Marriott Rewards (including Ritz-Carlton) - Adios Marriott - Hello Hilton!

Hello Everyone! I have gone from Marriott Platinum to Hilton Gold via status match. Gere are my comparing experiences after 90 days of intense travel!


Full Service Properties - On weekends Marriott made me feel like I was not elite. No perks, rarely an upgrade and no breakfast! Hilton - Even as a Gold always gave me breakfast or a lounge upgrade and Drink coupons AND bonus points! 1/2 the time I scored upgrades to larger rooms! No upgrades at all in my last 8 Marriott stays..on weekends!

Garden Inn > Courtyard
Hampton > Fairfield
Homewood = Residence however Full points is the tiebreaker!

Points program.. Now that I am using AA, Marriott points do not work too well. Travel Certificates are nice but the Hilton promos beat Marriott promos any day of the week! Also, I am finding the double dipping to add up quite nicely!

Service... I call Hilton elite line and with ease I can get someone on the phone. Type in my Honors number and seconds later I have help...EVERY time! As we speak I have been on hold 14 minutes with Marriott's so called Platinum line. This has become the norm. Marriott's automated system also makes me give all my info that the Rep asks for anyway. Annoyance in my opinion. Once on the phone Marriott seems to have a slight edge.

Beds - ALL Hilton properties beat the pants of Marriott!! Fairfield and Courtyard beds seem to be behind LaQuinta in comfort.

Well....these are just opinions and many may disagree but I am fed up with Marriott. I will be Diamond soon with Hilton yet as a Gold I already feel more valued. Marriott has the toughest requirements for Platinum yet seems to offer so little.

Interesting and helpful comparison. Thanks for qualifying it further by telling us you are basically not happy with Marriott.

I like Marriott beds, but I don't have a full basis of comparison for the customer service aspect. Sounds like Hilton is treating you better overall.

Well....these are just opinions and many may disagree but I am fed up with Marriott. I will be Diamond soon with Hilton yet as a Gold I already feel more valued. Marriott has the toughest requirements for Platinum yet seems to offer so little.

Well...IMO... in asia, its the opposite of the US. Even courtyards have EL lounges that are open on weekends. And usually on the 2nd visit to the same Mrt property the upgrades happen.
-actually SPG is my second choice, & HH is my 3rd.

Hello Everyone! I have gone from Marriott Platinum to Hilton Gold via status match. Gere are my comparing experiences after 90 days of intense travel!

You should have done the instant Gold + fast track to Diamond (http://loyaltylobby.com/2012/04/26/hilton-status-match/). If you have traveled intensively for 90 days, you should have been Diamond long time ago.

Points program.. Now that I am using AA, Marriott points do not work too well. Travel Certificates are nice but the Hilton promos beat Marriott promos any day of the week! Also, I am finding the double dipping to add up quite nicely!

AA double dip is by far not the best option. You should double dip with VS or BD.

Service... I call Hilton elite line and with ease I can get someone on the phone. Type in my Honors number and seconds later I have help...EVERY time! As we speak I have been on hold 14 minutes with Marriott's so called Platinum line. This has become the norm. Marriott's automated system also makes me give all my info that the Rep asks for anyway. Annoyance in my opinion. Once on the phone Marriott seems to have a slight edge.

The Hilton Diamond line does answer fast and is not closed every single time I try to reach them like Marriott's "platinum" line. I do prefer, however, just simply email the Hilton's Diamond desk and usually have a reply within couple of hours (http://loyaltylobby.com/2012/01/27/marriott-hilton-and-continental-email-customer-service-turnaround-times/). Yes. Hours!


Well....these are just opinions and many may disagree but I am fed up with Marriott. I will be Diamond soon with Hilton yet as a Gold I already feel more valued. Marriott has the toughest requirements for Platinum yet seems to offer so little.

There is no lifetime option (http://loyaltylobby.com/2012/03/11/comparing-lifetime-hyatt-marriott-and-starwood-status-options/) with Hilton like there is with Marriott, Hyatt, and Starwood. Hilton has a premium room reward scam where an award room can cost hundreds of thousands of points. Hilton has Points & Money awards (http://loyaltylobby.com/2012/02/10/hiltons-new-points-and-money-rewards-can-make-sense-at-times-case-hilton-fiji/) that can make sense at times. I like the ability to "force" an award room (http://loyaltylobby.com/2012/05/14/hilton-hhonors-diamond-special-arrangement-also-knows-as-diamond-force/) at a sold out Hilton hotel at regular point rate.

I "work" all the hotel programs and promotions. When Hilton has a non-exciting promo they won't get any of my stays and vice versa.

The only thing I don't like about Hilton Honors is the fact their points expire. While Marriott Rewards points are supposed to expire if their is no activity in 24 months, I have never heard about anyone losing their MR points due to inactivity.

Regards,

RIP...

My upgrade experiences at HH and MR have always been similar. That is, suites are rare. Both brands seem to try to put their elites in "good" rooms - high floor, good view, corner room, whatever. But neither one come close to Starwood in terms of true 1-bedroom suite upgrades. The one advantage I give to Marriott here is that elites are guaranteed their preferred bed type.

If you're really a 90-day "intense" traveler (whatever that is), I probably wouldn't double-dip at HH at all unless that's a bunch of 1-nighters. I'd probably go Points + Variable Points and forget about miles. I'm a Gold...soon to be Diamond on CC spend...I think that would end up being 29(?) total points per dollar.

My take on total rewards per paid dollar spent: Marriott probably still has the edge in raw value. Looking at Plat vs. Diamond, I'd probably put 20 Marriott points at a value of 25-26 cents and 29 HHonors points at a value of around 20 cents. (1.25-1.3 cpp vs. 0.7 cpp) People will point out that you *can* do better with HH, but it's getting harder and harder with all of the specialty room awards for rooms that aren't in the slightest bit special.

But...HH has an edge in utility in that I can use their points at resorts and on any day of the week without a loss in value. If I have to hold my MR points for 2-3 years until my next weeklong international city hotel vacation, I'm at risk of the next devaluation.

I'm almost positive that a single CC charge can keep an HH account active. They have at least one no-fee card, maybe two, plus the fee card that you'd likely get if you become a frequent HH guest.

