Marriott vs Hilton (and other hotel program comparisons)
#16
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: ORD
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Platinum/LT Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 5,594
It's worth noting, but it may not impact the OP at all. I've spent no time on this, and all my stays, points, etc. have posted correctly...although occasionally a little later than pre-merger. A classic case of YMMV.
#18
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Denver, Colorado
Programs: IHG Spire, Hilton Honors Gold, Marriott Titanium, Mileage Plus Gold
Posts: 1,736
Don't use the form. Call them. I've had 4 missing stays and all were completed over the phone. I've tried using the missing stay/points form before and it seems to be a total CF, especially if its related incorrect points.
#19
I also agree with Marriott points / stays not posting currently after the merger. I haven't had a stay where I did not have to spend significant amount of time getting the stay / points posted correctly.
The flow has been like:
The flow has been like:
- I fill up the missing stay form or contact us
- 10 days later someone sends me a email that they have verified and everything looks good. Everything that was supposed to be posted is posted
- I check and find that either nothing was done or the posting is still incorrect
- 10 days later someone fixes it (sometimes another email round)
Then another stay, again 10 days later, I contacted the hotel. Points are still messed up. I am going to wait the 7 days they said it might take to fix (doubt it will be fixed).
Is anyone getting compensation for this hassle? Like seriously, how hard is it to get the nights/points right? Especially points that should be 10 per US $ spent...
I think they are outsourcing this part of the work and those people can't do math, or use XE.com to do exchange rates properly.
#20
In memoriam
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: MAN
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium, IHG Spire, UA Silver, Dennis The Menace Fan Club
Posts: 1,457
Like you I’m in the U.K. I was in a similar position to you 10 years ago, I had some experience of Hilton and of Marriott. I found prices were similar and Marriotts properties to be in better condition than Hilton’s. Marriotts points accumulated at a Lower rate than Hilton’s but redeemed at lower rates. Overall the earn and burn on points seemed similar. I went with Marriott and am now Lifetime Plat. If I’d chosen Hilton I’d be only halfway to lifetime Diamond, a status any American can get by holding Hiltons Premium credit card - and get 14 points per $ too! But we don’t get that here.
Today Hilton points are worth about half Marriotts, and that’s assuming you can get a regular room, otherwise Hilton redemption rates are crazy-mad. Luckily being in Europe does mean that it is easier to find standard room redemptions than in America. Here in the U.K. the accumulation rate is similar between the two, Marriott PP is 17.5 per $ plus 6 points per £ using the British SPG AMEX. That is 30 points per £. Hilton is 20 per $ but their anaemic U.K. credit card only pays 3 per £, so ends up at 30 per £ as well. Hilton’s promos aren’t any better than Marriotts now. Both get room upgrades, both get free breakfasts at full service, both get lounge access. The only advantage Hilton has is the 10,000 bonus points on staying 40, 50, 60 and 70 paid nights. Even so, Hilton just can’t catch up with Marriott earn and burn rates here in the UK.
One advantage Hilton had was slightly more properties than Marriott but with the SPG purchase Marriott now numbers 100 hotels here and has recently signed up a significant owner of U.K. properties which are being rebranded to Delta adding another 20. By the end if this year Marriott will number 120 U.K. properties meaning it’s ferry easy to find a place to stay and accumulate those nights.
Here in the UK, the advantage very much lies with Marriott.
Today Hilton points are worth about half Marriotts, and that’s assuming you can get a regular room, otherwise Hilton redemption rates are crazy-mad. Luckily being in Europe does mean that it is easier to find standard room redemptions than in America. Here in the U.K. the accumulation rate is similar between the two, Marriott PP is 17.5 per $ plus 6 points per £ using the British SPG AMEX. That is 30 points per £. Hilton is 20 per $ but their anaemic U.K. credit card only pays 3 per £, so ends up at 30 per £ as well. Hilton’s promos aren’t any better than Marriotts now. Both get room upgrades, both get free breakfasts at full service, both get lounge access. The only advantage Hilton has is the 10,000 bonus points on staying 40, 50, 60 and 70 paid nights. Even so, Hilton just can’t catch up with Marriott earn and burn rates here in the UK.
One advantage Hilton had was slightly more properties than Marriott but with the SPG purchase Marriott now numbers 100 hotels here and has recently signed up a significant owner of U.K. properties which are being rebranded to Delta adding another 20. By the end if this year Marriott will number 120 U.K. properties meaning it’s ferry easy to find a place to stay and accumulate those nights.
Here in the UK, the advantage very much lies with Marriott.
#21
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Posts: 3,360
The assumption on FlyerTalk seems to be that everything offered by frequent guest elite programs are desirable to everyone who travels. Although true for the majority, it's not true to all. Examples:
My overall point is that every traveler is a little different. Take a few minutes to decide which elite-level benefits are important to you. If you can eliminate a benefit as irrelevant, that might help determine which hotel group is the best fit.
