Loyalty programs can be complicated. Actually, all of them are designed to be; some more than others. In the eyes of loyalty programs, ideal members are those who do not keep track or have valuations of their points. These members would stay loyal and redeem their points/miles for anything, without thinking about value.
Like I’ve always said, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this fuss-free approach. It can be time-consuming to keep track of your miles/points, especially if you don’t enjoy it as a hobby, or if your hotel stays are mostly paid by your employer.
However, if you are reading this, you are probably like me! We, self-funded travel hackers, maximize our miles/points earnings and redeem them for high-value sweet spots, as much as we can. In doing so, we get to enjoy dream hotel stays and airline seats, without ever paying the full price.
In this article, I will be summarizing the key benefits of 6 popular hotel loyalty programs in easy-to-read tables to help decide which is the best for you. I will also share my favourites and explain why.
The loyalty programs compared in this article are Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt, IHG One Rewards, Accor Live Limitless and GHA Discovery.
How do Hotel Loyalty Programs work?
In a nutshell, travellers can receive additional benefits on their hotel stays when they hold certain Elite membership statuses.
This includes complimentary breakfast, room upgrades, early check-in, late check-out and even Club Lounge access, which can include free food and alcoholic beverages at certain hours of the day.
Like most of my hotel stays, one can receive all these benefits even when booking the cheapest available room.
| Subscribe to Suitesmile on Telegram to be the first to know about amazing deals and travel hacks. It's FREE! |
| Subscribe |
Basic information
| Loyalty Program | No. of Hotels | Points Validity | Fifth Night Free | Milestone Bonuses (100 nights) | Rollover Elite Nights | Soft Landing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marriott Bonvoy | ~8,700 | 2 yrs | ✔ | 2 | ✗ | ✔ |
| Hilton Honors | ~7,000 | 2 yrs | ✔ | 8 | ✔ | ✗ |
| World of Hyatt | ~1,300 | 2 yrs | ✗ | 9 | ✗ | ✗ |
| IHG One Rewards | ~6,000 | 1 yr | ✗ | 9 | ✔ | ✔ |
| Accor Live Limitless | ~5,100 | 1 yr | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✔ |
| GHA Discovery | ~800 | 2 yrs | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
No. of hotels: Marriott, Hilton, IHG and Accor have at least 5,000 properties all over the world. With these programs, there’s a much higher chance of finding an affiliated hotel on your travels, as compared to Hyatt and GHA.
Points validity: All programs offer at least 1 year activity-based points expiry term. An “activity-based” points expiry term allows you to automatically extend the expiration of your points whenever there is account activity (earn or spend points).
Fifth night free: Only Marriott and Hilton offer 5th night free when redeeming points for hotel stays. In other words, you’ll pay 4 nights worth of points, for a 5-night stay.
Rollover nights: Only Hilton and IHG offer rollover Elite nights. Elite nights earned in a calendar year that are not used towards maintaining or upgrading your status will be rolled over to the following year, to make it easier to maintain/upgrade your status in future. For example, if you are a Hilton Gold member with 50 elite nights earned in a calendar year, you will have 10 nights rolled over to the following year, after deducting the 40 nights required to maintain your Gold status.
Soft landing: Soft landing is a valuable program benefit offered by Marriott, IHG and Accor. With this benefit, an Elite member can only drop a maximum of one status tier per year, when they don’t requalify for the current tier.
Staying 25 to 40 nights a year
Here are the membership statuses that you can qualify for, if you stay between 25 and 40 nights in a calendar year.
| Loyalty Program | Status | Elite Nights | Break- fast | Points Yield (pre-tax) | Late Check- Out | Room Upgrade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marriott Bonvoy | Gold | 25 | ✗ | 7.5% value 12.5/USD | 2pm | ✔ |
| Hilton Honors | Gold | 40 (or 20 stays) | ✔ | 5.4% value 18/USD | Request | ✔ |
| World of Hyatt | Explorist | 30 | ✗ | 9% value 6/USD | 2pm | ✔ |
| IHG One Rewards | Platinum | 40 | ✗ | 8% value 16/USD | 2pm | ✔ |
| Accor Live Limitless | Gold | 30 | ✗ | 7.4% value 37/10 EUR | Request | ✔ |
| GHA Discovery | Titanium | 30 (or 3 brands) | ✗ | 7% value | 4pm | + Two categories |
With complimentary breakfast offered in every hotel, Hilton’s Gold status is the clear winner for this membership level. However, take note that you would only get a US$10 – US$25 F&B credit per person in US hotels (usually only enough for 1 coffee + 1 muffin!).
