Picking a hotel loyalty program is very much a personal decision, as there’s not a “one size fits all” answer as to which program is best. Everyone is looking for different things from a hotel group.
In this post, I want to compare some of the major hotel loyalty programs. While there won’t be “winners” and “losers” here, I’d like to share pros and cons of the big programs, so that people can hopefully take those points into consideration to decide what makes most sense for them.
In this post:
What makes a hotel loyalty program good for leisure travelers?
I thought it would be interesting to look at hotel loyalty programs from the perspective of a leisure traveler. Why? Well, business travelers might not have to work hard at all to rack up elite nights, and for that matter, their hotel stay decisions may be driven by corporate contracts, where they need to stay for work, etc.
It’s a bit of a different story for leisure travelers. Here are some of the things that I think make a hotel loyalty program good for non-business travelers:
- Easy to earn status — leisure travelers have to earn elite status on their own dime, so it’s worth considering the amount of effort that it takes to earn status
- Free breakfast — while business travelers typically have an expense account, leisure travelers generally appreciate perks like free breakfast, since it can save you significant money
- Guaranteed elite perks — while perks that are “subject to availability” are better than nothing, there’s something really nice about being able to secure the perks that matter most to you in advance of your stay
- Suite upgrades — leisure travelers often travel with family, and it’s nice to have more space on your vacations
- A big global footprint — being loyal to a hotel group is hard, so the bigger the hotel group, the easier it is to stay loyal
Pros & cons of major hotel loyalty programs
Let me share what I consider to be the pros & cons of the major hotel loyalty programs. I don’t think there’s a single program that’s best for everyone, but hopefully this is a good starting place for people to decide which program makes the most sense for them.
I’ll be focusing on Hilton Honors, IHG One Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, and World of Hyatt, which are the biggest hotel loyalty programs in the United States that have co-branded credit cards, lots of aspirational properties, etc.
Hilton Honors
Hilton Honors is the best program for earning status easily, and in terms of how quickly you can rack up points.
The way I view it, the pros of Hilton Honors include:
- You can receive top-tier Hilton Honors Diamond status just for having the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express (review); you can also easily earn Hilton Honors Gold status with a variety of credit cards
- Hilton Honors Gold and Diamond members receive complimentary breakfast, executive lounge access, and/or a food & beverage credit at all brands
- Hilton Honors has excellent points earning rates for elite members, especially since the program consistently has global promotions, and paying with a co-branded credit card is a good deal as well
- Hilton has a huge global footprint, with over 8,000 properties worldwide
Meanwhile the cons of Hilton Honors include:
- Hilton Honors isn’t great when it comes to guaranteeing benefits, as late check-out isn’t guaranteed, and suite upgrades are at the discretion of the hotel
- Of these four loyalty programs, Hilton Honors is the only program not to offer any sort of confirmed suite upgrades that can be applied in advance, which isn’t great for planning a special stay
The information and associated card details on this page for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
IHG One Rewards
The IHG One Rewards loyalty program was relaunched in 2022, and has been greatly improved. For the first time, it’s actually competitive with other programs.
The way I view it, the pros of IHG One Rewards include:
- IHG has a large global footprint, with over 6,000 properties worldwide; in particular, there are lots of limited service and more economical properties, which many leisure travelers may appreciate (conversely, these properties may offer limited perks for elite members)
- IHG One Rewards makes it easy to earn status, especially with the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (review) and IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card (review); you can earn IHG Platinum status just for having the card, and IHG Diamond status for spending $40,000 on the card in a calendar year
- The IHG Milestone Rewards program offers some fantastic perks that members can pick for passing certain elite night thresholds, including confirmed suite upgrades, club lounge access, food & beverage credits, and more
- IHG One Rewards has pretty good points earning rates, between the standard earning rates, the bonuses for elite status, and IHG’s global promotions
Meanwhile the cons of IHG One Rewards include:
- IHG One Rewards is weak when it comes to guaranteeing benefits, as late check-out and suite upgrades are entirely at the discretion of hotels, rather than a guaranteed benefit
- IHG One Rewards is somewhat limited when it comes to aspirational redemptions; not only are points redemptions often not a great deal, but many of IHG’s highest end properties (including many Six Senses) don’t participate fully in the program
Marriott Bonvoy
Marriott Bonvoy is probably the most well-rounded hotel loyalty program, in terms of a combination of a big global footprint, status being easy to earn, and solid elite perks.
