claurenzo

Hi all,

I'm still learning this world but starting to gain traction but need advice on whether to stick with Hilton (horrible point value I know, bear with me) or switch to SPG. Apologies for the lengthy reply and if some of it doesn't make sense :/ I'm working on it!

Background:

Had to travel with Hilton for work but now can stay anywhere. Currently at 245k points (including 75k bonus from the Citi card), Gold status (need 25 stays or 51 nights to make Diamond). I also have a family member who works there and am on the friends and family rate meaning I get 50% off room and food at most restaurants. Given I've just earned my bonus and I have a healthy stash to go on a decent vacation, I'm open to switching. My current portfolio is CSR, DL Gold Skymiles, Citi Hilton (not the reserve), and SPG Amex (getting the bonus). I'll be opening a Chase card next since I'll be at the 5/24 and then am open - if I stick with Hilton, would get the reserve card.

Planned travel this year:

Chicago 1 night - business trip, full rate, can go here or SPG
Nairobi 2-3 nights - 50% rate for F&F
New York 5-10 nights - business trip, full rate, can go here or SPG

I take advantage of the double points promos that are usually in effect with Hilton and any others. My company sometimes offer fast track status opportunities in which there's a possibility I might be able to get that second half of the year if offered again. With the reserve card, it may be worth it to pay for the hotels on that card as well vs the CSR to earn slightly more (haven't run numbers)

Tentatively I won't have enough to hit Diamond unless there's some hacks I don't know about. It says I'm tracking for Silver next year but if I get the reserve card, I'd be gold again and given I have the stash of points, could see the value in maintaining that gold status given I probably won't be redeeming them until next year.

Alternatively, I could switch to SPG. With the signup bonus and the few measly points I have there, I'm around 28-30k starpoints. There's a 1,500 bonus right now which makes SPG just under the value I'd get at hilton for this next stay in CHI. Without the double points promotions on Hilton, SPG stays are typically worth more, even with my status bonuses; but hilton usually does have those opportunities....it's just not guaranteed.

I'm leaning towards sticking with Hilton but feel like I'm missing something big because I know SPG is preferred for a number of reasons. I know the points are less flex with Hilton but I wouldn't mind some nice holidays and I'm more about longevity than super luxury (although luxury is great too). I haven't had status really before so not sure how often that would actually help me with upgrades and the like? If I get the reserve, the weekend certificates would help out with some of those redemptions as well.

Feedback and thoughts welcomed!

Points Scrounger

I recommend the Marriott Platinum Challenge (9 stays) which combines well with the current Marriott promo; it automatically piggyback s a linked SPG account to SPG Platinum also.

BobH

You can get Hilton Gold by getting the right credit card, there's been a lot of discussion over the years about the relative value of Gold vs Diamond.

Bob H

claurenzo

Yeah I figured once this drops off, the Citi Hilton Reserve would give me the gold to keep it going. And given I'll be using my points likely next year, it would make sense to get the card for it. That still doesn't solve staying or switching though

sdsearch

What time frame are you talking about using the SPG points? Are you aware that SPG is merging with Marriott and the new merged program could be announced in about half a year (early 2018)? It's not clear how long after that the SPG program will exist as such. Since Marriott is the much bigger of the two programs, the best guess might be that the merged program will be a bit more Marriott-like than SPG-like. But we won't really know until next year.

So my point is, if you're planning to use those SPG points very soon, great. If you're planning to use them years from now, who knows what they'll be worth at that point? (SPG points transfer to Marriott points at a 1:3 ratio right now.)

claurenzo

No probably won't use any points really until next year. Is it worth converting those points to Marriott and banking them there instead?

smmrfld

How about this...stay at an acceptable property in a convenient location at a satisfactory price and let all the ferkokteh other stuff be secondary factors.

claurenzo

There are acceptable properties in convenient locations almost anywhere I go with most properties. I want to maximize my benefits and frequency to be able to travel for free, or mostly free, with points with the ability to splurge as/when needed. I think most chains have something to offer in both budget and nice hotels.