Note: I'm not knocking anyone who finds value in any of my bulleted items. They just don't matter much to me.
- Upgrades: I almost always travel alone. Although I'll accept them if offered, I literally do not care about suites (junior or full). With a few location-specific exceptions, I don't spend any time standing at a hotel window looking at the view. So, upgrades to rooms with better views mean nothing to me.
- Breakfast: Due to my normal sleeping schedule, I almost never eat breakfast. A free breakfast means nothing to me.
- Executive Lounge Access: Not my thing. As a bit of a germaphobe, I hate seeing people violate basic sanitary standards. That means I'm not eating anything that isn't wrapped.
- Aspirational Properties: My idea of a good vacation isn't jetting off to <insert far-flung location> to stay at a Five-Diamond resort with people fawning over me. (I'm a "check me in and leave me alone until I leave" type of traveler.) As such, the global footprint and ease of redemption at aspirational properties doesn't affect me.
My overall point is that every traveler is a little different. Take a few minutes to decide which elite-level benefits are important to you. If you can eliminate a benefit as irrelevant, that might help determine which hotel group is the best fit.
Note: I'm not knocking anyone who finds value in any of my bulleted items. They just don't matter much to me.
#22
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SJC/SFO
Programs: WN A+ CP, UA 1MM/*A Gold, Mar LT Tit, IHG Plat, HH Dia
Posts: 6,285
OP, it's difficult to define which hotel portfolio is better to focus your stays, status, and points with. It's always which is better for what. And many times, "for what?" comes down to the specifics of where you travel and what you prioritize.
For example, at a previous job the company HQ was within a block of 2 Hilton properties. Most of my remote colleagues became Hilton loyalists because it was so convenient when visiting HQ. They figured Hilton and Marriott were basically equal everywhere else they traveled so they went all-in with Hilton. Meanwhile I chose Marriott. The Hiltons near HQ did nothing for me (I was local) and in 3 locations I traveled repeatedly I deemed the Marriott offerings noticeably better than Hilton's.
For example, at a previous job the company HQ was within a block of 2 Hilton properties. Most of my remote colleagues became Hilton loyalists because it was so convenient when visiting HQ. They figured Hilton and Marriott were basically equal everywhere else they traveled so they went all-in with Hilton. Meanwhile I chose Marriott. The Hiltons near HQ did nothing for me (I was local) and in 3 locations I traveled repeatedly I deemed the Marriott offerings noticeably better than Hilton's.
#23
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: perth
Programs: SPG(LTG), QANTAS gold, Korean, Accor Plat
Posts: 1,500
If you choose Marriott I suggest do the platinum challenge. If your bookings are being paid for and you dont have to pay for breakfast out of pocket go for Marriott. If you pay for breakfast go for the program that gives you breakfast as an amenity which at 30 nights wont be Marriott. Upgrades are really more important if you are on holiday and related more to time of year and where you holiday.
#24
Join Date: Mar 2011
Programs: Delta Skymiles
Posts: 1,982
I think it depends on what your goals are and where you stay.
If you stay in predominantly mid-tier brands I’d say the Hilton experience offers more with properties like HGI, Hampton Inn, and DoubleTree having more consistent value than 4 Points, Courtyard, etc.
If you stay predominantly in full service brands I’d say that Marriott is a better way to go, Marriott Marquis, Sheraton, and Westin hotels I find to be a cut above.
I concur with others that Hilton points are incoherent and hard to understand. I also concur with everyone that Hyatt has the best hotels and hotel program, hands down. Sadly, their network is quite limited and it doesn’t fit into my usual staying needs. I keep a minimal status with them, just to maintain a relationship with them, but it will unlikely ever suit my service needs exclusively.
If you stay in predominantly mid-tier brands I’d say the Hilton experience offers more with properties like HGI, Hampton Inn, and DoubleTree having more consistent value than 4 Points, Courtyard, etc.
If you stay predominantly in full service brands I’d say that Marriott is a better way to go, Marriott Marquis, Sheraton, and Westin hotels I find to be a cut above.
I concur with others that Hilton points are incoherent and hard to understand. I also concur with everyone that Hyatt has the best hotels and hotel program, hands down. Sadly, their network is quite limited and it doesn’t fit into my usual staying needs. I keep a minimal status with them, just to maintain a relationship with them, but it will unlikely ever suit my service needs exclusively.
#25
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Bangkok
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Titanium, BAEC Silver, TK Miles & Smiles Elite
Posts: 2,210
I also agree with Marriott points / stays not posting currently after the merger. I haven't had a stay where I did not have to spend significant amount of time getting the stay / points posted correctly.
The flow has been like:
The flow has been like:
- I fill up the missing stay form or contact us
- 10 days later someone sends me a email that they have verified and everything looks good. Everything that was supposed to be posted is posted
- I check and find that either nothing was done or the posting is still incorrect
- 10 days later someone fixes it (sometimes another email round)
If the stay doesn't post or it posts incorrectly then you can email a named person at the hotel itself and ask them to fix it. I have 100% success rate with this approach and it's a lot easier than filling in a missing stay form on a web site and waiting for corporate to check it out, agree with you and fix it.
