I am both a Hilton Diamond and a Starwood Platinum member, a few years ago I was also a Marriott upper tier member, but do not have much experience with Hyatt. If I have discovered one common fiber between the loyalty programs that I am a member of: it is they do not reciprocate the loyalty I show them. You can’t compare one program to another because the awards you are saving for: could and probably will be changed before you get to use them. In the past few months Hilton raised the points required to use some of its most popular awards by fifty percent and more. They eliminated some of the most economical awards with absolutely no notice. Starwood made significant changes in its program (although not as severe as Hilton) just recently as well. I left the Marriott program several years ago when they changed the point level for the award I was saving for; by forty percent. The "point" I am trying to make is unless you plan on using the awards in the very near term no comparison can be made between programs because none of us know what the future will hold and what program will do.

I have found one program that I have begun to implement this year that is working and providing instant rewards. I now book my hotel stays thru discounters like Priceline and am taking the money I save as my reward. I have discovered that rooms in hotels I once paid $120 per night: for now cost $40. To figure out how much I save does not take any math genius. Saving $80 per night for fifty nights a year puts $4,000 in my pocket. With Hilton and Starwood after deducting for the taxes I would get points on about $100 per stay. Being a Diamond and with some promotions I could get about 20 points per dollar after fifty nights I may get 100,000 points. Starwood as a Platinum, five points per dollar might be a stretch but for arguments sake, lets say you get 25,000 points in Starwoods program.

If you wish to utilize the Hawaii comparison charts as listed above, than Hilton and Starwood are about equal at offering approximately two and one half nights each. How many nights do you think you can get with $4,000 dollars however? How many more with Priceline rates?

If your boss is paying the room there is no reason not to take the extra perks, but for personal stays. Shopping around is the best program of all! Last year I told everyone I knew how great the Hilton program was and now they are asking me how to use the orphan points they have accrued. I won’t recommend any program because I have no way to telling what the future holds!