Like frequent flyer programs, hotel loyalty schemes are an integral part of the travel rewards world, offering everything from free remains to the travelers. But what of the apps that are significant offers the best value?
There were 10 nominees for this year’s Editors’ Choice award in the category of Best Hotel Loyalty Program for 2017. The loyalty plans considered were: Marriott Rewards, Planet of Hyatt, Wyndam Gains, Choice Privileges, Best Western Rewards, IHG Rewards Club, Club Carlson, Hilton Honors, Accor LeCkub, and My 6 (the Motel 6 program).
Best Hotel Loyalty Program for 2017: The Methodology
We based our grading on a composite of six factors for its loyalty programs of the 10 largest global hotel chains in the number of number and places of chambers.
We factored the next into our evaluation: the financial worth of free-night awards as a percentage of the amount you need to spend to earn awards (“Payback”); the variety of compensated nights you want to spend to make a beneficial elite benefit, beyond a simple point earning bonus (“First Useful Elite Level”); just how broad the opportunities are for travellers to earn and use award points (“Total Chain Rooms”); the degree to which resort brands within the series cover the entire price spectrum from luxury to budget (“Price range”); the variety of airline partners supplying reciprocal earnings and award rewards (“Airline Partners”); the length of time factors remain valid without some form of renewal (“Point Value Retention”); and also the cashback worth of these points earned per dollar charged to a co-branded charge card (“Credit Card Payback”).
We view hotel loyalty programs through the lens of “ordinary” travelers, leisure or company, who journey enough to make the most of a loyalty program but insufficient to be considered road warriors. Our credit-card scoring was based strictly charged.
Best Hotel Loyalty Program for 2017: The Winner
Marriott Rewards gained our best score that we judged to be the most important for travelers. Here’s how we arrived at our winner:
Marriott Rewards does in almost all the key categories, and scores above the others overall. In naming Marriott Benefits, of key import the Best Hotel Loyalty Program for 2017 is the fact that you use and can make Marriott points in most of the developed world. Its 35 distinct brands cover a wide range spectrum to top midscale from luxury, lacking entries in the end.
You need reach Silver, the first level, to enjoy room upgrades, premium Wi-Fi, and late checkout. This level also contains the promise of a guaranteed walk: If a Marriott chain resort is not able to honor your booking, the hotel promises to find you a space at a different equally very good hotel, cover for you to get there, and pay for the room.
It also has a large number of airline partners for awards and earnings, and its credit card offers the second-highest stage worth.
Best Hotel Loyalty Program for 2017: Additional Finalists
more than airlines, Hotels, cater to traveler requirements that are frequently diverging. A family of four on a road trip, for instance, probably does not care about the dependence on stays at Ritz-Carlton resorts. Conversely, a high-level business executive likely is interested about what Motel 6 must offer. Accordingly, we propose mention status for applications:
- Hyatt, number two at the position, is near Marriott in most factors. If you prefer Hyatt’s brands to Marriott’s it’s a very clear choice, and its credit card points are more precious than points from any app’s cards.
- Wyndham, number three in the scoring, is a winner for most folks who normally stay at relatively downscale hotels. Its 16 manufacturers are mostly in midscale, the upper midscale, and funding price categories. And its inventory of condos and vacation properties which makes it a winner for men and women who prefer that class of lodging. Its unique coverage of charging a fixed 15,000 points for a “free” award stay at all locations gives excellent paybacks for travelers who stay in its upscale brands.
- Accor is a fantastic selection for travelers in Europe, and particularly France, where it’s headquartered and offers a broad assortment of options. However, its revival is poor and it has no charge card.
Best Hotel Loyalty Program for 2017: Additional Methodological Details
Each the information for this investigation was obtained from the sites of its loyalty program and every chain.
Payback : We measured payback as the financial value of a free-night award as a percentage of the amount you want to spend to make a free night at precisely the same hotel. Our calculations randomly select resorts for travel the same dates in mid-June. Calculated chain-wide average revenge amounts ranged from 4.4 percent to 10.5 percent. But generally, the ratio of price to stage price varies among individual units of any chain, so travelers who use them for stays at hotels that are low-point and earn points can achieve payback. IdeaWorks calculated payback variations from 2.5 percent to 24 percent, depending on where things were earned and used. Weighing factor: 5.
First Useful Elite Level: We quantified the amount of paid nights you want to spend using a chain to make a helpful elite benefit, beyond a very simple point earning bonus. Those advantages typically include some mix of premium Wi-Fi, a free space-available update on any room, guaranteed accessibility for compensated nights, early check-in, late check-out, a “preferred” space, and free breakfast. In most programs, the elite level is the degree requiring the main benefits at the first level are free Wi-Fi and bonus earning points. Variable: 3.
Complete Chain Rooms: We tabulated the number of rooms in each series worldwide, representing the extent of opportunities for travelers to make and use award points. This measure is useful for those who travel to a lot of destinations that are different in order that they could, by way of instance, earn Marriott points in Shanghai and utilize them at Orlando. Weighting variable: 3.
Price range: We tabulated the numbers of hotels in each series that fell into various cost groups: luxury, upper upscale, upscale, top midscale, midscale, and budget, to show the level to which individual resort brands inside the chain cover the entire price spectrum. Accor contains brands that cover the whole gamut; Hilton covers all but the funding segment, and Carlson and Marriott cover but the midscale and budget sections. In the opposite end, Motel 6, Choice, and Best Western don’t cover upscale segments or either luxury. Variable: 3.
Airline Partners. We tabulated the amount of airline partners supplying mutual earnings and award benefits. Airlines are definitely the most significant, even though chains have partnerships. The amount of partnerships ranges from none in Motel 6 to 40 or more in Hilton, IHG, and Marriott. Programs with a lot of airline partners include others which range from leasing cars to merchandise. For passengers, airline partners are a lot more important than any others. Variable: 2.
Point Worth Retention: We show the length of time points remain valid without some type of renewal, an equally important factor for travelers who earn credit slowly. For the most part, you lose your accumulated points if your account does not show any activity for a period between 12 and 24 months, although even some minor account activity “resets the meter” back to zero. Weighting variable: 2.
Credit Card Payback: All chains except Accor and Motel 6 offer at least one co-branded credit card that earns points for every dollar charged to the card. We selected the one most likely to appeal to travelers, where more than 1 card is offered by chains. Our scores are based on the value of points per dollar billed for purchases, in general; points are earned by each of co-branded cards, up to 10 times. Variable: 2