Loyalty clubs, rewards points and other purchasing perks continue to be valuable marketing and branding tools for companies in nearly every industry, and now Hotels.com is joining the trend with its recent launch of a travel rewards program. The online booking site now allows travelers to collect rewards on every hotel reservation completed through the site; after booking 10 reservations within the year, travelers can enjoy a free night’s stay at any one of its 45,000 partner hotels. It’s an incentive-based program that may help Hotels.com become a leader in the competitive online travel booking industry.

The rewards program from Hotels.com is a simple way to rack up rewards while managing standard monthly and yearly hotel expenses. Points can be earned on any type of hotel or resort – bargain-priced motels, high-end resorts and the business trip extended stay all accumulate one point under this program. Travelers can earn free nights at any partner property, and the ‘no restrictions’ clause mean that even the typical blackout dates are included.

The official name is the welcomerewards™ program, and after signing up for a free account or calling the customer service department, travelers can start earning point and credits for their free night. All points can be redeemed for any Price Match Guarantee property on the Hotels.com website.

The new launch of the rewards program is one incentive for travelers to head online to book hotel stays and choose Hotels.com exclusively throughout the course of the year. While popular sites such as Expedia.com, Hotwire.com and Travelocity.com also offer low-priced hotel rates and packages for travel that may include flight and car options, Hotels.com remains competitive by honoring a Price Match Guarantee. The rewards program may be enough to entice travelers to stick with Hotels.com entirely for booking hotel reservations and enjoy a free night’s stay at any approved property in the network.

When you’re trying to catch connecting flights or just find yourself waiting for storms to blow over, spending hours at the airport can quickly take its toll on yours stress levels – and your wallet.Forbes.com reports that over 320 million hours of travel time were lost in 2007 because of flight delays, which means more people were stuck at the airport during the wait time.

Staying busy at the airport is relatively easy these days, and airports are providing several services including wi-fi internet access, 24-hour coffee shops, bookstores, miniature retail outlets, and even speedy spa services.  While these are all attractive options when you’re on standby, it doesn’t take long to realize the price points of all of these products and services is much, much higher than the average.

If you’re on a tight travel budget but need to kill a few hours at the airport, here are some simple ways to save money:

1.    Carry snacks from the grocery store with you. Avoid the snack machines and newspaper outlets at the airport where snacks are priced at almost double the market rate.  If you can, stop by a grocery store or gas station before heading to the airport to load up on your favorites.
2.    Skip the internet access. It’s tempting to sign up for internet access when you’re stuck at the terminal, but be warned that this will cost you – sometimes up to $10 per hour.  Take a break from the online world for a few hours and sink into a book or magazine instead.
3.    Go for the black coffee. Coffeeshops abound throughout the airport, but you can easily spend $5-$6 per drink when you indulge that mocha habit.  Go into ‘just the basics’ mode for refreshments whenever possible, and save those dollars for a complete meal when you need it.
4.    Enjoy a brief spa service. On-site massage services can be priced for just $1-$2 per minute, and in most cases, a 5-10 minute service is all it takes to relieve stress and tension.  Use this is a quick refresher that will help you get through the rest of your trip care-free.
5.    Make healthy meal choices. It’s easy to overeat when you’re dining at an airport restaurant, but eating light can help you get through your trip with ease, and prevent extreme cravings and hunger – which means fewer food purchases overall.