Loews YouFirst ending their program Dec. 6, 2018

[christophfam]

Wow, I’m shocked. I haven’t received the email or letter either. I’m a gold member with most of my stays in fl but have also been to Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Atlanta. I received wonderful spontaneous upgrades to gorgeous rooms outside of fl. Seemed the gold status meant more there as they made me feel very special indeed. My last two fl stays we received a special welcome gift and turndown service along with late checkout. I’ll definitely miss those perks. Like others have said I may not feel the need to stay at Loews in the future especially outside of universal when there are so many other options. I definitely skipped hrh in the past due to not receiving those benefits and will look there now.

Really surprised they have just ended it instead of revamping it. Not really a great way to keep your loyal customers.

 

[DisBuckMan]

Never got past Blue status either, but I hate to see anything taken away without something to replace it.

I much prefer rewards programs that offer free/discounted nights, but I believe that even if Loews began a rewards program like that, they wouldn't allow the rewards to be redeemed at UO resorts anyway.

 

[LYSE]

I haven't held status there in years but I did enjoy it for one year when I visited 4 properties.

It would be nice if they replaced it with a points system that allows you to get free nights or transfer points in but I'm sure that won't happen.

 

[Rovim]

It is a strange program, but I have been platinum for a while now (even when I didn’t meet the requirement). The $100 credit helps pay for a lunch and some drinks by the pool. The benefit i will miss is the suite upgrade. Last trip we booked the Portofino and got the connecting room as an upgrade. Definitely made the trip nicer for my family as we were not in the same room. The late checkout is also a nice perk.

 

[Disney Ron]

Just received my email yesterday.

 

[damo]

Still no email for me. I've been a member since time began, lol.

 

[Music City Mama]

Got my email yesterday (maybe they're sending them in batches). Add me to the list of those who didn't benefit, but I hate that it's being taken away for those who did.

 

[tink1957]

I got my email yesterday too. I hope they at least get a new reward program.

 

[macraven]

There have been two separate emails that have gone out.

First one from Loews (June 5)
Second one from the hotel (in my case rpr) (June 19)

Believe the hotel sendouts are due to those having reservations for this year.

 

[g00fy!]

Anyone else get or not get this notification?

I am a lifetime platinum member and received nothing. Needless to say, I'm very disappointed in this announcement. Not sure about anyone else but this is a big deal to me.

Apparently this is what the email says,

Thank you for being a loyal guest of Loews Hotels & Co. Travel is highly personal, and we feel the same way about our relationship with you. You're not a customer number or a loyalty point count - you're an individual who happens to travel and who has unique interests and needs along the way.

Through valuable guest feedback, we have found that YouFirst isn't enticing or relevant and that a list of pre-set benefits has not been meeting our guests' individual needs. At the end of the day, we're confident we don't need a formal program to recognize our very best guests. In that spirit, we want to inform you that our YouFirst program will be ending on December 6, 2018. We can assure you that every time you choose to stay with us, we value that decision and want to provide you an exceptional experience.

Here's what to expect next:

Existing or new reservations through December 6, 2018 will be eligible for *YouFirst benefits. Reservations beginning on or after December 7, 2018 will not receive YouFirst benefits.
You will be able to seamlessly access your reservation and preference details via a Loews Account, similar to what you experienced when you logged in to www.loewshotels.com using your YouFirst credentials. There is no action to take now, but this summer you will receive email instructions to reset your password in order to access your Loews Account.
Finally, rest assured that we are committed to recognizing you as one of our best guests and to continuing to make Loews an easy choice for your future stays.

We look forward to making each and every one of your future visits a special experience. We know that hospitality comes from the heart, and we're dedicated to our relationship with you.
Sincerely,
Loews Hotels & Co

I just got my canned email about this today. Had to come over and see if any of my fellow lifetime platinums had heard anything if they are going to do anything to honor the lifetime benefits.

This stinks. We used our benefits quite a bit, so we are going to miss them.

Been so long, I couldn't remember my password and the email is long gone, so I apologize for the newbie screen name.

 

[macraven]

I doubt we will get extended benefits

The program stops December 6 and I think that will be it for some of us

 

[Mortlives]

I actually have a trip booked to arrive 2 December, so I guess I will squeak in under the wire for the last hurrah. I will miss the perks, but I won't stop staying at RPR when I go to Universal, because those perks aren't going away, and those are the ones I care about there. However, I probably won't stay at a Loews anywhere else.

 

[ClapYourHands]

On another thread, we were saying how we wished Disney had a loyalty program, but they have no perks at all for their most loyal customers, only sporadic upgrades that seem to be truly random based on hotel occupancy and not stay history. At the time, I was thinking, well, there's another area where Universal has Disney beat!

It's sad to see Loews becoming more like Disney in this and less like other hotel chains. DH travels for work quite frequently, and makes it a point to stay with the same hotel chain and airline as often as possible to earn points. People really do alter their spending choices based on perceived value. I'm hoping Loews comes up with something to replace it, but I'm not holding my breath.