Hotel loyalty programs

[Catman100]

Can't say I have any experience with Hotel loyalty programs, but with new job I am staying in hotels quite often. I have signed up with every one of them from Hilton, Marriott to Holiday Inn.

Can anybody tell me which ones are better and the chain I should be staying with the most. Seems like I have stayed at Hilton a ton and haven't earned crap yet.

Thanks in advance.

 

[WildcatFan1982]

With Hilton you get 10 points for every dollar spent. You start getting free nights at the cheapest hotels at 15,000 points if I'm recalling correctly. As long as you stay at a Hilton branded hotel once a year the points won't expire. Also if you move up in tiers the points add up faster.

 

[WildcatFan1982]

Also if you want more points just tell the front desk you weren't happy with your stay or some crap like that. If they offer to comp your room just say that your company is paying for it and a comp doesn't mean anything. They will throw points at you. Hilton points cost a hotel a half penny per point.

 

[JDHoss]

And for around an extra 5-10 bucks a day, you can get double points with Hilton Honors. My employer doesn't bat an eye over it, and you can pile up points pretty quickly that way. I also have IHG (Holiday Inn), but use HH 99% of the time.

 

[AthensCatFan]

Also if you want more points just tell the front desk you weren't happy with your stay or some crap like that. If they offer to comp your room just say that your company is paying for it and a comp doesn't mean anything.

I hope this is a troll.

Anyhow, points won't really pile up until you reach a higher level of status. Most chains give bonuses per stay for higher level members. Also, be sure you're signed up for the current quarterly promotion (Marriott doesn't offer one during the summer) as they can really help boost your points.

I'd also pick whichever two chains you prefer and stick with them as much as possible. I use Hilton and Marriott because they have the most/best properties in the smaller towns I usually travel to. Unless you have to use a corporate credit card, I'd get a credit card for whichever brand you stay at the most as that will earn you more points too.

 

[drxman1]

A lot depends too on the initial offer if you do the credit card. Hyatt was great, 2 free nights anywhere in the world. Marriot offering like 80,000 points might not even get you two nights in a big city. Marriot points seem very diluted to me, unless you are staying at their small lower tier hotels.

Bang for the hotel buck, Starwood points have the most value.

Or consider using the Chase Sapphire card, double points at any hotel and restaurant, and its pretty universal so you can convert them for hotel or airline miles. Might be the best solution.

 

[gattongrad09]

The intercontinental (IHG) ambassador club is well worth the $200 fee.

 

[jwheat]

Baby boomers and their credit cards

 

[BBdK]

Hilton is bogus, cost like 1.5 million for a night. Exception is there GLON/whatever awards if you really have a nice balance.

Did get the CITI Hilton card for the 2 Free weekend certs, but don't mess with their points.


Hyatt & SPG are the clear winners, imo. Hyatt Card gets you 2 free nights anywhere (even Park Hyatt) in the world, plus a free Category 4 night each year. Also platinum status, I've been upgraded to a nice room or suite on about 80% of my stays for free.

SPG is the best value, tons of great 10K rooms out there even in big cities.



IGH is decent too if you can find the link for the 80K bonus, also a free anny night.

 

[_nelson3]

[eyeroll]

 

[AthensCatFan]

It sounds like the OP is actually traveling and not just playing the points game so the best rewards program will really depend on what kind of cities he travels too and what kind of room allowance his company offers.

Starwood and Hyatt are great if you're spending a lot of time in bigger cities and have a high room allowance, but both are terrible if you get outside big metro areas.

 

[AustinTXCat]

Baby boomers and their credit cards

[laughing]

And here I am sleeping on couches, in spare bedrooms and on buses when I travel.

Seriously, back on topic, wife is enrolled in Choice Hotels. She uses it a couple times a year when visiting Shreveport and gambles. Binion's Horseshoe Casino also comps her rooms, depending on how much she loses. [laughing]

 

[wildcat1973_rivals160373]

I have Hilton and haven't paid for a hotel room in years. You can always find a nice Hampton or Embassy Suites for 20k or less. Downtown Hiltons usually run 30k. Embassy Suites is great if you have kids. I get triple points with my card per dollar spent.