The way I view it, the pros of Marriott Bonvoy include:
- Marriott Bonvoy Platinum members and above receive solid benefits, including breakfast at most brands, suite upgrades subject to availability, guaranteed 4PM late check-out at non-resorts, etc.
- Marriott Bonvoy has Nightly Upgrade Awards that can be selected as part of the Choice Benefits program; while not as useful as Hyatt or IHG suite upgrade awards, they’re better than nothing
- Marriott has a huge global footprint, with over 9,000 properties worldwide; there are many great luxury resorts, and points redemptions typically remain a great value
- You can earn Platinum status just for having the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (review), which makes the status really easy to earn; you can also earn additional elite nights with credit cards, including the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (review)
Meanwhile the cons of Marriott Bonvoy include:
- Marriott Bonvoy is notorious for over promising and under delivering, so in practice you might find elite benefits to be similar to what you’d get with Hilton Honors
- Marriott Bonvoy isn’t great about consistent elite benefits across brands; for example, elite members don’t receive free breakfast at brands like Ritz-Carlton and EDITION
World of Hyatt
World of Hyatt is probably the strongest hotel loyalty program, but status is also the hardest to earn, and Hyatt has the smallest global footprint.
The way I view it, the pros of World of Hyatt include:
- World of Hyatt Globalist status is the most valuable hotel status, and is best when it comes to honoring elite benefits, from late check-out, to suite upgrades
- World of Hyatt has the strongest breakfast benefit of any major hotel group, as a hot restaurant breakfast with gratuity is included when a hotel doesn’t have a lounge
- World of Hyatt offers the best confirmed suite upgrades of any hotel program, as Globalist members may select at least five of these as part of the Milestone Rewards program, each of which can be used to confirm a suite for seven nights at the time of booking
- World of Hyatt has Guest of Honor, where Globalist members can share their elite perks with friends & family, which is especially useful when booking multiple rooms
- World of Hyatt waives resort and destination fees for all members when redeeming points, and for Globalist members on all stays
- World of Hyatt points are the only hotel points currency that can efficiently be racked up with transferable points, as transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt is a good deal
The way I view it, the cons of World of Hyatt include:
- Hyatt has the smallest global footprint of these hotel groups; while Hyatt’s footprint is improving, it’s still a distant fourth after Hilton, IHG, and Marriott
- World of Hyatt is pretty weak when it comes to points earning rates, and Globalist members only receive 30% bonus points; furthermore, World of Hyatt isn’t terribly consistent when it comes to global promotions
- World of Hyatt Globalist status is the hardest to earn with credit cards; while the World of Hyatt Credit Card (review) or World of Hyatt Business Credit Card (review) can help you earn elite nights, it’s still going to take a lot more effort than with other hotel groups
Bottom line
Which hotel loyalty program is best is highly subjective, and I don’t think there’s a single right or wrong answer. To consolidate my take and recommendations:
- Hilton Honors is great for the super easy status and generous points earning rates, especially with constant promotions
- IHG One Rewards is getting better, but I also have a hard time recommending IHG as someone’s sole hotel loyalty program
- Marriott Bonvoy makes it easy to earn valuable status with credit cards, and offers solid perks, but not to the level of World of Hyatt
- World of Hyatt is the all-around best when it comes to elite status, but it’s also hardest to earn
I think generally you can’t beat the simplicity of earning Hilton Honors Diamond or Marriott Bonvoy Platinum status just by having a credit card, while World of Hyatt can be worth it as well, but requires more effort.
What’s your take on what the best hotel loyalty program is?
Global Hotel Alliance beats most US companies in terms of benefits and ease of getting to them with few stays/spend.
Refreshingly different to the approach of most US companies with the downside of a small US network at present.
@Stefan I think GHA makes it easy even for top tier status and they even offered a buy up to their top tier level last December but their footprint is so small.
