Taking stock: How to add up—and spend—year-end travel perks

Frequent travelers, take heart, the time of the year is at hand that marks the perfect time to take stock of accumulated points, and decide whether you need to shift loyalties next year.

However, hotels are working hard to keep fickle travelers by rolling out a slew of new bells and whistles to keep you from straying.

Changes in hotel frequent stay program rules, member amenities and alliances, your own travel patterns and rising room prices makes the holiday season the right time to take inventory of potential bonuses and rewards. 

A recent lodging outlook from PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) predicts that in 2015 industry-wide occupancy levels are expected to reach 64.9 percent, the highest since 1984.