In practice, I have to wonder how good the Diamond Force is. Do they make a paid room available or an award room? I've had limited success with the Marriott Platinum guarantee.

In practice, I have to wonder how good the Diamond Force is. Do they make a paid room available or an award room? I've had limited success with the Marriott Platinum guarantee.

You can force even an award room when the hotel is sold out as long as it is not on the list of 10 or so hotels where this benefit doesn't apply. I have done it several times. This benefits was watered down last year when they introduced Premium Room Rewards. It used to be that Hilton Diamond members could use the "force" for award rooms even when the hotel was not sold out.

Also if the hotel is oversold by more than 10% or by 2% (smaller number of hotels) the benefit doesn't apply.

...Full Service Properties - On weekends Marriott made me feel like I was not elite. No perks, rarely an upgrade and no breakfast! Hilton - Even as a Gold always gave me breakfast or a lounge upgrade and Drink coupons AND bonus points! 1/2 the time I scored upgrades to larger rooms! No upgrades at all in my last 8 Marriott stays..on weekends!...
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I didn't quote your whole message, but as a current Gold (have been Diamond off and on) in HH and current Platinum in MR, I think you overstated the HH benefits a bit.

You failed to mention that HH has their "My Way" on-property benefits where as a Gold, you choose whether you want, for example, breakfast or points, not both.

I also disagree with your experience with the respective property's telephone CSRs. I find the MR group to be slightly ahead of the HH group (even when I was Diamond). Neither were really horrible.

HH has more points earning opportunities but when you go to redeem, you will find the equivalent HH property requires more points than the MR property. The new HH "premium awards" are outrageously expensive.

The "Diamond Force" used to be a really great feature and could be used for award stays. I actually used it once but it required that reservations ask the hotel directly and the reply took several days. As mentioned earlier, this has been watered down by the "premium awards". For paid stays, the Diamond Force works pretty much like MR's Platinum Guarantee - in that there are no guarantees.:mad:

Both programs have their advantages and disadvantages, as do their respective properties. If HH meets your personal needs better then go for it. These are marketing programs to steer your business. No program is perfect.

Yes. Hilton has nice products, but I'll normally still stay at Marriotts more often than Hiltons. PriorityClub and Wyndham suit me well too in locations where Marriott isn't.
Fairfields routinely have windows that you can open. I sleep better with them open. Marriott windows can open too if you can get a room with balconies.
Hamptons & HGI. I've never been able to open the windows there. Of course, I like resorts like Doubletree for vacations.
very odd. I get weekend breakfasts at Marriotts and I'm only Marriott gold status. Courtyards on the other hand, no. Is there a Hilton status match for Marriott gold?

I didn't quote your whole message, but as a current Gold (have been Diamond off and on) in HH and current Platinum in MR, I think you overstated the HH benefits a bit.

You failed to mention that HH has their "My Way" on-property benefits where as a Gold, you choose whether you want, for example, breakfast or points, not both.

Except that the OP said that he has been receiving breakfast AND bonus points at Hilton--that is my experience as well. My profile says bonus points, and I receive both.

I get weekend breakfasts at Marriotts and I'm only Marriott gold status.

Are most of your stays outside North America? I've found that most Marriotts elsewhere in the world have a weekend lounge or some sort of Gold/Plat breakfast. If you get this in the U.S. or Canada, it's an exception rather than the rule.

Is there a Hilton status match for Marriott gold?

Check the HH board for the latest information: there is almost always an easy (if not instant) path to HH Gold available.

Are most of your stays outside North America? I've found that most Marriotts elsewhere in the world have a weekend lounge or some sort of Gold/Plat breakfast. If you get this in the U.S. or Canada, it's an exception rather than the rule...
You're right. I just read the Master Thread. My North America stays haven't been on weekends except my next one at Calgary and LAX. bummer. coupons for breakfast heh?

I feel like the other programs have been very aggressive, and Marriott hasn't really matched. Also Priority Club and Wyndham have done some serious upgrading to many of their properties, especially in the bedding. Combine this with their promotions for bonus points and they both become contenders.

One huge benefit Hilton used to have was the joint account, where your spouse could share your account, pooling points and status. My wife was very impressed with Diamond status for her occasional business trip.

Hotel quality at chains vary around the country, sometimes it is a good thing to look around and see if there is something better with the competition. Matching status, if only for a short period is brilliant on the part of the hotels, as it doesn't cost them anything, unless they dilute the status too much and their top tier members notice.

Hello Everyone! I have gone from Marriott Platinum to Hilton Gold via status match. Gere are my comparing experiences after 90 days of intense travel!Could you share with us the locations of your 90 days of intense travel? Your experiences might be more of a regional nature.

If it works better for you, then that's where you should stay.

I was HH Diamond for a few years and am glad I left. I have better property coverage with Marriott, and the ratio of earned award nights to paid $$/nights is much, much better in my analysis.

I call the MR line maybe twice a year and never remember being on hold. I called two weeks ago to switch a points award to a just-earned certificate award at a sold-out hotel and it was done in about 3 minutes. I've had challenges with that type of a swap with other programs in the past.

I'm also down to <50 nights from LT status, which doesn't currently exist with HH.

So I'm staying with MR. Thanks for freeing up the upgrade and award availability.

Comparing MR Platinum to HH Gold is like comparing MR Gold to HH Diamond. Whichever program you are talking about, in general, a top tier elite member is going to get better treatment thatn a mid-tier elite.

Having said that, I think it really depends on individual hotels whether you can better upgrades, treatment, etc. I have had many "suite" upgrades as a MR Platinum, but it happened mainly at hotels with low occupancy during low seasons or at locations where they don't have a lot of Platinum guests.

I am almost strictly Marriott with only a week or so at Hilton properties. When making my decision on who to become loyal to, I felt that Marriott points get you more for your points.

Marriott 7500 or 12,500 points gets you a basic hotel
Hilton it is like 25,000 points for basic.

Correct me if I am wrong?

