Some people need a major hotel chain some of the time. Other people desire a major hotel chain most of the time.

 

There are 7 “hotelmart” chains. [I just thought of that term and I like it. Could I coin the phrase?

Too late. I checked and found a discount hotel website HotelMartUSA.com. So, I will just borrow the term for now.]

 

There are 7 global hotel chains with 3,000+ hotels. Four of the hotel chains are predominately mid-scale or economy lodging with Wyndham, Choice, Best Western, and Accor’s Motel 6 properties in the US. The higher proportion and absolute number of upscale hotels is why I limit my hotelmart comparisons to Hilton, InterContinental Hotels Group, and Marriott chains.

 

Here are numbers based on end of year 2008 from the HotelsMag.com survey. Most of these 10-month old numbers are likely bigger now, but they are sufficiently precise for a hotel chain size overview.

 

Wyndham Hotel Group = 7,043 hotels

(Hotel brands: Wyndham, Ramada, Days Inn, Howard Johnson, Travelodge, Super 8, Knights Inn, Wingate, Baymont, Microtel, Hawthorn Suites)

 

Choice Hotels = 5,827 hotels

(Hotel brands: Comfort Inn, Cambria Suites, Quality Inn, Clarion, Sleep Inn, EconoLodge, Rodeway Inn, Suburban, MainStay Suites)  

 

InterContinental Hotels Group = 4,186 hotels

(Hotel brands: Holiday Inn and HI Express, Crowne Plaza, Staybridge Suites, InterContinental Hotels, Hotel Indigo, Candlewood Suites)

 

Best Western = 4,000 hotels

(Hotel brand – Best Western)

 

Accor Hotels = 3,982 hotels (France based chain with few hotels in USA aside from Motel 6)

(Hotel brands: Motel 6, Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel, Mercure, Suite Hotels, Ibis, allseasons, Etap, Hotel F1, Formule 1)

 

Hilton Hotels = 3,265 hotels

(Hotel brands: Hilton, Embassy Suites, Doubletree, Crowne Plaza, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites, Waldorf Astoria Collection, Conrad Hotels, Hilton Grand Vacations)

 

Marriott Hotels = 3,178 hotels

(Hotel brands: Marriott, Renaissance, Courtyard, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites, SpringHill Suites, J.W. Marriott, Marriott Vacation Club International, Ritz-Carlton Hotels)

 

Hotel chain size drops from the mega-chain size of 3,000 to 7,000 properties down to just around 1,000 hotels for the next largest hotel chains of Starwood Hotels and Carlson Hotels (Radisson Hotels parent company). Hyatt Hotels is small fry at 413 hotels, but their loyalty program has incredible benefits for travelers to major cities and resorts in the USA and around the world which is why I include them in my predominately big five loyalty program coverage of Hilton HHonors, Marriott Rewards, InterContinental Hotels Group, Starwood Preferred Guest, and Hyatt Gold Passport.

 

Other programs high on the scale of market segment I like to focus on are Fairmont President’s Club and Kimpton In Touch (hey, I’m 116 miles from San Francisco). Several of the small hotel associations like Preferred Group, Leading Hotels of the World, and Small Luxury Hotels pop up on my radar throughout the year with excellent hotel finds or promotional rates.

 

 

Last July I broke down the hotel numbers for each brand in these chains:

Marriott Hotels – http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2009/07/09/marriott-hotels-profile-by-numbers/

InterContinental Hotels Group – http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2009/07/09/intercontinental-hotels-group-profile-by-numbers/

Hilton Hotels Family – http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2009/07/07/hilton-hotels-chain-profile-by-numbers/

Starwood Hotels – http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2009/07/09/starwood-hotels-profile-by-numbers/

Hyatt Hotels – http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/2009/07/09/hyatt-hotels-profile-by-numbers/

Enough of the pedantic overview of hotel brands and on to the main topic of earning points with IHG, Hilton, and Marriott.

(This is my schoolteacher nod to Louis Sacher and his “Wayside School” books. These posts were published in reverse order so they will read directly from one to the other only if you are on the Loyalty Traveler homepage.)

 

 

 

Part 3 of this multi-part examination of the mega-size hotel chains Marriott, Hilton, and IHG is focused on points earning potential. I have also included an award redemption comparison for spending points on New York City hotel award nights.

 

Earning Points

 

How does earning points compare between the three loyalty programs for Marriott Rewards, IHG Priority Club, and Hilton HHonors?  

 

Base hotel spending (room rate excluding taxes and fees) earns 10 points per US$1 with all three programs with some hotel brand exceptions for Marriott and IHG.

 

Hilton has some points earning advantages over the other two for base hotel spend:

1.       All Hilton hotel brands earn 10 points per $1.

2.       Marriott Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites brands earn only 5 points per $1. These two brands are about 1/4 of total hotels in Marriott chain. IHG brands Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites earn only 5 points per $1. InterContinental Hotel stays earn 2,000 points per stay rather than 10 points per dollar hotel spend.