 

[WildcatFan1982]

Hilton is bogus, cost like 1.5 million for a night. Exception is there GLON/whatever awards if you really have a nice balance.

Did get the CITI Hilton card for the 2 Free weekend certs, but don't mess with their points.
t.

1.5 million points will get you 37 days at the Hilton Waikiki beach

 

[LordEgg_rivals16573]

we use hilton and holiday inn.

 

[GhostVol]

HHonors. Almost got to Diamond level last year, but Gold is just fine since I don't travel as much as I did since my Dad passed (used to shuttle back and forth between Charleston and Louisville).

 

[BBdK]

http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/06/26/hotel-program-rewarding-spend-answer-may-shock/


Interesting reading. Everyone values their miles/points differently...

I use Sapphire for every day, or SPG if I'm close to a night or working toward a bonus. Only use Hotel Cards to meet minimum spend & earn bonus...that may be different if I were a business traveler.

As it stands, I've taken 47 consecutive free flights and stayed free 80% of the time over the past 5 years ONLY using meeting spend & earning bonuses.

You can take the game as far as you want (like nelson & ukguy), but it's silly to not at least get some free **** by doing basically nothing.

 

[chitown87]

And here I am sleeping on couches, in spare bedrooms and on buses when I travel.

That sounds about right.

 

[shockdaddy19]

I am a Marriott guy and also have a Marriott credit card. Use the credit card for all major purchases and then pay it off. Have stayed at the Cosmo in Vegas for free as well as countless trips to New York. I like their program.

One thing to consider. I think Hilton's low end hotels (Hampton Inn) are generally better than Marriott's. (Fairfield Inn). I travel to some rural parts of Kentucky and a couple of the Fairfields are just dumps. So if you're doing the same, it may be worth to look at Hilton's program.

If you travel with regularity, you are doing yourself a disservice by not being aligned with some type of rewards program...whether it's air miles or hotel points.

 

[JDHoss]

I am a Marriott guy and also have a Marriott credit card. Use the credit card for all major purchases and then pay it off. Have stayed at the Cosmo in Vegas for free as well as countless trips to New York. I like their program.

One thing to consider. I think Hilton's low end hotels (Hampton Inn) are generally better than Marriott's. (Fairfield Inn). I travel to some rural parts of Kentucky and a couple of the Fairfields are just dumps. So if you're doing the same, it may be worth to look at Hilton's program.

If you travel with regularity, you are doing yourself a disservice by not being aligned with some type of rewards program...whether it's air miles or hotel points.

That's why I like HH. I spend a lot of nights in small cities/towns, and can usually find a Hampton in a convenient location close where I need to be. Never had a bad experience with them either, and the breakfast is a bonus, as most places I'm usually coming in to start work by 7:00 or earlier.

 

[snguy]

Hilton also has quarterly promotions where you can get points in bunches. If you make it to diamond you get points on points. They add up quick. I have over 5 million hilton points.

 

[KopiKat]

I am heavily vested in both the Marriott and Hilton Honors programs. I've stayed in more Hampton Inns and Hilton Gardens than anything. But I wish I had done things differently when I got started with the programs now well over a dozen years ago. If I could do it all over again, I would look for more hotels in the Marriott system than the Hilton system for this reason:

There are more and better Marriott options for redeeming points in Hawaii than Hilton Honors points and by a landslide. There's really no comparison. So if you're big dream is to save points for Hawaii (do your own research) Marriott is the clear winner.

But redeeming points for European travel swings the door the other way. In Paris for instance, I know of two Hiltons that aren't bad, and I've stayed at the Hilton near the Arc de Triomphe for 50,000 points per night. That may sound like a lot, but the hotel itself can run over $600 US depending on the exchange. You won't find hardly any Cat 2 hotels in Western Europe. 3s or above and they'll take a lot of points. Short version, if saving points for Europe is your goal, go with the Hilton program.

 

[AlbanyWildCat]

Been with Hilton for the past 4 years and have burned through 3+million points. Once you get to diamond status, the points just pile on...

In two weeks, I am going to switch over to SPG. Emailed their platinum office for their challenge and should have status with SPG in less than two months. SPG just seems to go further and anyone using SPG never complains...