Originally Posted by
Mad4Miles
Hilton is now at parity with Hyatt. Previously with the Global/Amex awards and lower award chard HH provided a superior value.
The analysis below is for a Diamond member that uses the chain credit card.
Hilton Earn
Base = 15
Elite = 5
Credit Card = 12
Total = 32
Top Award = 95,000 -> $2,969 in spend.
5 nights Top Award = 380,000 -> $11,875 in spend.
Hyatt
Base = 5
Elite = 1.5
Credit Card = 3
Total = 9.5
Top Award = 22,000 -> $2,316 in spend.
5 nights Top Award = 110,000 -> $11,579 in spend.
These types of comparisons only work under certain assumed conditions... in this case the assumptions are that you have a single long stay to earn points and that the top awards are comparible to each other. If you are top tier in either program, you earn an additional 1000 points per stay. Hyatt points are 4x more valuable on a point by point basis than HH, so the effect of short stays at Hyatt has a much bigger impact on point accumulation than with Hilton.
Finally, Hyatt suite award redemption is significantly less inflated than Hilton - makes a big difference if you regularly book suites (as I do).
The one thing that we can definitely all agree on is that HH took a major swipe at their FF program. Let's hope that Hyatt and SPG don't follow suit. It seems everywhere we look (Airlines and Hotel programs) frequent travellers are getting benefits clawed back. The ones that "suck less" may prove to be the winners in the long run.
SG