3.       Hilton offers Double Dipping with Points & Points earning preference or Points & Miles. Members may earn 15 points per $1 if choosing not to earn miles with hotel stays. Earning preference may be changed with each stay. Elite bonuses are additional (HHonors Gold 25% elite bonus is 2.5 points per $1 hotel spend for 17.5 points per US$1.)

4.       Hilton HHonors American Express Surpass credit card earns 9 points/$1 at Hilton Hotels. Marriott Rewards Visa earns 5 points/$1 at Marriott brands. Priority Club Visa only gives 3 points per $1 at IHG hotels.

 

When it comes to promotion earnings the game definitely favors the Priority Club member. Frequent combinable promotions allow a guest to regularly earn 30+ points per $1 on hotel stays.

 

In this Loyalty Traveler post I detailed hotel free nights redemption with Marriott and Hilton based on the distribution of hotels in redemption categories. I did not include IHG Priority Club free nights due to a brand-based redemption structure as shown here on IHG Priority Club.

 

On the free nights side the loyalty benefit of free nights with points favors Priority Club with point levels for hotels like Crowne Plaza and high-end Holiday Inn hotels at just 25,000 points per night. Comparable quality hotels with Marriott and Hilton in many locations will likely be 5,000 to 10,000 points higher per free night.

 

New York City, 2 nights, Monday, November 16 to Wednesday, November 18

Marriott Rewards Category 6 Hotels

(30,000 points per night; 5^th night free)

• Brooklyn- New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge ($359)

• New York- Courtyard New York Manhattan/Fifth Avenue  ($359)

• New York- Fairfield Inn New York Manhattan/Times Square ($269)

• New York- Courtyard New York Manhattan/Upper East Side  ($299)

• New York- Fairfield Inn & Suites New York Manhattan/Fifth Avenue (na)

• New York- New York Marriott Downtown ($419)

 

Marriott Rewards Category 7 Hotels

(35,000 points per night; 5^th night free)

• New York- Renaissance New York Hotel 57  ($399)

• New York- New York Marriott East Side  ($449)

• New York- Courtyard New York Manhattan/Times Square South  ($296)

• New York- Courtyard New York Manhattan/Midtown East  ($359)

• New York- Courtyard New York Manhattan/SoHo  (na)

• New York- Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Times Square ($323)

 

Marriott Rewards Category 8 Hotels

(40,000 points per night; 5^th night free)

• New York- New York Marriott Marquis  ($399)

• New York- Renaissance New York Hotel Times Square ($399)

Ritz-Carlton Battery Park  ($685)

Ritz-Carlton Central Park ($795)

(70,000 points for 1 night; 110,000 points for 2 nights)

 

Hilton HHonors Category 5 Hotels

 (35,000 points per night; 150,000 points for 6 nights)

• Hilton Garden Inn Times Square ($296/night)

• Hampton Inn Manhattan Times Square North ($229)

• Hampton Inn Manhattan Times Square South ($249)

• Hilton Garden Inn West 35^th Street ($239)

• Hampton Inn Manhattan 35^th Street ($209)

• Hampton Inn Madison Square Garden ($269)

• Hilton Garden Inn Chelsea ($399)

• Hampton Inn Chelsea ($299)

• Hilton Garden Inn Tribeca ($375)

 

Hilton HHonors Category 6 Hotels Best Available Rate (BAR)

(40,000 points per night; 175,000 points for 6 nights)

• Hilton Times Square ($479)

• Hilton New York ($349)

• Doubletree Times Square ($289)

• Hilton Garden Inn West 35^th Street ($239)

• Doubletree Hotel Chelsea ($207)

• Doubletree Metropolitan ($219)

 

Waldorf Astoria Hotel ($399)

2009: 40,000 low season; 60,000 high season

2010: 50,000 low season; 60,000 high season

 

InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club

(Most of these hotels also offered even better discounts with Points & Cash awards)

• Candlewood Suites Times Square 15,000 points ($184)

• Holiday Inn Express Times Square 25,000 points ($165)

• Crowne Plaza Times Square 25,000 points ($299)

• Holiday Inn Express Madison Square Garden 25,000 points ($160)

• Hotel Indigo Chelsea 25,000 points ($269)

• Holiday Inn Midtown 57^th Street 25,000 points ($220)

• Holiday Inn Express Fifth Avenue 25,000 points ($210)

• Holiday Inn Manhattan 6^th Ave 25,000 points ($205)

• Holiday Inn Manhattan Soho 25,000 points ($255)

• InterContinental The Barclay 40,000 points ($494)

 

 

Upper end InterContinental Hotels at 40,000 points are at the price level of Marriott’s Category 8 elite hotels, but still below many Ritz-Carlton free nights using Marriott points. Lower-tier InterContinental Hotels at 30,000 points per night are the bargain redemption option for high end hotels. The new HHonors award chart pushes the high-end with Hilton to 50,000 points for the new Category 7 hotel or an off-peak award at most Waldorf-Astoria Collection properties. Top-tier Waldorf-Astoria Hotels go up to 80,000 points per night.

