REDEMPTION REIMBURSEMENTS: THE STASH DIFFERENCE

It’s no secret, at Stash we do things a little differently. For travelers and hoteliers used to the chain programs, our unique redemption model generates some head-scratches at first, but once they get it, they’re hooked.

Hoteliers get fully paid for your redemption stay

Traveler, this is when you say:  “Why should I care?”  Settle in my friend, and let me tell you my story…

At least the sharks were hospitable!

Confession: I’m a former road-warrior and Hilton HHonors junkie. (There, I said it.) I racked-up over 300,000 points and redeemed them for my honeymoon. I sauntered into the lobby, expecting the red-carpet to roll-out for us, maybe a little confetti would fall from the sky, and surely champagne would be flowing, right?

Wrong. We got no extra love from the hotel. In fact, the hotel seemed vaguely annoyed and — dare-I-say— inhospitable towards us. I gave them my life savings in loyalty-points, and in return I got some serious attitude and an ego blow (right in front of my brand-new husband nonetheless) that I’m not as special as I think I am.

Fast-forward 2 years later, I joined the Stash team and the tables were turned:  I’m working on the other side of a loyalty program.  I was surprised to learn that under the chain programs, hotels get paid essentially nothing for redemption stays. We’re talking $15 – $50 per night. Meanwhile, they’re getting full-rate for their other guests, which now makes those guests their favorite guests. So it’s no wonder Hotel Honeymoon wouldn’t upgrade me to a room where I could swan-dive off my porch. It was actually costing them money for me to be there.

The Stash Difference:

When you redeem points with Stash, we actually cut a check to the hotel for the entire room rate, plus tax. (Ok, that’s a lie, we give them a credit card, but “cutting-checks” sounds so quaint and lovely.) This means you’re providing revenue for the hotel; you’re not an expense. This allows the hotel to celebrate you for what you are – an awesome guest and a loyal Stash member. We can’t promise that our Partner Hotels will arrange confetti cannons for your arrival, but we can sure-as-heck promise that they won’t resent you like the chains sometimes do.

Why we do it:

We know that redeeming points is a big deal for travelers.  We do everything in our power to reflect our gratitude for your loyalty back to you. We do that by taking care of the people who are taking care of you, welcoming you, fluffing your pillows, and making your trip special.

We don’t do things differently for the sake of being different. We do things “less ordinary” so we can create a friendlier world for travelers and hoteliers alike.