The footprint isn't that small, it's just very concentrated in specific areas (e.g. they have 9 hotels in Buenos Aires and maybe another three in the rest of the country)
I’ve been a lowly Marriott gold for several years. Silver plus for close to 7. Gold doesn’t get me much except for a couple of extra points and free high speed internet if that really makes a difference. What I’ve learned is that my points are far more valuable overseas. 30K a night gets me an incredibly comfortable room at the Sheraton Grand Sukhumvit in Bangkok. The front desk always remembered my name when I...
I’ve been a lowly Marriott gold for several years. Silver plus for close to 7. Gold doesn’t get me much except for a couple of extra points and free high speed internet if that really makes a difference. What I’ve learned is that my points are far more valuable overseas. 30K a night gets me an incredibly comfortable room at the Sheraton Grand Sukhumvit in Bangkok. The front desk always remembered my name when I passed by and I had a butler a phone call away if I needed. In the US I might be gifted a chocolate bar and a thank you for my service at a Courtyard for a 30K room. Not that there is anything wrong with that kind gesture.
Most leisure travelers will never get to global status under hyatt. Would be more useful to focus on the benefits of discoverest status.
Bottled water, being thanked for their loyalty, and a room on a higher floor?
@eponymous coward and @paul I think that not only applies to Discoverist but Explorist as well. And of course they both offer late check out of 2 pm. I do not think the difference is that big to make a jump from Discoverist to Explorist.
One item missing from Hilton is all resort fees are waived on all-points bookings. (Money and points bookings, the fees are not waived)
For leisure travelers, Hyatt would not be the go to program since you must be a top tier globalist to get any real benefits as mentioned in this post. Just being a mid-tier member with IHG or Hilton you can get quite a lot of good and useful benefits such as complimentary breakfast (breakfast credit for Hilton stays in the U.S.) and even spending 30 nights to get the equivalent mid-tier status at Hyatt, you...
For leisure travelers, Hyatt would not be the go to program since you must be a top tier globalist to get any real benefits as mentioned in this post. Just being a mid-tier member with IHG or Hilton you can get quite a lot of good and useful benefits such as complimentary breakfast (breakfast credit for Hilton stays in the U.S.) and even spending 30 nights to get the equivalent mid-tier status at Hyatt, you would not get complimentary breakfast. You may even get complimentary room upgrades with IHG platinum or Hilton Gold but do not expect it at all with Hyatt Explorist.
You guys keep getting Bonvoyed. Meanwhile, I'll be maximizing redemption values with Wyndham, Choice and I Prefer.
Watch Out for "No Breakfast" for Diamond status on many Wyndham associted properties in Europe. By the way one of the worst customer service in the Business.
This from a Diamond with 350K points.
Ubiquity of coverage must play a role, right? In Australia, for example, there are so few Hilton hotels that it isn't really worth it. But Accor is everywhere, even in smaller towns, so it makes sense to prioritise that even if you travel internationally from time to time.
In the US, Accor has less presence, so makes less sense to focus on it.
I’m a 40 or so night a year leisure traveler and my current loyalty line up is Hilton Gold (via credit card because the AF is cheap compared to breakfast costs on an upcoming international trip) Marriott Silver organically because they annoyingly have had the best option in several places where we’ve stayed, IHG Platinum via buying Ambassador- alas social media killed the buy Ambassador retain Spire/Diamond loophole, and minor Accor status as some sort...
I’m a 40 or so night a year leisure traveler and my current loyalty line up is Hilton Gold (via credit card because the AF is cheap compared to breakfast costs on an upcoming international trip) Marriott Silver organically because they annoyingly have had the best option in several places where we’ve stayed, IHG Platinum via buying Ambassador- alas social media killed the buy Ambassador retain Spire/Diamond loophole, and minor Accor status as some sort of holdover from when I’d buy their Ibis card when that gave you Gold status, which was the most cost effective way of getting early check-in when coming off a long haul international flight.
Hyatt is the best for free nights. Earning one when you pay the annual fee and one when you spend $15K.
