The Leading Hotels of the World - Every Quest Has a Beginning

Terms and Conditions

General Terms

The following terms and conditions (“Terms and Conditions”) apply to your membership in The Leaders Club program (“The Leaders Club”) of The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd. (“LHW”). Your participation in The Leaders Club will be governed by these Terms and Conditions. It is your responsibility to read them and to comply with them.

• The Leaders Club membership program is available to individuals residing in countries that legally permit participation in frequent stay programs. Your participation in The Leaders Club constitutes your acceptance of these Terms and Conditions, as well as to any changes or modifications made to them by LHW.
• Application for membership, or membership in The Leaders Club, is void if prohibited by law in the country of an applicant's or member's domicile.
• Members of The Leaders Club must be at least eighteen (18) years of age.
• The Leaders Club membership and its benefits are offered at the sole discretion of LHW. Benefits and services will be available at those hotels and resorts which are members of The Leading Hotels of the World (a “Member Hotel”). Member Hotels will vary from time to time. The benefits and services of The Leaders Club have been established for all members however, specific benefits and services offered by the Member Hotels may vary.
• LHW reserves the right, in its sole discretion, and with or without notice to you, to add, modify, delete or otherwise change any of the Terms and Conditions, including, without limitation the rules, procedures, benefits, awards and award levels pertaining to The Leaders Club, even though such changes may affect your Leaders Club account or the value of an award certificate already issued to you. This means that LHW may make changes that affect, but are not limited to, travel partner affiliations, rules and procedures for the use of benefits and awards, benefit types, levels required for obtaining benefits and awards, continued availability of awards, blackout dates, room availability, and the terms of special offers.
• The Leaders Club program has no predetermined termination date. LHW may terminate The Leaders Club at any time, with or without notice to you. Members will have three months from the date of termination to redeem an award certificate, but will not be entitled to continue to accrue qualifying stays after the termination date. All award certificates and the value thereof, if any,that are unredeemed as of the conclusion of such three month period shall be forfeited without remuneration. LHW shall have no further obligation or liability whatsoever with respect thereto, and no award claims shall be honored thereafter.
• Fraud or abuse of The Leaders Club benefits or awards, including without limitation, award redemption or usage, membership privileges and benefits or other use of The Leaders Club program in a manner that is inconsistent with these Terms and Conditions or the intent of the Leaders Club program, is subject to appropriate administrative and/or legal action by LHW, including the forfeiture of award certificates, the termination of Leaders Club privileges, and revocation of membership. LHW also reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to immediately discontinue a member's Leaders Club membership, and terminate the member's account, if a member violates any local, state, or federal laws or ordinance, otherwise misuses the benefits of membership or fails to pay any valid bill or account. Nothing contained in these Terms and Conditions shall limit LHW in the exercise of its legal or equitable rights or remedies.
• Earning of Leaders Club awards and redemption of award certificates are subject to all applicable laws and regulations. Leaders Club benefits and awards may be subject to income or other taxes. Such taxes and all disclosures related thereto are the sole responsibility of the member.
• Each member of The Leaders Club is responsible for promptly advising LHW of any changes to his or her contact information.
• Neither LHW, nor any affiliate or subsidiary, makes any warranties or representations, either expressed or implied, and expressly disclaims any and all liability (including consequential damages) with respect to type, quality or fitness of goods or services provided through the Leaders Club, a Member Hotel, or a program partner. Neither LHW, nor any affiliate or subsidiary, shall be liable or responsible for any performance or non performance by any Member Hotel for which an award is redeemed, or for any discrepancy in the rooms, facilities or services available at any such Member Hotel from those set forth on lhw.com or elsewhere, and shall not be liable for any damages that may result therefrom.
• LHW is not responsible for, and reserves the right to correct, any pricing or typographical errors, errors of description, or errors regarding Member Hotels and partners.
• Employees of LHW are not eligible to be members of The Leaders Club.
• Neither LHW, nor its affiliates or subsidiaries, is responsible for and assumes no liability, for changes or discontinuation of partner products and/or services, which may affect The Leaders Club.
• Each member is responsible for remaining knowledgeable regarding the Terms and Conditions. In addition, each member is responsible for keeping track of the number of qualifying stays in his or her own account. Members can view their stays by logging into their account on www.lhw.com. Although LHW may advise members of matters of interest regarding The Leaders Club , including notification of Leaders Club program changes, it is not required to do so. Neither LHW, its subsidiaries and affiliates, nor companies participating as program partners in The Leaders Club will be liable or responsible for any of the following:
  • failure to provide notification of any kind to a member;
  • incorrect or inaccurate transcription of member contact information;
  • any human error;
  • interruption, deletion, omission, defect, or line failure of any telephone network or electronic transmission;
  • problems relating to computer equipment, software, inability to access any web site or on-line service or any other technical or non-technical error or malfunction;
  • requests or correspondence contained in any lost, late, stolen, illegible, incomplete, garbled, misdirected, mutilated or postage due mail or other mail or electronic mail; or
  • damages that may be sustained by any member as a result of any of the forgoing.
• These Terms and Conditions will be interpreted and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without regard to conflict of law principles. Any dispute with respect thereto or The Leaders Club will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in New York, New York.