GHA Discovery can be a fun status to hold, as a member only needs to stay at least 1 night in 3 different brands. This can be done with as little as 3 nights in total!
My thoughts: The benefits offered by other loyalty programs at this level are simply not worth your loyalty. If you stay less than 50 nights a year, choose Hilton, or stay independent. If you stay mostly in hotels in the United States, stay independant.
Staying 50 or more nights a year
This is where you get some real hotel benefits!
| Loyalty Program | Status | Elite Nights | Break- fast | Points Yield (pre-tax) | Late Check- Out | Possible Suite Upgrade | Club Lounge Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marriott Bonvoy | Platinum | 50 | ✔ | 9% value 15/USD | 4pm | ✔ | ✔ |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Titanium | 75 | ✔ | 10.5% value 17.5/USD | 4pm | ✔ | ✔ |
| Hilton Honors | Diamond | 60 (or 30 stays) | ✔ | 6% value 20/USD | Request | ✔ | ✔ |
| World of Hyatt | Globalist | 60 | ✔ | 9% value 9.8/USD | 4pm | ✔ | ✔ |
| IHG One Rewards | Diamond | 70 | ✔ | 10% value 20/USD | 2pm | ✗ | ✗ |
| Accor Live Limitless | Platinum | 60 | Asia Pacific | 8.8% value 44/10 EUR | Request | ✗ | ✔ |
Breakfast: Members with any of the above statuses can receive complimentary breakfast on their stays in most affiliated properties. Accor Platinum is definitely the weakest in this category, as breakfast is only complimentary in Asia Pacific properties.
Suite upgrades: Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt offer room upgrades up to select suites. However, room upgrades heavily depends on how generous the property is, availability, occupancy levels, number of Elite members that day, and even your check-in/check-out time.
In my real-life experience, I’ve had the lowest success-rate on suite upgrades with a top-tier Hilton status, vs Marriott and Hyatt.
Club lounge access: While members of the other statuses receive complimentary club lounge access in most properties, IHG Diamond does not offer this benefit (only as a Milestone reward).
Additional Hyatt perk: On top of the above benefits, Hyatt Globalist members can enjoy free parking, when staying on points. This is especially useful at expensive cities.
My thoughts: On paper, Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt are the programs that offer the best benefits at this membership level. Unless if you stay mostly in Asia Pacific hotels, I would avoid Accor Platinum. I also can’t see how anyone can justify staying loyal to IHG over the others.
Lifetime status
| Loyalty Program | Status | First Requirement | Second Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marriott Bonvoy | Lifetime Platinum | 10 years | 600 nights |
| Hilton Honors | Lifetime Diamond | 10 years | 1,000 nights |
| World of Hyatt | Lifetime Globalist | USD 200k Spending (pre-tax) | – |
Upon achieving a lifetime status, members no longer need to re-qualify for their status.
Hilton and Marriott both require members to hold the status for at least 10 years (doesn’t have to be consecutive). However, Hilton’s second requirement is a lot harder to achieve than Marriott’s.
Hyatt awards the lifetime status to members who spent at least US$200k (excl. taxes/fees). You can be a Lifetime Globalist on your first year if you reach the spending requirement. Simple as that.
My thoughts: Marriott’s Lifetime Platinum status is obviously the easiest to achieve. Because of its global footprint and my real-world experience with status recognition, it is the most worthwhile too. If lifetime hotel status is your long-term goal, stick to Marriott.