As a "leisure" traveling I'm going with the assumption they don't travel often. You would also need to hold one of their credit cards to get any sort of perks at all. I'd say that eliminates Hilton and Marriott as those requires high annual fees to get any strong perks and if you're only occasionally traveling that's kind of pointless as the point earnings are weak on those high-end cards. So that only really leaves...
As a "leisure" traveling I'm going with the assumption they don't travel often. You would also need to hold one of their credit cards to get any sort of perks at all. I'd say that eliminates Hilton and Marriott as those requires high annual fees to get any strong perks and if you're only occasionally traveling that's kind of pointless as the point earnings are weak on those high-end cards. So that only really leaves IHG and Hyatt which again you'd need their cards but at a much lower ~$100 af.
One Key card would make more sense for a leisure traveler that's flexible with redemptions. Some properties do give some perks when booked through Expedia.
The assumption is baseless. You can easily do 100 leisure nights a year even as a full-time employee based in a single location (assuming that you have a decent holiday allowance and leverage weekends) - anyone who's self-employed and/or can work remotely can comfortably exceed that number.
Leisure-only travelers can be divided into those with 1) few hotel nights and 2) many hotel nights. For those with few hotel nights, there's too little in play. For those with many hotel nights, aside from whose dime it is, it's the same question as for business travelers.
Aside from the occasional "find," reward rates and realizable benefits have gravitated towards similar (lower) levels. So, geographic footprint and convenience would seem to be the driving factors. Hyatt 6.5 p/$ * 2cpp = 13% reward rate. Marriott 17.5 p/$ * 0.7cpp = 12.25% reward rate.
Ben, sorry for ruffling your feathers, but this posting was almost useless.
First I am a leisure traveler which means unless I have a loyalty hotel credit card I don't enjoy the benefits of elite status. The choice of a credit card aside from elite status (which varies by hotel chain) offers other benefits. IHG is my brand of choice. Why? With the IHG credit card I attain platinum status and the fourth night of...
Ben, sorry for ruffling your feathers, but this posting was almost useless.
First I am a leisure traveler which means unless I have a loyalty hotel credit card I don't enjoy the benefits of elite status. The choice of a credit card aside from elite status (which varies by hotel chain) offers other benefits. IHG is my brand of choice. Why? With the IHG credit card I attain platinum status and the fourth night of point redemption is free. If one has the IHG select card, a 10% point redemption discount is applied stacked with the fourth night free.
Second, one needs to look at the cost (point value for hotel redemptions). In my opinion Hilton Honors has devalued the program to such a large extent their loyalty program is practically worthless. (Up to 300,000 points per night for a stay, come on!) I am not familiar with Hyatt, but Marriott offers the best value by a long shot compared to IHG and Hilton.
Third, you continue to mention the same four programs and totally disregard other loyalty programs. Wyndham and Choice are two you need to mention. I learned about Wyndham by attending a FTU seminar about Hotel loyalty program. This was in Los Angeles a few years back where I met you. Their business card attains Diamond level status and until this year, Caesars matched it. So for me I enjoyed nearly a dozen stays at a Caesars hotel for a pittance without paying resort fee. I also got a $100 Dinner credit. Despite the discontinuance of Caesar matching Wyndham has a flat level redemption (7,500, 15,000 and 30,000 levels) and has many sweet spots. I've stay at a nice Wyndham property in NYC (that goes for over $300 a night for a mere 15,000 points. Choice hotels has some great redemptions in Europe and matches your elite status from other loyalty programs. Worth looking in to.
Fourth, a great source for checking out loyalty programs and perhaps individual properties in Flyer Talk.
For budget-conscious travelers, Choice is a pretty good program. It recently extended it's award booking window, which was an incredibly customer friendly move. My "just need a room" bookings have moved from Marriott to Choice.
LMAO, you didn’t Ben was a long time FT poster?
None.
Mooch the free nights off the cards for random chain hotel stays at airports, etc, and then free agent around the world to better non-chain hotels based on price and location
Hilton, Marriott and then hyatt since the other two can have top tier status with card. If you can get hyatt top tier status then hyatt would be ahead of the other two. I think ihg would be last in most situations, at least for international travels
With your recent story about Marriott hotels not honoring breakfast benefit, Ben, I'm rapidly losing my loyalty just like with airlines. I strived for years to get to lifetime platinum, and even then I have rarely ever seen an upgrade to any kind of special room. Losing the breakfast benefit makes me throw in the towel and not feel like anything promised is honored any more. It's all revenue. Aside from late checkout, what's the point? I'm done being duped.
