Changed to Bonvoy
 

Former long time Diamond for Hilton. I am taking the gold challenge and going 100% Bonvoy now. Diamond, and for that matter, hotel status really doesn't mean anything like it used to at least to me. I just want points I can redeem for a nice property, and free wifi when I stay at a Bonvoy brand. The gyms in bonvoy's properties are nicer. The key app feature is a little wonky as you have to put your phone hard pressed against the door knob unlike Hilton.

I think Hilton branded properties I've stayed in are really worse for the wear and outdated. So far I've been happy with Marriot. I'm at the Marriott Fort Collins and even though it's an old hotel the interior rooms are very modern and fresh looking.

Oh when I signed up for the challenge you don't get gold in the interim. He asked me "do you want to sign up for the gold or platinum challenge" I said "can you sign me up for gold and if I blow through that and satisfy platinum requirements will that work?" No dice he said. Odd.

I'm a long time Marriott and SPG top tier member and they've completely lost the plot over the last couple of years.

Bonvoy is the Doug Parker American of hotel chains. You know exactly what I mean.

Welcome.

My ranking of the hotel chains is approximately:

Aman / Four Seasons / other non-points luxury brands >>> Hyatt >> Marriott >> Hilton > IHG > Choice / Wyndham / other crummy motel brands

You just gotta watch out for some of the old nasty run-down Four Points, Fairfields, Courtyards, and non-renovated Marriotts/Sheratons/Westins. No different from watching out for old nasty Hyatt Places or Hyatt Houses though.

You can earn a lot of points once you have elite status, the Bonvoy credit card, and the promos. They seem to add up quick. I'm about to burn 355k on 5 nights at the St Regis in Puerto Rico. There are some good redemptions in the system. The 5th night free on awards is a nice perk. Enjoy it.

I’m in somewhat of a similar boat, but a year farther along.

I’m into Marriott after starting out SPG/Hilton (but I still have the Aspire and I am not particularly “goodbye cruel hotel chain” about Hilton- TBH I think Aspire >>> Brilliant in overall value), basically because the AMEX Brilliant started offering all time best signup bonuses (in my case, 100k + Platinum for 2021 + 25k + 50k FNC at renewal). This plus two years of $300 Marriott spend rebate + $220 in restaurant credit for 2021 made the card positive value in years 1 and 2 (easily worth double the $900 in annual fees). Also, thanks to the 13 night boost in nights from Gold from holding the card + the double nights promo I actually earned Platinum for 2022 (this is highly unlikely to repeat, even though I will be spending 6 weeks in Europe that will add some nights to the 2022 night count). The card was also pretty decent in return for spend in 2021 because of some stackable promotions.

I’m pretty skeptical that Marriott eliminating award charts and going to dynamic pricing awards based on cash prices for 2023 is going to work out well, so I’m neutral at best for retaining the card for 2023 (my renewal is December)- it would help with lifetime Gold (which I am a ways away from on nights), but it basically boils down to prepaying a single night of a hotel room for $150 every year. It also isn’t a great card for ongoing spend the same way it was as an SPG card.

I appreciate that Marriott has more high end properties than Hilton, but my wallet is unlikely to allow me to afford them very frequently- most of my luxury travel experiences are cases where circumstances (points, miles, deals) allow me to punch above my financial weight. As such I am not sure that Marriott outweighing Hilton here means a lot to me. Platinum status was very nice indeed on a recent trip to India and experiencing five star luxury at modest three star prices, but it hasn’t done much in the US at Courtyards aside from welcome amenities (which is pretty much par for the course for Marriott and Hilton- I actually think my Hyatt Explorist has been more useful for stays at Hyatt House/Place). I guess keep your expectations low and you won’t suffer for it. The problem Is truly dynamic award charts make earning in Courtyards/redeeming at St. Regis problematic- if it comes down to that I might as well get cash rebates.

Between dynamic award charts, general devaluation of points, degenerating brand standard discipline at the properry level, and (IME) higher rates for mid-tier Marriott/Starwood properties compared apples-to-apples to Hilton, Bonvoy has no role in influencing my buying behavior any more. I hang onto a Chase Marriott card but rarely use it.

Many Hilton properties are indeed shopworn but I still think Honors is a SLIGHTLY better value proposition.

Just don't expect to be able to redeem those points at a reasonable rate or higher end property after Feb this year, and especially next year... Massive devaluation in effect with a move away from categories and to dynamic pricing.

well it's been a LONG time on Hilton seeing anything other than "standard award" even in the dead of winter and on weekends. It's a joke all around. At Hilton, everyone is pretty much a diamond. I couldn't even get the designated parking for Diamonds as they were always full. LOL

If you just want to earn points for free nights, that seems to me to be sweet spot for HHonors vs Marriott.

+ 18 years ?
 

Why did we bump this thread - after 18 years?

The first post is from yesterday.

Bonvoy assuredly did not exist 18 years ago. Not sure if FT did.

The question for enviroian is where do they plan on traveling the most? Is it major cities or small towns?

If the former, then I would keep Hilton Diamond as your backup and shift to Hyatt for primary. Since you are EXP on AA, you should be able to get Explorist immediately and quickly level up to Globalist; that's how I switched over from Bonvoy in 2019 although with LT Plat on Marriott, it is a perfect backup. Since Hyatt has a small footprint, you need a Hilton/Marriott secondary program.

If it is smaller towns, then Bonvoy does make sense. That said, I would still split my stays with Hyatt as getting anything above Platinum on Marriott is a waste of time. Platinum on Marriott gets you breakfast, wifi, 4 PM checkouts etc. all the key stuff needed. Titanium and Ambassador are higher status levels, but the benefits are YMMV with regards to being tangible. Some hotels, like the Sheraton Grand Sydney rolled out the red carpet, while others couldn't be bothered.

The earn is easier on Hilton (with Aspire being a very easy way to turbocharge earn; I think Diamond + Aspire > Gold or Platinum + Brilliant on earning), the burn ratio is better on Marriott but I am not sure it beats the easier earn by itself. I think Marriott has a bigger spread of luxury properties so I could see someone using that as the determining factor. How badly the 2022/2023 variable pricing changes Bonvoy the point redemption values seem to be the unknown here.

I know everyone has their own values, but I generally put it somewhere around 3H=2M. Between the better credit card, easier to obtain status, and better/more often promos, I find HH points much easier to earn. No resort fees on awards stays is nice too. I like nice places, but don't stay anywhere that would be considered a true "luxury property", so that isn't a consideration for me, but I see how it could be important to others.