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 valuable 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 Gold and Diamond elite 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 often 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 9,000 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 offers the weakest confirmed suite upgrades that can be applied in advance, which isn’t great for planning a special stay; only Diamond Reserve status (which has an $18,000 spending requirement) offers this, and it’s limited to one confirmed suite upgrade per year
IHG One Rewards
The IHG One Rewards loyalty program is pretty well rounded, though I still have a hard time getting too excited about it, as I find it’s not really the best program in any one area.
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 Platinum members and above receive solid benefits, including breakfast at most brands, solid 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 often remain a great value
- You can earn Bonvoy 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 or World of Hyatt Business Credit Card 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 Diamond status with Hilton or Platinum status with Marriott 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?
Individual needs and preferences play a big part in what is best for an individual.
I generally find these “which one is best “ articles pretty pointless.
And I also am a firm believer in being in two rewards programs so you have some options.
IHG gives you Platinum status and a BOGO if you buy Ambassador, plus guaranteed late check-out as well as other perks (e.g., dining credit) at IC. Combined with a suite upgrade Voucher at just 20 nights, I see this as the winner for leisure travellers which can't do too many nights.
The only status worth for leisure tarvellers is free status that may come with a credit card.
If you are spending your own money limiting yourself to one chain, the math doesnt math. You ll spend more chasing status and overpaying by having chain blinders on then reading in "benefits"
There is a reason why airbnb and luxury escapes have a huge market.
@ Ben -- As usual, IC Royal Ambassador is ommitted from the discussion (by all bloggers, so not picking on you). It is far better than every one of these programs. Unfortunately, the very limited footprint means thar most every RA needs a backup program or two to cover the huge holes in the map. Hilton is clearly the easy one, but is disappointing when you are accustomed to the royal treatment. That makes Hyatt...
@ Ben -- As usual, IC Royal Ambassador is ommitted from the discussion (by all bloggers, so not picking on you). It is far better than every one of these programs. Unfortunately, the very limited footprint means thar most every RA needs a backup program or two to cover the huge holes in the map. Hilton is clearly the easy one, but is disappointing when you are accustomed to the royal treatment. That makes Hyatt Globalist the best backup for an RA, and can be attained pretty easily when combined with 25 qualifying nights from $50,000 annual spend on the Hyatt business credit card and 11 qualifying nights from $15,000 annual spend on the Hyatt personal credit card.
I'm currently focused on IHG and am happy recognition wise, better experience globally with them then with Hilton when I had status there.
It's not Shangri-La Circle which I rate highly but it does the job.
Based in SEA and for business usually stay at Intercon properties.
A lot of different properties to choose from globally and able to leverage the points earned from my holidays + use the milestone upgrades for...
I'm currently focused on IHG and am happy recognition wise, better experience globally with them then with Hilton when I had status there.
It's not Shangri-La Circle which I rate highly but it does the job.
Based in SEA and for business usually stay at Intercon properties.
A lot of different properties to choose from globally and able to leverage the points earned from my holidays + use the milestone upgrades for my holidays.
The Intercon Ambassador is worth it for 300 a year.
Giving IHG platinum.
Unless I overlooked it, I would be interested, as a leisure traveler, when points expire. While I currently stay at all those brands except Hyatt at least 1X per year and I think that keeps the points alive, I'd be interested in the rules about expiry.
As for Accor, I enjoy their hotels but there's not many in North America and it seems like I've lost too many points from them because their points expire on a rolling basis.
I don't think Accor have a hard expiry for points, just need activity to keep them alive.
And they've got great coverage of Mexico, it's only the USA where they're basically absent.
I'm ditching globalist after this last deval. Just not worth the effort as a leisure traveler to go out of my way to hit 60 nights. I'm ashamed to say I did a few mattress runs for globalist in the past...never again. Without globalist Hyatt is basically useless except for burning cc FN certs and an occasional UR xfer with no special treatment expected.
Most US resident leisure travelers will be best off as a...