Milestone bonuses
For simplicity, I’ve ommited low-value rewards from this table. Members may be able to select other milestone rewards.
| Milestone | Marriott Bonvoy | Hilton Honors | World of Hyatt | IHG One Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 nights | – | – | CHOOSE ONE • 2x club access • 2k points next stay | CHOOSE ONE • 5k points • 1x suite upgrade |
| 30 nights | – | – | 1x free night (Cat 1-4) + CHOOSE ONE • 2x club access • 2k points next stay | 5k points |
| 40 nights | – | 10k points | 1x guest of honour + CHOOSE ONE • 5k points • 1x suite upgrade | CHOOSE ONE • 10k points • 1x suite upgrade • 1 yr club access |
| 50 nights | CHOOSE ONE • 5x suite upgrades • 5 Elite nights | 10k points | CHOOSE ONE • 5k points • 1x suite upgrade | 10k points |
| 60 nights | – | 40k points | 1x free night (Cat 1-7) + 2x suite upgrades + 2x guest of honor | 10k points |
| 70 nights | – | 10k points | 1x guest of honor + CHOOSE ONE • 10k points • 1x suite upgrade | CHOOSE ONE • 10k points • 2x suite upgrade • 1 yr club access |
| 75 nights | 1x free night (40k points) | – | – | – |
| 80 nights | – | 10k points | 1x guest of honor + CHOOSE ONE • 10k points • 1x suite upgrade | 10k points |
| 90 nights | – | 10k points | 1x guest of honor + CHOOSE ONE • 10k points • 1x suite upgrade | 10k points |
| 100 nights | – | 10k points | 1x free night (Cat 1-7) + CHOOSE ONE • 10k points • 1x suite upgrade | 10k points |
Points value: Not all points are equal! One can receive much more value with Hyatt points, than Hilton’s. Here’s how I value 10,000 points from each program:
Marriott: US$60
Hilton: US$30
Hyatt: US$150
IHG: US$50
Related: Best ways to redeem Marriott Bonvoy points
Related: Best ways to redeem World of Hyatt points
Suite upgrades: Suite upgrades are not created equal too. Marriott’s 5 suite upgrades can be used for 5 nights, while Hyatt’s one suite upgrade can be applied to a stay of up to 7 nights!
Additional Hyatt perk: You will receive a Category 4 free night (worth US$225) after staying in 5 Hyatt brands, up to 5 times (25 out of 28 brands), with Hyatt’s Brand Explorer.
My thoughts: Marriott is very weak when it comes to milestone bonuses. Hilton and IHG reward you consistently every step of the way, while Hyatt is simply the king of milestones!
| Subscribe to Suitesmile on Telegram to be the first to know about amazing deals and travel hacks. It's FREE! |
| Subscribe |
Shortcuts to Elite statuses
There are numerous “shortcuts” to achieving Elite statuses with hotel loyalty programs. A lot of members receive or re-qualify for their statuses without actually staying the required amount of nights.
Double Elite Nights: Loyalty programs sometimes run promotions where members can earn twice the number of elite nights during the promo period. In this Marriott example, members can clock 50 Elite nights (to get Platinum status) after staying just 25 actual nights.
Status match: Holding a hotel loyalty status? You may be eligible for a status match to another program, like this Hilton one.
Fast track: Members can sometimes sign up for fast track offers, to achieve Elite statuses for a fewer number of nights than what’s usually required.
Credit cards: Certain cardholders may receive automatic status with a loyalty program, like what’s offered by Mastercard for GHA members, and the Hilton AMEX Aspire card in the US.
Mattress run
You’ve probably heard of the term “mattress run”. It simply means going out of your way to spend additional nights in hotels that you normally wouldn’t. Hotel loyalty members do this for a variety of reasons:
- Reach minimum nights required to maintain status
- Reach milestone bonus tiers
- Take advantage of ongoing promotions like double points or double elite nights
My thoughts: Mattress runs are unnecessary, most of the time. If you do not stay in hotels enough, you will not get to truly enjoy the benefits of your status anyway, and it is not worth your time, and the mattress-running expenses.
