Got a new job recently that has me in hotels more than I’m home.. I have already earned Hilton Diamond this year and got my 40k bonus points for breaking 60 nights..
What more is their to do? Or just keep earning base points with Hilton + their 10k points for every 10 nights?

Or.. Switch and start earning Marriott points now that I have mastered Hilton?

Marriott has I think double points and double nights counting through April 27 right now, and I can switch into their hotel Monday night if I want to..

I see Marriott hotels are a good bit cheaper to book with points (per points cost), but I’m thinking it’s harder to get a lot of Marriott points rather than Hilton points.. Hilton has bonuses every 10 nights and a big bonus at 60 nights..

What should I do?

Im sure I could work my way up to titanium if not even ambassador with Marriott within a few months or so, but would it be a waste to stop reaping the Hilton points since I already have diamond?

Hilton has a lot of points bonuses that I don’t see Marriott having.. Like I’m getting 750 points just for checking into a garden inn tomorrow, basically 1,000 points a night (10k per 10 nights), plus double base points..

Should I even bother with Marriott at all since I’ve already got diamond in my pocket?


Also.. Will Marriott do anything to match my Hilton diamond membership?
I think Hilton does some things to match other hotel memberships.. Does Marriott?

Hilton Diamond is mostly worthless. The only status worse than that is IHG Platinum. I have had both. I let them expire.

All those bonus points sound good now until you try to use them.

But it never hurts to have top status at two majors for flexibility. I chose Hyatt as my backup but Hyatt's footprint is much smaller than Marriott, so I have a backup in case I have to go back to Waterloo Iowa again where there's no Hyatt properties.

Hilton Diamond is far from worthless in my opinion. I certainly value it more then my Marriott platinum but these are YMMV situations for sure.

In Ops shoes I would go for the Marriott status for sure. You can start with a taste of platinum challenge to get status up front.

Also at 75 night you can choose a free night bonus too

If Hyatt is a option for you I would look there before Marriott.

Just my few cents worth of advice

Value of status...

1. Hyatt Globalist
2. Marriott Tit / Plat
3. Hilton Diamond

Value of points - earn/burn ratio

1. Hyatt
2. Marriott
3. Hilton

See a trend?

The only thing clever about Hilton's strategy is that giving Diamond to everybody makes people feel special, even though everybody is elite. (so nobody is elite) They also supercharge points earning with co-branded credit cards, etc. but then require a million points to stay anywhere decent for any length of time. (but many people won't know that until they've built up a big stash)

So yes... it's as good a time as any to move to Marriott during the double elite credit promo. But consider Hyatt first...

Come on it can’t be that bad..

decent hotels with Hilton cost about 20k points vs 15k for Marriott..

Think I have about 61 nights in Hilton home2s, so half points even, and it’s gotten me enough points to stay almost 2 full weeks for free in a decent Hilton..

Im not much into the higher end fancy luxury hotels, and I often fly a girl out to wherever I am to stay with me for a week or so, so the Hilton extra guest thing is nice for that too..

I suppose I should book a Marriott just to check them out and see how I like them compared..


I don’t think Hyatt will work for me because they have so many fewer hotels, and getting a hotel CLOSE to our locations is a pretty big deal..

Suppose I’ll check into a Marriott Tuesday or something and give them a try..

Im pretty new to this being able to choose my own hotels..


Also, I do actual work, so when I come in in the afternoon I’m not exactly wearing a nice suit.. Sometimes I’m quite in need of a shower and my work clothes won’t be spotless clean..

I don’t want to get into some place where I’m going to feel terribly out of place coming in looking like...I have actually been working..

Next I need to figure out airline miles stuff.. Think I have some American Airlines miles already by chance, but I think I’ll have less choice as to what airline I’ll be flying, as it’s usually last minute notice..

You don't say where your stays are but in my experience that plays a huge difference.
I've found the breakfast benefit and upgrade rate far better with Hilton than Marriott, even when I was a Hilton gold (Marriott Plat now). in the US and caribbean in particular, you can count on the bare minimum required by the terms of the Bonvoy program. And note, at many brands, that doesn't even include "continental" breakfast for most elites.

Hyatt has about the best loyalty membership out there, as long as your travels around their properties because they are fairly limited outside the NA.
Hilton and Marriott are about the same today. Upgrades are limited and always up to the property.

It's good to have a 2nd program in your pocket. I am Ambassador with Marriott and Diamond with Hilton for instance. I recommend looking at Hyatt. I've heard only awesome things from my colleagues about their program, BUT, they have a very small footprint that doesn't work for my travels - and may not for you.

If Hyatt does not work, I encourage you to use Marriott.

I guess it all depends on how you define "decent." Most of us find it challenging to redeem our 35k Marriott certificates. The properties I like to redeem at typically cost at least 70k per night.

Where are your stays mostly at?

Agree. I am Ambassador with Marriott and Globalist with Hyatt. I MUCH prefer Hyatt, but their footprint in the US is an issue. So i keep a foot in both camps. Take Arkansas for example: i am there 2-3x a quarter. No Hyatt's in Little Rock. Only one is in the northwest part of the state. Meanwhile you cant throw a rock without hitting a Marriott.

Detroit, Las Vegas, Omaha Nebraska, Baton Rouge, des moins, Denver..

everywhere..

West Omaha right now..

USA only though..

I keep Diamond at Hilton and Titanium at Mariott, lots of flexibility that way. I likely wont be able to do so this year, still can't travel as most of mine is Canada to US, which can't really be done easily anymore, but that was my approach the last couple years.

If you are hoping to move up quickly, I would suggest getting a Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Credit Card to give you 15 elite night credits on your journey towards Platinum or Titanium. The Annual Fee is high, but essentially pays for itself, especially in the first year or two. A few months ago it even came with the offer of Platinum Status, I'm not sure if it still does or not.

Have you asked Marriott if they will match your status or offer you a status challenge? You might be able to leverage your Diamond plus a credit card to quickly get you to Titanium.

I find the sweet spot of Hilton Honors to be Gold. I find I am treated very well, get breakfast, etc. I don't find earning Hilton Points a worthwhile venture given the high number of points you need to redeem.

I find Hyatt to be the best program in terms of value of points, and upgrade options. That said, I find their program to be less enjoyable for lower end elites, which is really difficult since you cannot status match. You might find it too much of a drudge to work your way back up with Hyatt over the next few months, compared to the treatment you can already receive with Hilton.

If you are staying in Detroit proper, Marriott definitely has the market cornered for the best properties (Book Cadillac, RenCen, David Whitney, Metropolitan). In Las Vegas, Marriott has amazing properties on the strip (ie Cosmopolitan), and solid properties nearby. Hyatt also has great properties in Las Vegas (ie Aria, Bellaggio with MGM partnership).

I'm sorry, well, except for Denver and certain parts of Detriot. If you can feed two programs then do so, just figure out where you'd like to use those points, since using them for vacations/aspirational properties is usually the best. That said, I'm not a fan of Hilton, as even some of their "great" properties I found lacking, too much like a Hilton I always said. Marriott can suffer from that same problem. If you're coming back from work filthy dirty, from a long day of physical labor, and given the cities you listed, you're probably wanting a less than posh luxury hotel for normal use, so Hilton and Marriott (as well as IHG) fit the bill. If you've checked Hyatt out and can't make it work, so be it, but they are the top rung here. US hotel lounges seldom are as satisfying as their overseas properties, so pick a place that checks off as many of the boxes for your particular situation, and remeber that variety is the spice of life.