Wyndham Rewards was forced to withdraw a bid to entice members Starwood’s SPG scheme – claimed to be the least rewarding loyalty programme – the opportunity to switch.
The withdrawal of the offer came after “significant examples of fraud” were uncovered.
Starwood SPG members were given 12 hours to donate the entire balance of their rewards points to charity. Wyndham Rewards would then match their membership status and reward them with quadruple Wyndham Rewards points.
“Since Wyndham Rewards is the most generous loyalty programme in the industry, with a 15,000 points flat-fee redemption rate and no blackout dates, donating just 3,750 Starwood points to charity will earn a free night at more than 7,800 hotels worldwide,” the company said last week.
However, in an embarrassing reversal, Wyndham later announced that the promotion had been cancelled.
It said that Wyndham Rewards trade up was offered “in the spirit of generosity”. But the hotel group added: “Before the offer even began, there were obvious and significant examples of fraud.
“Much to our dismay and disappointment, we have to cancel this promotion. We will, however, make a donation of 5 million Wyndham Rewards points to charity as the work they do on behalf of others is real magic.”