Odidoko

SPG or Marriott most definitely

krazykanuck

It's impossible to say based off your lack of historical travel patterns. Remember there are huge differences between usefulness of elite status if you're staying at a Hilton vs a Hilton Garden Inn, or a Westin vs a Sheraton Four Points. The Starwood/Marriott loyalists will tell you their program is better, and the Hilton ones will do the same.

Here's what I'll tell you. Hilton Diamond is better than Gold, but is it *that* much better that it's worth running for? probably not if you're doing mostly domestic travel. Hilton Gold is probably the best mid tier status in the industry for US based programs. Bear in mind that the Marriott Platinum Challenge, I think Marriott platinums only match to the base tier of SPG Platinum so they lose out on the benefits of the 75 and 100 night Platinums.

You really need to evaluate what hotels you're going to stay in. If you're staying at the mid tier properties (HGI, Hampton Inn, Four Points, Aloft, etc), and not the full line brands (Sheraton, Westin, Hilton, etc) then elite status won't really matter on either side. I find Hilton points to be way easier to earn than SPG and their promos have fewer hoops to navigate. People complain about the value of Hilton points but I don't have much of an issue getting good value from them. IMO SPG is perceived to have a better value because of the lower points required for free nights, but I find its harder to earn those points vs an equivalent number of Hilton points for a similar level of spend. YMMV.

And I say this as a longtime SPG Gold with close to 100k pts with them, and a longtime Hilton elite with ~450k with them. I use both programs when its advantageous.

claurenzo

Super helpful feedback. I go where there's value to be honest and obviously try to maxmize. For earning, I'm usually domestic but for redemptions, I'm international. I used 10k at the Kuala Lumpur because it felt like it was free haha. I've also been eyeing the all-inclusive resort in Costa Rica (Doubletree I think) where it's 29k for two people, 5 nights which at the redemption rate alone, isn't the greatest but not all that bad but when you include food and drink, suddenly becomes much more attractive. I tend to stay more mid-range type hotels and they could literally be anywhere in the world (I'm about to go Africa for a month in a 10 days). I'll be in Europe next year and anticipate using points in London hopefully and would like a carribbean getaway so that's the near future spend on points themselves. Earnings usually happen in NYC for business - 10-15 nights per year. Given it's NYC, I've been known to change hotels each night if I had to earn the stays because they're often only a few blocks apart

Do you find that Hilton upgrades you much when you're Gold? It's obviously easy to maintain that status if I get the reserve card - which makes sense to do if I'm going to stick with the chain for the free weekend night certs.

Thanks again!

Evo40

I want to echo krazykanuck. I'd say Hilton and Marriott are about the same in terms of points earning rate towards free nights (Hilton nights cost more points, but you generally earn more points per $1 spent, too).

SPG's strength is a portfolio of very nice hotels in big cities and good treatment (relatively) of elites. While it costs less points to get a free night, you also earn points at a pretty abysmal rate (and even the co-branded AMEX only gets you so far).

If you're doing mid-range hotels (and mostly do them in the US), go with Marriott or Hilton.

My upgrade success as a Gold is about the same as my upgrade success as a Diamond. Diamond is better than Gold, but not by that much, especially at the mid-range brands. You get more bonus points (or don't have to choose points over breakfast) and lounge access (if applicable)...and that's about it.

claurenzo

Super helpful! Combined with the fact I get the Friends and family rate now at Hilton - I think I may just stick with Hilton Thank you!

krazykanuck

I've found my upgrade rate to be somewhat poor when staying at US properties regardless of my status level, but most of my stays are 1-2 nights and I don't chase upgrades for such short stays. And by this I mean real upgrades to suites/junior suites. Internationally I did just fine as a Gold, and better as Diamond. Big difference with Diamond being having lounge access and often times better breakfast regardless of an upgrade. There are many hotels that restrict breakfast for Golds to the lounge and allow Diamonds to have it in the full restaurant. But again, this goes back to what I was saying, Diamond is better than Gold but it is that much better? For a mostly domestic US traveler you likely wouldn't notice a difference.