IHG Priceless Surprises Monte Carlo Simulation

Over at One Mile At A Time, they did an analysis of the recent IHG Priceless Surprises Promotion where you could mail in 94 entrees and get back 94 plays in an online game. Most entrees only won 500 points but some won 1000, 2000, 5000, and a few won free nights or gift cards. I liked his analysis and it got me thinking about possible wins and the distribution. Instead of doing a bunch of math, it was easier to create a Monte Carlo Simulation and the results were a little surprising.

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How to Choose a Hotel Loyalty Program

As with the post on choosing a frequent flyer program, a large part of choosing a hotel loyalty program might be decided for you based on the price of hotels in the city where you usually stay and how much your employer (or you) is willing to pay. But you will often have a choice and making the correct one can mean the difference between a great vacation and a mediocre one. The world of hotel loyalty programs is vast and covering all of it would take days, but hopefully this will get you headed in the right direction. Continue reading “How to Choose a Hotel Loyalty Program” →