Recognizing and Rewarding • Red Lion Hotels has roots in the Pacific Northwest, a region where the majority of its properties are located today. Goodale & Barbieri Companies, the precursor to the Red Lion Hotels Corporation, was founded in Spokane, Wash. in 1937 as a property management and commercial development company.
The company began operating its first hotel, the River Inn in Spokane, in 1976 and changed its name to WestCoast Hospitality in 1999 and to Red Lion Hotels Corporation a few years later in 2005.
There are currently over 50 Red Lion hotels located in the West, Pacific Northwest and Canada including Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and British Columbia.
Red Lion has three brand segments, including Red Lion Hotels, which are full-service hotels that cater to business and leisure travelers. Red Lion Inn and Red Lion Inn & Suites offer streamlined services, including complimentary breakfast and self-service food. The Leo Hotel Collection is the newest brand and features unique, boutique or historical hotels. Red Lion R&R Club (the R&R stands for recognizing and rewarding) is simpler than most programs and does not break down its hotels into different award categories. A free night at any Red Lion hotel is 10,000 points. The R&R Club program currently has over 500,000 members.
Earning Ability
Members earn 10 points per dollar spent on all eligible charges posted to a member’s room folio, including room rate, food and beverage charges, laundry and telephone. Taxes are not included. All rates (except for reservations made at third-party websites such as Orbitz, Expedia, Priceline, etc.) qualify to earn points.
Members who add a pet to their membership will earn an additional 500 points per stay when they bring their pet with them when staying at Red Lion properties.
Charges related to banquets or other catered functions are eligible for point accrual through the Red Lion R&R Club Meeting Planner Rewards program. Meeting planners earn three points per dollar spent on conferences, meetings, weddings or other group events (minimum of 10 rooms per night required). Meeting planners who book a contract with 10 or more room nights annually will be upgraded to Gold status.
Red and Gold level members can choose to earn miles instead of points at 250 miles per night with partner airlines. You can make changes to your earning preference at any time online or by contacting the service center in advance of your hotel stay.
Red Lion R&R Club members can currently only earn points through hotel stays.
Award Choices
Red Lion R&R Club offers several award options but when it comes to award nights, Red Lion keeps it simple. An award night at any Red Lion property is 10,000 points. There are no hotel categories or tiered award levels.
Members can also redeem points for stays at Preferred Hotel Group Hotels worldwide, which are classified by four award tiers: 30,000 points, 45,000 points, 65,000 points or 85,000 points. A few hotels offered for 30,000 points include the Bienville House in New Orleans, La.; The Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis, Mo.; Trump International Hotel Las Vegas; Rancho Bernardo Inn in San Diego, Calif., as well as nearly 100 hotels in locations worldwide including countries in Europe, Central/South America, Africa and Asia. For 45,000 points, members can stay at Preferred independent hotels such as the Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa, MGM Grand Detroit and the Waikiki Parc Hotel in Honolulu and hotels in over 40 countries.
For 65,000 points, members can choose from hotels such as The Mosaic Hotel Beverly Hills, Ojai Valley Inn& Spa, Boston Harbor Hotel and The Lombardy in New York City along with hotels in 34 countries worldwide. For 85,000 points, properties include the Enchantment Resort in Sedona, Ariz.; Cavallo Point in San Francisco, Calif.; The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo. and The Jefferson in Washington, D.C., along with hotels in 28 other countries.
Destination Hotels & Resorts is another point redemption option. Hotel award nights range from 30,000 to 50,000 points and include properties such as Destination Resort Vail (40,000 points), Stowe Mountain Lodge (50,000 points) and Grand Champions in Maui, Hawaii (30,000 points).
Non-hotel award options include gift certificates and Costco gift cards. For 5,000 points, members can redeem for a $10 Costco gift card and for 10,000 points, redemption choices include a $25 Costco gift card or $25 gift certificate from hundreds of retailers and restaurants with Gift- Certificates.com. A one-year membership to Costco is available for 20,000 points.
Members can redeem 8,000 points for 2,000 miles with Red Lion R&R Club’s five airline partners.
Partnerships
Red Lion R&R Club’s airline partners are all based in the U.S.: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways.