For example, I only had one stay not post at a Design Hotel and after eight days (there's no excuse for a stay not posting within 48 hours) I wrote a nice email to the front desk thanking them for a great stay and asking them to ensure my stay posted. It appeared by magic within 24 hours. Similarly, I had Christmas Dinner at the W Bangkok and left with the blue points form in my wallet. I scanned it and emailed them this week because nothing had appeared and it was there the next morning.
I think you're unlucky if you're having such a consistently bad experience with stays not posting but contacting the hotel itself directly will probably be less frustrating for you when trying to resolve.
#26
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: London
Programs: VS Gold, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 5
thanks everyone for your responses
i actually live in London and not in the US,
hotels stays are actually everywhere from London to Europe the USA and Asia
however much articles I've read about this topic still Marriott always come out (for me) the better option so i think i will stick with them for now.
thanks guys
i actually live in London and not in the US,
hotels stays are actually everywhere from London to Europe the USA and Asia
however much articles I've read about this topic still Marriott always come out (for me) the better option so i think i will stick with them for now.
thanks guys
#27
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: ORD
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Platinum/LT Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 5,594
At under 50 nights/yr, I'd probably be looking purely at the value of points and, IMO, Marriott beats Hilton there. I've slowly accumulated a lot of Hilton points and found that I never find a good way to spend them.
#28
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: BOS
Programs: BA Gold, AA Platinum, SQ Gold, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 1,582
OP, it's difficult to define which hotel portfolio is better to focus your stays, status, and points with. It's always which is better for what. And many times, "for what?" comes down to the specifics of where you travel and what you prioritize.
For example, at a previous job the company HQ was within a block of 2 Hilton properties. Most of my remote colleagues became Hilton loyalists because it was so convenient when visiting HQ. They figured Hilton and Marriott were basically equal everywhere else they traveled so they went all-in with Hilton. Meanwhile I chose Marriott. The Hiltons near HQ did nothing for me (I was local) and in 3 locations I traveled repeatedly I deemed the Marriott offerings noticeably better than Hilton's.
For example, at a previous job the company HQ was within a block of 2 Hilton properties. Most of my remote colleagues became Hilton loyalists because it was so convenient when visiting HQ. They figured Hilton and Marriott were basically equal everywhere else they traveled so they went all-in with Hilton. Meanwhile I chose Marriott. The Hiltons near HQ did nothing for me (I was local) and in 3 locations I traveled repeatedly I deemed the Marriott offerings noticeably better than Hilton's.
I used to be Hilton and moved to Marriott about 3 years back. Why?
Upgrades. I have about 60 nights of work travel and about 15 nights of vacation nights a year.
For work travel, all I care about is breakfast. I can expense even if it's not free but I try to save my employer some money (where I reasonably can).
For personal travel (myself, spouse and our 6 year old), I care a lot about upgrades, breakfast and lounge access. Don't care much about restaurant breakfast.
I moved to Marriott coz upgrades became super rare (tried, Australiz, US, Europe and Asia). Most of the times I was told I have been upgraded but most of the time I couldn't even find the difference. Wit Marriott, I am getting upgraded almost every time in Asia. Haven't taken a domestic (US) vacation in last 2 years, but have some coming up this year, so let's see.
#29
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: DCA
Posts: 7,769
One simple perspective: the opportunity often lies where everyone else isn't. Whether that be in stocks, real estate, or hotel loyalty programs. The asset that everyone is in is likely overvalued. Now that everyone is in Marriott, it could be time to go elsewhere - the other programs are likely undervalued and may well be working harder. Just a thought.
Personally, I've been a Hilton guy forever and am doing 50/50 with MR (top tier at both). My two cents based on experience is that Marriott is overhyped and Hilton does just as much for its guests.
Personally, I've been a Hilton guy forever and am doing 50/50 with MR (top tier at both). My two cents based on experience is that Marriott is overhyped and Hilton does just as much for its guests.
#30
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Everywhere
Programs: AA EXP - 3.7MM, Bonv LIFETIME Titan, HH Dmd, Hyatt Glob., Priority Clb Dmd, Ntnl Exec El., Sixt PLT
Posts: 1,680
One simple perspective: the opportunity often lies where everyone else isn't. Whether that be in stocks, real estate, or hotel loyalty programs. The asset that everyone is in is likely overvalued. Now that everyone is in Marriott, it could be time to go elsewhere - the other programs are likely undervalued and may well be working harder. Just a thought.
Personally, I've been a Hilton guy forever and am doing 50/50 with MR (top tier at both). My two cents based on experience is that Marriott is overhyped and Hilton does just as much for its guests.
Personally, I've been a Hilton guy forever and am doing 50/50 with MR (top tier at both). My two cents based on experience is that Marriott is overhyped and Hilton does just as much for its guests.