Membership Details

Membership Fees and Payment

The Leaders Club has two distinct levels of membership, the “Leaders Club Access” level, and the “Leaders Club Unlimited” level.

• There is an annual fee of one hundred-fifty USD (150) for the Leaders Club Access level and an annual fee of twelve hundred USD (1,200) for the Leaders Club Unlimited level.
  • The payment of the annual fee for membership does not change the nature of the benefits described as being “Upon Availability”, particularly those offered by Member Hotels (upgrades and check-in and check-out privileges).
  • No portion of the annual fee is refundable should a member not receive a Leaders Club benefit attributable to either level of membership for any reason.
  • Membership fees may change from year to year.
  • If membership is terminated as a result of the violation of any of these Terms and Conditions, the member will not be allowed to re-apply, nor will the member receive a refund of any portion of the annual membership fee.
  • If the member voluntarily terminates his/her current membership, the member can re-apply for membership at any time, and will be required to pay the annual membership fee. No refund of any portion of the annual membership fee will be given, nor will credit be given, upon reapplication, for prior fees paid.
  • A member may cancel his or her membership in The Leaders Club within thirty (30) days of becoming a Leaders Club member and receive a full refund of the annual fee, provided that such member has not booked and consumed a reservation prior to such termination. In the event that a reservation has been consumed, no refund will be given.

Payments

• Membership payments are due in full at the time of completion of the membership application in order for an application for the Leaders Club Access or Leaders Club Unlimited levels to be considered.
• Refunds are available for thirty (30) days from the initial payment date, provided that a member has not consumed a reservation during such thirty (30) day period. After such time, payments are strictly non-refundable. No exceptions will be made.
• No partial refunds will be given.
• Once a membership fee has been refunded, a member will not be entitled to any benefits.
• Membership fees are expressed in US Dollars (USD). For members outside of the United States, the membership fee assessed will be subject to exchange rate formulas and calculations of the member’s bank or credit card company. A refund of a membership fee, if any, in accordance herewith, will also be subject to the exchange rate at the time of such refund, which may differ from the exchange rate at the time such fee was originally paid. Some credit card charges are subject to additional currency conversion fees at the time of processing which are not within LHW’s control and may impact the amount charged on, or refunded to, a member’s credit card.

Benefits

The Leaders Club benefits are outlined on www.lhw.com and will be updated periodically by LHW.

A member will only be eligible for Leaders Club benefits when the member makes a reservation through an LHW booking channel as described below and provides his or her Leaders Club membership number. Reservations must be made:

• Through an LHW Worldwide Reservations and Service Center. A list of these reservations centers is available in the annual directory of The Leading Hotels of the World or on www.lhw.com..
• Through the Leaders Club, as provided on the back of the Leaders Club membership card.
• Through www.lhw.com. No other web-enabled booking engine qualifies for this eligibility requirement.
• A reservation may be made through any travel agent (other than an online travel agent), provided said travel agent provides the eligible member’s Leaders Club number at the time of booking.
• Only publicly available rates are eligible for Leaders Club benefits. The following rates are excluded from receiving Leaders Club benefits: Wholesale/tour operator packages; contracted airline crew rates; travel industry rates (including but not limited to travel agent discount rates); complimentary or barter rooms; American Express Membership Rewards Stays and corporate negotiated rates.
• Reservations made directly with a Member Hotel will NOT be eligible for benefits.
• Benefits are provided upon availability and are not guaranteed.
• Upgrades are based on membership level and availability on the day of arrival. Suite upgrades will be at the discretion of the hotel. Room types and categories will vary among the Member Hotels.
• Early check-in and late check-out is subject to availability and to the specific Member Hotel arrival and room pricing policies.
• A member who is staying as part of a group is not eligible for benefits unless the reservation is made in the name of that particular member using his/her Leaders Club number, and only the member's room will be eligible for Leaders Club benefits.
• If a Leaders Club member books multiple rooms using his/her Leaders Club number, only his/her room will be eligible for benefits.
• Welcome gift items, if any, will vary among Member Hotels. There is no guarantee that a Member Hotel will provide a welcome gift.
• Leaders Club special rates, may be available from time to time and will , provide additional discounts for Leaders Club members.
• Member Hotels may participate in the Leaders Club special rates at their option; accordingly, this benefit, though it may be offered at some Member Hotels, may not be available at every Member Hotel.
• The Leaders Club special rates, if available, may not be combined with any other discounted rate or offer.
• Member Hotels may, at their option, impose conditions on special rates, including minimum rates.
• The Leaders Club special rates may only be booked through an LHW worldwide reservations center.
• Each Leaders Club Unlimited member will be entitled to three (3) Access memberships free of charge that such Unlimited member can gift to anyone they choose, provided that such person is not already a Leaders Club member. These additional Access memberships will be available upon the date of the commencement or renewal of such Unlimited membership and will have the same expiration date as the Unlimited member’s account. These additional Access memberships cannot be sold, and the Unlimited member may not change the name(s) on these ‘gift’ accounts once they have been created. The Unlimited member must provide a unique email address for each ‘gift’ account.

Leaders Club Rewards

In addition to other Leaders Club benefits, commencing January 1st, 2011, membership in The Leaders Club entitles members to accrue “qualifying stays” to earn an award certificate that may be redeemed for a complimentary stay at a Member Hotel.

Earning Leaders Club Rewards

For every five qualifying stays completed by a member before his/her expiration date, the member will receive an award certificate good for one (1) complimentary night at a Member Hotel of his/her choice. A member must stay at at least two (2) different Member Hotels as part of each of the five (5) qualifying stays. A complimentary night award certificate will expire one year from the date of issuance.

Qualifying Stays

• A "qualifying stay" is one (1) stay at a Member Hotel, regardless of the total number of consecutive nights, whether or not a guest checks out and checks back in again, pursuant to a reservation made at a publically available rate. A “qualifying stay” requires that the member checks in at the hotel on the date of the reservation and resides in the room for a minimum of one night. The qualifying stay date will be determined by the check-out date.
• Only non-contiguous stays will qualify as separate qualifying stays. For example, a member with three reservations for the same hotel on three (3) consecutive days will only receive credit for one “qualifying stay”.
• Qualifying stays are calculated within a twelve-month membership period. Stay credits earned during one period may not carry over to a subsequent membership period.
• A member may only earn one “qualifying stay” per reservation, regardless of how many rooms the member has reserved or paid for.
• LHW reserves the right to modify any qualifying stays posted to a member's account in error.
• A stay will not be qualified for a "no show" situation -when a member has made a reservation guaranteed with a credit card but then does not check in to the hotel- whether or not the member's credit card is charged for any portion of the reserved stay per the hotel's "no show" policy.
• If a member uses an award certificate for a single, complimentary night at a Member Hotel, this night will not be a “qualifying stay”. If a member uses an award certificate for a free night during a multi-night stay, the nights for which the member has paid will be considered a “qualifying stay” and will count toward the five stays required for an additional award certificate if it otherwise meets the parameters of a qualifying stay.
• A “qualifying stay” does not include any stays of the following nature: rates booked through a Global Distribution System (GDS); wholesale/tour operator packages; contracted airline crew rates; travel industry rates (including but not limited to travel agent discount rates); complimentary or barter rooms; American Express Membership Rewards Stays; any corporate negotiated rates or any other stay that is not reserved through the LHW reservation channels.
• Retroactive credit for qualifying stays will be issued only for stays that occurred up to thirty (30) days prior to enrolling in The Leaders Club.
• Member stays can be viewed when you log into your Leaders Club Account at www.lhw.com. Should a member have any questions regarding his/her stays, he or she can email his/her inquiries to theleadersclub@lhw.com.
• A Member will be notified via email that he or she has earned a complimentary night within two (2) weeks of the check out date of his/her fifth qualified stay. The award certificate will automatically be sent via email to the member‟s email address on file.
• Provided a member complies with the requirements set forth herein, there is no limit to the number of complimentary nights that a member can earn in a calendar year.
• If a member believes that he or she did not receive credit for a qualifying stay, he or she must contact The Leaders Club by email at theleadersclub@lhw.com. Members may be asked to submit a written request for such credit together with a legible copy of the member's hotel folio. The Leaders Club mailing address is „The Leaders Club, The Leading Hotels of the World, 99 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016. Failure to supply the adequate and unaltered documentation may result in denial of granting the stay as qualified. Requests must be received by LHW within sixty (60) days from the check out date of the stay in question. A late request will not be processed. Written requests must include the member's name, Leaders Club account number, mailing address and daytime telephone number.