Agreed loyalty perks are being watered down and often not respected by rebelous hotels - but I would say the point of loyalty is the elevated earning rates. Can't speak to every hotel group but for Accor (my preferred programme), diamond members get at least 10 percent back on hotel spending compared to 5 percent for standard members. I believe titanium members in Marriott get something like 17.5 points compared to just 10 for non...
Agreed loyalty perks are being watered down and often not respected by rebelous hotels - but I would say the point of loyalty is the elevated earning rates. Can't speak to every hotel group but for Accor (my preferred programme), diamond members get at least 10 percent back on hotel spending compared to 5 percent for standard members. I believe titanium members in Marriott get something like 17.5 points compared to just 10 for non elite members. If you value that at 0.5 cents per point that's 8.75 percent back compared to 5 percent. Over time that adds up.
I'm getting to the point where given my travel habits that it's not really worthwhile having too much loyalty to any one brand, whether airline or hotel, and better just getting transferrable points from Chase.
I'm not into second-guessing anyone's intentions, but this post can come across as a bit of a passive-aggressive attempt to troll those of us lamenting the lack of Accor coverage in the one about suite upgrades.
I'll double down and say that I consider the ALL scheme to be the absolute best for anyone who travels globally, mostly due to its footprint but also because of the lack of devaluations. The lack of properties in...
I'm not into second-guessing anyone's intentions, but this post can come across as a bit of a passive-aggressive attempt to troll those of us lamenting the lack of Accor coverage in the one about suite upgrades.
I'll double down and say that I consider the ALL scheme to be the absolute best for anyone who travels globally, mostly due to its footprint but also because of the lack of devaluations. The lack of properties in the USA can be overcome by choosing one of the schemes mentioned in this post as a back up, as they all have lots of properties in that country.
Second the ALL recommendation.
For me, business travel tends to be at very random hotels. So my strategy is to belong to all the hotel loyalty programmes and have them credit points to my frequent flyer account rather than the hotel programme. Except Accor, which is my go to for leisure. I have gold status on Hilton and Bonvoy through my Amex platinum and Platinum status for the Accor group. Accor is straightforward, with early...
Second the ALL recommendation.
For me, business travel tends to be at very random hotels. So my strategy is to belong to all the hotel loyalty programmes and have them credit points to my frequent flyer account rather than the hotel programme. Except Accor, which is my go to for leisure. I have gold status on Hilton and Bonvoy through my Amex platinum and Platinum status for the Accor group. Accor is straightforward, with early checkins, late checkouts, welcome drinks and amenities, room upgrades and their suite upgrade system for booking. Most leisure travel is outside North America for us, and we find the Accor group works very well.
Agreed that OMAAT needs to give Accor some recognition. Leisure travellers outside the US would probably be best off with Accor. Status earned through points for multiple rooms is great for families. The generally lower priced compared to the US brands and the facility of points being worth cash instead of some random currency makes it a great programme.
Plus it's easy to get the status nights or points with one of the subscription programmes....
Agreed that OMAAT needs to give Accor some recognition. Leisure travellers outside the US would probably be best off with Accor. Status earned through points for multiple rooms is great for families. The generally lower priced compared to the US brands and the facility of points being worth cash instead of some random currency makes it a great programme.
Plus it's easy to get the status nights or points with one of the subscription programmes.
The weaknesses of Accor are generally offset with the price differences. Yes SNU's suck, but I've routinely found some suited at an SO or Sofitel for cheaper than a base room at a JW Marriott...
I'll disagree that earning real Euros is better than collecting points. It is indeed easier to calculate/assess what you earn, but absolutely not better value. No matter what, 1.000 Accor points are always worth 20€. But if I want to book e.g. a Mövenpick that regularly costs 150€ but shoots up at 350€ during a convention nearby, I'd need a gazillion points (collected over thousands of euros of real spend) to offset the massive 200€...
