Marriott15

I apologize if this has already been posted but I wanted to find out some more information. I currently stay in about 160 hotels a year for work. I am currently Ambassador Status for Marriott 20K spend and 100 nights. For IHG I am Spire and have gained the 75k required points pretty easily! I also did the Diamond Match 9 nights in 90 days for Hilton Last year.

Anyway....My first question is does Hyatt do any Status match for Globalist or a Challenge to reach Globalist?

When I am staying in a hotel the main two things I look are the way to get the most amount of points and the nicest hotels possible. That is why I currently do Marriott and IHG.

For my company I am allowed to spend $200 but can't exceed that. For Marriott Lately I have marked it out where I am getting 2,000-2,500 extra bonus points! For IHG it's even bigger I am getting the 10,000 point package and averaging 14,000 points per stay. I am basically re-qualifying for Spire in 6-7 stays.

I saw for Hyatt on stays you can pay more for doubling your points like Hilton does.

Also, even though Hilton you can double your points it seems as though it takes big amounts of points to redeem.

Mainly I would be redeeming these points in Charleston, Virginia Beach and Savannah.

Just wanted to get thoughts and opinions.

skywalkerLAX

Currently there is no official status match program with Hyatt but you can always try your luck emailing them or contact Hyatt via Twitter.

Otherwise get the Hyatt CC and get a starter status and potentially a promotion further down the road. Paying extra for double points isn't worth it.

IMHO Hyatt properties as a whole and especially the aspirational ones are superior to the IHG options and Spire is a waste of time and money. Get the CC and keep annual Platinum status plus a free night. Best way to deal with IHG.

sch_flyer

If you can get reimbursement from your employer, booking double point rates can certainly be worth it, albeit not exactly ethical There's nothing on the final bill showing what rate was booked.

MSPeconomist

tearex

Hyatt periodically offers challenges to reach Globalist if you are a targeted corporate customer (20 nights in 90 days). This is considered "Globalist-lite" since there are some bonuses that are directly tied with how many nights you actually actually stayed vs. bonuses that come with the named status. There is no such challenge going on right now, but you'll likely see the thread pop up here on FT when if the challenge is offered again. Otherwise, no other official status as skywalker said.

As for rates per night, this depends on where you are staying. There are certainly many under what your company would allow - check sample dates for rates at places you typically travel to.

txhyattlvr

Just a little nitpick here... my understanding is that hotels cannot deny you the opportunity to order "off the menu" IF a menu is available for breakfast. The T&C's are pretty clear on this point, and I've confirmed it at multiple hotels (because I hate buffets and typically never order it). I've only had ONE hotel claim I couldn't order from the menu and a call to the General Manager confirmed they were in error...

Zhen Steve Wang

Don't really had any experiences about BFs, but Hyatt seems very nice to me, Hilton is shity as opposite. last week, I stay at DT Tropicana Las Vegas, and as HH Diamond I only get $13 off (which is enough for a to-go box, but not even buffet) from my BF, and had to pay extra $11 to get a standard buffet. At Hyatt hotels, I always get a good BF, some higher tier properties even has no restrictions to the amount on your check, so you can order whatever you want and pay nothing, tips are included as well.

IMO, if you look into the major four hotel loyalty program, Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, IHG, my preference will be Hyatt -> Marriott -> Hilton -> IHG... Hyatt is hardest to achieve but a better treatment to your loyalty. Hilton & IHG is worthless, only an alternative for me. Even I am a Marriott Lifetime Platinum, that's because I like the deceased SPG program, marriott's support is terrible at least for the 2018, the year of transition.

VegasGambler

Paying extra for double points is sometimes worth it (though not usually on $200 rates) The upcharge for double points is usually a flat rate (regardless of how expensive the room is) and it includes all base points (including F&B). If you are spending $1000 / night including room charges, an extra $30 for double points is a great deal (5k pts for $30 is 0.6c per pt)

My understanding is that the OP can book anything up to $200, and get it reimbursed, so it's worth it for him Whether this is ethical or not is an entirely different question, and depends on the culture of that particular company, so I'm not going to judge.