 

Low-end brands like Holiday Inn Express (15,000 points to 25,000 points), Candlewood Suites (15,000 points), and Staybridge Suites (20,000 points) are more in line with Marriott’s large number of hotels at the lower categories for free night redemption. Marriott Rewards has 77% of its hotels in Category 2 (26%), Category 3 (35%), or Category 4 (16%) with free nights at 10,000 points, 15,000 points, or 20,000 points, respectively. Hilton HHonors already has a higher proportion of hotels in higher point-level categories and they will be pushed even higher in 2010 when the hotels change to the new category structure with what looks to be an impending wholesale step-up of hotels into the next higher points redemption level.

 

Marriott and Hilton may toss a 50,000 points bonus a few times per year if you are lucky. The current Hilton promotion is the best for 2009 with 25,000 bonus points for 4 stays, up to 75,000 points. This promotion was launched one week before the 2010 hotel category increase was announced.

 

12 Hilton stays earns enough points (about 100,000 points with base spending and bonus) for two nights at a Category 7 hotel or Waldorf Astoria in off-peak dates.  12 Hyatt stays earn sufficient credit for 6 free nights at Category 5 Hyatt Hotels worth 108,000 Gold Passport points.

 

The promotions make all the difference in the hotel loyalty program world. Base earning for Starwood Preferred Guest is a low 2 points per $1 and Hyatt is only 5 points per $1. Reaching point levels necessary for free nights at a high redemption category hotel with SPG or Hyatt can look daunting.

 

Loyalty program comparisons often point out it would take $10,000 in hotel spend to earn a free night at a Category 6 Starwood hotel based on 2 points earned per $1 spent. Starwood Preferred Guest promotions available to any SPG member this year gave me the opportunity for 8 free nights in Category 6 hotels (120,000 points value) for under $2,000 in hotel spending.

 

Hyatt requires 18,000 points for its top category which could be as much as $3,600 in hotel spend. Bonus points offers of 2,000 to 5,000 per stay often exceed points earned from base spending at Hyatt hotels. Hyatt Gold Passport is providing its loyalty program members the opportunity through January 31, 2010 for a free night at any hotel with every two hotel stays.

 

Buy low-redeem high is a frequent guest bargain vacation. The result is better value for your money with any hotel loyalty program.

Priority Club is a mystery to me when it comes to promotion bonuses. Sites like Priority Club Insider, FlyerTalk, and Priority Club Connect (Priority Club’s sponsored community forum) post a variety of bonus points promotions for your IHG hotel stays. The general consensus is sign up for every promotion and wait to see which bonuses post.

The Nights for Flights offer is 15,000 bonus points for every fifth qualifying night, up to 60,000 points for stays by December 31, 2009. The offer is only valid for US and Canada hotel stays.

Here is some discussion of Nights for Flights on Priority Club Connect http://community.priorityclub.com/message/7284.

I signed up for the Nights for Flights promotion last week through this link on Priority Club Insider. The promotion is not showing on my Priority Club “My Offer Status” promotions page yet. This 60,000 points promotion may turn out not to be applicable for my hotel stays, but I received 2,640 bonus points for a promotion  offer with my last Holiday Inn hotel stay that never appeared on the “My Offer Status” promotions page either.

Before my stay in August in Henderson, Nevada I went through Priority Club promotion sign-up links shown on the sites I listed.

My $66 room rate per night for two nights earned 5,640 points.

5,640 points for $132 is nearly 43 points earned per $1. That blows away the Priority Club Rewards published 10 points per $1 official earning rate without promotional bonuses or elite status.

Priority Club “Flights Anywhere” Awards

The nights for flights promotion is designed to garner attention to Priority Club’s recently launched Flights Anywhere awards.  The award offer allows a member to book any flight using points or a combination of points and cash. Awards are a minimum of 20,000 points.

My sample search was Monterey-Denver. The lowest priced award for my search was listed as 120,000 points for a one-stop with US Airways. 

The purchase rate on Orbitz.com for this 120,000 points airline ticket was $414 all-in. This comes out to a redemption value of $3.45/1,000 points. PointBreaks awards will likely have a $20/1,000 points redemption value. I don’t see much value in Flights Anywhere, but then I don’t spend so many nights in hotels that I find value spending points for non-hotel offers.

Another way to look at this is 3 free nights at any InterContinental Hotel in the world will cost 120,000 points. London, Paris, Amsterdam, New York … I am pretty sure I could get a $1,000+ redemption value using 120,000 Priority Club points for IHG hotel stays.

Not that I have that many points to spend anyway. But 60,000 points would be an account balance jumpstart.