Looking at a trip to Portland Maine July 18-21
Courtyard is 75k points *25k/nt
Hilton Garden Inn is 120k points *40k/nt

From my short experience traveling (just started last year), I find that Marriott provides a better service than Hilton. I usually go to the lower property Marriotts (Fairfield Inn & Courtyard) and the staff seem to be more friendlier than Hilton (full service property) staff.

I also stick with Marriott for the most part because of the point redemption. Hilton charges a ridiculous rate. I've seen 25k/30k for Hampton Inn...are you kidding me. It's not even in a busy location and I rather pay the low daily rate instead. Marriott is definitely better in terms of point redemption. My stays range from 10K-20K on average per night.

That is crazy asking 120k for the 3 nights at the Hilton Garden Inn. I spent around 200K Marriott points just this past summer for my parents for about 2 weeks at several full service Marriotts in Asia. The service was excellent at all the properties with the executive lounges and overall staff service.

The Hilton Diamond line does answer fast and is not closed every single time I try to reach them like Marriott's "platinum" line. I do prefer, however, just simply email the Hilton's Diamond desk and usually have a reply within couple of hours (http://loyaltylobby.com/2012/01/27/marriott-hilton-and-continental-email-customer-service-turnaround-times/). Yes. Hours!

Totally agree with above about emailing the Diamond Desk. Fast responses, problems quickly resolved.

But I do find that the staff at answering phones at the Diamond Desk are pathetic. Slow, not articulate, not knowledgeable. A major disadvantage of being Diamond IMHO.

Overall Hilton beats the pants of Marriott these days. I have stayed at both approximately 1,000 nights over 20 years as a road warrior, and have noticed Marriott getting progressively "could not care less" in its attitudes towards top elites. And Hilton has better brands and aspirational properties.

Overall Hilton beats the pants of Marriott these days. I have stayed at both approximately 1,000 nights over 20 years as a road warrior, and have noticed Marriott getting progressively "could not care less" in its attitudes towards top elites. And Hilton has better brands and aspirational properties.

I've stated this before and will continue to state it until I see a positive change in Marriott. I blame the rise of Arne Sorenson to senior exec and then CEO for all of the negative changes in Marriott's program.
While it's hard to pinpoint a specific date that the quality of Marriott's loyalty program started to decline, I think it started within the 12 months prior to Sorenson taking over as CEO.

I've moved my discretionary hotel spending to SPG and Hyatt. Occasional Marriott but only for the bonuses.
For work, I am currently avoiding Marriott properties in favor of (in order) Hyatt, SPG, Hilton, Intercontinental.

From my short experience traveling (just started last year), I find that Marriott provides a better service than Hilton. I usually go to the lower property Marriotts (Fairfield Inn & Courtyard) and the staff seem to be more friendlier than Hilton (full service property) staff.

That's definitely a minority view around here...even a lot of Marriott fans agree that at the Hampton/Fairfield and HGI/CY levels, Hilton has a solid edge in quality and elite benefits.

Marriott has a small "near-full-service" niche within its Courtyards (e.g., Executive Lounges in Asia) that HGI hasn't attempted to copy, but that's a small subset of the overall CY portfolio. Typical suburban U.S. hotel: I'll take a HGI over a CY 10 times out of 10. Typical rural U.S. roadside motel: I'll take a Hampton over a Fairfield probably 8 times out of 10... (I don't like those few remaining external-doors Hamptons.)

Totally agree with you on the overall crappiness of award redemption at lower brands - that seems to be true across both Marriott and HHonors, with Starwood being a little better since their Cat 1-2 is very reasonable and you can sometimes get a tolerable Four Points at that level.

My company just negotiated a company wide contract with Hilton. I was given instant Hilton Gold status. So I'm going to change my upcoming CY stay to a HGI that is next door to the CY and see if I can tell a difference.

The one thing I'm worried about is that I've been consistently getting a full suite upgrade at CYs and most of my corp rates now seem to include free breakfast.

So in a couple of weeks, I'll see if HGI really does "beat the pants" over CYs (at least for this trip.) ;)

My company just negotiated a company wide contract with Hilton. I was given instant Hilton Gold status. So I'm going to change my upcoming CY stay to a HGI that is next door to the CY and see if I can tell a difference.

The one thing I'm worried about is that I've been consistently getting a full suite upgrade at CYs and most of my corp rates now seem to include free breakfast.

So in a couple of weeks, I'll see if HGI really does "beat the pants" over CYs (at least for this trip.) ;)

Well, if your corp rate at CY effectively builds in elite benefits, then the two are closer to an even playing field. For a normal guest, HGI would beat the pants off CY. For you, it'll probably come down to which one is the newer property. If both properties have been around a while, might come down to which one has upgraded bedding most recently.

I actually ran into a CY in North Dallas that started doing full-suite upgrades for me almost every time. (Summertime stays, $40-50/nt., rather empty hotel.) I was always traveling solo so it didn't really matter, but it proved to me that at least some CY's have true suites. The HGI might not have them at all.

AA double dip is by far not the best option. You should double dip with VS or BD.
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BD is no longer an option.

If it works better for you, then that's where you should stay.

I was HH Diamond for a few years and am glad I left. I have better property coverage with Marriott, and the ratio of earned award nights to paid $$/nights is much, much better in my analysis.

I call the MR line maybe twice a year and never remember being on hold. I called two weeks ago to switch a points award to a just-earned certificate award at a sold-out hotel and it was done in about 3 minutes. I've had challenges with that type of a swap with other programs in the past.

I'm also down to <50 nights from LT status, which doesn't currently exist with HH.

So I'm staying with MR. Thanks for freeing up the upgrade and award availability.

Although it was a while back (2000-2004 where I was diamond for 4 years and had 500+ nights with Hilton) I feel the same way.

Never an issue with the MR line, think the beds are just fine, don't own my own company so breakfast is not nor ever will be a huge deal to me (rarely eat more than a banana/yogurt anyway), like the lifetime status that I already achieved, and most importantly found the Hilton properties widely varied from city to city.

I like I can go into most any Marriott property and know what to expect. At FS Hilton it was a crapshoot.

I have also always found the point redemptions to be much better at Marriott than when I was using Hilton.

BD is no longer an option.

It most definitely is.