Marriott15

Thank you for all the replies!

I have to use my company American Express for all paid hotel stays so that is not a option. I'm not paying for the double the points my company is. What would you compare a Hyatt Place and Hyatt House to a Marriott Property?

Marriott15

How would you rate those 4 major chains by the ability to gain the most amount of points and being able to reedem a hotel for least amount.

Right now for me it is IHG then Marriott. I can't really put Hilton in there because the redemption rates fluctuate so much!

spgplat21

For actual stays I think it's hard to beat Hilton and IHG for earn and burn rates on paper, but the much better award availability and status benefits associated with Marriott and Hyatt status have always put both at the top ahead of IHG and Hilton for me. IHG was never as bad as Hilton regarding availability, but it just didn't have many destination properties that peaked my interest for vacation travel and when it did, availability wasn't as good as Hyatt and Marriott.

Right now, I'd rate Marriott at the top ahead of Hyatt and I don't think it's all that close. Even with all the issues, the rates and award availability at top properties (at least through March) are pretty unbelievable and the earnings potential for stays is still very high. After the new category and peak seasons come on board in 2019-2020, I will probably move Hyatt pretty close to Marriott, but I still think Marriott is on top because of its larger footprint, slightly better earning proposition on stays, and the 5th night free on redemptions. My views are definitely skewed because most of my redemptions are at high end properties and/or during peak periods so award availability is probably more important to me than most.

I was recently looking at award nights in San Francisco for a very busy period coming up (most decent properties were $800+, St. Regis was 1200 and Ritz was 1100). I found availability at a number of decent properties using both Marriott and Hyatt points, but couldn't find anything with IHG except for airport hotels and the only Hilton I found for points in the city was a Hampton Inn (granted it was a nice one that was selling for $820/night, but still). I know this is just one example and I'm sure there our counter-examples, but at least in my experience this seems to be true more times than not when comparing the programs during peak redemption times or in vacation destinations. On an ordinary weekend, the values and earn and burn rates may be pretty close or even favor Hilton or IHG, but during the times when points are really valuable to me, it always seem like IHG and Hilton fall way behind both Marriott and Hyatt.

But as with most things, the answer depends mostly on you and how you like to earn points (stays vs. CC) and where you like to spend them. Marriott's probably better for most people, but I can definitely see situations where IHG and/or Hilton might make more sense. Hyatt is sort of it's own animal and takes a person that mostly stays in the US and in larger metropolitan areas, but if the footprint works it's still an awesome program with incredible value.

MSPeconomist

tearex

A HP is like a Fairfield Inn, HH is like Springhill Suites/Residence Inn. HH has kitchenettes, including some rooms with stoves.

I rate the chains like Steve (Hyatt > Marriott > Hilton > IHG).... actually I can't remember the last time I stayed at an IHG and I pretty much prefer not to stay at an IHG as I have some semblance of status to the other three.

It's not an easy comparison because the valuation of a point differs between the programs, plus lot's of anecdotal evidence due to travel preferences, etc. I tend to redeem at top end properties - I find good availability in Hyatt and Marriott, except at some peak times without booking ahead. I supplement my Hyatt points frequently via Chase UR, so I redeem more at Hyatt vs Marriott.

It is easy to earn lots of points in Hilton because they hand them out like candy... but the redemption rates are usually ridiculously high. Plus if there's a Hyatt, Marriott, and Hilton property in the same area... I will probably pick the Hyatt/Marriott over the Hilton due to quality of property.

Marriott15

I guess for me I am buying the 10k points package once a week for IHG and averaging around 14k per week with IHG. I do two Marriott's a week and pay extra for the 2k points package and I am averaging between 11k-11,500k per week with Marriott. Basically I can stay at the brand new Holiday inn in down town Charleston after 3 stays.

BaconSF