Redeeming Leaders Club Rewards

An award certificate is redeemable for a complimentary night at any hotels or resort which is a Member Hotels at the time of the redemption.

• Award certificates for a complimentary stay may only be redeemed by making the reservation for the complimentary night directly through one of LHW's Worldwide Reservations and Service Centers at 800-650-2582 (800-650-CLUB). No exceptions will be made.
• When making the complimentary stay reservation, the member must provide his/her Leaders Club number as well as the unique award certificate identification code.
• Accommodations must be reserved at least seventy-two (72) hours prior to the stay for which the member wishes to use the award certificate.
• An award certificate is valid for one standard room accommodation (as "standard room" is defined by the hotel) at one Member Hotel for one stay as is provided on the award certificate and cannot be redeemed for cash value. There may be an additional charge for additional person(s) in the room per the hotel's policy. Leaders Club upgrade benefits are not applicable to the complimentary stay. Should the member wish to stay additional nights, the hotel will make an attempt to provide the same room type for the complimentary night as the nights that have been purchased by the member.
• Only one award certificate can be used per stay.
• Reservations made using an award certificate are not commissionable to travel agents.
• Members are entitled to Leaders Club benefits, excluding upgrades, which would be at the soul discretion of the hotel during a complimentary stay.
• In the case of a multi-night stay that includes a complimentary night, the award certificate will be applied to the first night of such multi-night stay.
• A copy of the award certificate must be presented at the front desk at time of check-in along with a copy of the reservation confirmation from LHW. Failure to do so may result in the member being charged for the stay at the current published retail rate.
• Leaders Club award certificates are subject to availability, capacity controls and blackout dates, and may not be combined with any other offer. Award certificates are non-refundable if lost, stolen or destroyed and have no cash surrender value.
• Leaders Club award certificates are non-transferable. The sale or barter of any Leaders Club award certificates or benefits is strictly prohibited. Award certificates will be void if listed or advertised for sale or auction on the internet, in newspapers, magazines or other similar means. LHW reserves the right not to honor any certificate it believes may have been resold, transferred or conveyed contrary to this provision.
• A qualifying stay may not be earned at any property which is not a Member Hotel at the time of the stay, and an award certificate may not be redeemed at any property which is not a Member Hotel at the time of the redemption.
• All-inclusive properties may require a per person food and beverage fee in connection with a redemption at such property.

Cancellations and No-Shows

• A member's award certificate will be forfeited and will not be reinstated should the member "no-show" on his/her complimentary night reservation. A "no-show" is defined as a guest not checking into the hotel on the arrival date specified in the confirmation. It is also defined as a member cancelling the reservation on a date after the hotel's cancellation deadline. The Member Hotels have different cancellation and guarantee policies. The member will be informed of said policies at the time of reservation. It is the member's responsibility to be aware of these policies. If the member "no-shows" on an award certificate reservation that contains additional, paid nights, the hotel's cancellation policy will be applicable and the member may incur cancellation penalties or other fees.