I'm ditching globalist after this last deval. Just not worth the effort as a leisure traveler to go out of my way to hit 60 nights. I'm ashamed to say I did a few mattress runs for globalist in the past...never again. Without globalist Hyatt is basically useless except for burning cc FN certs and an occasional UR xfer with no special treatment expected.
Most US resident leisure travelers will be best off as a hybrid free agent, with CCs for minimal benefits depending on travel volume. I plan to oscillate having Aspire depending on travel plans and available NLL links, and maintain some level in BV and IHG through credit cards as well, but I will never again be suckered into aiming to hit annual nights for status.
I've been pretty happy with Hilton. I definitely don't travel enough to earn Globalist status and read too many bad things about the Bonvoy program. So, going to stick with Hilton for now.
/ Pause boycott
This is too nonsensical to let go unchallenged.
/ Pause boycott
This is too nonsensical to let go unchallenged.
Such nonsense. How does world of Hyatt even belong on a list that purports to provide the "Best Hotel Loyalty Program Leisure Travelers"?! The pogram is implicitly ranked top, but then the only benefits that purportedly makes it tops for "leisure travelers" are those of Globalists?! Can anyone who spends enough to earn the Globalist status and enjoy its superlative benefits be credibly considered a "leisure traveler???!!!
That is like claiming that there are "leisure travelers" out there who would spend enough money to earn Hilton Honors' new Diamond Reserve status!!! A Globalist or Diamond Reserve as a "leisure traveler' is oxymoronic.
For an apples-to-apples comparison, only hotel elite statuses that can be reasonably obtained by 'leisure traveler' belong in this conversation. These include Hilton Gold (through a CC; Diamond through a CC would be too expensive); Marriott Gold (through a CC; Platinum through a CC would too expensive); IHG Platinum (though a CC)/Ambassador (by cash or points); and Hyatt Discoverist (though a CC).
With such an apples-to-apples comparison, there is little doubt about which program is best for true "leisure travelers" and which is the worst.
G'day!
/Resume boycott
Well, don't keep us in suspense...which is the best, and which is the worst?
DCS, your taint must be raw from Hilton leveling your precious LIFETIME DIAMOND status with the ubersuperpremium DIAMOND RESERVE you will never earn and bitterly wish you had every time you check in
Color me surprised. I find myself agreeing with DCS. I love the Hyatt program, not least for how easy it is to earn and redeem with Chase and now Bilt Palladium. But Hyatt Globalist is out of reach for almost every leisure traveler. Marriott Platinum maybe, but it's spotty perks, particularly breakfast which matters to leisure travelers more often than not render it hit or miss. But if you're a leisure traveler with a fair...
Color me surprised. I find myself agreeing with DCS. I love the Hyatt program, not least for how easy it is to earn and redeem with Chase and now Bilt Palladium. But Hyatt Globalist is out of reach for almost every leisure traveler. Marriott Platinum maybe, but it's spotty perks, particularly breakfast which matters to leisure travelers more often than not render it hit or miss. But if you're a leisure traveler with a fair amount of non-US travel, Hilton Gold is difficult to argue against for solely hotel status alone. I like Amex Plat FHR, but it's now surpassed by Bilt Palladium. If your card spend is at a reasonable level, say $2,500+ a month, the 2*$200 annual credits, $200 annual Bilt cash and the ability to redeem the earned $100 Bilt cash per month for hotels (& other travel spend) makes a strong alternative to hotel status
Accor, especially outside of the US.
They are amazing and have multiple properties in so many locations.
Im ALL Diamond and receive the best service, amenities and upgrades especially in Asia & Europe.
Australia and USA, are the worst service wise for the program.
Accor obviously. It's not even close.
For the non-luxury travel set, I'm more and more convinced that the best program out there is something like Cap One's travel portal (10x Points). Obviously, there are other options like this. For higher end properties, FHR just removes the need for any brand loyalty - if you can afford it.
For any current hotel loyalty program, the number of points for aspirational stays has gotten so out of reach. And I'm saying this as...
For the non-luxury travel set, I'm more and more convinced that the best program out there is something like Cap One's travel portal (10x Points). Obviously, there are other options like this. For higher end properties, FHR just removes the need for any brand loyalty - if you can afford it.