If you travel once or twice a year, you can simply pay more on your travels and book rooms with breakfast or club benefits whenever you want them. You can even book Hyatt Prive or Virtuoso rates to enjoy additional benefits as a non-elite member.
How can each program improve?
Marriott: Add rollover nights and more milestones. Plus, guaranteed breakfast, lounge access or suite upgrades for statuses above Platinum (i.e. Titanium, Ambassador).
Hilton: Better real-world Diamond member upgrades (not just on paper). Plus, better breakfast benefit in the US and less-crazy award devaluation.
Hyatt: More properties, 5th night free for award stays.
IHG: Club lounge access and suite upgrades for Diamond members.
Accor: Complimentary breakfast worldwide for Platinum members.
GHA Discovery: More properties and a higher status level above Titanium with complimentary breakfast, club lounge access and suite upgrades upon availability.
Staying disloyal
Staying disloyal/independent gets you one huge benefit: FREEDOM.
You will not feel the need to stay in a crappy, overpriced Hilton or Marriott (believe me, there are plenty of them around) just because you hold an Elite status with that program.
Staying disloyal does not mean that you should stop booking stays with Marriott, Hilton or Hyatt. Non-elite members can often receive outstanding value by redeeming points for award sweet spots.
You will also have the freedom to take advantage of any promotion, from any loyalty program any time you want through 2-Player Mode and even hotel hacks!
On top of that, you will also be able to benefit from promotions from third-party Online Travel Agencies (e.g. up to 25% Agoda discount).
Lastly, you won’t feel bad about staying in an Airbnb!
Remember, be a fan of the product, not the billion-dollar corporation behind it.
Bottom line
An Elite hotel status can only be truly enjoyed if you travel enough to enjoy the benefits and rack up the Elite nights naturally. If you do not stay at least 30-or-so actual nights in hotels, you are probably better-off staying independent.
Here are my favourite hotel loyalty programs for self-funded travellers based in Southeast Asia:
Marriott Bonvoy: Pick this if you can achieve at least the Platinum status. Take advantage of Double Elite Night promos, if any. Receive great value for your points by taking advantage of the wonderful Marriott sweet spots. Try to aim for the lifetime status too!
Hilton Honors: Pick this if you can clock at least 20 stays or 40 nights for the Gold status. Take advantage of Double Elite Night promos, if any.
World of Hyatt: Pick this if you stay at least 60 nights in hotels annually to achieve the Globalist status. As Double Elite Nights promo are extremely rare, be prepared to qualify solely on actual nights stayed. This status is also the most beneficial, although not amazing, in the United States.
Hey man, just found your publication. Excellent analysis, thank you! I like how you’ve made for easy identification with the “X nights a year” titles.
Anyway, I wanted to point out that whilst the Hilton Gold offers the most value in terms of its free breakfast, it also is quite substantially more expensive than say, Accor with the Ibis/ Mecure franchise? Might be a small sample size for me, but is that your experience too?
And if so, any tips on how to keep costs of attaining the Hilton Diamond low or do you just pay through the nose and live in luxury?
Hey, I agree that Hilton properties are substantially more expensive now with both cash and points. Personally, I’ve been travelling quite a bit and couldn’t find a reason to stay in one since early last year. However, Accor Gold (and other statuses in the 30-49 nights bracket) does not get you complimentary breakfast, so, I still feel that Hilton Gold is the best in class, although it has a higher requirement of 40 nights/20 stays to maintain.
Gotcha, thanks! Great article and looking forward to reading more articles from you 🙂
will you be able to review hotels.com membership?
Noted the request!
But If I am mainly staying in asia.actually mainly Singapore and Malaysia would accor be better?
Is it easier for you to achieve Accor’s Platinum status over Marriott’s through some fast track? If not, I feel that Marriott is far superior in this region when it comes to overall quality and Elite member treatment.
best review on loyalty programs, very comprehensive and makes for an easy read. so much better compared to milelion ones
really good side by side review, thanks. I suggest you update the review showing the changes in IHG. With the 40 night awards I guess most people would choose the lounge access . IHG with its recent changes has inspired me to look at putting more nights with them.