I agree, they are desperate for data, however, they are even more desperate for cashflow. I don't care what business you run you are not going to put your data priorities before your cashflow ones.
The article summed it up pretty good when they had the man feeling "obligated" to join the rewards group so he didn't have to pay for the Internet service. They are not offering him these rewards to obtain data but to "differentiate" themseleves from the hundreds of other hotels he could have gone through...
"Differentiate" for those who don't know (in laymans terms) is what a business does to make itself different (usually for the better) to increase customer loyalty. They do this by offering something different that people may really enjoy. That way, the customer may see their business as "better and different" then the rest.
The rewards card is simply a reinforcing tool to have a customer come back. If it's a hassle to join another "rewards group" and the difference in price is only a couple of bucks, most people won't bother and keep returning to the same spot. That's what the hotels (in this case) want, as have very difficult times filling their rooms to 100% occupancy (with the exception of speical events)
This is why you see rewards cards needing more information from people. I remember way back when to join an "air miles" or similar card required only your basic info. Name, Address, Telephone, Cred Card #, etc.
And to be perfectly honest, most of these reward cards don't require the info the hotels do (you'll notice that in my previous answer I'm speaking about business as a whole, not just one sector).
I'm not saying the data isn't important, however cash is the bottom line, every hour of the day, every day of the week, every week of the year.
As for my character, it was Ravenwing I believe. Not sure how long ago it was but I am certain it was in the winter time.
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