2012 Q2 DOUBLE YOUR HHONORS - DBL MLS - DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Kuala Lumpur 0 1,000 24-Jun-2012
BM DOUBLE DIP - DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Kuala Lumpur 0 1,000 24-Jun-2012

http://hhonors1.hilton.com/en_US/hh/points/earningmiles.do

like the lifetime status that I already achieved

This is definitely a feature for Marriott that Hilton does not.

Although I am currently lifetime Gold just 45 nights away from lifetime Platinum--not sure I shall use it very much in the future.

For example--we love resorts for vacations and long weekends. But elites do not get free breakfast at resorts (or any CY)--so for these stays we use Hiltons or Marriott timeshares (we own one week).

Well....these are just opinions and many may disagree but I am fed up with Marriott. I will be Diamond soon with Hilton yet as a Gold I already feel more valued. Marriott has the toughest requirements for Platinum yet seems to offer so little.


Thanks for the comparison. You are probably right with all your points. HHonors is far away from being a perfect program (e.g. because of the BRG shenanigan) but it beats Marriott Rewards in many aspects

If it works better for you, then that's where you should stay.

I was HH Diamond for a few years and am glad I left. I have better property coverage with Marriott, and the ratio of earned award nights to paid $$/nights is much, much better in my analysis.

I call the MR line maybe twice a year and never remember being on hold. I called two weeks ago to switch a points award to a just-earned certificate award at a sold-out hotel and it was done in about 3 minutes. I've had challenges with that type of a swap with other programs in the past.

I'm also down to <50 nights from LT status, which doesn't currently exist with HH.

So I'm staying with MR. Thanks for freeing up the upgrade and award availability.


I have never seen a HH promotion similar to say Marriotts stay 2 get one free night.

Yhe promotion that would take them over the top would be to use the free night voucher plus points for a higher class hotel.

The one advantage though with HH is that they tend to be locations in more remote area such as near national parks where marriott is nonexistant.

I have never seen a HH promotion similar to say Marriotts stay 2 get one free night.


Never? Hilton 4th quarter 2011 promotion (http://loyaltylobby.com/2011/09/26/hilton-4th-quarter-promo-announced-free-night-certificate-every-four-staysten-nights-or-double-points-fast-ways-to-free-stays/) for a free night certificate (not category capped) for every four stays. Unlimited number of certificates. Valid for 6 months after posted to your account. I earned seven + got couple of more from friends.

Hilton's resort promotion (http://loyaltylobby.com/2011/12/02/hilton-launches-their-%e2%80%98resort-escapes%e2%80%99-promotion-%e2%80%93-free-night-certificate-after-five-nights-and-two-after-ten-nights/) for a free night certificate after five nights and another after nine.

I used my certificates at Hilton Auckland, Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund, Rome Cavalieri, Conrad Hong Kong, Conrad Singapore, Conrad Koh Samui & Conrad Bali.

Hilton has had similar promotions almost yearly.

+1............. and Starwood has also run similar/same stays for cert programs so OPs statement that only Marriott has had these promos is not correct..........

Never? Hilton 4th quarter 2011 promotion (http://loyaltylobby.com/2011/09/26/hilton-4th-quarter-promo-announced-free-night-certificate-every-four-staysten-nights-or-double-points-fast-ways-to-free-stays/) for a free night certificate (not category capped) for every four stays. Unlimited number of certificates. Valid for 6 months after posted to your account. I earned seven + got couple of more from friends.

I've been a Hilton Diamond for 8 years and last year I got so fed up with Hilton I switched to Marriott and made Diamond.

Overall I think Marriott Platinum is better then Hilton Diamond but it really depends on where you stay. I only stay in Hilton or Marriott properties and not any of the other family members - so I can't compare those.

I usually get a nice room (e.g. high floor, good view, concierge floor) with both Hilton and Marriott but never get upgraded to a suite with either one these days.

The lounges depends on the hotel. In Europe and Asia I much prefer Marriott but in the US Hiltons I stay in are better.

In the end I think they are close and both are inferior to what they once were.

I have only stayed at Hilton once, but I have contacted their customer services regarding some issue with the stay.

MR CS are 1000 times better than Hilton's CS IMO. MR people take thing seriously.

Hilton BRG is bad too - fortunately I was so lucky that I got the Guest Service supervisor adjusted the rate before arrival. The hotel doesn't even have a clue about the USD 50 credit.

I've been MR Plat for years, this year I only made gold. Have some upcoming stays where Marriott is not an option, I figured this would be the time I'd try out HH to see what they were all about.

Emailed HHonors to status match my gold. They want me to do a 4 night challenge. :mad:

No thanks. I already have 3-4 bookings in place with HH. I e-mailed them back with the booking numbers, told them if they were interested in my business, they'd match me. Otherwise I was canceling those stays and spending my $ with Radisson.

Interested to see what they say. The double dip feature is nice, but if this is all I've gotten out of them so far I can't say I'm encouraged.

ETA: Just got the e-mail back from Hilton saying "no thanks." Now I remember why I dumped HH for MR in the first place.

Guess it's off to see if Club Carlson will match me.

hilton BRG is bad too - fortunately I was so lucky that I got the Guest Service supervisor adjusted the rate before arrival. The hotel doesn't even have a clue about the USD 50 credit.

Correct that hotels outside of the US, Canada, Mexico and PR must adjust the bill by usd50 otherwise a usd50 American Express gift cheque is mailed once the stay is completed.

I have found HILTON BRG excellent on certain stays; most recently $169 rate in Atlanta matched at $69 plus a $50 Amex gift cheque: Net Stay $19

I have been a Hilton Diamond for the past ten years averaging over 100 nights a year. Last year I started feeling like a second class citizen when using my HHonors points for rooms. When I questioned the hotel about my lees than desirable rooms, I was told "but you're staying here on a reward"/

Thats when I decided to check out Marriott. 60 nights so far and I find the tratment as a paid guest about the same. The test for me will be how I'm treated on a reward stay.

I do plan to write Hilton later this summer and tell them why I have cut back 75% of my nigts and dollars spent at their locations.

I recently made platinum through the challenge (59 Nights so far in less than 3 months) and really have been disappointed in Marriott.