Preferred Hotels Group has a portfolio of over 500 luxury hotels worldwide and R&R Club members can redeem points for stays at participating brands: Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Preferred Boutique, Summit Hotels & Resorts and Sterling Hotels. Destination Hotels & Resorts is another upscale brand with over 30 properties in the U.S. that partners with Red Lion and offers free night awards to R&R Club members.
Red Lion R&R Club does not offer a co-branded point-earning credit card, online shopping mall or any other partnerships for members to earn additional points, like a car rental partner. There is no donation program where members can donate points to charities.
Elite-Level Program
Red level R&R Club membership is the entry-level tier offered to everyone. All membership levels receive a welcome amenity at check- in and also receive complimentary WiFi access. Stay 12 nights and you’ll earn Gold status, which comes with complimentary breakfast at most locations, complimentary local phone calls and the $15 pet fee is waived for Gold members traveling with pets.
Members who stay 25 nights in a calendar year qualify for Platinum status. Platinum members receive all the benefits of Gold and do not have to choose between points and miles because they receive both. Other Platinum benefits include a Friend- to-Friend amenity that can be used in the restaurant or lounge (or 500 bonus points), complimentary room upgrades upon availability at check- in, priority reservations and late checkout when available.
Rules & Conditions
Points are forfeited after two years from when they were earned if not used, and once expired, points cannot be reinstated. You must keep your account active by earning or redeeming points. A member’s account will expire if there is no account activity within four years. Award night bookings can be made on behalf of someone else by the member, but points cannot be purchased, pooled or transferred.
When redeeming points for an award stay at Red Lion Hotels, members are required to make reservations at least 72 hours in advance of the arrival date. Award stays can only be redeemed for standard or premium room types, suites are not eligible for free nights.
Members redeeming points for stays at Destination Hotels and Resorts or Preferred Hotel Group locations must make reservations at least five days in advance.
When using points for room redemptions, any incidental charges are ineligible to earn points or miles. When redeeming points for a free night and paying for additional nights, the paid nights must be listed under a different confirmation number to be eligible to earn credit.
Members can earn points for their guest room and one additional room if both rooms are reserved and registered in the member’s name and membership number.
Members can receive credit for missing points if the request is made within six months of the stay. Requests for miles must be made within 30 days of the missing stay date.
According to the terms and conditions, miles may take up to 90 days to post to your account and members may earn a maximum of 30,000 miles with some of the affiliated frequent flyer programs in a 12-month period.
Service Support
Located in Spokane, Wash., the Red Lion R&R Club Member Service center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Both times we called, a customer service center representative answered our call within a minute, so expect a speedy response. Members can also ask questions via an online chat, which is another way to get a quick response. The representative who responded to our chat sent us Red Lion’s point expiration policy within a couple of minutes. You can also enter an email address where the chat transcript will be sent after the chat ends or members can email their questions to memberservices@redlion. com.
Online Services
Members can enroll and access their account activity and reservation history online. Missing stay requests can be made online within six months of your stay.
All awards, including hotel redemptions with Red Lion and partner hotels, airline miles, gift cards and destination awards can be booked online. Red Lion R&R Club sends out monthly emails, special offers and program updates to members who provide a valid email address and opt in to receive email communications.
[+] Plus Features
Red Lion R&R Club offers several award options in addition to free hotel stays at Red Lion, including airline miles, gift cards, amusement park tickets and luxury hotel stays with Destination Hotels & Resorts and Preferred Hotel Group. Members earn points for all charges, not just the room rate, and nearly anything that you charge to your room is eligible to earn points. Platinum elite members receive both miles and points for stays.
[-] Minus Features
Outside of staying at Red Lion Hotels, members have no other avenues to earn R&R Club points. Red Lion has several award options but does not offer a co-branded credit card or partner with car rental companies, retail shops, restaurants or other typical types of partners where members can earn additional points. Award nights are 10,000 points for a free night at any hotel, which simplifies the program, but also means you won’t find any bargains. Red Lion offers members a use ‘em or lose ‘em proposition with its point expiration policy of two years, regardless of account activity.
[box]InsideFlyer Rated
Overall Score: 6.71
Earning Ability: 6.0
Award Choices: 6.0
Partnerships: 5.0
Elite Level: 6.5
Rules & Conditions: 7.5
Service Support: 8.0
Online Services: 8.0[/box]
Program Information:
Red Lion R&R Club
201 W North River Dr., Ste. 100
Spokane, WA 85054