I'll disagree that earning real Euros is better than collecting points. It is indeed easier to calculate/assess what you earn, but absolutely not better value. No matter what, 1.000 Accor points are always worth 20€. But if I want to book e.g. a Mövenpick that regularly costs 150€ but shoots up at 350€ during a convention nearby, I'd need a gazillion points (collected over thousands of euros of real spend) to offset the massive 200€ price difference. With a points-based program like Marriott or IHG, that same room would more or less cost the same amount of points to book, regardless if retail price was 150€ or 350€. I redeem my Marriott and Wyndham points like that (when street prices are crazy and the only realistic way is to book with points) and the value I receive is unbelievable. If I only had Accor points, I'd simply not be able to book a room at a remotely reasonable price, period. A 20€ discount per 1.000 points collected is just peanuts. (I'd say it's like being forced to use your airline points for booking an economy award ticket, despite knowing that booking business class for a few points more would give you tremendously better value per point).
I'm only commenting on the cashback aspect/concept of Accor, which I find really bad due to this fixed euro return rate. Otherwise, I really like the ALL program (room upgrades, welcome drinks, reaching status through either number of nights or dollar spend) and -most importantly- their properties. Other than Ibis Budget (and many Ibis) that can indeed be sad, their mid-range/premium hotel brands, at least in Europe, are typically better (newer/classier, better located, not so cookie-cutter impersonal design) and/or cheaper than the equivalent Marriott, Hilton and surely IHG properties (They're also very strong at luxury with Sofitel and SO, but Marriott is also very strong in that market segment). And I'd rather enjoy a better (or cheaper) stay every single time, rather than pay more and/or stay at some place worse, only to collect status or points for the afterlife. Loyalty and status are "nice to have" as long as you're not getting out of your way to get them (becoming a chain's fool on the way).
@eliashan that's the disadvantage.
The advantage is there's no risk of serious devaluation so you won't wake up one morning to find out that your points are worth a lot less. The road warriors spending weeks and months in hotels can manage such a risk a lot better than those of us doing 20-30-50 leisure nights a year.
@eliashan I would disagree that Marriott and Hilton are that much different. Any programme with dynamic rewards would be the same? Honestly if there is a major event in a city odds are the US 4 would block off award availability or dynamically price them so be higher in price.. maybe Hyatt is better but I often see that Hyatt has no reward availability. I don't use the other programmes much but honestly getting above...
@eliashan I would disagree that Marriott and Hilton are that much different. Any programme with dynamic rewards would be the same? Honestly if there is a major event in a city odds are the US 4 would block off award availability or dynamically price them so be higher in price.. maybe Hyatt is better but I often see that Hyatt has no reward availability. I don't use the other programmes much but honestly getting above 0.5 cpp with Bonvoy is difficult for me, and the pricing is absolutely dynamic to reflect the price in currency.
Ben has covered the Accor programme this year but he admits that he’s had limited exposure to the group;
https://onemileatatime.com/guides/accor-live-limitless-elite-status/
I agree. The Accor program is straightforward and predictable.
More importantly, the program is not vulnerable to inflationary pressure resulting from US credit cards where every Tom, Dick and Harry get status and points by indebting themselves. The result is that points retain their value, status needs to be earned which keeps the number of status holders limited, and thus status benefits like upgrades are easy to get.
I would love to give Accor a try as well and see if it is better than the other major programs @Mika and @William since they are useful outside of the U.S. and sometimes they are priced lower compared to the other hotel brands.
Hilton Aspire card , there are ways to easily get the Hilton resort credits without actually staying (check flyertalk forums).
Marriott brilliant Amex
Between these two cards, any affluent leasure traveler is going to get huge bang for their buck.
Hilton Gold does not get lounge access. Please fix
@ Ed -- I noted "and/or." Hilton Honors Gold members get lounge access if they get upgraded to a club room. It won't always happen, but it does happen sometimes.
Some individual Hiltons like the Munich Airport Hilton will sometimes give Golds comp lounge access.
Some Hilton properties are very generous in Asia where they even give Gold members access to the executive lounge despite not being upgraded to an executive/club floor.