1) 65% my stays have not included an open Concierge Floor/breakfast benefit etc although 85% have been at Full Service Properties

2) I am staying at 3 Resorts for a week each approximately over the next 6 Months and will receive No benefit at all staying there (resort fee offers free internet, bottle water, etc)

3) I have been solicited to pay for an upgrade at least 1/2 the time of some sort before arrival and yet NEVER been offered a Free upgrade prior to arrival.

Just don't see what the advantage is. I use US based hotels for 85% of my travel (resorts being the non us based hotels)

Now that I am Plat through Feb 2014. I am looking at Hilton and Starwood to see if they offer something better.

I just don't see how it hurts marriott to show some sort of appreciation for resort stays for their Plat guest or FS properties on Weekends. I will spend at one resort close to 5K alone isn't that enought for at least a free drink coupon or a confirm upgrade? At one weekend Stay in Chicago at a JW I spent 1K in 2 nights and yet they don't offer free breakfast coupons on the weekend. Sigh.

I've been MR Plat for years, this year I only made gold. Have some upcoming stays where Marriott is not an option, I figured this would be the time I'd try out HH to see what they were all about.

Emailed HHonors to status match my gold. They want me to do a 4 night challenge. :mad:

No thanks. I already have 3-4 bookings in place with HH. I e-mailed them back with the booking numbers, told them if they were interested in my business, they'd match me. Otherwise I was canceling those stays and spending my $ with Radisson.

Interested to see what they say. The double dip feature is nice, but if this is all I've gotten out of them so far I can't say I'm encouraged.

ETA: Just got the e-mail back from Hilton saying "no thanks." Now I remember why I dumped HH for MR in the first place.

Guess it's off to see if Club Carlson will match me.


I'm with pretty much every program. I would suggest you look at Hyatt rather than Club Carlson.

1) 65% my stays have not included an open Concierge Floor/breakfast benefit etc although 85% have been at Full Service Properties

2) I am staying at 3 Resorts for a week each approximately over the next 6 Months and will receive No benefit at all staying there (resort fee offers free internet, bottle water, etc)

3) I have been solicited to pay for an upgrade at least 1/2 the time of some sort before arrival and yet NEVER been offered a Free upgrade prior to arrival.1) I'm not sure I understand your first issue. I've been with Marriott for almost 20 years (I'm a LT Plat now). I don't think I've ever had any issues with a weekday free breakfast (either in the lounge or in the restaurant) at any NA based non-resort hotels. And I probably have more than 1500+ nights during this time. I admit that I don't always get a CL level room, but I've virtually always automatically received CL access. So I'm not sure I understand how you have such a high rate of not getting lounge or free breakfast access. (And I'm assuming you are talking about weekday mornings, not weekends as breakfast is not a stated Gold/Plat benefit then.)

Maybe they are giving you CL access, but just not saying anything when you check-in. I'm not sure if they always tell me that they gave me access or not. I normally just assume that I have it and I'm not sure I remember a time when my assumption was wrong.

2) My personal experience has been that my best upgrades have tended to be at Resort hotels over normal business/city hotels. I've always thought this was probably due to the fact that Resorts will probably have more room types to upgrade an elite to (i.e. balconies, ocean front/view, corner, and even suite upgrades sometimes, etc.) So while I probably won't get a free breakfast, I will quite often actually get a better room.

3) I would guess that the "solicited" pre-upgrade notices are either just general notices they send to most anyone staying there (i.e. not just to elites), or they are an opportunity to allow you to guarantee an upgrade before your check-in date since normal elite upgrades are supposed to be based on availability at check-in time.

Note that at a normal "business" or city FS Marriott, they may only have a couple of different room types (i.e. normal rooms and CL rooms). The hotel may only have one or two suite rooms in the whole hotel. So while they may not explicitly tell you that you've been upgraded, maybe they put you in a higher floor room or something similar. It might be nice for them to make an effort to let you know though. And I almost always ask about what room I've been upgraded to. That will sometimes either remind them that I am a Plat and that I should get an upgrade or it will prompt them to make a little extra effort to look for one.

And personally, I don't really have to be put in a CL level room to feel special. Yes, its on the same floor as the CL and maybe it will have an extra bottle of mouth wash or a robe in the closet, but other than that, they usually aren't any different at all. As long as I get CL access, I've gotten the real benefit.

Free breakfast at Hilton at any day of the week is a great perk. I have stayed at 1 Hilton in Germany (without lounge), so we got full buffet breakfast at the hotel restaurant. That's itself is awesome because we are paying a very low rate and got free breakfast for family of 5.

However I have also saw some FTer here saying that they only got some cheap breakfast option in some Hiltons in NA - it actually states in HH that you are entitled to 'continental' breakfast as elite members.

Emailed HHonors to status match my gold. They want me to do a 4 night challenge. :mad:

No thanks. I already have 3-4 bookings in place with HH. I e-mailed them back with the booking numbers, told them if they were interested in my business, they'd match me. Otherwise I was canceling those stays and spending my $ with Radisson.

Interested to see what they say. The double dip feature is nice, but if this is all I've gotten out of them so far I can't say I'm encouraged.

ETA: Just got the e-mail back from Hilton saying "no thanks." Now I remember why I dumped HH for MR in the first place.

Guess it's off to see if Club Carlson will match me.

Really? You're irritated at HH because they offered up a four night Gold challenge? (Check it - it was probably four stays, but still...) :confused: Are you perhaps acting just a smidge over-entitled here? You have the four stays booked. Do them. Enjoy Gold through February 2014. If you really bail on HH in favor of Club Carlson (shudder) because of this, you aren't thinking clearly.

If you want Gold right out of the box, just sign up for the CC.

Thats when I decided to check out Marriott. 60 nights so far and I find the tratment as a paid guest about the same. The test for me will be how I'm treated on a reward stay.

IME, Marriott treats you the same regardless of whether you're on a paid or reward stay. I've never felt discriminated against for using points or certificates. Although Marriott rarely upgrades me to suites, they always get the bed type right and usually have me in a "desirable" room. (High floor, nice view, away from elevator, balcony, whatever.)

