I do love Conrads - they have the style I like and you still get breakfast and lounge access. I feel like Editions could have been like this, but Marriott limited the benefits. I've had absolutely amazing stays at Conrad Tokyo, Conrad Seoul, and Koh Samui.

Not in the US. You get a daily F&B credit.

Conrad is roughly equivalent to Grand Hyatt and JW Marriott. Some of the international ones are decent.

Fair enough - I realized when you commented I have never stayed in a Conrad in the U.S.

Your mileage may vary, but for me, it's the difference in value of the annual free night award between the two.

Marriott caps the award night at 35,000 points, which will get you a Fairfield Inn.

Hilton, with just a handful of exceptions worldwide, has no cap. If the hotel has a standard room available you can book it.

So we'll be using the free night at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills this year (cash price $1300).

Marriott FNA versus Hilton FNC

The 35K-point Marriott BONV°Y Free Night Award (FNA) certificates can be topped up to as much as 50K points, but your argument is well taken.

Yet a U.S. resident can get those two 35K-point FNA certificates merely by holding a personal and business credit card costing $95 and $125, respectively, per year.

What does one have to do to earn a Hilton Honors Free Night Certificate (FNC)? Spend $15K on a credit card? Not everyone wants to do that.

The Hilton AmEx Aspire card ($550 annual fee) also offers a Hilton Free Night Certificate. 😊

Lot of nights chat in here re Hilton but don’t forget you can earn via fewer stays!

people regularly staying 1 nights are better off 20 stays or as few as 20 nights for Gold ie lower than Marriott and 30 stays or low as 30 nights for Diamond … you can also gain status via base points earned so a few expensive stays could get you top tier status too.

Yep. The Aspire card is a fantastic deal if you can use the FNA, the $400 resort credit, and the $200 airline credit. That's easily $1-2K in value right there.