having an elite-level tier meant to recognize only the most loyal customers.
Spending your 'Miles'
As for award options, Sheraton doesn't display much creativity but does offer several useful choices. The bulk of SCI's awards are free nights or half-rate discounts good for up to five nights in all categories of Sheraton hotels.
The amount of ClubMiles needed to redeem a free night depends on the hotel category, ranging from Category Four [Sheraton's Luxury Collection], which requires 10,000 ClubMiles for one free night, to Category One, which requires only 3,000. Free night awards in all categories aren't restricted by any blackout dates.
The most popular SCI award, however, is the half-rate award certificate which requires only 1,500 ClubMiles regardless of the category of hotel in which it is used.
The award is based on availability, and the half-off rate must be confirmed with the hotel in advance. Unfortunately, Sheraton properties in Hawaii don't participate in this part of the program.
While simple in design, the SCI awards can be used to create customized and rewarding vacations at almost any location around the world. Still, some of Sheraton's high-end awards don't make much sense. After all, why would anyone save up 50,000 ClubMiles to use on a five-day vacation in Bali when they could get a 50 percent discount for the entire stay for just 1,500 ClubMiles?
Air miles for ClubMiles
Sheraton also adds to its award possibilities by allowing members to convert their ClubMiles to airline frequent-flyer miles, with a minimum balance of 2,500 ClubMiles required per transfer into a participating airline program.
Airlines that convert ClubMiles for airline miles on a one-to-one basis are Air France, Alaska Airlines, America Airlines, Canadian Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines, Northwest, Passages [the frequency program for Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines, and Singapore Airlines], Qantas, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Thai Airways, United Airlines and US Airways.
One SCI ClubMile converts to two Ansett Australia miles, 0.5 KLM mile or 0.05 Alitalia mile.
Partner benefits
Although Sheraton's list of partners isn't as extensive as some other hotels' programs, those companies that do participate in SCI routinely offer generous programs. This year, Sheraton partnered with American Express to offer the 25,000 ClubMiles Dream Rewards program and, through its partnership with National Car Rental, offered SCI members 500 ClubMiles for every car rental at participating locations. 
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