I'm with pretty much every program. I would suggest you look at Hyatt rather than Club Carlson.

Does Hyatt have a history of doing status matches to Diamond? That's where their benefits really kick in... I've never inquired myself, but I thought from reading one of the "buzz" threads that they weren't big status matchers.

Just don't see what the advantage is. I use US based hotels for 85% of my travel (resorts being the non us based hotels)

After years of staying with Marriott, I think the advantage is this: you do business travel pretty much anywhere in their system and have a consistent experience...then you take your family vacations to international city hotels. If that's your travel pattern, the Travel Packages end up making this a more lucrative program - total reward value per dollar of business travel spent - than most of its competitors.

If your pattern is something else - resorts, lots of weekend getaways, etc. - then you should look at other programs. Or if you are a real road warrior, mix 'n' match...use Marriott to take the family for a week in Paris and then use Starwood or HHonors to go to Hawaii.

I just don't see how it hurts marriott to show some sort of appreciation for resort stays for their Plat guest or FS properties on Weekends.

I don't get it either. I still shake my head and think about what a weird policy this is. On the stays when I *most* want the status to mean something, I get benefits taken away.

However I have also saw some FTer here saying that they only got some cheap breakfast option in some Hiltons in NA - it actually states in HH that you are entitled to 'continental' breakfast as elite members.

That's true - a lot of hotels do a continental breakfast as the elite benefit.

In practice, I've never been anywhere that wouldn't allow you to apply the credit towards something else. I did a HH stay two weeks ago where the continental breakfast was $10 and the hot breakfasts on the menu were anywhere from $10 to $16. I ordered whatever I wanted and paid the difference. Weekend stay, resort hotel, I was pretty happy with that. ^

I just think of another negative about HHonours - missing points and wrong info for my double dip.

I signed up for UA and they put the miles in my LH account. Then I wrote to them to complain, they said they will look into it, haven't heard from them again. I had 2 rooms, only 1 of them got credited.

For Marriott - it's a lot more efficient. I wrote to them, they replied right away, and I always get a reply within a week. If I have missing points with Marriott, they told me to wait, after the waiting period, I sent them the invoice and then the points are credited right away.

Hilton - this is definitely not the same. I asked them about the missing points for the second room, the hotel claimed that they will find out what happened but it has been more than a month, and no points was credited and the miles is credited to the wrong FFP.

When I was checking in to the hotel, I have to verify the info and half of them is wrong! How can that happened? Everything I have online is up to date and it should be like that. I corrected them and in the reply from the hotel they said that they can't change the info manually. I was really annoyed.

It never happens in a Marriott, where I only need to sign - they have all my info on their system.

I'm not based in the US so if I do stay at a FS I'd get breakfast 7 days a week, so for me the choice would be Marriott.

Does Hyatt have a history of doing status matches to Diamond? That's where their benefits really kick in... I've never inquired myself, but I thought from reading one of the "buzz" threads that they weren't big status matchers.

I don't think any of the richest hotel loyalty programs (Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, Starwood) match top status anymore. AFAIK, all have shifted to a status challenge.

For Hyatt, it's a 'Diamond Trial'. I did this last year and was immediately given all Diamond benefits, including 4 complimentary suite upgrades. I got all Diamond bonuses while completing my Diamond Trial. The Diamond Trial requires 12 nights in 60 days. Here's a link: http://loyaltylobby.com/2012/03/12/hyatt-gold-passport-diamond-status-match-hyatt-diamond-trial-challenge-as-of-2012/

I simply cannot believe that someone who complains about Hilton and Marriott is considering Club Carlson as a better loyalty program. I'm a Club Carlson Gold but they are #7 on my list of preferred hotel chains. That's based on MY preferences.
Based on MY preferences, hotel loyalty programs rank:
1) Hyatt
2) Starwood
3) Hilton
4) Marriott
5) Priority Club
6) Wyndham
7) Club Carlson
8) Best Western
9) Choice
I find that there's a distinct break between the top 4 and the rest of the programs.

Your mileage may vary.

Really? You're irritated at HH because they offered up a four night Gold challenge? (Check it - it was probably four stays, but still...) :confused: Are you perhaps acting just a smidge over-entitled here? You have the four stays booked. Do them. Enjoy Gold through February 2014. If you really bail on HH in favor of Club Carlson (shudder) because of this, you aren't thinking clearly.

If you want Gold right out of the box, just sign up for the CC.
^
No, that's not the reason I'm irritated at HH. I was drawn to Marriott many years ago after experiencing a number of piss poor stays at Hilton properties. I saw this as an opportunity to give HH another chance after all these year...but clearly they're not interested in by business. Why would I bother spending 4 stays in a HH property with no status when there are other chains out there that will match my status no questions asked? There are plenty of folks who've gotten HH to match their status as well. Shoot, most airlines will status match and the perks obtained from airlines status blow those from hotel status out of the water. But nooooo...not the almighty Hilton. :rolleyes:

I don't feel over entitled - I feel entitled to what other have been given in similar circumstances, and I feel entitled to be made to feel that a business values my dollar. No go with HH.

For Hyatt, it's a 'Diamond Trial'.

Good to know...thanks for the link. I might make use of that one of these years.

I find that there's a distinct break between the top 4 and the rest of the programs.

+1. We all have our own takes on the "big 4", much depending upon our own travel patterns, but I think most of us agree that all of those programs below the big 4 are a separate category entirely.

Priority Club sort of half-wants to be a bigtime program. There are some fine Intercontinental Hotels in the world. But basic PC doesn't really lead to benefits...you have to have that Royal Ambassador status, which I think has a fee associated with it.

The rest are nice for the occasional roadtripping motel and earning a few airline miles for things like the US Airways Grand Slam.

I'm Hilton Diamond and Marriott Gold right now (have been Plat before).

In my experience, Marriotts are more consistent (service, what I expect hotel property wise and lounges). Hilton was very inconsistent and their upgrades were non-existent (for me).

The only negative for me on Marriott is Plat requires 75 nights. For now, I'm sticking with Hilton and Marriott Gold status. I don't see the advantage to getting Plat or Diamond (unlike Starwood where their Top tier means something).