For any current hotel loyalty program, the number of points for aspirational stays has gotten so out of reach. And I'm saying this as a Bonvoy LT Plat (RIP Starwood) and damn close to LT HH Diamond.
St. Regis Macao also does not provide complimentary breakfast anymore for platinum and above members.
Amex Platinum is the best loyalty program for leisure travelers. Low level status at the big chains fwiw (not much usually). FHR / Hotel Collection for hotels for complimentary upgrades and $100 credits. Enjoy the 5x points air and 5x points prepaid hotels. And the card pays for itself.
@Peter that AF may turn off a lot of people from applying for it. Not sure would any OTAs work better for leisure travelers and just pay for what you want. Just like with airlines where leisure travelers splurge on a premium ticket or just pay for what services they want.
Look, if you're traveling 2x a year, I get it. I'm assuming a "leisure traveler" is someone who maybe is traveling 6-10x a year. Long weekends, various vacations, etc. I would think that person could easily use a $600 fhr/hotel collection credit, $400 Resy credit, and $300 digital credit. And there are real benefits with fhr/hotel collection. As long as you are paying for what you want, might as well do so and often times get a bit more.
@Ben Hilton Gold Members do not automatically receive executive lounge access as they need to be upgraded to an executive floor whereas Diamond members do not.
I was a loyal Hilton Diamond for 20 years but their US breakfast shenanigans were enough to turn me towards IHG. My leisure travel is either "roadside" stays on weekend trips with the family or city stays with my spouse so easy or nice breakfasts were important to me. Just seemed like you had to fight with each Hilton and stay on top of billing each time-too much hassle.
@Phil IHG has improved a lot and Hilton has been slipping to the level of Marriott type service. I was a huge Hilton loyalist but now I lean more towards IHG. I would only sometimes select Hilton now.
Why even bother with loyalty if you're JUST a leisure traveler if you can just book stays with a travel agent and use their programs such as Virtuoso or the other brand-specific programs to get all these benefits anyway? Why jump through all the hoops of loyalty? I certainly dont.
Ben does not include this but I think it is also quite easy to get tier status with GHA or Accor. Though, he is correct that their global footprint pales in comparison.
I'm pretty certain Accor are the world's biggest chain if hotels in the USA (where they only have a handful while the other groups have thousands) are excluded from the calculation.
They offer a staggering amount of choice not only all over their traditional Europe and MENA heartlands but also in countries like Vietnam, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico etc. There really isn't a better option for the leisure traveller, unless they happen to be the...
I'm pretty certain Accor are the world's biggest chain if hotels in the USA (where they only have a handful while the other groups have thousands) are excluded from the calculation.
They offer a staggering amount of choice not only all over their traditional Europe and MENA heartlands but also in countries like Vietnam, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico etc. There really isn't a better option for the leisure traveller, unless they happen to be the sort of person who will only stay in true luxury hotels.
100%. Who cares about benefits when they come at the sacrifice of staying at the hotels you want and being slave to one chain. Anything can be bought.
Lets say I wanna be loyal to Hyatt to get Globalist. Well ok, there goes 90% of the world I cant go to because of their laughable footprint. Then I m overpaying for faux luxury just so I can get breakfast next year?
Just pay $10 more for a breakfast rate at the hotel you really wanna stay at.
Well, when it comes to 'best'...it certainly is NOT Marriott; and, I would've said Hyatt is still good, but they're planning a major devaluation, and IHG is fine, but how often do you prefer a... 'hotel, motel, Holiday Inn...' So, I tend to think Hilton is still taking decent care of its members; mostly, because their FNC aren't capped like those cheap-o's over at Marriott (85K but can only add 15K points, and properties learned...
Well, when it comes to 'best'...it certainly is NOT Marriott; and, I would've said Hyatt is still good, but they're planning a major devaluation, and IHG is fine, but how often do you prefer a... 'hotel, motel, Holiday Inn...' So, I tend to think Hilton is still taking decent care of its members; mostly, because their FNC aren't capped like those cheap-o's over at Marriott (85K but can only add 15K points, and properties learned they just need to charge 101K points... fiends!)