Originally Posted by
SkiAdcock
I care about redemption & Marriott works for me. To me redemption means being able to redeem points at properties worldwide when I want them & I've always been able to do so with Marriott. If I'm staying at a higher category property then yes it's going to cost more points than if I'm staying at a lower level property. That's true of a few chains.
I've been Platinum with both MR and IHG for the past few years. Both are good for redemption-- but for different patterns of travel.
-- With MR you really have to be a heavy traveler to get the best value. The higher status tiers require a lot of nights. The promos tend to require a lot of nights, too. The best redemptions are the travel packages which start at 200k points and go up steeply from there.
-- With IHG you get good value as an infrequent traveler. You can get Platinum status in the US by carrying a $49 credit card. You can rack up lots of points via bonuses. Periodic promos offer the best value to infrequent guests, not the ones who are actually staying 50+ nights/year. There are no travel packages, so you're not shortchanging yourself by booking 1- and 2-night reward stays.