Unfortunately I can't stay at a Starwood (too pricey for us and not as many options where I travel). So, I'm stuck at Hilton or Marriott.

But basic PC doesn't really lead to benefits...you have to have that Royal Ambassador status, which I think has a fee associated with it.Ambassador costs something like $200. Then to get Royal Ambassador you have to stay a bunch of nights (i.e. 50 or more) at ICs. But from what I hear and read in the IC forum, the benefits can be very nice.

The thread lost me on Club Carlson. I didn't even know what it was but after Googling and seeing that's Raddison... you lost me there. Oy vey! I wouldn't care if they matched my plat, gave me upgrades, free rooms, whatever.

The thread lost me on Club Carlson. I didn't even know what it was but after Googling and seeing that's Raddison... you lost me there. Oy vey! I wouldn't care if they matched my plat, gave me upgrades, free rooms, whatever.

Having stayed at few Club Carlson properties, although all outside of the United States, I would say that they are in the same level as aLoft/Four Points etc. If you think lower quality Hyatt Regency or Sheraton, they are probably comparable to Radisson Blu.

Ambassador costs something like $200. Then to get Royal Ambassador you have to stay a bunch of nights (i.e. 50 or more) at ICs. But from what I hear and read in the IC forum, the benefits can be very nice.

In order to be a RA you can either stay a bunch of nights or get a referral from a RA. Some people are willing to pay around USD 500 for a RA referral certs. I also saw some FTers trading their RA Referral certs for miles.

Ambassador doesn't give you much, RA is the best.

Even then as far as I know IHG hotels are NOT obliged to give you RA perks if you are on award stay.

That makes Marriott stands out because they don't discriminate between paid and award stay for elite perks.

For Club Carlson - I don't think their properties are that great (based on my stays at Radisson Blu in Scandinavia and Park inn in Hamburg). Radisson Blu is like a in between CY and a FS since they don't seem to have CL. Park Inn is like a in between CY and FI.

The only awesome thing is that CC has a lot of promo for throwing points at you - they had triple points promo back in Jan, and in May they had the big night giveaway promo. If you can find a low tier hotel you'd like to stay, that would be super awesome. Otherwise a night at CC property in Scandinavia costs you 44k a night.

For 44k at Marriott, it's a at least Cat. 6 hotel for a night, and I think a Cat 6 will beat any Radisson Blu in Scandinavia.

The only awesome thing is that CC has a lot of promo for throwing points at you

Priority Club does this too. In early '11, I had to do a short string of suburban stays where all of the properties across all chains were the limited-service brands and a couple barebones full-service properties. It was "Crack the Case" time with PC, so I decided to throw them 10 nights. HI, HIX, and Crowne Plaza. Netted a little over 200,000 total points for it between Crack the Case and about a dozen other smaller stackable promotions. That was 200k *without* signing up for their credit card - all points from the hotel stays and the final promotion bonus.

The irony: the quality of the properties was inverse to their positioning within the group. The HIX was new and clean, the HI was not bad...older building but well maintained, and the Crowne Plaza was an utter dump.

I've since used 25,000 points for a Holiday Inn for a college football weekend. Props to PC for that: the local Fairfield Inn had gamed their system to prevent award usage. HI allowed the award, even with rooms selling for $250+ per night. So I'm sitting on 175k...probably will use for future college football weekends... People talk about these sweet pointstretcher deals at international IH's, but I'm never in the right place at the right time for one.

+1. We all have our own takes on the "big 4", much depending upon our own travel patterns, but I think most of us agree that all of those programs below the big 4 are a separate category entirely.

Priority Club sort of half-wants to be a bigtime program. There are some fine Intercontinental Hotels in the world. But basic PC doesn't really lead to benefits...you have to have that Royal Ambassador status, which I think has a fee associated with it.

The rest are nice for the occasional roadtripping motel and earning a few airline miles for things like the US Airways Grand Slam.

Spot on. The top 4 have clearly defined benefits; most other programs have very few defined benefits other than point bonuses and late checkout 'if available'.

In my experience, Marriotts are more consistent (service, what I expect hotel property wise and lounges). Hilton was very inconsistent and their upgrades were non-existent (for me).

Unfortunately I can't stay at a Starwood (too pricey for us and not as many options where I travel). So, I'm stuck at Hilton or Marriott.

If you want consistency no matter where you are in the world, Marriott is number one. I haven't had enough Hyatt nights to say the same but so far I haven't stayed at a 'dive' Hyatt property to date. There's ony been one or two questionable Marriott properties and neither of those were full service.

I don't have any complaints to date about Hilton properties but I've found Starwood to be very inconsistent in the quality of properties.

Having stayed at few Club Carlson properties, although all outside of the United States, I would say that they are in the same level as aLoft/Four Points etc. If you think lower quality Hyatt Regency or Sheraton, they are probably comparable to Radisson Blu.

Excellent assessment of Club Carlson; I couldn't have said it better.


Since returning to work, I've found myself spending ~21 nights/month in hotels. ~14 paid by my employer and ~7 paid out of my pocket. For my personal stays, I'm somewhat price sensitive but I'm not willing to stay in a dive just to save a couple of bucks. I also look at overall value that I receive for my paid nights - that includes elite perks.

As an example of overall value, I had an offer from Marriott to get 5000 bonus points for two stays at Fairfield Inns - I value the points at $50. In addition, I get one free cat 1- 4 night for two every two stays. I'll save the free night for the night where room rates are high and use it at a full service Marriott with a lounge. So my two stays at Fairfield Inn netted me 5000 bonus points plus a free cat 1-4 cert.

When deciding which hotel I will stay at on my own dime, I look at multiple discounts which I'm eligible for, the bottom line price at each hotel, and how many more nights I need to qualify for top elite next year. At the moment, I'm willing to spend a few extra bucks a night in order to lock in Diamond/Platinum for the next year because those perks (free breakfast, internet, bonus points) have value to me. I've already qualified for HHonors Diamond next year and am concentrating on Hyatt and Starwood ... I don't mind dropping to Marriott Gold because that still gives me lounge access and almost all of the perks of Plat.


I can understand someone switching between the top 4 hotel programs because they're dissatisfied with an aspect of a loyalty program. However, if anyone switches from the top 4 to a loyalty program outside of the top 4 (Priority Club, Wyndham Rewards, Club Carlson, Best Western, Choice, etc) and thinks that they're going to get a richer loyalty program is in for a huge disappointment.

I can understand someone switching between the top 4 hotel programs because they're dissatisfied with an aspect of a loyalty program. However, if anyone switches from the top 4 to a loyalty program outside of the top 4 (Priority Club, Wyndham Rewards, Club Carlson, Best Western, Choice, etc) and thinks that they're going to get a richer loyalty program is in for a huge disappointment.

Tons of people here at FT love PC - their PB and BRG are the reason I stay at their hotels. Their CS is definitely not good, and their site is down or malfunction at times (sounds like Hilton). Mr. Nacho got a lot more upgrades as PC Plat than Marriott Gold, we also got free breakfast at a hotel that we don't have lounge access as PC Plat.

I'd like to try Hyatt too - I stayed at a Hyatt Place once in Texas and I like the hotel (except their white ginger toiletries). The other Hyatts simply too expensive - especially for us who are not living in the US.

Tons of people here at FT love PC - their PB and BRG are the reason I stay at their hotels. Their CS is definitely not good, and their site is down or malfunction at times (sounds like Hilton). Mr. Nacho got a lot more upgrades as PC Plat than Marriott Gold, we also got free breakfast at a hotel that we don't have lounge access as PC Plat.

I'd like to try Hyatt too - I stayed at a Hyatt Place once in Texas and I like the hotel (except their white ginger toiletries). The other Hyatts simply too expensive - especially for us who are not living in the US.

Again, the problem with PC is lack of defined benefits. As a Platinum elite, your defined benefits above gold are 1) complimentary room upgrades Subject to availability, and 2) guaranteed room availability.*
*Requires 72 hours advance notice. Platinum Elite members are guaranteed one guest room for personal use for reservations made at least 72 hours prior to the date of arrival, except during special events that result in extraordinary room demand, as determined solely by the hotel. Guaranteed room availability is not valid for Reward Nights. These reservations are to be made at the hotels directly or through the Priority Club Service Center.

So as you can see, no PC Plat benefits are really guaranteed - they're subject to availability.

http://www.priorityclub.com/hotels/us/en/global/support/about-priority-club-rewards/membership-levels.html

I understand your attraction to PointsBreaks and BestRateGuarantee but those are things that indicate a high level of price sensitivity rather than an emphasis on elite benefits.

No PC level guarantees:
1) Free wifi
2) Free breakfast
3) Complimentary lounge access
4) Guaranteed late checkout
5) Even free local phone calls are not a guaranteed elite benefit.

Don't get me wrong - I've stayed at two different Holiday Inns this last month and thought that the rooms were good value for the money. One hotel gave me a complimentary breakfast since I'm a PC Plat but the other did not. As a PC Plat, do I have any recourse against the hotel that didn't give me a complimentary breakfast? No because it's not a defined benefit.

No loyalty program is going to be perfect for everyone; that's why I stated that my rank order of loyalty programs was based on my personal preferences.
There's currently a thread on the HHonors board where a person is complaining about not having a bathrobe in his room. I haven't worn a bathrobe in many months - probably close to a year so bathrobes aren't something that I'd change loyalty programs for. However, it was a hot button issue for him - his preferences are different than mine.


For Hyatt, I find that the Hyatt AAA rate tends to be very competitive with other hotel chains. In fact, I joined AAA solely for the Hyatt discount.

No PC level guarantees:
1) Free wifi
2) Free breakfast
3) Complimentary lounge access
4) Guaranteed late checkout
5) Even free local phone calls are not a guaranteed elite benefit.

That's true (even though I don't make local call). The upgrade possibilities for Marriott is similar to IHG IMO. I can't recall the IHG properties I stayed outside the US provides free Internet.

I'm in the middle of my first ever stay at a HGI. I have normally been staying at the CY next door to the HGI but given I was just promoted to Hilton Gold status through work, I thought I'd give the HGI a try and see what all the noterity is about. ;)

My first impression is it is similar to the CY in a lot of respects. Though the restaurant here states it is open for lunch and dinner, I haven't seen anyone manning or eating there after breakfast. So I may need to ask if they are "really" open throughout the day. The room is really very similar to the CY rooms but with a few differences. The in-room TV is smaller than the CYs and there is only one phone in the room and it is next to the bed. There isn't a 2nd one on the desk, which makes taking business calls from the desk a bit of an issue. I do like the towels better in the HGI though. And as far as I can tell, there isn't much difference between the beds. I sleep pretty well at the CY and haven't had any issues so far at the HGI.

I was not given any type of upgrade that I can tell at the HGI. Where the CY next door has consistently upgraded me to a suite room all year. (Note I am a Plat with Marriott and only a Gold with HGI though.) Though I was put into the room closest to the elevators which are literally on the other side of the wall from my room.

I was given coupons for free breakfast every day of my stay which is nice. (Though at the CY my corp rate includes breakfast.) In general, breakfast seems to be very similar between the two. The bacon was definitely better at the HGI (i.e much thicker and not the super-thin paper looking bacon at the CY.) Unfortunately, they won't put any meat other than Ham in their omlettes at the HGI even though they have already cooked bacon and sausage. At the CY, they definitely have more options for what you can get in your omlette. So overall, I'd say the two are fairly comperable at least for their breakfast offerings. Now once this CY converts to the new "Bistro" concept (which should be Feb next year), I might give the edge to the HGI at that time.

I do like how the CY puts out free coffee and hot water (for tea or hot chocolate) throughout the morning. The HGI has that only during the breakfast hours and only for those eating in the restaurant.

The workout rooms and the pools seem to be very similar between the two.

So basically, I'm not really seeing much of a "real" difference between the two at least in this case.

I would say there is a HUGE difference. You get breakfast for free vs. Not. Your company has negotiated that in the rate and that is great, but for 99% of the Marriott Gold's and Plat's that is not a perk they get.

So everything is equal, but one gives free breakfast. Wonder which one offers more?!?